opened my eyes at eleven this morning, the latest i have got up in weeks. found my slippers and went into the bathroom. the running water brought some feeling back into my fingers. they were bruised, scratched, cut, and my thumb and forefinger were particularly sore from gripping nails and screws and bolts. my palms were tender and swollen, my shoulders ache, and i realise i hadn't eaten for more than 24 hours. i had been assembling my three bookshelves yesterday, and afterwards i organised my books. technically i assembled three quarters of the shelves. (i gave up putting the back on and have decided to use them as open-back shelves. i do not like hammering. and while it is possible to use the back of a screwdriver as a hammer, you soon wish you didn't.) after the first shelf i decided that i should proceed under supervision and attempted to get hold of von. i explained that although the bookshelf is three-quarters towards completion, after taking into account the wobble factor the actual progress will be in the negative, since i'll probably have to take apart the entire thing and put it back together again. if he came quickly there would be less damage done. he points out he was very busy, had to leave early next morning for new hampshire, and that he was living in boston now, not cambridge. i did my best, but it wasn't very good. never have so heavy a load of books been put on so wobbly a trio of shelves, but i can no more. it was three in the morning before i had them up and most of of my books organised.

from top to bottom.

shelf one:

late medieval, criticism
riddling theory, wisdom lit, allegoresis, metaphor, translation theory, lang in lit.
early medieval, philology
genre and narrative
theory & criticism (general)

shelf two:

essays, letters, reflections and biographies
latin and greek texts, translations, theory and criticism, methodology
renaissance
fairy tales: texts and criticism, mythology, theories of fantasy, tales, &c
18th and 19th century prose

shelf three:

miscellaneous novels
contemporary european (mostly) novels and personal favourites
children's lit, frivolous stuff.
poetry and poetry criticism
oversized, regardless of category, because i made this shelf the tallest.

my eyes hurt as well, but there is nearly nothing better in the world than looking at your own 6 foot high shelves filled with books you have sorted. not the shelves themselves, which give me no pleasure. we are well beyond the stage where as kindergarteners we bring home crayon uglies which are put on the refrigerator door because it was done by us. amateur potters and photographers and such like forsooth! "i know it isn't all that good, but i made it myself" there is no satisfaction in something done by yourself anymore. there is only satisfaction in a thing well-done, or else ill-done.