Library day and first names
I went to the library today to print out the bill forms I have to send to my clients. I don't have a printer at home, you see. It happens to be national library day. I wouldn't have known that, but one of my friends (she is also a reader of this blog) wrote about it on Facebook today. The date has been chosen because today is the nameday of Laina. It's a Finnish female first name, and it means 'loan'. The Finnish verb 'lainata' covers the concepts 'to loan', 'to lend' and 'to borrow', and Laina as a given name points out that a child is only ours to borrow, not to own. In a way, it's rather a sad thought, but it's a down-to-earth way of looking at parenting, and I like it. The prettiest meaning for a first name that I know (I can't remember the name, but I think it was from Africa) is "We asked for him and behold, he was given to us".
This has been a quiet day, but a very pleasant one. I found some books and the movie Four weddings and a funeral at the library, and also the first season of In treatment starring Gabriel Byrne. I enjoyed his interview on The Actors' Studio immensely, although I have only seen him in a couple of movies (Little women and The man in the iron mask). He's a very talented actor and extremely interesting when he talks about growing up and starting his career in acting. I seem to have a thing for British and Irish actors lately: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Liam Neeson, Ralp Fiennes, Craig Ferguson, Jeremy Irons, Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee, Anthony Hopkins... Of course there are great actors elsewhere, too, but I have a special love for Great Britain anyway. I think part of the reason why I love British and Irish actors is simply their accent. The mere fact that they don't have American accents is a point in their favour. I have nothing against American accents, of which I know there are several, but almost all movies and TV series that I have ever watched are made in the U.S., and it's simply refreshing to hear English spoken differently for a change. There, I said it.
The shawl I'm knitting is almost finished, but I have to knit in very short shifts now, since my wrists are aching. Piano practice is also going at a lower pace than usual. Its' irritating to have to slow down, but the alternative is to keep going and risk having tendovaginitis. No, it's not sexually transmitted, it's a condition that makes the wrists or ankles or other areas with tendons ache, and it requires a few weeks of rest. I've had it before, and I have no desire to repeat the experience. See you tomorrow!
This has been a quiet day, but a very pleasant one. I found some books and the movie Four weddings and a funeral at the library, and also the first season of In treatment starring Gabriel Byrne. I enjoyed his interview on The Actors' Studio immensely, although I have only seen him in a couple of movies (Little women and The man in the iron mask). He's a very talented actor and extremely interesting when he talks about growing up and starting his career in acting. I seem to have a thing for British and Irish actors lately: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Liam Neeson, Ralp Fiennes, Craig Ferguson, Jeremy Irons, Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee, Anthony Hopkins... Of course there are great actors elsewhere, too, but I have a special love for Great Britain anyway. I think part of the reason why I love British and Irish actors is simply their accent. The mere fact that they don't have American accents is a point in their favour. I have nothing against American accents, of which I know there are several, but almost all movies and TV series that I have ever watched are made in the U.S., and it's simply refreshing to hear English spoken differently for a change. There, I said it.
The shawl I'm knitting is almost finished, but I have to knit in very short shifts now, since my wrists are aching. Piano practice is also going at a lower pace than usual. Its' irritating to have to slow down, but the alternative is to keep going and risk having tendovaginitis. No, it's not sexually transmitted, it's a condition that makes the wrists or ankles or other areas with tendons ache, and it requires a few weeks of rest. I've had it before, and I have no desire to repeat the experience. See you tomorrow!