(no subject)

I guess the workload must be getting lighter, since here it is Thursday and I'm caught up with it. That never would've happened three weeks ago. (of course, I probably wouldn't have gone tearing off to NY on a week's notice three weeks ago either, but that's beside the point.)

It was foggy here this morning, which is fairly unusual.

I still can't quite decide what to do with that pizza or calzone idea from yesterday. Part of the problem is that I have to make my own pizza dough, since I can't get it at the grocery store. Not that making pizza dough is difficult, but it takes up counter space I haven't got at the moment, and clearing off the counter takes time I haven't quite got. (So why am I spending perfectly good time writing this? Good question.)

Doing dishes won't clear off the counter, but it will clear out the sink, so I think I'll do that. Failing anything more organized, maybe I'll throw the contents of the counter into the sink while I deal with the dough. I seem to be constitutionally incapable of putting away spices and condiments when I'm done cooking. At the moment I've got cinnamon, cloves, dill, nutmeg, rosemary, peppercorns, olive oil, two kinds of vinegar, garlic powder and garlic salt sitting on the counter. The last time my sister came to visit, she reorganized my spice drawer to the point where I couldn't find anything, so things sort of migrated to the counter and have been living there ever since.

Right. Never mind. I've got 52 minutes in which to restore some kind of order or other to my kitchen, so I'm going to go see what I can do about it.

opposite ends of the spectrum

I have three translations I'm working on at the moment. Two are technical and one is literary, and I'm having some of the same problems with both genres. The two technical translations are the chemical mechanics of Alzheimer's and the intrathecal clonidine study, and the literary one is a very silly children's book. Because it's so silly, I'm having trouble with some of the terms. It uses normal verbs in abnormal senses, so it's not really something I can look up. (Just for instance, there's a game in this book involving rakes. The dictionary lists several verbs, but they all refer to raking the garden or raking hay or some such thing like that, which isn't how the book means it. Yet another case of something in one language that completely misses the point in the other.) With highly technical translations, the terminology problems are more of a case of "all right, what the hell does THAT mean, and how can I prove it?"

It seems my surrogate grandfather has an infection and pneumonia, and didn't actually have a stroke. I'm not sure how you can mistake one for the other like that, but I'm not there, so I don't have the whole story. It's a relief anyway.

And, I seem to be going to see the Cleveland Orchestra next Friday. Among other things, they're doing Beethoven's Symphony #1 and Ravel's Bolero (which I still can't hear without thinking of evolution in a Coke bottle). Hooray!

I finally ended up making calzones, which are quite tasty. I had one for dinner and now there's one in the freezer for the next time I can't stand the idea of cooking. (Which reminds me, I've still got leftover soup in the freezer, which I should probably eat one of these days.)

My brain is starting to get mushy. I think maybe I should go to bed earlyish.