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29.12.2006

LIFE ALTERATIONS

Despite the fact that I was lying distressed in our doublebed, thus being unfit for any legitimate job I still had that urging need for letting my light shine brigthly for anyone to see.

I changed the emphasis a bit having had my wish granted, that of getting a chance to quit working in the outwearing job at the fish-factory.

In my first article, as the new O.Th.E. I covered abortions, which I dislike very much with the heading:

Legal murders of human beings (8),

which was my former fianceé's (Olof Anna Gudjonsdottir) idea, but as she was working at the maternity ward in
Keflavik it could have been inconvenient for her professional future if the article would've been undersigned by her, so I took the "blame" on me, for these words could just as well have been mine.

The next one was about potential consequenses of the immoderate drudging of our countrymen in the article:

Where might happiness be found? (9)

During autumn I got a job at the Towns-Library in Keflavik.

On grounds that I didn't understand when it happened, but had my mother under suspision because she was then quite a prominent figure in the town´s politics, the librarian Hilmar Jonsson, a writer and one of the apostles of the Icelandic
Lodge gave me a phone call one day when I was idling alone at home.

Having introduced himself he asked whether I was ready for a job in the library.

-Yes, thank you. What am I supposed to do?

-Here in the library a considerable amount of newspapers has accumulated, so much even that the staff hasn't had time to attend to it to any amount. I want you to cut out everything that touches the Sudurnes in any way and glue it on large sheets of paper.

At ten o'clock the morning after I arrived just when Hilmar was opening the door at the Library, which then was located at the Mánagata in a three
storey house.

In the attic the staff had a tiny space for preparing new books for loaning and repairing old ones, in addition of being their primitive coffee-room in a brimful room under a clincher-roof.

On the next floor beneath most of the books in the library were, e.g. novels and biography and there was the counter.

On the lowest which was in a half-buried cellar a great number of foreign pocket-books, books of knowledge, Icelandic and foreign and all the newspapers.

In a tiny room in the cellar older newspapers had been stacked for reservation.

I and the librarian filled our arms with as many newspapers as we were able to carry and with our arms full of old Morgunbladid (The Morningpaper), Timinn (The Time), Thjodviljinn (The People´s Will), Helgarposturinn (The Weekend´s Mail), Visir(Point-er), Dagbladid (The Daily Mail) and whatchama call it, we started our journey up two carpeted staircases, until we reached a very tiny room on the top floor under a clincherroof, where the window was small and thronged.

Hilmar had already prepared an excellent working condition for me there;

an old pupil's table and an old office chair on wheels.

The illumination couldn't have been better;

a lightbulb in the ceiling, as well as a Luxor-lamp on the table.

To one side a pile of large sheets of white-paper was on the floor, but on the table were my tools;

scissors and a gluestick.

-You'll turn the pages of these papers, Oli dear, cutting out everything concerning our area and then you´re to glue it on these sheets of paper.

Your working hours will be from ten to tvelve o'clock five days a week.

Be my guest, greeted my patron when he left me and went to his small office, which was on the other end of the top floor.

I started working vigorously.

Working two hours per day for the next seasons I almost managed to empty the tiny room downstairs.

The couple of hours were very quick passing on the job;

I fetched a load of newspapers downstairs, turned pages, read, cut out and glued on sheets of paper.

Went downstairs fetching more papers and thus without end.

I'd become quite well informed about anything concerning my district in the consequence of reading a vast number of newsletters, articles and essays, besides all the necrologies, beginning back in 1966.

I did also cut out all material by or about departed people of the Sudurnes or people that were connected to the area in any which way.

LIFE ALTERATIONS

LIFE ALTERATIONS

Despite the fact that I was lying distressed in our doublebed, thus being unfit for any legitimate job I still had that urging need for letting my light shine brigthly for anyone to see.

I changed the emphasis a bit having had my wish granted, that of getting a chance to quit working in the outwearing job at the fish-factory.

In my first article, as the new O.Th.E. I covered abortions, which I dislike very much with the heading:

Legal murders of human beings (8),

The next one was about potential consequenses of the immoderate drudging of our countrymen in the article:

Where might happiness be found? (9)

During autumn I got a job at the Towns-Library in Keflavik.

Having introduced himself he asked whether I was ready for a job in the library.

-Yes, thank you. What am I supposed to do?

-Here in the library a considerable amount of newspapers has accumulated, so much even that the staff hasn't had time to attend to it to any amount. I want you to cut out everything that touches the Sudurnes in any way and glue it on large sheets of paper.

At ten o'clock the morning after I arrived just when Hilmar was opening the door at the Library, which then was located at the Mánagata in a three
storey house.

In the attic the staff had a tiny space for preparing new books for loaning and repairing old ones, in addition of being their primitive coffee-room in a brimful room under a clincher-roof.

On the next floor beneath most of the books in the library were, e.g. novels and biography and there was the counter.

On the lowest which was in a half-buried cellar a great number of foreign pocket-books, books of knowledge, Icelandic and foreign and all the newspapers.

In a tiny room in the cellar older newspapers had been stacked for reservation.

Hilmar had already prepared an excellent working condition for me there;

an old pupil's table and an old office chair on wheels.

The illumination couldn't have been better;

a lightbulb in the ceiling, as well as a Luxor-lamp on the table.

To one side a pile of large sheets of white-paper was on the floor, but on the table were my tools;

scissors and a gluestick.

-You'll turn the pages of these papers, Oli dear, cutting out everything concerning our area and then you´re to glue it on these sheets of paper.

Your working hours will be from ten to tvelve o'clock five days a week.

Be my guest, greeted my patron when he left me and went to his small office, which was on the other end of the top floor.

I started working vigorously.

Working two hours per day for the next seasons I almost managed to empty the tiny room downstairs.

The couple of hours were very quick passing on the job;

I fetched a load of newspapers downstairs, turned pages, read, cut out and glued on sheets of paper.

Went downstairs fetching more papers and thus without end.

I'd become quite well informed about anything concerning my district in the consequence of reading a vast number of newsletters, articles and essays, besides all the necrologies, beginning back in 1966.

I did also cut out all material by or about departed people of the Sudurnes or people that were connected to the area in any which way.

Realizing that this job would not last for the rest of my life;

sooner or later I'd finish the newspapers, therefore I kept on writing.

During that period I wrote the Christmas-story

The Biting Northwind (10)

because of explicit wishes of the editor of Vikurfrettir...:

LIFE ALTERATIONS

LIFE ALTERATIONS

Despite the fact that I was lying distressed in our doublebed, thus being unfit for any legitimate job I still had that urging need for letting my light shine brigthly for anyone to see.

I changed the emphasis a bit having had my wish granted, that of getting a chance to quit working in the outwearing job at the fish-factory.

In my first article, as the new O.Th.E. I covered abortions, which I dislike very much with the heading:

Legal murders of human beings (8),

The next one was about potential consequenses of the immoderate drudging of our countrymen in the article:

Where might happiness be found? (9)

During autumn I got a job at the Towns-Library in Keflavik.

Having introduced himself he asked whether I was ready for a job in the library.

-Yes, thank you. What am I supposed to do?

-Here in the library a considerable amount of newspapers has accumulated, so much even that the staff hasn't had time to attend to it to any amount. I want you to cut out everything that touches the Sudurnes in any way and glue it on large sheets of paper.

At ten o'clock the morning after I arrived just when Hilmar was opening the door at the Library, which then was located at the Mánagata in a threestorey house.

In the attic the staff had a tiny space for preparing new books for loaning and repairing old ones, in addition of being their primitive coffee-room in a brimful room under a clincher-roof.

On the next floor beneath most of the books in the library were, e.g. novels and biography and there was the counter.

On the lowest which was in a half-buried cellar a great number of foreign pocket-books, books of knowledge, Icelandic and foreign and all the newspapers.

In a tiny room in the cellar older newspapers had been stacked for reservation.

Hilmar had already prepared an excellent working condition for me there;

an old pupil's table and an old office chair on wheels.

The illumination couldn't have been better;

a lightbulb in the ceiling, as well as a Luxor-lamp on the table.

To one side a pile of large sheets of white-paper was on the floor, but on the table were my tools;

scissors and a gluestick.

-You'll turn the pages of these papers, Oli dear, cutting out everything concerning our area and then you´re to glue it on these sheets of paper.

Your working hours will be from ten to tvelve o'clock five days a week.

Be my guest, greeted my patron when he left me and went to his small office, which was on the other end of the top floor.

I started working vigorously.

Working two hours per day for the next seasons I almost managed to empty the tiny room downstairs.

The couple of hours were very quick passing on the job;

I fetched a load of newspapers downstairs, turned pages, read, cut out and glued on sheets of paper.

Went downstairs fetching more papers and thus without end.

I'd become quite well informed about anything concerning my district in the consequence of reading a vast number of newsletters, articles and essays, besides all the necrologies, beginning back in 1966.

I did also cut out all material by or about departed people of the Sudurnes or people that were connected to the area in any which way.

Realizing that this job would not last for the rest of my life;

sooner or later I'd finish the newspapers, therefore I kept on writing.

During that period I wrote the Christmas-story

The Biting Northwind (10)

because of explicit wishes of the editor of Vikurfrettir...:

At ten o'clock the morning after I arrived just when Hilmar was opening the door at the Library, which then was located at the Mánagata in a three
storey house.