Author: paulattinello
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Dislocated
Feeling, late at night, peculiarly disconnected, dislocated: not merely in time and space, but in intention, in dream – I feel as though I don’t know who I would want to have been, what I would want to have happened. Regrets, as you no doubt know from the rest of my blog, are not unusual…
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Vathek
After a rather long and chaotic day (many undergraduates being foolish – getting distinctly irritated with some of them), reading Beckford’s Vathek (and The Episodes of Vathek) for fun, late at night. My taste for fantasy was established largely by Lin Carter’s vast publishing venture in the 1970s, the Ballantine Adult Fantasy line. A lot…
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Between
Between bad weather and good, winter and spring, overworked and relaxed, busy and casual…. Feeling a bit mixed on the whole. The weather has been sharply cold, then today it is sunny and relatively pleasant. The many stressful, big things to do are either done or in train, since Thursday – all weekend I’ve been…
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Ryman’s Air
Reading Geoff Ryman’s Air. I know: it’s a bit silly to talk about a book you’ve only started – I’ve read about three chapters. It’s also the kind of book that is deeply involving; a somewhat dangerous distraction when I’ve had so much to do – on the other hand many things are done, perhaps…
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Snoo
It snew… … uh… snowed. While I was working, finishing the cover letter, revising the papers for Thursday’s undergraduate class, planning the Powerpoint for tomorrow’s postgraduate presentation. I didn’t notice it at all, not while it was happening, but when I went to bed the street behind my apartment looked strangely bright and – I…
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Hero / Craven
Many many things to do: this is the high-pressure week, probably of the entire year. Grant application, promotion application, leave application, masses of administration, three courses to start teaching (one entirely new), and of course that PAPER to finish (aargh). (The paper is about 5/6 complete – but the last part is just, well, it’s…
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Borges: Blogger
It’s going better now; several hours of successful work last night, the end is in sight. Some blogs keep returning to the subject of blogging as though they need to justify it: I have certainly spent time trying to get it exactly right, but justifying it seems unnecessary – why should any kind of writing,…
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Aaargh
Almost nothing done for nearly thirty-six hours. Puttering, cooking, washing dishes; walking around the books on the floor… as far too often I am working against myself and what I need to do, in the most strenuous manner… ridiculous. Master of the dilatory, consummate connoisseur of avoidance, lord of laziness, powerful proponent of procrastination…. Aaaaaaaargh.
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Idle thought
‘Thirty-Two Variations on Mambo Italiano, in the style of Johann Pachelbel.’ Should be the hit of 2008….
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Ecstatic
As George says in Sunday in the Park with George – simply but with feeling, when he turns away from his painting, after a huge burst of climactic music dies away – “It’s going well.” I’m writing this article, having finished several insistent chunks of administration; it won’t be done tonight or tomorrow morning, but…
Paul Attinello 