Posts by Louisa

Woke up this morning to a rainy autumn day, bits of this poem lilting through my head. As Andreas (who graciously supplied the full text – many thanks) said, not the best way to start a day, but a great poem nonetheless…

Und als sie einander acht Jahre kannten

(und man darf sagen: sie kannten sich gut),

da kam ihre Liebe plötzlich abhanden.

so wie anderen Leuten ein Stock oder Hut.

Sie waren traurig, betrugen sich heiter,

versuchten Küsse, als ob nichts sei,

und sahen sich an und wußten nicht weiter.

Da weinte sie schließlich. Und er stand dabei.

Vom Fenster aus konnte man Schiffen winken.

Er sagte, es wäre schon Viertel nach Vier

und Zeit, irgendwo Kaffee zu trinken.

Nebenan übte ein Mensch Klavier.

Sie gingen ins kleinste Café am Ort

und rührten in ihren Tassen.

Am Abend saßen sie immer noch dort.

Sie saßen allein, und sie sprachen kein Wort

und konnten es einfach nicht fassen.

– Erich Kästner

[I’ll translate later, if the mood strikes me. If you absolutely must know what it means, ask me nicely and maybe I’ll do it now.]

Finally, living proof (in color, even) of last night’s debauchery. Featuring Eric’s best Fu-Manchu impersonation, Renee’s sexy Siberian librarian look, Phin’s naughty badger sex, and of course yours truly in truly appalling form (even Stephen agrees – look!).

Ah yes. Such is the stuff that Sundays are made of…

This just in, from a friend overseas:

Der, den ich liebe,

hat mir gesagt, daß er mich braucht.

Darum gebe ich auf mich acht,

sehe auf meinen Weg

und fürchte von jedem Regentropfen,

daß er mich erschlagen könnte.

(Berthold Brecht)

So now I’m just waiting for Phineas (sorry, didn’t feel like typing the link tag this time) to send me a few pictures from last night’s Family Dinner so that we can properly publicly humiliate ourselves. But in the meantime, a few little nuggets of joy: there was Phineas getting head from a badger (or looking like it, at least), numerous women sporting varying degrees of smoldering looks under a giant fur hat (with earflaps), and of course who can forget about Skullsplitter, the Filipino Viking? I think we might have a new winner for Best Costume on our hands this weekend…

So yesterday (and today, for that matter), the sky was that insane shade of blue that I walk around looking at some days in autumn, wondering why I was too dumb to bring a camera. Fortunately, Phineas made up for it. Perhaps the floral highlight of the day (although one is truly hard-pressed to pick a winner) was the plant whose sign named it “Freestyle Red”. Stephen said it looked like the kleenex you put up your nose when you’re having a nosebleed. Me, I’m inclined to prefer its given name.

So one of the many fun things about dinner last night was the little art class we had at the bar. Stephen explained to me that in art school they make you draw things really fast, in one continuous line and without looking at your paper. When I tried this technique I got a blob that at best might be called abstract. When actually allowed to look (albeit not for very long) at the page – but still without lifting pen from paper, I came up with something slightly better. But my favorite thing I came up with was this.

Stephen’s always griping about wanting to make better use of negative space, so I made him draw me in 8 lines, even though what I really meant was 8 strokes. And finally, he drew one of the windows of my soul.

What’s next? Who knows? Macrame, maybe. Or knitting. We could make Molly teach us to knit.

Speaking of Molly, she’s sick. Tell her to get well.

Had dinner at the new Francesca’s Bryn Mawr last night. Oh, the yumminess – but what can one expect? Even better (and somewhat unexpected) was the lovely curviness of the interior – the ceiling looked like rolls of metal mesh held together by a curve of mahogany. I highly recommend the place. And if you go, tell Dina (behind the bar) that I said hi.

In the immortal words of Lord Byron (a mad old bugger if ever there was one), and for my fabulous project team, I say the following:

“Nobody lives in a poetic fervor – how would you shave?”

comments worky now (thanks, Phineas)! post away!

i thank You God for most this amazing

day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything

which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,

and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth

day of life and love and wings:and of the gay

great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing

breathing any-lifted from the no

of all nothing-human merely being

doubt unimaginably You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and

now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

-e. e. cummings