So my kid loves The Mouse Mansion, a truly wonderful picture book by this woman Karina Schaapman, who not only wrote a nice story but also made felt mice, an enormous elaborate dollhouse for them and a zillion little props, which she then photographed to make what basically feels like a Dutch fairytale mouse version of Kowloon Walled City. It’s wildly charming, and it’s apparently based on an idealization of her 1960s childhood growing up as the children of immigrants in Leiden.
Anyway, I came to find out that this is a series of at least six books, of which only the first is readily available in English. So I guess I’m translating them. Here’s a raw for the fourth book in the series, The Mouse Mansion: Sam and Julia At The Fair. It’s pretty rough, as I started with Google translations of a Spanish edition and then edited as quickly as possible, but hey, I’m busy.
I put unfamiliar words in my phone when I find them and these are from 2018.
catallaxy – the spontaneous organization of the market
tendentious – promoting bias
trilemma – like dilemma, but three problems
pomander – perfume carried in a ball necklace
arrogate – claim
traducer – “one who maligns another by making malicious and false or defamatory statements”
theosis – Greek Orthodox – a way of personally participating in the energies of God (vs. ‘becoming godlike’)
speciate – form or become a new species
Fingerspitzengefühl – “fingertip feeling” – intuitive skill
poiesis – ποίησις – a person bringing something into being
ataraxia – A state of serene calmness
kenotic – empty
Pettifogger – shyster
militates – be a powerful or conclusive factor against some fact or circumstance
saudade – a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return. µέλαινα χολή, mélaina cholē from which melancholy
nurungji – scorched rice (kr)
Hypothecated – financially pledged, as an asset
Threnody – A lament
consonance – together
canaille – the common people, it. pack of dogs
excipient – drug filler
vagitus – the cry of a newborn
Anteambulo – path-clearer
cortège – funeral procession
catchment – collection area
scienter – knowledge of wrongdoing
roundelay – a simple song with a refrain (medieval)
carceral – of relating to prison
deputation – party sent by a deputy
syncretism – melding of ideas
Epoché – “suspension of judgement about non-evident matters”
My friend Andy just put together an absolutely killer mix of alternate versions of well-loved songs from the 80s and 90s. In his own words:
“‘Beloved Songs: Alternate Versions’
An assemblage of my favorite songs, in the form of demos, radio sessions, extended mixes, remixes, or live recordings. It focuses mainly on the long 80s, 1976 – 1991, but with some Radiohead, James, Slowdive, and Interpol sprinkled in.
I’ve organized the track-listing into 3 sections:
1) “Big” Names, at least to me smile emoticon
2) Artists I heard on the radio growing up
3) Artists I’ve never heard on terrestrial radio
Below the list of, err, 372 songs are links to highlights on Mixcloud, for your streaming convenience and/or smartphone pleasure.
(more…)
There were fewer metal albums I loved this year than last, but man, the good ones were ferocious. AAC with chapters, click the cover to download.
