Est novum regem in Carcosa. Salutant regem in flavo, Princeps est ad Astra Nigrum, electus ex Kassogtha. Sit autem regula in aeternum.
Resquieat in pace et miraculum, Josephus Pulvis
(for the non-Latin reading folks)
There is a new king in Carcosa. Salute the King in Yellow, the Ruler of the Black Stars, the favored of Kassoghta. May his rule be eternal.
Rest in peace and wonders, Joe Pulver
Category Archives: Blog
Migration is done
Spent the weekend working the migration. Not as bad as I thought it was
going to be, but not as good as it could have been. Anxiety levels were
stupid high the entire time. Worked with audiobooks, mostly HPL and MR
James stories, with a few podcasts on the side. Clocked 26 hours over
the last two days, on top of the work week. Technically I'm still on the
clock, but when it clocks after 2000 I'm heading to bed and meds. Maybe
a little book time. Very little.
So what's next? Monday and possibly Tuesday will be kind of crazy with support requests and reminding people to read their darn email. I'm hoping to take a day or two off as comp time. I put off a bunch of stuff because I knew the weekend was going to be hard. Computer stuff, work around the apartment. Convincing the neighborhood crows that I'm their friend. Maybe even making myself disconnect for a few hours and read.
So the stressor is done, for now. (Beyond the rest of the stressors). Dear Cthulhu and Tsathoggua, please grant me some restful sleep.
So what's next? Monday and possibly Tuesday will be kind of crazy with support requests and reminding people to read their darn email. I'm hoping to take a day or two off as comp time. I put off a bunch of stuff because I knew the weekend was going to be hard. Computer stuff, work around the apartment. Convincing the neighborhood crows that I'm their friend. Maybe even making myself disconnect for a few hours and read.
So the stressor is done, for now. (Beyond the rest of the stressors). Dear Cthulhu and Tsathoggua, please grant me some restful sleep.
22 Days in the Hole
Quick post, so I can have a record. Not much has changed. I've managed
to not get sick, anxiety is a bit higher. It doesn't help that this
weekend is the Big Migration (TM). I worked a half day today, mostly.
Been hovering waiting for..."something" about it. The fact there's been
almost radio silence isn't doing much for my anxiety. I guess I wing it.
I'm not starting my side of things til tomorrow morning, and going to try
to crash at the usual time. Hopefully tomorrow isn't too long, and
Sunday's testing goes smoothly. Monday and Tuesday are probably
troubleshooting unexpected stuff. I'll probably take a PTO day or two
this next week, because I doubt I'll destress any this weekend.
Big store run today, wasn't too crazy, and I managed to find almost all I wanted/needed. Also got my happy pills. Hopefully I won't have to go to the store again for at least a week. Not much else to say. Hope no one's gone too round the twist, and I'll talk another time.
Big store run today, wasn't too crazy, and I managed to find almost all I wanted/needed. Also got my happy pills. Hopefully I won't have to go to the store again for at least a week. Not much else to say. Hope no one's gone too round the twist, and I'll talk another time.
State of the Fox: Fortnight at Home Edition
State of the fox. I've been effectively isolated/quarantined/hermited
for two weeks. Haven't seen a friend in that time, and maybe exchanged words
with less than 10 people face2face. I don't recall ever being 'alone' for
this long. Even when I was homebound with Stan the Flesh-eating Bacteria,
I saw people at least a couple times a week. I'm not the most social person,
but I'm more than a little twitchy. I'm glad Dunwich Abbey is fairly
large, I can pace better.
Work is still frustrating, not going into details because I'd start full bore ranting right quick. *looks back* Oh yeah, they started the office closing the Monday after, and that week was crazy with WFH folks getting things set up. I'm special, I was already working from home, and I'm getting a note from Carcosa Corp saying I'm that special kind of employee who can travel to work sites during all this. I'm always so lucky *wink*
Personal/health foo is about as you'd expect. My allergies constantly twig me out til I remind myself that the only thing different than any other season is there's a crazy virus out there. Stupid cough. Mental health is all over the place. Not much focus, easily anxious, had my first full on panic attack...some days ago, can't remember exactly when to be honest. Yeah, that's disconcerting. I've been able to get out of bed, get a shower, eat every day...so my depression isn't as high as it can be. Sleep is mixed, not a lot of anxiety dreams thank Tsathoggua. I'm not reading a lot, though I'm listening to a bunch of audiobook/podcast stuff. I'm probably a little too hooked on the internet during this mess. But, when I try to ignore it, well...see the above about anxiety. So I don't really know what I'm going to do.
So yeah, that's about it. I should do work around Dunwich Abbey, but I have little energy most days. We'll see. At least I'm mostly keeping up around the house. We'll see what happens.
Work is still frustrating, not going into details because I'd start full bore ranting right quick. *looks back* Oh yeah, they started the office closing the Monday after, and that week was crazy with WFH folks getting things set up. I'm special, I was already working from home, and I'm getting a note from Carcosa Corp saying I'm that special kind of employee who can travel to work sites during all this. I'm always so lucky *wink*
Personal/health foo is about as you'd expect. My allergies constantly twig me out til I remind myself that the only thing different than any other season is there's a crazy virus out there. Stupid cough. Mental health is all over the place. Not much focus, easily anxious, had my first full on panic attack...some days ago, can't remember exactly when to be honest. Yeah, that's disconcerting. I've been able to get out of bed, get a shower, eat every day...so my depression isn't as high as it can be. Sleep is mixed, not a lot of anxiety dreams thank Tsathoggua. I'm not reading a lot, though I'm listening to a bunch of audiobook/podcast stuff. I'm probably a little too hooked on the internet during this mess. But, when I try to ignore it, well...see the above about anxiety. So I don't really know what I'm going to do.
So yeah, that's about it. I should do work around Dunwich Abbey, but I have little energy most days. We'll see. At least I'm mostly keeping up around the house. We'll see what happens.
Viruses, Carcosa and stuff
Tomorrow will be my second calendar month here in Dunwich Abbey. It's also
the middle of the Covid-19 virus outbreak. Not, as I've been typing,
'Corvid'. It's not a crow. So far I'm fine, I'm low risk, even with
the diabetes and high blood pressure. I'm not being stupid though. And I have
plenty of toilet paper, I bought a bulk pack when I moved in, and well...
I live alone, so I have plenty.
Carcosa Corp is all kinds of busy, projects and migrations and everyone is twitchy. There's no official word about office closings and whatnot, but I've been mostly working from home anyway. So we'll see what happens.
Personal foo? Been slowly working on getting Dunwich Abbey setup. Not as fast as I'd like, but I've been pretty lacking in tentacles post work, and I spend most of the weekend trying to recover. I've managed to get the study to be pretty comfortable, and the bedroom is coming together. The living room is still a bunch of boxes and stuff. I need to get more bookshelves so I can start organizing books better, but that's going to wait life to settle down again, vs having random folks over here in case of plague. Plus the next weekend or two will be busy with work foo. I'll get around to it sooner or later.
Ok, I'm out of stuff to talk about, and I'm bloody exhausted. Night folks who read this.
Carcosa Corp is all kinds of busy, projects and migrations and everyone is twitchy. There's no official word about office closings and whatnot, but I've been mostly working from home anyway. So we'll see what happens.
Personal foo? Been slowly working on getting Dunwich Abbey setup. Not as fast as I'd like, but I've been pretty lacking in tentacles post work, and I spend most of the weekend trying to recover. I've managed to get the study to be pretty comfortable, and the bedroom is coming together. The living room is still a bunch of boxes and stuff. I need to get more bookshelves so I can start organizing books better, but that's going to wait life to settle down again, vs having random folks over here in case of plague. Plus the next weekend or two will be busy with work foo. I'll get around to it sooner or later.
Ok, I'm out of stuff to talk about, and I'm bloody exhausted. Night folks who read this.
Petition: To Tsathoggua
All praise to thee, Tsathoggua, dark lord of darksome realms! Before thine ebon throne lost wraiths bewail their fate with many an echoing groan and wander sightless through the frightful glooms of sub-Eiglophian caves. Thou didst reward their unrepented insolence displayed before thy toadlike templed eidolons, with monstrous dooms. From them thy vengeance was not stayed, nor shall their horrid punishments abate ‘till all the peaks of high Voormithadreth are ground to grit in icy eschatons.
Oh lord of foulsome life and fearsome death, to thee our fealty repays our gift of necromantic arts with offerings of red and pulsing hearts given in thanks on thine ensanguined alter; and, to avenge all crass impiety, our serpent-venomed dirks will never falter.
Now hear our plea, O Lord of black encaverned spaces, whose jet-dark orbs, though night-enmired yet see into all secret subterranean places, and whose black-furred bat-supple ears detect the faintest sound of all who plot in chambers underground: Fulfill our hopes allay our direst fears. Grant us the gift of swift nocturnal stealth: Reveal to us each hidden jeweled hoard of kingly wealth; and most of all Dark Lord, possess our foes with terrors thanatopic and draw their shrieking souls down from the light into eternal night to pine for aye in silence nyctalopic.
From the Book of Eibon, Psalms of the Silent. Translated by Richard L. Tierney.
For Jessi
Sindarin/Latin:
Na ‘Aear, na ‘Aear! Mýl ‘lain nallol,
I sûl ribiel a i falf ‘loss reviol.
Na annûn hae, ias Anor dannol.
Cair vith, cair vith, lastal hain canel,
Lamath in-gwaithen i gwennin no nin?
Gwannathon, gwannathon taur i onnant nin;
an midui orath vín a dennin inath vín.
Trevedithon ‘aear land erui ciriel.
Falvath enainn bo Mathedfalas dannol,
Lamath vilui vi Tol Gwannen cannen,
Vi Tol Ereb, ned Bar-in-Edhil i Edain ú-gennir,
Ias lais ú-dhannar: dôr en-gwaith nín an-uir!»
A linniel hen Legolas gwannant dadbenn en amon.
Resquiescas in pace, mea soror.
Engish:
To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,
The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying.
West, west away, the round sun is falling.
Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling,
The voices of my people that have gone before me?
I will leave, I will leave the woods that bore me;
For our days are ending and our years failing.
I will pass the wide waters lonely sailing.
Long are the waves on the Last Shore falling,
Sweet are the voices in the Lost Isle calling,
In Eressëa, in Elvenhome that no man can discover,
Where the leaves fall not: land of my people for ever!
Rest in peace my sister.
(by J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of the King. Latin by me)
Welcome to Dunwich Abbey
Well, it's been a calendar month since I got the keys here. Still need
to a bunch of organizing and unpacking still. Did come up with a name
for the place, Dunwich Abbey. Why this ? Multiple reasons. The abbey
part is from my binge reading of M.R. James and other Victorian/Edwardian
supernatural authors. There always seems to be a haunted cathedral or
abbey or such. Plus I'm more than a bit of a Britophile, have been since
I was a kid. Dunwich (pronounced as Dun-witch or dun-nitch as the spirit
moves you) is either H.P. Lovecraft's creepy town of Whateleys, or the
village in Suffolk that's slowly disappearing into the sea. I'm not giving
up on Innsmouth and her Dreams, but I felt like a change. Plus, thanks
to Charlie Stross, among others, there's a link between Dunwich and Innsmouth.
So fish people all around. So Lovecraft, M.R. James, odd Brit history...
works for me. Oh yeah, and I managed to snag the dunwich.net domain name.
No idea what I'm going to do with it yet.
So I got everything moved, got the computers setup. Bookshelves are loaded with books, mostly not in any kind of order. My study is the most setup room in the place, some art on the walls, my various Lovecraftian knick- knacks on display. Favorite books, or fancy books are shelved in here. Bedroom is spartan, but that's fine, I basically just sleep in there. Library is basically the dumping zone, slowly whittling down the clutter, hopefully soonish I'll be able to add some more bookcases (3 died in the move) and start sorting and organizing the library. Kitchen is also fairly cluttered, but that's easier to sort. Still, this is going to be long bit of organizing.
Getting used to driving around here. I'm still firing up the GPS more often than not, unless I'm going to work or the store. Internet is as good as the old place. Neighbors are quiet, mostly. I get weird looks, but that's alright. They get some weird looks back. Haven't had any guests over yet, partially it's the chaos, and partially it's my hermit habit. At some point I'll see about inviting people over. Have a shopping list of things I want to get for here, but that will take time. Need to get what I have sorted before I bring too much more stuff in here.
So welcome to Dunwich Abbey.
So I got everything moved, got the computers setup. Bookshelves are loaded with books, mostly not in any kind of order. My study is the most setup room in the place, some art on the walls, my various Lovecraftian knick- knacks on display. Favorite books, or fancy books are shelved in here. Bedroom is spartan, but that's fine, I basically just sleep in there. Library is basically the dumping zone, slowly whittling down the clutter, hopefully soonish I'll be able to add some more bookcases (3 died in the move) and start sorting and organizing the library. Kitchen is also fairly cluttered, but that's easier to sort. Still, this is going to be long bit of organizing.
Getting used to driving around here. I'm still firing up the GPS more often than not, unless I'm going to work or the store. Internet is as good as the old place. Neighbors are quiet, mostly. I get weird looks, but that's alright. They get some weird looks back. Haven't had any guests over yet, partially it's the chaos, and partially it's my hermit habit. At some point I'll see about inviting people over. Have a shopping list of things I want to get for here, but that will take time. Need to get what I have sorted before I bring too much more stuff in here.
So welcome to Dunwich Abbey.
Moving update
I've been moved into the new place since Monday. Slowly unpacking and organizing. There's been some issues, some with me and some with the apartment. Specifically issues with the heating system. Which normally isn't a big deal, but it's actually cold in Texas. And while I can cope during the day, at night there's a fine line
between "I'm comfy and cool" and "I'm cold and my legs hurt."
Took today off as well, original plan was to be back at work today. But between lousy sleep and stress, I extended my PTO one more day. Got a bit accomplished, a bunch of boxes unpacked and books shelved. One computer is up and running, I just haven't been in the mood to set everything else up, and I can't find a bunch of cables that are in a box 'somewhere'. Oh well, it will all get done, eventually.
I know moving is the good thing, and this will be a nice place. Just with all the change, and lack of sleep, I'm not doing my best.
Took today off as well, original plan was to be back at work today. But between lousy sleep and stress, I extended my PTO one more day. Got a bit accomplished, a bunch of boxes unpacked and books shelved. One computer is up and running, I just haven't been in the mood to set everything else up, and I can't find a bunch of cables that are in a box 'somewhere'. Oh well, it will all get done, eventually.
I know moving is the good thing, and this will be a nice place. Just with all the change, and lack of sleep, I'm not doing my best.
The stars are setting on Château Innsmouth
As of yesterday I have the keys
to my new apartment. I've moved some token books and art over there to
claim it as 'mine'. Tomorrow Spectrum is moving my internets over to the
new place. I'll move some more stuff, including clothes and some kitchen
stuff, since I'll be splitting my time between the two places til Monday,
when the movers move my stuff. This weekend I'll be moving my computer
gear myself, along with some more Mythos stuff (some things I don't trust
to movers). Sunday I'll be finishing up the packing/move prepping and staying
the last night here. Monday they move my stuff, then I start putting things
together. Tuesday is recovering, and probably driving back here and getting
things left behind. Wednesday is back to work.
I'll be getting new bookcases, the number depends on how many of my old ones survive the move (some of them are old, others aren't terribly solid), and some other furniture and items depending on how the moving budget looks after well, moving. Then it's get my stuff out of boxes and in place, and make it into a home. We'll see how that goes.
I'll be mostly internet-less after tomorrow morning til either I get my rig set up, or until I fully move. I plan to do a bunch of reading when I'm not actively doing move related stuff. So wish me luck, hopefully my next post will be from my new location, nickname has yet to be determined. Laters cultists.
I'll be getting new bookcases, the number depends on how many of my old ones survive the move (some of them are old, others aren't terribly solid), and some other furniture and items depending on how the moving budget looks after well, moving. Then it's get my stuff out of boxes and in place, and make it into a home. We'll see how that goes.
I'll be mostly internet-less after tomorrow morning til either I get my rig set up, or until I fully move. I plan to do a bunch of reading when I'm not actively doing move related stuff. So wish me luck, hopefully my next post will be from my new location, nickname has yet to be determined. Laters cultists.