Almost Done

Ah, the feeling of almost done. We all feel it sometimes, and I’m feeling it these days, the sweet anticipation of almost getting there, knowing I will get there, and the relief and the fulfillment of it soon to be completed.

Not so long ago, I was almost done with the reading of the Kafka’s The Castle. For some reason I don’t understand, it took me quite a while to read that book – as a matter of fact, I’ve read several other books while being troubled by that one. And then, the end of the book got near, and it felt good.

The translation of the City of Glass: almost done. The translation itself is over, actually, but there’s still work to be done, proofreading and finding the already existing translations of the quotes of Shakespeare, T. E. Lawrence, Coleridge… On a side note, it turned out that the librarian who never heard of Catullus or Milton also doesn’t know how to use the library computer properly – she told me the library had no Milton, and another librarian immediately found me Paradise Lost (that other librarian isn’t all smiles like the first one, but she knows her job, which is what I’m looking for in a librarian – I asked her for Coleridge, and she went straight to the shelf where the book was supposed to be, without looking like a puppy on a busy railway station).

As I said: the translation is almost done, and with this somewhat longish book, I cannot even begin to describe what a relief it is.

And then, there are the short story collections I’m working on. I need just a few more stories for one of them – the stories I write are very short, so that’s another thing almost done. And a good thing, at that.

I thought of doing something today – I’d certainly make a pause with the translation work, I always make it between the translation itself and the proofreading, but I thought of working on one of the books. However, it turned out I was too darn tired for it, so I’m getting some rest, drinking some green tea (the one with a beautiful golden-green color), doing some beauty rituals (everyone needs them!), and watching that pretty and interesting tree you can see on the picture.

Tree watching is always pleasant.

So, how about you? Is there something you’re almost done with right now?