the lone and level sands

The weather forecast had better be right about it getting cooler tomorrow; otherwise I'll probably drive my coworkers up the wall by muttering, "If it's like this now, what will it be like in August?" one too many times.

Sword of the New World continues very pretty. My knitting is suffering. Alas.

Cross-mapping continues to be interesting. I was doing practice exercises this afternoon. I hope that I got them right, or I may be a little bit less brightly enthusiastic tomorrow.

Looking at the poem below, I remember a White Dwarf magazine from twenty years or so ago, and a scenario in it, The Lone And Level Sands. I remember that at the time I didn't catch the reference. I remember that later I did. I can't now remember what the scenario was about.

---

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works ye mighty and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

-- Percy Bysshe Shelley

off-colour

Not the world's best day.

Woke up feeling under the weather. Got to work. Was informed by various coworkers that I looked awful. Admitted that I felt awful. (Weird temperature, disassociated zoned-outness, ability to focus on precise tasks but lack of brain for creative ones.) Ended up going home at lunch with vigorous encouragement from coworkers. ("It's all under control, we can manage things, you look really bad, GO HOME.")

Crashed out all afternoon. Still feel a bit guilty, but you know how one does. Feeling a bit more coherent now but still non-creative and braindead. Will call in ill tomorrow as well if I don't feel much better.

It's raining outside. The weather forecast says it'll be raining tomorrow too. It feels a little cooler, but not much. Or that might just be me having a minor temperature. Checked with a thermometer but came up at 36.9 degrees C. (Which is high for me. I'm usually lower than that.) Hypochondria, do I see you waving on the horizon? Perhaps I shouldn't keep a thermometer.

Let's see how I feel tomorrow.