All Work and No Play

If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, then what happens when your work is your play?

I'll tell you what it means. It means you're livin' the dream, that's what it means. Also, it means it's a good thing you're not named "Jack."

Today I'm taking the day off from the grind of environmental journalism. Yes, those of you who scan the diving photos and videos, that "grind" bit is sarcasm. On this morning, I'm altering my study pattern a bit and pursuing that other dear love of mine -- Okinawan poetry.

A friend of mine who is a native Japanese speaker is meeting me at a cafe in Chatan to go over selected poems from books I bought the other day. We're going to talk about the literal meaning of the poems and, as best we can, begin to shape the verse into English.

On the one hand, it's kind of funny that returning to the books is what I do on my days off. On the other hand, just look at what I get to do when I'm working. Hear that? It's the sound of me not complaining.

We're starting with the ryuka, the traditional structured songs set to shamisen/sanshin music. Gradually, I hope we make our way through the hundreds of years post-Omori Soshi.

(The Omoro Soshi is a collection of 1500-some  ancient verses, songs and rituals that were written down for the first time in 1532. It was updated and studied rigorously, and its final version contained material from the 12th through 17th centuries. It's of immeasurable historic, literary and cultural value, and merits its own post soon.)

In no way is what we're doing exhaustive, although it promises to be exhausting. When I give my philosophy lecture at debate camp, I often preface it with a shouted "Who's ready to go through 2,000 years of intellectual history in 90 minutes?" Similar principle applies here. You're never going to get everything, so you've got to try to get the best and most representative material you can.

To that end, I'm trying to track down as much expert assistance as I possibly can. Many such experts have been kind enough to reply to my e-mails and offer their help, which is tremendously useful (as well as gratifying).

There's this tendency I have to get ahead of myself. The end of this road is many steps from now, and though you know what they say about the longest journey, the trip starts with coffee down the street. It's just such a cool opportunity, I really want to get it right.

My days off, I mean. I want to get the stuff I do on my days off right.