Whine

I have an appointment at the Chronic Fatigue Unit in Bath. I can drive in or take the train. (This is not the RUH, where you can use a local hopper service if you know two days in advance.) If I take the train, I have to walk to the station and from there to the hospital. if I drive, I have to find somewhere in Bath to park (in December: I believe the phrase is "yeah, right" with optional "sh'") and *then* walk to the hospital. Did I mention I'm chronically fatigued?

I think it's a cunning trap, like the one where they put hospitals and surgeries and such at the top of hills. "You made it here, then? Ah, obviously nothing wrong with you. Clear off and stop wasting our time."

Whine. Whine whine whinge grumble moan. Ignore me, I'm not feeling too clever today.

EDIT: I took the train, Bath was heaving, but I got there on time and collapsed all over the reception desk. The psychologist talked to me for a while, concluded that, as the physician had said, I probably have CF *and* depression, and is going to refer me for one-hour weekly counselling sessions at the said RUH, to address the latter. We don't have a very good history with counselling (and how does that make you feel?) but I'll give it a fair shake and see how it goes. To be fair, he didn't hold out any hope that it would make me feel better, but if it means I can hold down a day job again that'll be something. The Christmas market over by the Abbey was interesting. I'll have to go back when I have more time. And more energy.

Still--another couple of thousand words over the weekend. I must be doing something, right? (I'm sorry, I'll read that again.) I must be doing something right. (That's better.)

(no subject)

Kind of bemused at the comments about the sale of LJ to a company based in Moscow. I thought Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle single-handedly destroyed the Soviet Union in the name of America a few years ago, and that the Russian government were too busy dealing with their own troubles nowadays to be plotting to overthrow the free world one blogger at a time. But then, I'm probably out of touch on current affairs.

I have been known to mutter in my beard (when I have it) to the effect that conquering a country by buying up all its essential infrastructure (cf British French Gas et cetera) is much easier than attacking the ramparts with sword and spear in the manner of Julius Caesar and his mates, not to mention more civilised. Whether LiveJournal can be regarded as part of an essential infrastructure, however, is open to debate.

Expansion..

...of a one-verse wonder I just rediscovered on my website.

Ah, distinctly I remember,
'T was a year ago November
I sat down to write a tale
Which would swiftly find a sale.
I looked up six hours later at the fragments I had penned--
Two beginnings, seven middles, and an end.

I was in no mood to be bored
So I sat down at my keyboard
And began to type away--
What a job I did that day!
My muse afforded all the inspiration she could lend;
Two beginnings, seven middles, and an end.

Just as I had expected,
None of them connected,
But that's not what really made me so sore;
My grammar was elusive
The end was inconclusive
And one of the middles--I'd written before.

People ask me how* I do it
And I say "There's nothing to it,
I stare at the page so white
And when my forehead bleeds, I write."
And there's ten used sheets to the litter tray I'll send;
Two beginnings,
seven middles,
And an all-out last-gasp end.

*Actually, they ask why, but I couldn't repeat the answer in mixed company.

More on the evil empire's latest assault on democracy

Okay, going from bemused to outright croggled.

Come on, people. When did blogging become a basic human right? If you're that worried about it, don't do it. Or do it somewhere else, and wait for *that* private company to be sold to someone whose face you don't like. Sooner or later, in this glorious free-market world we have, it happens to all of them.

As I just said somewhere else, instead of a bunch of American strangers reading our personal blogs, we'll now have a bunch of Russian strangers reading our personal blogs. I couldn't have any secrets on here then, and I can't have any now. What's the difference?

Anyway, back when everyone thought LJ was a good thing I bought a permanent account, and I'm not about to throw that money away just yet. It might be a good idea not to post any plans for new stealth bombers, formulae for horrendous biochemical weapons or compromising pictures of senior government officials in my comment threads, though. Just saying.

Note to people who think I'm condoning the eradication of free speech: speech is the thing you do with your mouth. Nobody has free speech everywhere they go--try shouting obscenities in the office, or advertising Sainsbury's in Waitrose, or singing opera in your local library. Writing is different from speech, as libel is different from slander. But, and it's a big but, if, and I say if, the Russian company that has bought LJ chooses to torpedo its profits and waste its money by interfering with the free expression of opinion among its customers, there are at the moment approximately a gazillion other places to go and express ourselves. Our precious freedom of speech (and I agree it is precious) is not harmed one whit as long as we live in countries where that right is guaranteed. (So that's America down the Swanee, then, if the Republicans do that "reexamining" they were talking about earlier in the year.)

Storm. Teacup. Look into it.