Insomnia. At 2:30 a.m. After five hours in the car. And some meetings in a Columbus skyscraper. Then sleep. Softly. Like plush carpet. Or dead bird feathers. Then restless awakening. And now, now the hour of the wolf draws nigh.

Stop.

Some time ago, I finally finished by deep read of the Republic. I was reminded of how, not so many years ago, Mr. Klein and I sat in the Niedfeldt study room and talked about how what we really needed to do is to read the whole thing in the original. Now, upon this last and deepest reading, I am struck by the cuts and reversals therein. Not only are there many, many layers to the several arguments, but there seems the real sense in which Plato brazenly undermines our expectations, especially in the way in which books VII-X play out.

I am presently reading Dominic O'Meara's book, Platonopolis, Platonic Political Philosophy in Late Antiquity. Basically, he's trying to assert that the divinization of man project has more direct and immediate political implications than conventionally realized. What's interesting to me is that he runs this from Plotinus through Eusebius to Ps.-Denis and Farabi.

I am also reading Confucius and Basho.

Basho, I love, because I am reminded of a few days I spent wandering through Sendai and Aizu--and how I long to see northern Honshu again in the summer someday, probably with my father, and to trace the Nosses. Anyways, this website is great for reading Basho--Corman's translation is especially fun, although I am using Keene's in the book.

Confucius I find, well, very interesting. There is much that is at turns quite reminiscent not so much of the Academy and its daughters as of Solomon. Yet like Plato, I do get the sense that Mr. K'ung Fu was one of those anima naturaliter Christiana. There is much pride and elitism, but there is also this preternatural recognition that salvation is very, very high and man, even the gentleman, is very, very low.

I commute about 550 miles per week, and have become obsessed with listening to poetry on CD. Perhaps after so many hours of Keats and Longfellow and Mr. Milton, I shall soak up something of this language.

I have had Marmura's translation/edition of Avicenna's Metaphysics of the Healing (Al-Shifa') on order since September, but it seems indefinitely delayed by the good Mormons in Provo. Sad. :(

I see that my wife has been commenting on my blog. I suppose I should watch out.

I have been working, nearly in OCD, on a powerpoint presentation of our NZ trip, replete with dozens pics of Mitre Peak and Mt. Cook, lots of animated captions, and annotated space imagery showing where we drove. Email me if any of you want a copy.