Well, that's better

A proper night's sleep makes things better.

(I managed to return a bit more to my usual evening ritual, too - a couple nights this week when bad weather was threatening, I stayed online until almost bedtime, partly to monitor the weather. The "blue" wavelengths in the light from the screen probably disrupted my ability to sleep, as did the interacting-with-other-people (even though they were generally positive, joking interactions))

I wonder if anyone has come up with a blue-light-blocking filter for computer screens and TVs?

Anyway, I got back into the habit of reading a bit before bed (last night was a couple stories out of a British Crime Library compilation called "Crimson Snow). I DO sleep better when I take the time to read before bed; I don't know if it's detracking my mind from the things of the day, or if it's been such a ritual that I notice and it bothers me when I don't do it, or if it really IS getting away from a screen (I read paper books).

I also started a "big and more difficult book" - Tom Jones (the 18th c. comic novel, not the 20th/21st c. Welsh singer) So far it's interesting though I'm not very far into it. Some things I notice:

1. Fielding can be very snarky. Snark was not invented in the 20th century; it was just called something different back then. And there's a certain amount of innuendo there, though I may be missing some of it. (Again: the "if you know what I mean and I think that you do" joke wasn't invented in the 20th century)

2. Despite the end notes (which yes I do use), there's probably stuff sailing a  mile over my head. With this kind of writing I tend to miss some of the innuendo. Because

3. 18th C. sentence structure and syntax can be confusing. And some words are used slightly differently than how they are in current times. And authors then had the Habit of Somewhat Randomly capitalizing Words, and I find that Practice a bit Distracting in writing....

I get that it may be a holdover from other European languages (where nouns are capitalized, and they still are in German (and I can't remember about French because it's been a while since I read anything in French)). But yeah. It distracts me.

I have a stack of books somewhere - Tom Jones  was the one I could quickly lay my hands on - that were ones that were on some "best books no one has read" list ("best" in the sense of either most enjoyable or most edifying). I bought several of the books off that list (Diary of a Nobody is another one I remember) when it came out with plans to read them. And yeah, I find I get dull and stupid if I don't have at least one challenging book in the rotation.

***

I also started a new project, though I don't really need a new project and should be finishing my ongoing projects. I dug out the mustard-colored skeins of Vanna's Choice and my Elisabeth Doherty amigurumi book....and I started a Spitfire plushie.

Yeah, I also don't need more Ponies. But I want a Spitfire. And eventually I want a Gabby the Griffin (and I have a pattern that should work, and probably the right colors of acrylic yarn). And I still want a Sunburst, and seeing that it looks like he is going to be in Season 7, and seeing that I did at one time buy enough Vanna's Choice in the right colors to be able to mod the Dr. Whooves pattern....I might get on that some time.

I've also been picking away a bit more at Celestarium. I should photograph it again for a progress shot though now it's getting big enough that it kind of bunches up on the needle (but is not big enough yet for the really long one) so it's harder to see.. But each bead feels like a little accomplishment and that's nice. (Each bead is also a star. Heh. Now I think of that old Kurt Weill song that talks about when God made the heavens and the earth, and placing the stars around - "Lost in the Stars")

And I know others have sung it, but I so relate Lotte Lenya to Kurt Weill that I can only think of her as the singer for this:



I like the song, even if there's something kind of existentially sad about it. And even if Alan Paton disliked how his book was altered (the Christian message reduced) for the stage version.


And to bring it back around to books: Cry, the Beloved Country is another one I want to read some time. I think I have a copy somewhere; I will have to look.