Communicated Voids

The many plates of responsibility and desire spin on teeters edges as people watch in awe waiting for either the greatest success or such a horrific crash that historians will instantly edit it into their textbooks. With all that in mind, allow me to give you a basic status update.

Multiple projects are happening at once.
First and foremost I am still chugging along through the Iliad and a few books containing critical analyses of Homer's work. Within the next week or two I would like to discuss themes, symbols and what the text means to us today. Granted, the most I can do is reiterate what has been said. The possibility always exists that one can stumble onto something new by communicating with that which is old. A quick note on the translation I have, I picked up the Robert Fagles translation which has an introduction by Bernard Knox who wrote The Oldest Dead White European Males. The title reminded me of my intense hatred for Dead White Males, who though they are gone, still have a great hold on my life. Immortality through words? Quite possibly. I feel like they would be the gods of Homer's universe who thrive on human interaction. What impact would Milton have if we all just ignored him? But! Like a stray he is on our door step begging for attention. How can we ignore the markings of minds already laid to rest? And aren't we all just subjected to fate?
My nephew graduated from kindergarten on Thursday (May 22). I got hired out to help preparing him for first grade. I didn't realize how hard it is to explain what I consider basic concepts. I once heard of the mathematician who could do amazing work with higher math but had no skills with the basics. He existed far outside the bounds of basics. So do we! Words make sense, sentence structures are no issues, and multiplication is a snap. Yet for the young mind still forming it is all new information, particularly if he hasn't had too much prior home training. Just have to keep working for now.
I secured a 1961 IBM correcting selectric II from an old driving clinic in my home area. Of course the first thing I did was break the ribbon which suddenly made me wonder how I was supposed to acquire a new one. The archaic qualities of the type writer attract me to its less than conventional and efficient draw backs. Surprisingly, wikipedia contained some great information on the machine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter For what little bit I got to use the machine I loved it. The typewriter stands as the Indiana Jones of writing devices. If you make a mistake you can forget fixing it (granted this one has the capability but it's a bit tricky). Only one shot! Writing suddenly becomes epic as sweat like bullets drop from your brow.
Currently doing a bit of traveling to weed out the wanderlust. Oh to be young!