Morning Pages | 2 October 2026

I found myself writing about performance anxiety today, inspired by a character from War and Peace. I just never know where the writing is going to go!

I wanted to keep a note of a couple of idioms spoken by Platon Karataev in this morning's chapter (Vol. IV, Part I, Ch. 13). Translations are from Anthony Briggs.

Положи, господи, камушком, подними калачиком.
Lord, make me lie down like a stone and rise like new bread.

Лег – свернулся, встал – встряхнулся.
Sleep deep, wake with a shake.

The opportunities I spoke about, when I could speak Russian every day, were when I studied and worked in Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. In fact, I almost certainly did speak Russian every day, but unless I was drunk, it was reluctantly. Hello resistance, my old friend. Crazy, huh? After a few bevvies though, I was fluent. Whatever—I'm now thoroughly enjoying having got back into using Russian every day through my studies of literature—and watching Russian BookTube channels!