December 30, 2004

Ochón

Not entirely unexpectedly, my grandfather died this morning.

More later, when I and the rest of the family have had time to adjust and get our heads together. Meanwhile, my grateful thanks to those of you who have already called with your good wishes, and my love to you all.

Have pity on the dead
Pray for the dead
Sleep has his house
Sleep has his house

Overwhelm me
Overwhelm me
Forever
Forever
Sleep has his house
Sleep has his house

December 23, 2004

Hollyday Road

Quickly, before I drop off the map for a couple of days:

New job good. Still very much in terra incognita and trying to learn the language, but it's good. More on this when I've had some time to absorb.

Haven't had much chance to keep up with everyone this week, so if you've tried to get my attention somehow, it's likely been elsewhere. I'll try and get my act together after the weekend.

Meantime, a most joyous, merry and happy holiday to all. May you be touched by light, whether of the Son of Man, the Sun Unconquered, or just cheer and good company. May the Fat Man bring you a pile of goodies. And may you eat too much, drink too much, and stay up too late doing it; it is, after all, the season of Misrule.

Pax vobiscum and much love to you all.

December 16, 2004

White Ships Sail

I post this from amid the weird chaos of my last day at GWU. Monday I start my new gig as a temp at Johns Hopkins.

This place had its ups and downs, but it was a good job, and I'll certainly miss a lot of things about it. In any case, this is four years of my life I'm closing the door on - hopefully for better things, and most certainly for things closer to home.

Everything ends.

Zai jian, GW. It's been fun. May the next guy love that scanner as much as I did.

December 07, 2004

I Ate'nt Dead

...though between one thing and another the Great Gray Beast November certainly did a job of roughing me up.

So I got my 50k in well under the wire, and I'd be more pleased with myself scoring three for three if I wasn't so dreadfully dissatisfied with the shape of this one. It's got good moments, and moments of wreckage, and some seriously deficient through-lines, and at least one turn of phrase that caused my wife, glancing it on a random page, to taunt me with a noted lack of mercy for the purpleness of the prose. All of which adds up to convincing me that the thing is not fit for human eyes. So no beta-reads until it's done and gone over at least once.

Maija, on the other hand, gets a big old laurel wreath and a hearty Huzzah! for finishing this year - her first, if I'm not mistaken. Applause and congratulations and the jingling of bells.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at a little over a week at the old job before I'm off to the temp mines for a while. This is very weird. Not that I haven't done it before, but it's giving me a kind of lost-at-sea feeling which is not exactly what I'd have chosen for my holiday mood. Meh.

Otherwise, not much to report. My conviction that I have anything interesting to say about, well, anything is in wane at the moment, so go amuse yourself with the sidebar links and try to keep out of trouble.