It was a big day! I woke up and helped get Moomin ready for school, then did some day job work to stay caught up on things for an hour or so, then my online friend "Mo" came over so we could work on merging our translations of "Islander". We talked about the poet, the context & time (that was mostly me talking) and dove right in. It was a good exercise in humility for me as well as one in trying not to be incredibly bossy and "right". Mo translates tight & punchy, which is my favorite thing ever, but in this poem I went with something to get across the prosy non-tight flowing (and sometimes pretentious/melodramatic) style of this piece. I caught a lot of errors, mine and hers both (I am a better reader than I was 3 or 4 years ago when I translated "Islander".)
You know how yesterday I was saying I hoped she would be a hard worker? Oh wow, she totally was! It was awesome! I am too! We wore each other out completely. From 9 to 4:30 we barely stopped at all. Sure, a little gossiping about our own work. But we even ate in front of the manuscripts and the computer. By about 3:30 I had to force myself to keep going, and we realized we were barely able to focus. But neither of us wanted to stop! That was so cool. We sometimes argued (way politely) about a sentence forEVER. If you think about staying inside one sentence and its possible constructions and word choices (and how it relates to the others around it and to the whole, and to different levels of meaning) it's very intense concentration. We're going to meet up again and do more work on Saturday before she leaves town.
Meanwhile I am lost in WTF over Ferarro's racist bullshit comments, over Clinton being a dumbass not responding to it worth a damn, over the racist comments all over the internet about it which basically agree with Ferarro, and over all sorts of other random crap I happened across tonight while reading my internets, like Spitzer is an asshole (over 80K? barebacking? oh for fuck's sake... )
Mostly it was a good day though.
I am a little miserable underneath on unbloggable levels but just take that for granted. I'll talk about it at some point.
Moomin said he was talking about a play date with another kid at school and I am super glad about that. He has not really made any friends yet there, and no one has ever invited him over, or to their birthday parties. I had some hopes for the chess club, and it's awesome that they have one but it is very chaotic and unfocused. I predict he will find friends among the sorts that enjoy sitting quietly and concentrating, who know the rules, and who like to think and play by the rules. Without that he gets really frustrated. I thought too he might find some friends who love to read as so many of the kids there clearly do. Well, I think it will come with time.
I am glad you had that intellectual connection and high, it sounded very good and cool and what Linda calls, "Staying up with the adults" when things are happening or focused or by other people being there you feel yourself lifted up to the point you don't want to stop.
Glad that moo has a play date - odd memory: chess club, I founded it, which is why I think my private religious school shut it down (nothing in bible about chess, but plenty about sass and attitude and not being meek and humble).
"unbloggable levels" - I love this phrase as it makes me think that we all have this "underworld" in our lives ala Harrison Ford in Blade Runner.
Posted by: elizabeth | March 14, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Hey, I mentioned the diva cup on asshole's blog. Here's the info:
On sale at midwest region Whole Foods (IL, IN, MO, MI, WI, NE) for $26.49 ($6 off) from March 19-April 1st. I dunno if it'll be on sale at other Whole Foods. Specifically, it's the "Model 1 Diva Cup." There's different kinds. I looked around and maybe I'm just less observent than usual, but I can't see where you live. So I don't know if this is helpful to you or not. Anyway, just wanted to let you know the details of this.
Posted by: Brigid Keely | March 14, 2008 at 02:34 PM