Sorry about yesterday's post. Nothing like a bit of therapeutic cataloguing to bring order back to a chaotic world though. Come back librarything, all is forgiven. My username is Archel, if you want to see the fruits of my labours (so far just an erratic sample of my books.)

Tags: librarything

15:55

. . .

This week feels neverending. And it's only Wednesday. I could be called on to give evidence in court (re. being mugged last year) at any time, but they won't know when the case is actually up until the day before. So I've now had three whole days to anticipate this fun experience and I feel angry and vulnerable and afraid all over again. Then I stupidly end up connecting my personal fear and anger and sadness to fear and anger and sadness about Katrina and Iraq and Belfast and everything else, and the world suddenly seems like a black place.

And now Liz is dead there's one less good, cheerful, inspiring soul to make things seem better.

15:33

. . .

One good thing about the nouveau Guardian is Colin Dexter's series of columns on how to solve crosswords. I will make all my unconverted friends read them until they stop regarding me as an unfortunate embarrassment and instead start phoning me up at 3am tearing their hair out and intoning 'fish without a trick cyclist, 5 letters' over and over again.

Although I'm not really sure whether you can learn just from reading - like knitting or baking, the art of crossword solving feels to me like something passed down from generation to generation, or from friend to friend. Two heads bent together over a common task, furrowed brows, moments of enlightenment.

Tags: crosswords

10:45

. . .

Book 56: How To Dunk A Doughnut: the science of everyday life by Len Fisher
Science and I were not the best of friends when I was at school. In fact I pretty much stopped speaking to it once I couldn't represent my results in coloured pencil any more. But as an adult there has been a rapprochement of sorts - I love the idea of science, I recognise that it can be beautiful and elegant and necessary and transformative and devastating. In theory. But when I get to the meaty stuff, the actual formulae and diagrams and all that, my eyes still glaze over. Which means that I thoroughly enjoyed Len Fisher's book without having really added to my understanding by the end of it (and I skipped the scary appendices). But he's a Real Scientist, not just an interpreter, so in amongst the cosy metaphors (molecules as little ducks etc) you get a sense of the excitement of actually DOING scientific research. I don't think I'll remember the scientific shorthand for working out a supermarket bill, or try dunking a biscuit horizontally for optimum results, but I CAN now imagine what it feels like to want to.

Tags: 50 Book Challenge

09:39

. . .

I haven't really felt equal to writing about Katrina. I have compassion fatigue, spin fatigue, analysis fatigue, fucking idiot fatigue and every other kind of fatigue. But I heard today that the one New Orleans native I actually know in person is ok, as are all his family and friends, bar damage to their homes. Which is something.

The baby Guardian was launched today. I don't mind the new size, I guess, though it feels a bit flimsy. G2 especially, which given the increasingly fatuous content is quite appropriate. I approve of having a whole page for radio though. All in all, the size, the 'non-threatening' fonts, and the (admittedly impressive) Full Colour on every page, made me feel a bit like I was reading a child's supplement. No major changes to the crossword, thankfully.

Speaking of which, Matt and I managed to complete the pleasingly underwear-themed Saturday crossword in less than two hours. Possibly a record.

13:14

. . .