But the days are fragmented and chaotic of late, and it’s hard to maintain every aspect of a system. Getting out of bed by noon is a struggle of late. Four cups of espresso outside with earbuds playing music and news while I clear my messages and see what damage was done to the schedule while I slept. 32000-odd seconds behind the times. (ACCELERANDO reference.) Food is either a protein bar or something involving eggs - today, two baked eggs with two strips of lean spiced beef and half a bag of herb salad. Then I walk into town for a glass of wine, because red wine is good and recommended for me and having the wine as a goal makes me walk for more than thirty minutes a day. And then this happened while I was buying food for tonight, and I found myself running a career moment from my phone while standing in front of sausages and black pudding.

An acquaintance snapped me earlier with the message “order is soothing.” I’d shared a shot of my notebook, where I was puzzling out the structure of something while drinking my large glass of wine. I try to impose order. Systems are good.

And yet, somehow, I’m never happier than when I’m winging it without a map.