#3: Coming apart
Das Buch -- looking innocent
My plans to post daily are almost coming apart. It’s due to that book I’m working on, a collection of essays, based on work that I did in academia, co-written and edited with a friend of mine. We’re in the midst of the index, and I can tell you, if you’ve never had to compile an index before, you are a lucky man or woman. It’s an activity every bit as tedious as it sounds. I am currently on the letter P — moving backwards from Z — and I’m averaging getting through two to three letters per day (I am, I should say, trying to do some other things as well). Today my thumb was twitching under the strain of clicking “next” through the pdf file (next “Plato,” next “Platonism”, next Pindar). The boredom is mind-boggling. But after spending four years (on and off) on this darn thing, we have to finish it.
So this is a pretty brief post, but I absolutely have some topics in mind that I’d like to cover — either New York’s Planned Parenthood; or a flash-mob dance party thing in Greenpoint to which I am about to escape — if it’s any good, I’ll report back. Watch this space.
*******
Actually the flash dance thing was fun — a dark room full of writhing figures throwing shapes they’d never dare to make if the lights were on. The participants were mostly girls, the dancing very aerobic, and the event entirely sans alcohol. It was in the basement of a Lutheran church, which pleased me, because my grandparents were incredibly strict religious Lutherans (my grandfather was a pastor, and an intelligent man, whose books include Genes, Genesis and Evolution — I haven’t read it but I think he may not have agreed with Darwin’s theories).
I also learnt that flash dancing doesn’t mean you dance for five minutes and then head off somewhere for food and drinks. It went on for more than an hour, which meant that I took a lot of breaks and left a early. But it was perfect for letting off steam after a few hours’ indexing.
The venue
Proof of religion
The event
Yeah, but if you don’t do it, it’ll get outsourced to somebody in India, who will do a really random job of it. So, for the sake of posterity and your peace of mind in future years, better that you yourself make these judgments about what to include and the correct references.
Thanks for the comment Paddyshah. I know, I know. I can’t even whinge that much because (of course) I’m thrilled to have a book deal in the first place, which validates my five years of graduate work.
It’s just painful at the moment.
Hope you’re doing well!
Your table looks nice though …
Nice of you to suggest that… Though I’m chuckling — don’t you mean nice book! (the one that’s on my table)? Only joking.
Oh, I just saw this! I am glad you had fun at it, it is a special event dear to me. I think we shd go again!