Soledad's Journal

Just so that you folks get something else to read than my domestic whining...

I was thinking about how different some things sound in different languages, even if the words itself have the exact same meaning. Since Tolkien was a master of words (and languages), I'll take the examples from "The Hobbit" - and because those are the names/words/expressions I've often mused about since I first read "The Hobbit", back in 1980 or so. Yes, it came late to us. We lived behind the Iron Curtain, after all.
( Unprofessional linguistic musings behind the cut )

Returning to more mundane topics, I've finished the felt songbook. Sewing in all the pages and making the spine was a gargantuan task; at one point I had to stitch through eight layers, but at least I know now what I'll do differently with the second one. I hope I'll still remember when I get there. But it is done now, and I'm incredibly relieved. My poor fingers are lobbying for a short break, so I might take a day or two off. Not more, though, as the Christmas fair will come in three and a half months, and that is less time than non-crafty people might think. ;))

I saw that phyloxena friended me. Taking a look at her user info, I realized with delight that I actually still can read Russian. I even understood the one or other word, although not much. But considering that the last time I had anything to do with the language was in 1978, it's still quite a deed.

I invited two of my students to G-mail. Since then, they send me silly e-mails every day. It's very funny, I enjoy it very much. One of them writes Charmed fanfic - alas, in Hungarian, or else I would rec her stuff, she's surprisingy good for a 13-year-old.

The Week of Hell is nearing its end. Yesterday, I spent 11 frigging hours at school, today 10.5, in seven of which I had lessons in one row. My brain feels like a dry sponge, and I'm positive that at least 20 per cent of my brain cells died in these two days.

Nonetheless, "The Young Knights" is making progress. I've started Chapter 8 today and have a concept up to Chapter 18 or so. Whether I'll manage to put together another advent calender this year or not is still uncertain. But I'm having fun with 18-year-old Boromir and his little brother, and Prince Théodred the Brave is just about to make his appearance, together with his future wife and Princess Idis, the Golden.

The Secret Sancta Kavfic is almost done, thank God. They've done the nasty, now I only need to tie up some lose threads and the story is finished. Who says that working under pressure is not efficient?

The Elfhelm fic got some nice reviews on SoA - I just love that archive, the readers are some of the comment-friendlier in the fandom. Too bad I can't post there any of my Boromir fic. Ah, well, we can't have everything.

I watched Animal Planet today. More specifically, the programme "Charging back", showing how the number of rhinos is increasing in Africa again.

I was amazed to see how gracefully such a huge beast can move. A rhinoceros is the second-largest animal after the African elephant, but it runs like it had no weight at all. It's an incredible sight. Many other mammals could be seen in this documentary, but few had such a lovely moving pattern.

Another thing. On one of the boards I visit sometimes an argument rose about German being an ugly language. Well, not for me. Honestly, I think English is a lot uglier and much harder to learn. Okay, I'm prejudiced, as German was the mother tongue of my Grandpa, I admit it freely. But when I write fairy tales - original fiction - I always use German. There are so incredible riches in that language.

Just to pick one example (and leaving pronounciation completely out of consideration): in German, there is an unbelievably poetic expression for "wet soil". It's called "feuchtes Erdreich". The expression isn't just poetic, it also has a very... sensual quality. And a mythological one, to that. Granted, it's only used in literature, but the simple fact that it exists contradicts the statement German would be ugly.

I rest my case, Your Honour. No offence intended towards native English speakers. :)