"Members of the UN are currently using my computer." -Katie

[hermionesviolin]

Work continues to be busy.

Things that made me happy today included listening to OMWF songs ("Rest in Peace," "Walk Through the Fire," and "Standing") on YouTube.  I am now listening to the bootleg Ally (not to be confused with Allie or Aly) burned for me back when the ep first aired -- which I far prefer to the official one as it actually includes relevant dialogue bits.

gym: elliptical, interval program
1mi @ 11:30min
2mi @ 23:00min
2.6mi @ 30min
I felt like I was really working the whole time, which is good, but frustrating that it was only an 11:30minute-mile.  I remember thinking: "My dream will be to get down to a 9-minute mile," but now it feels like even getting an 11-minute mile consistently will be such a challenge.

I made actually dinner for myself tonight.  Winnar.

***

I remember seeing at least one entry on someone else's flist linking to an article about translating Harry Potter into Hebrew, and I was telling my mom about an excerpt from it, but I hadn't actually gotten around to reading it, so I did tonight.  ("When Harry Meets Hebrew")

“I wouldn’t want to be in her place,” Suel says. “This book is really challenging to translate. You have all these references that no one knows unless you know British culture very well … Baked beans don’t mean the same thing to the Israeli reader that it means to a [British] child. In Britain, it’s a kids’ food that children usually like. [In Israel], it’s just a can of beans.”

Indeed, Bar-Hillel confronted a food-related challenge at the very start of the series, in the first chapter of Book One. Professor Dumbledore, headmaster at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is discussing the death of arch-villain Voldemort with his colleague, Professor McGonagall, when he reaches into his pocket, takes out some candy and offers her a “lemon sherbet.” In the Hebrew translation, Bar-Hillel chose to have Dumbledore offer McGonagall a krembo, the uniquely Israeli snack that has not a drop of lemon flavor. The choice angers many fans, but Bar-Hillel explained her decision with equanimity.

“I had a friend from England send me lemon sherbets so I could understand what they were,” Bar-Hillel recalls. “They are a lemon candy with a sort of fizzy feeling in the mouth, and they are seen in Britain as a children’s treat. Adults don’t eat them so much. The point of the lemon sherbets is to tell us something about Dumbledore’s character—that this wise old wizard with a long white beard carries around a children’s treat in his pocket. The equivalent children’s dessert in Israel is the krembo. If I’d translated it as a lemon sucking candy, it wouldn’t have imparted the same image of Dumbledore.”

*

From whedonesque:

Amber Benson's "Death's Daughter". Amber lands a three book deal with Penguin, and this will be her first release.

From the press release: DEATH'S DAUGHTER, the story of a young woman trying to make it as a young urban professional in NYC who slowly comes to realize that her father is actually the Grim Reaper and that she must rescue him after he's kidnapped by unknown forces in order to save her entire family (not to mention the world.

I'm definitely interested.

*

The weather was beautiful today and we ate lunch outside and Eric joined us and we talked tv.

I told him about the adorable pictures of the girl who plays Molly Walker (Adair Tishler) from the Emmys [though IMDb doesn't have this one] and we swapped casting news for the JJ Abrams Star Trek (okay, he already knew mine -- which I of course got from Vik -- but whatever).

He apparently loves Eureka (which makes me laugh, because all I know about it is jennyo talking about how femslashy it is) and is upset that he doesn't have the Sci-Fi channel (he got the first season on DVD).  I live in like the only town in the Boston area that has RCN rather than (as well as?) Comcast.  He says Comcast is buying RCN?

I feel like all the TV starts back up again next week.  [Note to self: catch up on Heroes online comics this weekend.]  And somehow I'm supposed to get enough sleep and also do the readings for my class?  *tries to remember what this felt like last semester*  I'm basically not adding any new shows to my schedule -- so if there are any new shows you think I absolutely must watch, this is the time to convince me.

Monday
HIMYM @ 8:00 [CBS] (I'm lending Eric S2 when it's out 'cause he liked S1 but hasn't seen S2)
Heroes @ 9 [NBC]

Thursday -- taping because of small group
CSI @ 9 [CBS]
WaT @ 10 [CBS]

And, midseason replacement:
Sunday
The Sarah Connor Chronicles @ 9 [FOX]