spring forward

Country & western music filtered into my dream, and then I woke up realizing it is Pop blasting away his noise, and it's only six o'clock. What's going on? Is life going to start getting ugly around here? But then I remember that it's daylight saving time: spring forward. Man, I was dead asleep too. At least I don't have to worry about using the office computer for my early morning blogging round.

1984 (2,6) A Foretaste of Death

O’Brien mentions to Winston that he had used a couple of obsolete words in his last article. O’Brien, as an inner-party perk, has the new edition of the Newspeak Dictionary, and he invites Winston to come by his place to have a look at it.

They were standing in front of a telescreen. Somewhat absentmindedly O'Brien felt two of his pockets and then produced a small leather-covered notebook and a gold ink-pencil. Immediately beneath the telescreen, in such a position that anyone who was watching at the other end of the instrument could read what he was writing, he scribbled an address, tore out the page and handed it to Winston.

Winston understand that the business with the dictionary is mere subterfuge, but he assumes that the real purpose is to establish a solid link for future revolutionary activities. Destiny is calling.

Personally, I would have been happy just to keep the thing with Julia going, and not wanting to do anything that might jeopardize that, but that would not be as deep and interesting a story, and the reader is more important than the character. Though, to be sure, Winston understands that the destiny that is calling him promises to be a dark and fatal one. How do you outmaneuver an omnipresent and omniscient Big Brother?

_ _ _

He knew that sooner or later he would obey O'Brien's summons. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps after a long delay -- he was not certain. What was happening was only the working-out of a process that had started years ago. The first step had been a secret, involuntary thought, the second had been the opening of the diary. He had moved from thoughts to words, and now from words to actions. The last step was something that would happen in the Ministry of Love. He had accepted it. The end was contained in the beginning. But it was frightening: or, more exactly, it was like a foretaste of death, like being a little less alive. Even while he was speaking to O'Brien, when the meaning of the words had sunk in, a chilly shuddering feeling had taken possession of his body. He had the sensation of stepping into the dampness of a grave, and it was not much better because he had always known that the grave was there and waiting for him.

-- 1984