Gillian Polack's Blog, page 254
April 23, 2011
gillpolack @ 2011-04-23T11:47:00
I'm not good at delayed gratification. I have 2 1/2 birthday presents waiting to be unwrapped (in one the wrapping is part of the present). I have less than two days to go. It's very difficult...
April 22, 2011
gillpolack @ 2011-04-23T09:31:00
We had negative temperatures last night, which is a bit unseemly for April. It gave me interesting dreams, however (for Fahrenheit folks, it was around 30 degrees). My favourite one was of a new cooking show that had gourmet chefs serving up their latest inventions to chops-and-three-veg people and trying to convince them that it was good, solid food. Dream dialogue went something like "I'm not going to even ask what this meat is." and "Linden - what an interesting ingredient." It was a very solid narrative and ended in tears when someone decided it was 'authentic' to revisit WWII food with gas. My dream self was gasping for breath and wondering how on earth the folks in TVland thought anyone could eat food wearing gas masks. When I woke up, I headed straight for the asthma medication and then for the Bureau of Meteorology page - both actions were very sensible.
For the record, we're into day two of the five day holiday the rest of Australia is getting for my birthday. I need to relish today and tomorrow, since I'll be 49 for the last time. I need to wear black today, however, because I just realised that I never got to be 49 for a second time, much less a third.
I'm working hard on looking my age, since acting my age was a failure from the beginning. I've given the latter much thought and have decided to act my shoe size instead. If you see me skipping down the street like an 8 1/2 year old, this would be why.
For the record, we're into day two of the five day holiday the rest of Australia is getting for my birthday. I need to relish today and tomorrow, since I'll be 49 for the last time. I need to wear black today, however, because I just realised that I never got to be 49 for a second time, much less a third.
I'm working hard on looking my age, since acting my age was a failure from the beginning. I've given the latter much thought and have decided to act my shoe size instead. If you see me skipping down the street like an 8 1/2 year old, this would be why.
gillpolack @ 2011-04-22T17:27:00
Dinner tonight is chicken soup with kniedlach, which is very appropriate to the season. What's not quite as appropriate is that I forgot to get the usual vegetables, so the soup is made with coriander (instead of celery tops), button squash (instead of parsnip), brown onion (instead of brown onion, and purple carrot. The base I used was exceptionally jellied and clear (I have 8 more tubs of this bouillon in the freezer, waiting suitable occasion). Put all the ingredients together and you get very tasty soup that just happens to be purple.
Now I'm wondering if I should spice it interestingly, to match the colour, or if I should leave it on the traditionalish side, to match the kneidlach. Maybe I'll squeeze a bit of lemon in at the last minute.
Not much other news. Today is a slow day. I have four books still to read and have only read two (today's aim was six - that would have finished the current batch from the library and would have made me feel terrifyingly virtuous, as there are only 15 books to get from the local library system after this). I wanted to finish them all today and do lots of writing tomorrow, but instead I shall finish them by 5 pm tomorrow and do the writing tomorrow evening and in the interstices of seeing friends, on Sunday.
My body tells me I need to hibernate. I am ignoring my body. I am, however, admiring my purple broth. It's a very pretty colour. The coriander leaf and the yellow squash make the pot look like stained glass.
Now I'm wondering if I should spice it interestingly, to match the colour, or if I should leave it on the traditionalish side, to match the kneidlach. Maybe I'll squeeze a bit of lemon in at the last minute.
Not much other news. Today is a slow day. I have four books still to read and have only read two (today's aim was six - that would have finished the current batch from the library and would have made me feel terrifyingly virtuous, as there are only 15 books to get from the local library system after this). I wanted to finish them all today and do lots of writing tomorrow, but instead I shall finish them by 5 pm tomorrow and do the writing tomorrow evening and in the interstices of seeing friends, on Sunday.
My body tells me I need to hibernate. I am ignoring my body. I am, however, admiring my purple broth. It's a very pretty colour. The coriander leaf and the yellow squash make the pot look like stained glass.
April 21, 2011
gillpolack @ 2011-04-21T14:21:00
Things worked a lot better than they might have, although it's still another few weeks before I catch sight of a passport. My scanner behaved and my nearly-out-of-ink printer produced pale but legible copies. The sun shone (the rainclouds started returning while I was on my way home) and the nice policewoman joked with me as she signed everything. I had a bit of a wait at various stages, but I took work with me in case, and so I really have only wasted a bit over an hour and a bit under $30. We'll see if that's the magic cure when I get a new birth certificate and take it in for verifying.
On my way home, I wondered why I felt a bit tired. No coffee today. No water today. Nothing to drink at all today, because whenever I went to get something, I had to deal with another issue. Also, I have weather change aches (in case anyone in Canberra is thinking of hanging out washing). I shall put on a big pot of coffee. I shall have a big glass of water. I shall work merrily for two hours, then decant some chicken soup into my freezer (I did the beef stock before the post office phoned and my day got rearranged) and make something entirely evil for some friends I am seeing on Sunday (not cake, if either of you are reading this - something savoury and really, really bad for you - goes well with matzah or sour dough bread and with pickles and meat), then work a bit more.
And (this is to the universe) I would be very happy if you made the rest of the day more straightforward.
On my way home, I wondered why I felt a bit tired. No coffee today. No water today. Nothing to drink at all today, because whenever I went to get something, I had to deal with another issue. Also, I have weather change aches (in case anyone in Canberra is thinking of hanging out washing). I shall put on a big pot of coffee. I shall have a big glass of water. I shall work merrily for two hours, then decant some chicken soup into my freezer (I did the beef stock before the post office phoned and my day got rearranged) and make something entirely evil for some friends I am seeing on Sunday (not cake, if either of you are reading this - something savoury and really, really bad for you - goes well with matzah or sour dough bread and with pickles and meat), then work a bit more.
And (this is to the universe) I would be very happy if you made the rest of the day more straightforward.
gillpolack @ 2011-04-21T11:54:00
My passport may be delayed. This is because the Passports Office didn't like the properly sighted and authenticated photocopy of my birth certificate. They want me to get an entirely new birth certificate and they waited until the day before a five day weekend to let the post office person know this fact. The absolute earliest I can get a new birth certificate is Thursday next week, and that's assuming everything goes perfectly.
I was perfectly willing to hand over my original birth ceritficate so that the passports Office didn't have to read a photocopy, but apparently original documents aren't in order for this kind of thing. This is a pity, it would have saved me significant amounts of money and about 2 hours of time on a busy day. I now need to get police certification of a whole *bunch* of documents in order to get that birth certificate. Firstly, though, I have to copy them and, naturally the scanner is down because a friend was upgrading some computer bits for me and I said blithely "I don't need my scanner for a few days".
So, instead of work, right now I am trying to sort my scanner, then find a police station (there's one about a half mile from here, I think, so that's not impossible, but it does mean a nice walk in the rain), then I must post everything to Victoria. I'm going to have to scan all sorts of extra documents, I think, just in case the Victorian office of Births, Deaths and Marriages doesn't like my birth certificate either. For yes, it appears that the prime document one needs to obtain a birth certificate is a birth certificate (or a passport). Thank goodness (unlike the passport people) they accept some fairly accessible other combinations. I'll send them about six different selections.
I was perfectly willing to hand over my original birth ceritficate so that the passports Office didn't have to read a photocopy, but apparently original documents aren't in order for this kind of thing. This is a pity, it would have saved me significant amounts of money and about 2 hours of time on a busy day. I now need to get police certification of a whole *bunch* of documents in order to get that birth certificate. Firstly, though, I have to copy them and, naturally the scanner is down because a friend was upgrading some computer bits for me and I said blithely "I don't need my scanner for a few days".
So, instead of work, right now I am trying to sort my scanner, then find a police station (there's one about a half mile from here, I think, so that's not impossible, but it does mean a nice walk in the rain), then I must post everything to Victoria. I'm going to have to scan all sorts of extra documents, I think, just in case the Victorian office of Births, Deaths and Marriages doesn't like my birth certificate either. For yes, it appears that the prime document one needs to obtain a birth certificate is a birth certificate (or a passport). Thank goodness (unlike the passport people) they accept some fairly accessible other combinations. I'll send them about six different selections.
April 20, 2011
gillpolack @ 2011-04-20T17:52:00
I have the *perfect* excuse to put ghosts in a novel. I'm so happy! This radiant joy is because the reason is an evil, evil one that accomplishes five narrative tasks while looking innocently like a piece of arrant superstition and remaining entirely science fictional (no fantasy and only the merest smidgeon of horror).
Also, I realised that I need to re-read William of Newburgh. I had forgotten the vampires. How on *earth* could I have forgotten the vampires? What else have I forgotten?
Also, I realised that I need to re-read William of Newburgh. I had forgotten the vampires. How on *earth* could I have forgotten the vampires? What else have I forgotten?
gillpolack @ 2011-04-20T10:46:00
Today is techday. Everything is computers and messages and backup and wondering if I'll be able to do my real work.
I managed some real work in the middle of backups, but I'm so ambivalent about it that I'm not at all certain whether to take it into the dissertation or leave it aside as an object lesson or to hope it's a clever novel with a practical joke at its heart.
An author famous for his careful research and vast knowledge has such a bad understanding of late Medieval science and outlook in the premise of his novel (which is, nonetheless, very well written and rather famous) that I want to cry. Such an opportunity wasted! Also, however, the lack of understanding of the science means that the whole premise of the novel collapses. Even worse, he slips information in, from his resarches and that information demonstrates (within the novel itself, but either entirely unintentionally or giving away a major twist - I'd have to read the whole thing to find out which, and reading it hurts so very much) that the social reality is only half right, the sciences are wrong and, well, that's enough. The worldview is badly done. But it could be intentionally. I am assuring myself that it wouldn't be so bad if it were intentional.
I can't ignore it, but I think I shall put it aside. I'll borrow it from the library again when I'm back from Europe and give my backbrain a chance to work out what to do. Maybe my dissertation will not require it at all.
Or maybe I'll find that the first hundred or so pages were simply playing with readers' minds. If it's not, I shall write an article about the problems with the basic research, I think, just because it's really worrying me. I shall dedicate the article to Robert Grossteste, perhaps, in order to exorcise more demons. Then I shall hunt down a home for it. And the author in question will not like me. Not at all. Which means I do hope that it's a twist novel and that what I'm reading are poorly-expressed signals to that effect. The trouble is, I rather suspect I could track where the science came from and why the world view is so wrong, without much effort.
I'm going to distract myself with more computese and with a book on the relationship betwen the Middle Ages and its ghosts. I don't know yet if I need ghosts, either, but I need to be certain about the local society's view of time travellers and ghosts are the only option I haven't really explored in depth yet. Besides, I teach Medieval ghosts from time to time and it doesn't hurt to remember what I thought I knew.
I managed some real work in the middle of backups, but I'm so ambivalent about it that I'm not at all certain whether to take it into the dissertation or leave it aside as an object lesson or to hope it's a clever novel with a practical joke at its heart.
An author famous for his careful research and vast knowledge has such a bad understanding of late Medieval science and outlook in the premise of his novel (which is, nonetheless, very well written and rather famous) that I want to cry. Such an opportunity wasted! Also, however, the lack of understanding of the science means that the whole premise of the novel collapses. Even worse, he slips information in, from his resarches and that information demonstrates (within the novel itself, but either entirely unintentionally or giving away a major twist - I'd have to read the whole thing to find out which, and reading it hurts so very much) that the social reality is only half right, the sciences are wrong and, well, that's enough. The worldview is badly done. But it could be intentionally. I am assuring myself that it wouldn't be so bad if it were intentional.
I can't ignore it, but I think I shall put it aside. I'll borrow it from the library again when I'm back from Europe and give my backbrain a chance to work out what to do. Maybe my dissertation will not require it at all.
Or maybe I'll find that the first hundred or so pages were simply playing with readers' minds. If it's not, I shall write an article about the problems with the basic research, I think, just because it's really worrying me. I shall dedicate the article to Robert Grossteste, perhaps, in order to exorcise more demons. Then I shall hunt down a home for it. And the author in question will not like me. Not at all. Which means I do hope that it's a twist novel and that what I'm reading are poorly-expressed signals to that effect. The trouble is, I rather suspect I could track where the science came from and why the world view is so wrong, without much effort.
I'm going to distract myself with more computese and with a book on the relationship betwen the Middle Ages and its ghosts. I don't know yet if I need ghosts, either, but I need to be certain about the local society's view of time travellers and ghosts are the only option I haven't really explored in depth yet. Besides, I teach Medieval ghosts from time to time and it doesn't hurt to remember what I thought I knew.
April 19, 2011
gillpolack @ 2011-04-19T11:54:00
Happy Pesach, everyone who celebrates.
For anyone who doesn't, but feels in desperate need of matzah, I have extra this year... I went a bit silly in the shops. I get through one box at most, and needed about a half box for the seder and I bought a whole box more, just in case - no jam, though, just butter. I also have 22 eggs left of the 36 I bought yesterday - my mother calls passover Chag ha Beitzim with very good reason. Plus I have a kilo of cheese.
My mind is tumbling with recipes for finishing things. I can eat matzah brie with cinnamon and sugar and make toasted cheese on crisped matzah, for instance. The fact that these days I eat very little bread means that it will still take a long time to finish the matzah. But I have good coffee and I am happy to feed it to friends who have never tasted edible cardboard before. I'm very generous, that way.
On an unrelated note, I only have two Pesach presents this year - it's too close to my birthday for anyone to give me presents. Every few years this happens. Those two presents are, however, very cool: a mug from my mother and another portable brain. I can now take my whole brain to Europe with me. This includes my complete e-cookbook collection, a fact that will make some friends happy. Plus, I already have two birthday presents. I have a corner where they will sit and I shall open them on Monday, at 6.30 am. The very moment I turn 50. I shall also skip breakfast, because of my mother's enduring lament that I made her miss breakfast that day.
I'm not working today, really. My brain is certainly in pottering mode. Last night's seder has unwound me and left me all kinds of happy (thank you Canberra family!). I'm not not-working, either. I've got a nice pile of the most fun of the books I must read - the ones that don't require notes taken. I've got through three of them. My great aim is to get through five (or, in a perfect world) six by 4 pm tomorrow. At 4 pm tomorrow I pick up 18 more books, you see...
It would be lovely if I could finish all these books (the 8 I have, plus the 18 waiting for me at the library, plus the 19 still to come) by the day I turn 50 (I'm counting, now) but I won't. I should get through them all by the time teaching starts up again, however. These long days without so many small things that need attention are just wonderful for blitzing bibliographies.
I'm catching up with the study, in other words. And now that I'm catching up, I can admit that I was getting behind last term. All those forms, all that need to earn extra money, plus stuff. Lots of stuff. it's been a very busy few weeks - I'm glad to be in a quiet zone for a little.
For anyone who doesn't, but feels in desperate need of matzah, I have extra this year... I went a bit silly in the shops. I get through one box at most, and needed about a half box for the seder and I bought a whole box more, just in case - no jam, though, just butter. I also have 22 eggs left of the 36 I bought yesterday - my mother calls passover Chag ha Beitzim with very good reason. Plus I have a kilo of cheese.
My mind is tumbling with recipes for finishing things. I can eat matzah brie with cinnamon and sugar and make toasted cheese on crisped matzah, for instance. The fact that these days I eat very little bread means that it will still take a long time to finish the matzah. But I have good coffee and I am happy to feed it to friends who have never tasted edible cardboard before. I'm very generous, that way.
On an unrelated note, I only have two Pesach presents this year - it's too close to my birthday for anyone to give me presents. Every few years this happens. Those two presents are, however, very cool: a mug from my mother and another portable brain. I can now take my whole brain to Europe with me. This includes my complete e-cookbook collection, a fact that will make some friends happy. Plus, I already have two birthday presents. I have a corner where they will sit and I shall open them on Monday, at 6.30 am. The very moment I turn 50. I shall also skip breakfast, because of my mother's enduring lament that I made her miss breakfast that day.
I'm not working today, really. My brain is certainly in pottering mode. Last night's seder has unwound me and left me all kinds of happy (thank you Canberra family!). I'm not not-working, either. I've got a nice pile of the most fun of the books I must read - the ones that don't require notes taken. I've got through three of them. My great aim is to get through five (or, in a perfect world) six by 4 pm tomorrow. At 4 pm tomorrow I pick up 18 more books, you see...
It would be lovely if I could finish all these books (the 8 I have, plus the 18 waiting for me at the library, plus the 19 still to come) by the day I turn 50 (I'm counting, now) but I won't. I should get through them all by the time teaching starts up again, however. These long days without so many small things that need attention are just wonderful for blitzing bibliographies.
I'm catching up with the study, in other words. And now that I'm catching up, I can admit that I was getting behind last term. All those forms, all that need to earn extra money, plus stuff. Lots of stuff. it's been a very busy few weeks - I'm glad to be in a quiet zone for a little.
April 17, 2011
gillpolack @ 2011-04-18T08:14:00
I'm tidying up. The calendar says I must, so I am. I have to admit, I've got further with it this year than last year or even the year before.
I'm just about out of time, though, and my stacks of books are informing me of this. At the top of the pile about which I'm writing articles the moment teaching begins again sits The Washington Haggadah.
And now I must prepare for my morning's meeting. I'm in a bit of a Gerard Manly Hopkins mood (not only not seasonal, but definitely not Jewish) and I want to declare to the world "I caught this morning morning's meeting..." Instead of doing this, I shall have coffee and finish the last of the milk.
I'm just about out of time, though, and my stacks of books are informing me of this. At the top of the pile about which I'm writing articles the moment teaching begins again sits The Washington Haggadah.
And now I must prepare for my morning's meeting. I'm in a bit of a Gerard Manly Hopkins mood (not only not seasonal, but definitely not Jewish) and I want to declare to the world "I caught this morning morning's meeting..." Instead of doing this, I shall have coffee and finish the last of the milk.
gillpolack @ 2011-04-17T15:47:00
I collected a big batch of books from my local library today. When I've worked through their collection, I'll have finished a whole tranch of my research. That's about sixty books. The rest I'll have to visit the ANU libraries or the National Library or use ways and means of locating. What's magic about the local library is that they have a substantial number of useful books and that I can read them in my very own lounge chair.
I'm using a bit of a different method to work through them. I need to have read as many as possible by tomorrow (because of Pesach) and then finish the rest just as quickly as I can after that. My new method is Romanian. It has the same rhythm as my favourite Romanian dance, you see. Slow, quick-quick, slow, slow, quick-quick. I've one more quick book to check (the 'quick' ones are ones where I'm doing quite specific checks and don't have to read the whole) and then I hunker down with coffeee and much focus. Also many note-size peices of paper, just in case there are notes that must be take.
If it all becomes too much, I'll put on some music and read in the same rhythm as I'm choosing books.
I'm using a bit of a different method to work through them. I need to have read as many as possible by tomorrow (because of Pesach) and then finish the rest just as quickly as I can after that. My new method is Romanian. It has the same rhythm as my favourite Romanian dance, you see. Slow, quick-quick, slow, slow, quick-quick. I've one more quick book to check (the 'quick' ones are ones where I'm doing quite specific checks and don't have to read the whole) and then I hunker down with coffeee and much focus. Also many note-size peices of paper, just in case there are notes that must be take.
If it all becomes too much, I'll put on some music and read in the same rhythm as I'm choosing books.
