This last week my house hunting has been seriously impeded by an attack of witches, that was the learned opinion of the learned doctor at least. Hekseskudd in Norwegian, Hexenschuss in German according to my students - which is called something as boring as lumbago in English. So what can you do when attacked by witches? Not sitting I have found, but it is all right to lie down, walk or stand. While listening to Terry Pratchett's stories about witches of course.

But in better news, my article has at long last been published!

Happy author

And since the wonderful place I work for have this incentive to write articles, I will get a nice bonus for it by the end of the year. Obviously it works, because I plan to write another one now, to another and even more famous journal (more money!). Of course I've forgotten everything about long harrowing evenings of lonely writing...

Also I've finished teaching for this semester - now only I only have to make the exams, correct the exams, prepare the oral exams and hold the oral exams. And scare calm the panicking students of course.

It's Friday, so I must be in the office. I am currently checking and correcting the corrections to the article I believed I saw the last of last Friday. It never ends! And I've realised something horrible - here at the school of economics we only have access to really boring magazines and periodica! If I want access, online or physical access to fun (and/or useful) magazines I have to go to the library downtown. Woe!

But I have chocolate. It was a gift from one of my students. That is the upside of using the word "sjokolade" (you can guess what it means) in almost all and every example, the students occasionally get good ideas. Namely to bribe their teacher with chocolate.

This chocolate is from *checks paper* Latvia. It certainly doesn't taste like Norwegian chocolate. Chocolate is one of those things that taste differently in the different countries. I wonder why. Habit perhaps? I often find that foreign chocolate taste all wrong. Often it's too sweet, or too fat, of too much milk in the milk chocolate. Sometimes the texture is wrong, to grainy or too smooth. I have sent enough Freia Melkesjokolade to friends in exile to know that I am not the only one having this feeling about my national chocolate. Is it just us Norwegians, or do you have feelings for you strange foreign chocolate too?

It's 21.08 Friday afternoon and I'm still here in my office. Actually I've just sent the final version (lacking at least one reference) of my article to the journal. And since I had to go through the complex disarming of the alarm system at 2100 I might as well stay here for a couple of minutes more. Also it's raining medium sized felines and canines outside. But hey, article is out of my hands (although I have one lined up for anouther journal, with deadline mid March). But now there's nothing on my horizon except some serious relaxing for a couple of days. As soon as I manage to get out of here that is.

Guess who is fed up with exams now? Especially the oral exams where you have to draaaaag the words out of the mouth of the students. But I've realised that I am a rather demanding teacher. Not that it's anything wrong in that of course.

Also I've gotten feedback on the article I've been labouring with the last couple of months, and it's been accepted. After I do things with it. A lot of things... As if I didn't have enough to do.

And speaking of work. I've gotten my schedule from NHH now. Next semester I'll teach three classes on two levels, two classes on the beginner level, and one class on a new, intermediate level - where I have no idea what to teach, and will have to spend the Christmas holiday making up stuff. That will be 12 hours per week, plus probably 4 hours of conversation classes. All in all about a full lecturing position. Mostly I'll be teaching a lot of what Tore called night-lectures, 8.15 in the morning. On the other hand I finish lecturing no later than 14 , which would be wonderful. After three semesters of teaching as late as 8 in the evening, and coming home half past nine, and just going to bed.

I'll think I'll also keep teaching the one group I teach on freelance basis, two classes per week. An I will say no when they ask me to teach at the university. I'd like some free time, and no collapsing from stress next semester. Also I need someone to remind me of my decision when they ask me. No. No. No, thank you.

Do not promise to write article about subjects you don't know anything about, in periods you don't know anything about in genres you know shit about.

These are probably the hardest 30.000 characters I've ever written (in years).

Well, to cheer myself up, a quote from Smart bitches, trashy books:

Note: My dad also firmly believes that if you have unread books on your bedstand, you can't die. If that's the case, I'm going to live for damn ever. Psst- vampire romance writers: that's the secret to immortality. All those vampires? It's not the blood and the undeadness. They’re all members of a giant bookclub and they never finish their TBR pile. Hence they’re all 400 years old.

Obviously I'm not going to die either. I am no fan of romance novels, but they are really fun to read about.

Now, tea and another 90 minutes of writing.

I, Klara, Queen of Procrastion (by grace of myself), hereby declare myself Queen of Digressio. I will titulate myself Queen of the twin-queendoms of Procrastio and Digressio.

My article on Holberg now consist of equal parts of Josephus and Jacques Basnages.

*headdesk*

ETA: I have found the secret to drinking and writing! It isn't that I write faster *snort* or better *more snorting*, but I am no longer frustrated by the lack of progression. He.

I am sitting here again, pretending to write on my article. But really, I am doubting myself more and more, especially concerning the article I'm writing about Ludvig Holberg's Jewish History, because I am not a historian, and have no idea what I am writing about, I feel like I am writing an undergraduate paper; a handful of more or less useful quotes from the work in question, a couple of quotes from theorists that may have something useful to say, tied together with moronic commonplaces from the author student. My main problem is that nobody has ever done any research on the Jewish history, so I have to write one of those overview-articles. I just don't think I'm the right one to do it, but I promised I would do it, so...

The other article is easier, since it's on Holberg's Jewish epigrams. And epigrams I know. Except modern epigrams. And religious epigrams. But neither does anybody else.

But whining aside, I need your help do make a point in my article, so - a poll!
Poll #1082185 Important research poll about modern readers
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

I consider myself a modern person who is

I know my Bible (or at least what the poll maker would call the Old Testament)

I have heard about (but can not necessarily retell) the story about

I know and can retell the story about

This is not a question whether religious literature should be read, and where and by whom - although that is an interesting question, but simply a question to which extent modern readers are able to recognise stories from the Bible, which is a point I'm making in my article.

Also, you serious academically inclined people; When you have a character limit, is that with or without spaces?

I've just finished correcting my 278th and last exam.. Well, for now, at the end of November, I'll be getting another 100 or so. Perhaps it's the cosmic retribution for being unemployed for quite a while back in 2003-2004? Because I am positively bogged down in work...

But enough with the whining, and more about the amusing. I think I am being a bad role model for my students. On my exam I asked them to finish a couple of sentences, one of which was Liker du...... (Do you like...). Roughly 4/5 wrote sjokolade, chocolate. I need to start using other words as examples, but what? Carrots, cauliflower? Bowling?

Also I had to cancel a manuscript seminary I was supposed to go to, since I didn't actually have a manuscript. But I was so stupid as to turn up and apologise, and the professor gave me a couple of thinly veiled threats about my continued career, so I have a new date in mid November. Yay... (He also looks and talks like Santa Claus, which made it even scarier.)

But now I'm going to cuddle down in my chair with a book and a feeling of a job well done.

Yes, yes, I am writing my article...

My favourite quote of today is from Ruth Angress:

It is a curious but common mistake to assume that mystic poetry must necessarily be the direct result of a mystic experience, (...) in the seventeenth century mystic commonplaces abounded.

Also, can I write The man who has once written an article and lamented the lack of research on the religious epigram to please write some more, and preferable something on the continental tradition, not just the British? Also Woman who wrote one book who touched the subject in a book from 1972, please send me updated research on the German tradition.

One of my friends who did his thesis on Vergil constantly complained how he had too much secondary literature. I am envious. I have one book and two articles mentioning my theme en passant, and I am tired of badgering the people at the library with new and increasingly flighty ideas what to look for, because obviously there is nothing, or it's published in weird and distinctly religious journals, so I have to peel of the religious slant.

Okay, lack of research is good in one way, because then I have to use lots of space (of my allotted 20.000-35.000 characters) to lament the lack of research and spend pages upon superficial description of my subject in general and text in particular.

Although I realised some time during my second cup of tea that I have a recurring thought idée fixe when it comes to epigrams and the use thereof. Is that good?

Academic-wise my life is on a roll. I was, as I mentioned earlier, asked to contribute an article to a journal (of religion!), and I said yes, although I have no idea when to write this article (which was said to be "10 pages". I wonder how big these pages are.) And then there is the other article which is a rewrite of my paper, so thankfully, in that case some of the research and writing is already done. And then today I had coffee with the two new almost-my-age research fellows at NHH, and they immediately started to question me whether I had any plans of applying for a fellowship myself, and then coming up with ideas for projects. With reading-lists. Yes, very nice of them but I do not have the time now! Tomorrow 57 Norwegian students are having their exams which shall be marked, and as if that wasn't enough 250 medical students are writing their annual Latin exam.

And then there is the need for a waste management consultant; there is a 5 year, 70% position open as a lektor in Latin at the university here. I'm applying for that one - of course I am! The only problem is that I know the four others that are going to apply as well, and I know them well - after all we studied together for several years. I know each and everyone's grades, what they've written about, what they have published, and I know that at least two of them have better qualifications than me. Damn.

So, spend my time on something else; I 'll spread nhw's unread books meme.

( Why 106 I wonder? )

I got an email yesterday from a women who was at the conference, asking whether I wanted to publish an article the journal she edits. This is a real academic journal, that gives points in the stupid Norwegian system of awarding points for articles.
In this system, the so-called ^noTellekantreformen articles/works can get 2, 1 or 0 points after where they are published. Almost everything published in Norwegian is considered 1-point or 0-point. Few Norwegian journals are considered 2 point-journals, but a lot of not particularly famous foreign publications are 2-points, just with the virtue of being Foreign. Furthermore, a lot of the Norwegian periodicals and journals that are important in what little there is of Norwegian cultural/literary/social debate are considered 0-point. Textbooks and most of the other books in Norwegian for the general consumption is also considered 0-point. Way to undermine both Norwegian language and Norwegian cultural debate.

I actually have an idea for an article because ideas are easy to get, ut I'm not sure I have the time to write it. Aside from the other article I'm supposed to write, there are exams to be marked, students to be taught, books to be read...

Also, I am working on staging a revolution gathering the teachers on short term contracts at the faculty, and maybe work for better working conditions. Time off? Christmas perhaps?

According to people I held an engaging and interesting (in that order) paper. I've also been been approached (or whatever they call it) to publish my paper in strange publications.

Obviously they had no idea what I was talking about. They also liked my translation from Latin, which I did some time last night. See last statement.

Also I spent a couple of hours being wooed by a man who was scrupoulos to hide his wedding ring. I like this conference thing. Business cards has been handed out.

I'm attending a conference on stuff from 1700s.

I realised at about 1146 am that I don't know anything about the 1700s. The first lecture started at 1145 and he hadn't even gotten past his introduction when I blanched. I had never even heard about these guys they were talking about. They have also got some Enlightenment bigwig to hold the keynote lecture, and he occasionally said the name Voltaire which I have heard of. But mostly I sat there feeling very, very (very, very) stupid. My only points of reference - except this guy Holberg that I'm going to talk about myself and I really only know anything about his Latin works - is Neal Stephenson's Baroque cycle triology and Margit Sandemo's Sagaen om Isfolket (which is also the first thing my minds remembers when it comes to Norwegian history after 1500 in general.)

Still scared. And one person has told me she's looking forward to my presentation. But I did get some good (?) ideas while pretending to jot down whatever they were talking about.

I'm going on a conference next weekend, and I'll be presenting a paper that I have had the whole summer to write. Thus I start today. And I don't even have the text I'm writing about since I can only read that in the library reading room (with white gloves and usually glowering librarian nearby). I am so smart! Equally amusing is the fact that I will present my (as yet unwritten) paper in a group consisting of deans from two universities and one professor emerita. And me.

Go me!!

I suck at being business-y. How do you do it wavebreaker?

There have been some inquiries from both people and various workplaces and institutions to hire me as a Norwegian-teacher. They all want to give them an offer for a Norwegian course, how many classes, how much it will cost, what they will learn. So I've been crunching numbers, with tax, without tax, as a freelancer, as an employee. Do I charge less for students? And how much is too much, and how much are people willing to pay for this? I absolutely detest this. I feel that the numbers easily get to high, but if I'm supposed to make a living out of this I need to earn money, not just make pocket money on this.

Also I need some business cards. Whenever I say I teach Norwegian (or Latin /Greek), and yes, I give lessons, they ask me for my card. I don't have one. So I need one. Or about 100. And I need a design. And I suck at that too.

And for something totally different I started wondering, are there any studies on the Greek language in the various parts of NT, as a second language. As in a second language perspective? Not just a list with "of influence from ...", but something coherent about the language, the author and the author's first language?

The abstract is finished and has been sent! And a whole day too early! Now I can relax on my laurels... no wait... do I actually have to write the paper now?

Well, I have deep things to say, but they will have to wait (indefinitely?). So I will link to this blog post about the last handwritten newspaper. Every newspaper is a a work of art one captions says. Makes me wish I could read it.