Mar. 23rd, 2007

alexpgp: (Default)
I was pretty focused on my work last night, and so didn't really have the time (or inclination) to muse about what's been going on generally.

Moneybookers finally came through with the transfer to our checking account a mere 5 business days (7 calendar days) after my request, so I'll keep this in mind for the future. In this regard, they seem to be about as responsive as PayPal. Speaking of banks, I sent a fax to my bank in Pontarlier, but although eFax shows that it was delivered, I have not received a confirming email from them about it, nor have I heard back from the bank. I'll give it until Monday morning; if I haven't heard back by then, I'll call again.

I got some walking exercise in yesterday, from our real estate agent's office to the Borders bookstore near I-45, while Galina discussed various details about some imminent issues. We have a contract from one of our tenants, who had rented with an option to buy, and if everything goes well, we'll be free of the property in a few weeks and there'll be one less worry on my plate.

Apropos of Borders, I caught sight of an interesting book there the other day while browing, all about the use of self-watering containers for patio gardening. I got the gist of the method while skimming the book, so when Galina took me along to get some more landscaping soil yesterday (we've engaged two young ladies to landscape our current property), I bought two tomato plants ($5.99 + tax, each), both to try out the method, but also to scratch a very old itch, because I really miss summer gardening.

Getting back to exercise, the distance I walked was, according to Google Earth, just about 1.7 miles, and I got to Borders at just about the time that Galina did, so there was no time to browse. Later, after Galina went up to Natalie's to pick up a box of mail forwarded by Andrew, I walked to the Kroger and back for some stuff that, upon returning home, I had lost most of my appetite for.

Based on the way my weight has been behaving, I'm starting to believe that there are certain "quantum" levels that one's body will assume, and that it takes some bit of prodding, as it were, to move out of any given level. For quite a while, for example, I was hovering around 232 lb. and would quickly recover from occasionaly excursions of a few pounds. However, after about a week of too much food - my fault, no excuses - during last month's interpretation assignment, my weight shot up to 240 and is pretty much staying there, so it seems I'm back to square one.

In a way, it's good that Galina is planning to go to Pagosa (she was going to go today, but now it's looking like she'll leave tomorrow), because I find it a lot easier to not think much about food if there's nobody around to remind me "I'm hungry" from time to time.

I've been playing chess over my BlackBerry for a while, and it's not been very satisfying, as the opposition has been pretty weak. However, I've finally hooked into a position in the Alapin French that I should probably pay some attention to, when the opportunity affords itself this weekend. The Alapin is a distant cousin of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, which is to say: an aggressive opening for White that is easy for Black to go astray in, and I means for Black to go astray!

If I was under the impression that yesterday was a rest day, I was, um, misinformed. By the time I hit the sack, I had translated nearly 2700 target words during the day, which is a fair piece of work. Currently, the "state of the plate" is two documents, one of which arrived a few days ago, comprising 11,000 words, due Monday, and a second document that arrived this morning, 2,200 words, which has a Tuesday COB deadline. My best client, who was responsible for the 2700 words yesterday, will soon send along a few hundred more words, due for Monday.

The basic approach is straightforward: plan to do 4,000 words per day today and over the weekend, which should not be unduly difficult, except for maybe today, as it's very nearly 11 am and I haven't laid word one down on phosphor yet.

Time to go remedy that.

Cheers...
alexpgp: (St Jerome a)
Well, it took a while, but I whittled the words due Monday down to just a shade over 8,000 words. In between, I took a nap, went to Sam's Club with Galina, and did a few other things besides translate. The document appears to be pretty straightforward, except for the fact that I've typed "industrial risk management" so many times today that I've added an auto-correct entry to help take care of expanding it.

(I notice that Word is picky about enaging the auto-correct feature; sometimes it works, sometimes not. I cannot pick out the method from the madness.)

Galina appears intent to leave for Pagosa tomorrow, to arrive on Sunday, to begin to undertake a load of smelly to-dos on Monday. Moi, after the current stuff on the plate, I have 8-hour assignments on Monday and Tuesday at JSC, for which I may - and very likely will - end up renting a car.

A recent French Pod Class featured Charles Aznavour singing what was described as perhaps his best-known song, La bohème, during one of the musical breaks. The iTunes store has a pile of versions available for sale, but none by Aznavour. Go figure.

I've taken a very preliminary crack at rendering the lyrics into English, as partially follows:
Je vous parle d'un temps
Que les moins de vingt ans
Ne peuvent pas connaître
Montmartre en ce temps-là
Accrochait ses lilas
Jusque sous nos fenêtres
Et si l'humble garni
Qui nous servait de nid
Ne payait pas de mine
C'est là qu'on s'est connu
Moi qui criait famine
Et toi qui posais nue
La bohème, la bohème
Ça voulait dire on est heureux
La bohème, la bohème
Nous ne mangions qu'un jour sur deux

You I'll tell of a time
That those younger than 20
Cannot know
Montmartre then
Brought its lilacs to
Just under our windows
And if our humble digs
That served as our nest
Looked pretty bad
It was there we became self aware
I who shouted famine
And you who posed nude
La bohème, la bohème
That meant one is happy
La bohème, la bohème
We ate only every other day
The French "bohème" is a marvelously compact word that describes, in two syllables, the bohemian way of life among students and artists, which may sound very vibrant and romantic, but also includes a whole lot of people with little money and even fewer prospects.

Still, for me, it's a powerful song.

But what am I doing at the computer? Galina will be leaving tomorrow. I should go spend time with her.

Cheers...

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