Well, this is silly. I turned on the radio, which is the old stereo in the other room, and then sat down at the computer and put on my headphones as if to listen to music except that I didn't turn on any music. Just the muffled sound of the tweeter-y radio seeping through.

I hardly slept last night. I went to bed later than I wanted to and had to get up at a crazy-early time so that I could go to work extra early to dive into all the stuff due by the end of the day. To my great dissappointment, anxiety about oversleeping roused me at 4:00. I struggled to disencumber myself from sleep and when I was awake enough to be aware I realized it was too early and then tried vainly to go to sleep again. But sleep was elusive and the lying painful, now that the limbs were paying attention. Then my allergies joined the cacophony. By 5:30 I was wide awake and reading the NY Times on my phone.

Turns out it was wildly productive to go to work extremely early. I might employ the tactic again. I did finish the things I had to finish, and I went to the meetings I had to attend. Then I left for a sake event at Umi with sake-drinking friends and some strangers, whose principal role seemed to be to stand in the way of food and drink. We saw the Kuchs, the Sherwins, the McClellands, Ryan, the painter who earns his living doing that, and the guy who is always wearing the bluetooth earpiece. We all seem to be of the same ilk and quickly fall into easiness, waving over strangers' heads and conspiring to cut ahead of them in lines. I told David about my idea for a chocolate crawl and to my delight he loved the idea. I wasn't expecting instant enthusiasm and for a moment I felt like I had had an idea never before thought of in the world.

It never ceases to amaze me how profound the salvation of alcohol. In a few ounces, the stress flees and everything seems tolerable. We had seven ounces of freedom and a little sushi.

Tomorrow a carpool arrives at 6:40 to take me to the eastside and to a training where three of us will present on topics we sort of know to people who ostensibly know less than we do. The three of us—tamers, I'm calling us—have bonded over the dread and seething. Lunch with booze to immediately follow.