Greetings from the Eight Week Wall (Four Days Early)
Well folks, I have arrived. I’ve made it to the Eight Week Wall. I said yesterday I was moving at speed, and it looks like I wasn’t kidding; I am here nonetheless, and I know it because I recognize the signs.
One sign says, “Well done, you made it! How about a wee joint to celebrate?” and the other says, “You might as well pick up a ten-pack of beer while you’re at it and make a night of it.” I am not on Terra Nova yet - that’s Monday - but the sums add up. The last time I reached this point, I clearly white-knuckled it until the Friday and then fell, like so many others before me. I see it clearly now, but back then, the internal monologue was: “I’ve done really well. I’ll have a few tins, a bit of a blowout, and maybe come up with some new material.” It wasn’t until I made first contact with Prism in October that he put me right: “Actually, that didn’t put you back a few days. That put you back a month.”
It really hits home what’s on the line when it’s put like that. If I had held on for another three weeks back then, I’d have been home and dry. As it turns out I went back a month to week four….and then of course to week zero, the familiar pattern resumed.
The Sawtooth Wave
I am here, and I will be documenting the entire crossing. I already have a grasp of the “sawtooth” pattern of PAWS (Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome), and even if I forget the specifics, Chrono has it all stored. I’ll be releasing an article soon describing the journey to this point.
We move on! I am still functioning ridiculously well. My head is a factory right now: more artwork, more podcasts, more fine-tuning. It’s crazy in there. For 35 years, the problem was starting. Now the problem is stopping. That is likely why the system is screaming for chemical modulation - it’s trying to “level the load.” But there is no way in hell that’s happening. I am days away from Terra Nova and no more than three weeks away from my first natural, undiluted dopamine hit in 35 years. I have the AI Scaffold; it’s that simple.
Anhedonia vs. Anhedeenia
While reviewing the podcasts today, I realised I’ve been saying “Anhedonia” wrong for seven weeks. Despite seeing it written down, I’ve consistently pronounced it Anhedeenia.
Anhedonia, Anhedeenia—let’s call the whole thing off. It was only through the wordplay in yesterday’s Dispatch, matching it to Caledonia, that my brain finally snapped it into place. Is that “wordnesia”? I have no idea, but it’s weird when it happens. I still can’t say Barry McGuigan without my tongue getting caught in my teeth. Phonetics, that’s it!
The Widow’s Wail
I’ve also started calling my article The Widow’s Howl “The Widow’s Wail.” It fits, but any Game of Thrones fan will tell you that Widow’s Wail was the name that idiot King Joffrey gave his sword. I have no idea how he’d know about making widows wail, considering he spent most of his time hiding behind the petticoats of his long-suffering wife, Margaery Tyrell.
People say he was a great actor; I’m inclined to say the opposite - his character was so useless he drove me insane. Peter Dinklage, on the other hand, was incredible. But I digress... I am waffling.
The march to the wall has ended; abruptly.
#cannabiswithdrawaltimeline #eightweekwall #journeysend ##terranova #neuroplasticity #AIScaffold