Sunday, April 23, 2006

i get wisdom day and night, turning darkness into light

I went into the office this afternoon, where I spent an hour debating my work/life balance issue. Realizing that I had absolutely no balance, acknowledging that it was a perfectly lovely day outside, and understanding that UV rays, while dangerous, are not as immediately threatening as the desire to beat my head against my desk, I decided to do something about this tragic state of affairs. So, I locked up my laptop (even though I could hear it pleading to be released), and sauntered out to face the sunny afternoon.

There were people milling about in red and blue, like some rugby-influenced version of 'Romeo and Juliet', only with fewer histrionics. The Munster v. Leinster rugby match was on this afternoon, and the stadium is v. close to my apartment--but I walked into town rather than towards the stadium, going against the throngs of people headed for the showdown. Despite the rugby, the downtown area was still packed. I had a tasty sandwich (chicken w/cucumbers, tomatoes, and a generous helping of mayonnaise) and tea at a cafe, which felt v. civilized; I decided then and there that I would start collecting teapots, although I currently own none, having given my only teapot to Claudia when I was attempting to divest myself of some of my worldly goods. But, since I got it at Pier 1, I feel that it was not perhaps a collectible, and so I'm looking forward to restarting my collection. After this revelation, I strolled over to Trinity College, where I saw the Book of Kells.

The Book of Kells is a medieval illuminated manuscript of the four gospels, thought to have been created by the monks of the monastery on Iona (an island off the coast of Scotland) and brought to Kells, Ireland, when the monks got tired of all the Viking raids and came to Ireland instead. Not that Irish history has been particularly pacifist, but the Vikings had a penchant for burning and pillaging Iona every few years, so it's understandable why the monks decided to try somewhere else. It didn't exactly work in the long run, but it did bring the Book of Kells to Ireland, which is great for Trinity College even if it isn't great for the island of Iona.

I happen to love museums, especially when I am there alone and so can read every single placard and printed text next to the exhibits, and so I was quite satisfied w/the Book of Kells exhibit. 8 euros was perhaps a hefty admission price for a display that really consisted of three rooms, plus the library upstairs, but since I read everything I didn't feel ripped off. And, the illuminated pages displayed from the Book of Kells were really cool. Best of all, I absolutely fell in love with the library--you could *smell* the knowledge in the room, since it was filled with two stories' worth of books (and by stories I mean spatial stories, not imaginative stories), most of which were hundreds of years old. While most people would have spent a lovely day outside, I was quite pleased with myself afterwards. Finally, I fell in love with a poem that was printed on a huge display in the exhibit; I found a copy of it online and have reproduced it below. Obviously it was written in ancient Irish, since it's 8th or 9th century, so who knows how good the translation is, but I liked it despite all that.

After that, I wandered across the river, found a stationery/bookstore, and bought a cheap calligraphy set. I've been debating buying a fountain pen, but they're absurdly expensive--so when I found this cheaper starter kit, I decided to buy it and determine whether or not I will actually ever use the fountain pen before investing in something nicer. I also picked up a copy of The Economist, and 'Collapse: How Societies Choose or Fail to Succeed' by Jared Diamond (author of 'Guns, Germs, and Steel', which I own but haven't actually read--Claude read it for me and reported that it was great, but I haven't gotten around to it). I guess I feel like I should take more of an interest in current events outside the society pages of the New York Times. So, I read the Economist while eating a salad at some restaurant. Then, I met Matt for a movie; we saw 'American Dreamz', which had some funny moments but was in general rather unfunny. I do like Hugh Grant when he's being a cad, and terrorists are funny when they're being mocked, but I was rather unimpressed. Now, after having talked to my parents for an hour and a half, it's time for me to go to bed! But, you should read 'Pangur Ban':

I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill-will,
He too plies his simple skill.
'Tis a merry task to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!
So in peace our task we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.
Written by a ninth-century Irish monk
Translation of Robin Flowers

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