What happened to summer? It looks like November out there; cold, grey, windy. Driving to work this morning at 8am everyone had headlights on!
Still I shan’t have to do that again for a bit. Today I resigned and walked out of my new job, which I started last week. I lasted five whole days! The trouble was that, despite telling them I needed to work with people, I was stuck alone in a dingy office with a broken phone. All my colleagues were on the other side of a locked door somewhere (I never found out where), and emails to them were often not returned. Every so often someone — who gradually morphed into my boss — rushed in, dumped some stuff on me, regardless of what I was working on, and rushed out again. (I believe this is called “seagull management”!) Even dafter was that the admin at the agency was messed up, so that I wasn’t even getting paid.
After a miserable morning something snapped, and I left. I didn’t want to go — heaven knows I need an income like everyone else — but it just wasn’t going to get any better. I was mildly amused, however, to find those responsible blaming me for walking out of the absurd situation they had created. It showed again that I had made the right decision. However, right decision or not, I feel rather bruised. No-one wants to walk away from money in this climate. I suspect I shan’t be good for much this afternoon.
On a more positive note the typesetter of the Eusebius book has done the Coptic chapter — and done it rather excellently! He’s also done the letter of Latino Latini to Andreas Masius (talking about the discovery of the full text of the work in the 1500’s, which was then sadly lost again before it could be published), plus the end material, and made a very good job of it. Indeed the Eusebius is starting to look like a book, which is very encouraging. We still have a way to go, but we are getting there.
I must remember to ask the typesetter if (a) I can mention his name and (b) if I can credit him in the book!
Less good is the discovery that he never got some of my emails from last week. Email is wonderful; until it goes wrong. Not sure how I’ll handle that. I wish there was a way to set Google mail to ask for a return receipt.
Two people over the weekend bought copies of the CD of the Additional Fathers, bless them. That helps offset some of the pain from the proofing costs last week.
Sorry to hear this. They are the losers.
Have you thought of publishing a magazine/journal about the stuff you are interested in, and you are so good at? I think a magazine on antiquity and patristic will be sold across the world, admittedly not to those low IQ idiots who form the majority of readers nowadays, and will be profitable. Going independent may be the answer. God bless you.
I wish it were possible. But I think magazine editors have a sad life!
Those work arrangements sound like a bizarre psychology experiment. Wishing you better days ahead, and glad your book is going well.
Now there’s an interesting thought! Maybe it WAS a psychology experiment!!! I wondered why a little bell rang every time I bought a can of coke…. 🙂
I was amused when the agency said that the client had complained that I didn’t tell anyone I was unhappy. I replied that they had hit the nail on the head: that who could I tell? — anyone I might tell was behind a locked door, while all I had was a broken phone and an email system that they didn’t read! They sort of accepted my comments at that point.
Isn’t it obvious? You were temporarily working for Stross’ magical UK spy agency, so that they could remove that onePDF printout somewhere on your shelves, which contained an obscure patristics text revealing Things Man Was Not Meant to Know.
Ha!
Which series of Stross’ books is that?
The names don’t exactly scream “magical spies”, but don’t blame me! They’re not entirely lighthearted, but there are a lot of funny bits. There are lots of afterwords to fill space, which you may like or may get very annoyed by, or both. I guess the series is technically called “The Laundry”.
The Atrocity Archives
The Jennifer Morgue
The Fuller Memorandum (that’s the new one)
“Down on the Farm” and “Overtime” are stories set in the same series. Since they’re shorter, they might give you a good idea of whether you like it or not.
Thank you — I shall have to look into these!