Атлас расправил плечи...

So reads the title of the Russian language edition of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. I picked up a copy, read the first page, but the experience did not impel me to buy the book. (After all, I know how it ends.)

One of the recurrent motifs of the novel is the politicization of the national economy as the "men of the mind" went on strike. Getting hired and fired came to depend on who you knew or who you offended, success often depended on having "pull," mushrooming government engaged in micromanagement driven by political and not economic considerations, and so on.

So when I read that a decision to close a GM dealership in Minnesota was reversed after lobbying a U.S. Senator while other profitable dealerships are still going to be shut down, I could not help but look over at my dog-eared paperback version of Rand's book and wonder if, perhaps, it might be time to read it again with a new perspective.

Who you know and having an "in" is a universal factor everywhere, but to the extent it becomes the determining factor in the economic equation (outweighing merit, industriousness, and initiative), life becomes more difficult for everyone.

Cheers...

Getting pulled apart...

We've been waterless in the kitchen since the countertops were installed at the end of May, which is no big deal for us, as we've actually been completely waterless in the house a couple of times, once due to a supply line break (short term, this past February) and back in January 2006, apparently due to an ice plug somewhere in the roughly 300 feet of line between the house and the street (for about 6 weeks, if memory serves).

Well, that inconvenience came to an end today. Happiness can be described as a working kitchen sink, at least for the nonce.

The client for whom I am finishing 9,000 words (I have less than 10% left to go) hit me with a short but tersely worded French item that took priority. I managed to translate the motherless thing, though not without burning a lot of nervous energy. I did rate a rush rate, though, and that was nice. (Lately, it seems, "rush rates" seem to have gone the way of the dodo.)

The subject caused me to do a lot more research on the 'net than I usually do, which combined with the fact that a number of my queries had to do with stuff that goes BOOM (I was translating a data sheet for a pyrotechnic cutter) makes me wonder if I shouldn't make a note somewhere, documenting why I was performing such queries, in case anyone gets curious about my interest at some later date.

I tried to nap after lunch, but couldn't, which I suppose is good news, except that I felt I just had to lie down for what I decided was going to be a "power nap" at around 6:30 pm, which turned into a sleep session until about 10:30 pm. I therefore conclude that I am probably good to go for the next 2-3 hours before I repeat yesterday's lunacy and report for rack drill in the wee hours without really feeling tired.

Unfortunately, my schedule over the next week or so is not going to give me an opportunity to relax much. But I shouldn't complain: in terms of billings, May was hugely better than April, but May billings still sucked!

Finishing the rest of the item due tomorrow will complete the translation of about 5,000 source words for the "day." Thereupon, I should probably try to grab some of that relaxation time I was just complaining about.

Now that we have water in the kitchen, maybe I'll try out the dandy little pelmeni-maker I picked up during my recent trip.

Cheers...