Tuesday, February 14, 2006
The skin to either side of the nails on both my thumbs cracked open this week, causing occasional bleeding and general aggravation. At work grease, disinfectant, Windex, smoothie syrup, and any number of other aggravators accumulate within the crevices, which resulted, I suspect, from the dry air. This latest incident again demonstrates the manner by which Lubbock, Texas is ruining my life.
As foresworn, yesterday before work I read a book by some since-deceased German classicist, which compounds the problems with reading a classical scholar with the problems of reading a classical scholar who writes in another language with the problems of reading a classical scholar who writes in another language and who published his work in 1956 and therefore writes in a slightly antiquated style as opposed to the ever-more colloquial language of the current literature whence my learning. But I concentrate on the text steadily enough that the hour-long bike ride to nowhere on Wolfdietrich passes quickly.
I rode Wolfdietrich again this afternoon prior to the SGA budget meeting, where I, Dr. Bonzo (Deutscher Klub advisor), and Brian (Klub Treasurer) were interrogated by two mild young men about the annual allocation of our funds. Afterward I copied portions from the preface of the aforementioned German book (which is about "Kreta, Mykene, und Troja") in order that I might look up the unrecognized words at some other time. Presently I shall read the final portion of "Der Seegeister", die nächste Kurzgeschichte für meine deutsche Kurs fällig. Das erste Teil war verrückt.
Unless I am especially tired, I might again return to the rec late this evening for the purpose of yet again riding Wolfdietrich, but rather this time with a shiny translation of Tacitus' The Annals of Imperial Rome, whose historical writing style is at the least entertaining if a bit inauthentic. It reads more rhetorically, as a series of stories (the German word for "history", "Geschichte", is also the word for "story", hence, "Kurzgeschichte". Sehr deutlich.).
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 2:30 PM]