Not dead, yay!
19 Oct 2012 07:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
belphegor1982...Just very busy during the day and knackered when I get home. I've had an actual job since the beginning of September: I work at the "archives départementales" (departments are a subdivision of France; it's country -> régions -> départements -> communes (towns).) for a cleaning company that specialises in restoring old documents.
So I've been cleaning (mostly) 19th-century mortgage registers with a vacuum cleaner seven hours a day and five days a week for a month. I'm glad I found and got this job, and the history geek in me was in geeky heaven the other day when I saw that the register I held was written in 1799 - more than 200 years old paper and handwriting, people! Dates written in the Republican (Revolutionary) Calendar (with months names like Brumaire, Germinal, Thermidor...)! Napoléon Bonaparte wasn't even Emperor then! Seriously, I was so excited. And seeing dates and political systems of government roll by - Consulat, Directoire, Empire, monarchy (Louix XVIII, then Charles X), constitutional monarchy (Louis-Philippe), Republic (Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte), Empire again, Republic again (in 1870, thankfully lasting)... All in the space of a hundred years! And the revolutions and uprisings - 1830, 1832 (a failed one, featured in Les Misérables), 1848, the 1870 Paris Commune... Wow. History unfolds before my eyes in the form of a clerk copying down names (most of which I know from my childhood) and administrative jargon. And we got registers as late as the late 1930s.
That said... I'm also kind of glad the contract is ending at the end of October. Most of these books are really filthy, full of dust, bits of paper that got eaten by bookworms, and the sort of fine sand that people used to pour on what they just wrote to make the ink dry quicker. I even found bits of quill (which I found quite exciting, in a geeky sort of way :o), nails (the kind you hammer into a wall - I know, weird, huh?), dead squashed flies and various insects, funny little doodles on a couple of covers, and fine examples of what mould and mildew can do to paper. Some of these things I liked more than others :P My right hand hurts everywhere (especially the thumb and the pinkie) from holding the vacuum pipe (can you say that?) all day, and seven hours straight (with a 45-minutes lunch break) of vacuum noise is really tiring, even with reasonably-volumed music in my earpieces. Apart from a few drawings, I haven't done anything productive in a month (must have written one paragraph on a story I'm working on) despite the fact that a couple of plot bunnies have hopped into my head. Ah well - I can always catch up on them later.
Tl;dr: my job is equal parts yay and meh, I'm happy about it but knackered and glad it's over soon :o)
I've re-discovered Les Misérables again (book and musical), and aside from the fact that I am inordinately excited about the oncoming Tom Hooper movie (I read the script and I don't expect it to be anything but awesome), it's made me feel artsy again, because there are so many great characters. Some of my favourites are the students who fight on the barricades during the June Uprising, and Hugo draws such good portraits of them with words that I just had to try my hand at defining my mental images of them. It's a big picture, so in case LJ truncates it here's a link.
So, from top to bottom/left to right, Feuilly (the only workman of the group), Combeferre (badass bookworm extraordinaire), Lesgles/Lègle/Laigle/L’Aigle de Meaux, known as Bossuet (sweet man, but really unlucky with a healthy sense of humour about it), Joly (most cheerful and loveable hypochondriac you’ll ever meet); Enjolras (statuesque warrior of the Republic), Jean (or Jehan) Prouvaire (sweet-natured poet you do not want to cross), and the three less reputable of the lot, Bahorel (a generous spirit and a first-class brawler given any flimsy excuse), Courfeyrac (a fop and a dandy with a heart larger than Europe) and Grantaire (an often drunken cynic who doesn’t care a bit for revolution but really likes hanging out with the rest of them).
Also, and because I haven't posted anything in ages and I feel the (probably unnecessary) need to make up for it, I nicked this great little Doctor Who "Which Doctor are you" quizz from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rose_of_pollux, and I have to say the results surprised me...
FIRST
[] You think you’re better than other species
[x] You’ve run away from home
[x] You have been bullied
[] You are frequently sarcastic
[x] You have brown eyes
[] You occasionally wear a cape
[] You wear reading glasses
[] People say you’re very wise
Total: 3
SECOND
[] Justice and righteousness are important to you
[] You are ruthless
[] You like playing the recorder
[] You consider yourself a genius
[] Your pockets hold EVERYTHING
[x] You like hats
[] Your eyes change color
[x] You can be a bit childish
Total: 2
THIRD
[x] You love science
[x] You want peace between everyone
[] You are a master of aikido
[] You love playing with gadgets
[x] You tend to be optimistic
[] You occasionally perform magic tricks
[] You also love vintage cars
[] You can be somewhat bitter
Total: 3
FOURTH
[] You wear long scarves. Very long scarves
[x] Yo-yo’s are fun to play with
[] You occasionally wear floppy hats
[x] Would you like a jelly baby?
[x] Your personality is very different from others
[] Your pockets are dimensionally transcendental
[x] People say you’re charming
[] You can tell if you can trust someone or not right away
Total: 4
FIFTH
[] You wear “brainy specs” to look clever, when need be
[x] You can be a bit vulnerable
[x] You prefer thinking and problem solving over physical activity
[x] You hate violence
[] You like celery
[x] You tend to panic when under pressure
[] Rosemary makes you sneeze
[] You will openly express your hopes and fears to your companions
Total: 4
SIXTH
[] You can be compassionate, but hardly anybody but your friends see this side
[] You also can be very arrogant
[] And melodramatic
[] You decided to become a vegetarian, but have abandoned that practice
[x] You love poetry
[x] You are very fond of cats
[] You have problems with directions
[] You are very determined to do what is right
Total: 2
SEVENTH
[] People don’t really trust you
[x] You tend to act like a fool to hide your intellect
[x] You have a very dark side, though
[] You like chess
[x] You would rather use words to resolve problems instead of violence
[] You use umbrellas to accomplish tasks other than keeping the rain off of you
[] You are very eccentric
[] You like manipulating people
Total: 1
EIGHTH
[x] You love and respect all life
[x] You are very romantic
[x] You often have panic attacks
[x] You don’t understand the idea of gloating
[] You have a habit of repeating someone’s name when trying to make a point
[] Or when excited
[] You have smoked
[] You are very afraid of heights
Total: 4
NINTH
[x] You like wearing leather jackets
[x] You can be very emotional
[] Although, you can hide your sorrow with manic behavior and wit
[] You can be ruthless
[x] You swear frequently
[] You tend to say “fantastic” a lot
[x] You like bananas
[] You can be violent
Total: 4
TENTH
[x] You are a happy person
[x] You are also enthusiastic, especially at inappropriate times (Oh yeah!)
[] You feel very lonely
[x] You are a fan of Harry Potter
[x] You prefer rock music
[x] You are a very forgiving person
[x] You think that life is beautiful
[x] Allons-y!
Total: 7? Really?
ELEVENTH
[] You don’t care if people think you’re eccentric
[x] You can be very childlike (when it's cold I sleep with a water bottle inside a fluffy blue sheep. 'Nuff said.)
[x] Bowties are cool
[] You have a very good memory
[x] You talk with your hands
[x] You tend to ramble a lot
[] You would rather face situations alone, rather than put your friends at risk
[] You have green eyes
Total: 4
Fine by me :o)
Hope you're doing well!
So I've been cleaning (mostly) 19th-century mortgage registers with a vacuum cleaner seven hours a day and five days a week for a month. I'm glad I found and got this job, and the history geek in me was in geeky heaven the other day when I saw that the register I held was written in 1799 - more than 200 years old paper and handwriting, people! Dates written in the Republican (Revolutionary) Calendar (with months names like Brumaire, Germinal, Thermidor...)! Napoléon Bonaparte wasn't even Emperor then! Seriously, I was so excited. And seeing dates and political systems of government roll by - Consulat, Directoire, Empire, monarchy (Louix XVIII, then Charles X), constitutional monarchy (Louis-Philippe), Republic (Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte), Empire again, Republic again (in 1870, thankfully lasting)... All in the space of a hundred years! And the revolutions and uprisings - 1830, 1832 (a failed one, featured in Les Misérables), 1848, the 1870 Paris Commune... Wow. History unfolds before my eyes in the form of a clerk copying down names (most of which I know from my childhood) and administrative jargon. And we got registers as late as the late 1930s.
That said... I'm also kind of glad the contract is ending at the end of October. Most of these books are really filthy, full of dust, bits of paper that got eaten by bookworms, and the sort of fine sand that people used to pour on what they just wrote to make the ink dry quicker. I even found bits of quill (which I found quite exciting, in a geeky sort of way :o), nails (the kind you hammer into a wall - I know, weird, huh?), dead squashed flies and various insects, funny little doodles on a couple of covers, and fine examples of what mould and mildew can do to paper. Some of these things I liked more than others :P My right hand hurts everywhere (especially the thumb and the pinkie) from holding the vacuum pipe (can you say that?) all day, and seven hours straight (with a 45-minutes lunch break) of vacuum noise is really tiring, even with reasonably-volumed music in my earpieces. Apart from a few drawings, I haven't done anything productive in a month (must have written one paragraph on a story I'm working on) despite the fact that a couple of plot bunnies have hopped into my head. Ah well - I can always catch up on them later.
Tl;dr: my job is equal parts yay and meh, I'm happy about it but knackered and glad it's over soon :o)
I've re-discovered Les Misérables again (book and musical), and aside from the fact that I am inordinately excited about the oncoming Tom Hooper movie (I read the script and I don't expect it to be anything but awesome), it's made me feel artsy again, because there are so many great characters. Some of my favourites are the students who fight on the barricades during the June Uprising, and Hugo draws such good portraits of them with words that I just had to try my hand at defining my mental images of them. It's a big picture, so in case LJ truncates it here's a link.
So, from top to bottom/left to right, Feuilly (the only workman of the group), Combeferre (badass bookworm extraordinaire), Lesgles/Lègle/Laigle/L’Aigle de Meaux, known as Bossuet (sweet man, but really unlucky with a healthy sense of humour about it), Joly (most cheerful and loveable hypochondriac you’ll ever meet); Enjolras (statuesque warrior of the Republic), Jean (or Jehan) Prouvaire (sweet-natured poet you do not want to cross), and the three less reputable of the lot, Bahorel (a generous spirit and a first-class brawler given any flimsy excuse), Courfeyrac (a fop and a dandy with a heart larger than Europe) and Grantaire (an often drunken cynic who doesn’t care a bit for revolution but really likes hanging out with the rest of them).
Also, and because I haven't posted anything in ages and I feel the (probably unnecessary) need to make up for it, I nicked this great little Doctor Who "Which Doctor are you" quizz from
rose_of_pollux, and I have to say the results surprised me...FIRST
[] You think you’re better than other species
[x] You’ve run away from home
[x] You have been bullied
[] You are frequently sarcastic
[x] You have brown eyes
[] You occasionally wear a cape
[] You wear reading glasses
[] People say you’re very wise
Total: 3
SECOND
[] Justice and righteousness are important to you
[] You are ruthless
[] You like playing the recorder
[] You consider yourself a genius
[] Your pockets hold EVERYTHING
[x] You like hats
[] Your eyes change color
[x] You can be a bit childish
Total: 2
THIRD
[x] You love science
[x] You want peace between everyone
[] You are a master of aikido
[] You love playing with gadgets
[x] You tend to be optimistic
[] You occasionally perform magic tricks
[] You also love vintage cars
[] You can be somewhat bitter
Total: 3
FOURTH
[] You wear long scarves. Very long scarves
[x] Yo-yo’s are fun to play with
[] You occasionally wear floppy hats
[x] Would you like a jelly baby?
[x] Your personality is very different from others
[] Your pockets are dimensionally transcendental
[x] People say you’re charming
[] You can tell if you can trust someone or not right away
Total: 4
FIFTH
[] You wear “brainy specs” to look clever, when need be
[x] You can be a bit vulnerable
[x] You prefer thinking and problem solving over physical activity
[x] You hate violence
[] You like celery
[x] You tend to panic when under pressure
[] Rosemary makes you sneeze
[] You will openly express your hopes and fears to your companions
Total: 4
SIXTH
[] You can be compassionate, but hardly anybody but your friends see this side
[] You also can be very arrogant
[] And melodramatic
[] You decided to become a vegetarian, but have abandoned that practice
[x] You love poetry
[x] You are very fond of cats
[] You have problems with directions
[] You are very determined to do what is right
Total: 2
SEVENTH
[] People don’t really trust you
[x] You tend to act like a fool to hide your intellect
[x] You have a very dark side, though
[] You like chess
[x] You would rather use words to resolve problems instead of violence
[] You use umbrellas to accomplish tasks other than keeping the rain off of you
[] You are very eccentric
[] You like manipulating people
Total: 1
EIGHTH
[x] You love and respect all life
[x] You are very romantic
[x] You often have panic attacks
[x] You don’t understand the idea of gloating
[] You have a habit of repeating someone’s name when trying to make a point
[] Or when excited
[] You have smoked
[] You are very afraid of heights
Total: 4
NINTH
[x] You like wearing leather jackets
[x] You can be very emotional
[] Although, you can hide your sorrow with manic behavior and wit
[] You can be ruthless
[x] You swear frequently
[] You tend to say “fantastic” a lot
[x] You like bananas
[] You can be violent
Total: 4
TENTH
[x] You are a happy person
[x] You are also enthusiastic, especially at inappropriate times (Oh yeah!)
[] You feel very lonely
[x] You are a fan of Harry Potter
[x] You prefer rock music
[x] You are a very forgiving person
[x] You think that life is beautiful
[x] Allons-y!
Total: 7? Really?
ELEVENTH
[] You don’t care if people think you’re eccentric
[x] You can be very childlike (when it's cold I sleep with a water bottle inside a fluffy blue sheep. 'Nuff said.)
[x] Bowties are cool
[] You have a very good memory
[x] You talk with your hands
[x] You tend to ramble a lot
[] You would rather face situations alone, rather than put your friends at risk
[] You have green eyes
Total: 4
Fine by me :o)
Hope you're doing well!
