Tuesday, May 14

I cancelled my class this morning in order to prepare for the unconference tomorrow. I rearranged the final two sessions so that the result will actually be an increase in the face-to-face teaching. Next week we will have a four hour session in the afternoon. The week after we will have an all-day workshop.

I then emailed Reidar to ask him if he wanted the all-day workshop to produce a dummy ebook for him to look at and use as a proof of concept. If he does he is welcome to come and talk to the students for an hour next week to explain what he is looking for, and to inspire them to deliver.

At 13:00 I took the number 8 tram to Töölö and got off by Elite. I spent the afternoon recording some extraordinary voiceovers for Pluti’s big project. They were extraordinary in that they were almost impossible to pronounce in some places, and they sounded like the commentary for communist-era propaganda films, exhorting the citizens to be grateful for all that was being provided for them.

They had been translated by a prominent academic who was obviously used to preparing material for publication rather than for being spoken out loud. It took me some time to recite them without stumbling over the tongue-twisters, or sounded like a parody of a Movietone announcer.

Now I am walking down the little alley at the side of Arcada on my way back. I am looking at the combination of a grille, a fake stone wall, and some shrubbery.

I will spend the evening creating a pecha kucha to describe tetrads for delivery at N1 tomorrow. By the time I leave I will be almost happy with it.

I will get home to find that the cat has not come home. It will not arrive home by bedtime. When I wake up briefly at 2:40 I will decide to get up to look out of the window. Sunshine will be sitting outside the door, waiting patiently.

It will take me an hour to get back to sleep.