Every night at 2.45 a.m., I wake up. At first, I'm not sure what's woken me, and I turn over and get ready to sink back into slumber. Suddenly, at 2.50, I hear my neighbors alarm-clock radio go off again - he must have hit the snooze button. He usually has to hit it about four more times before he gives into it.

I'm lucky if I'm asleep before I hear the moans and groans. He's obviously one of those guys who's horny in the mornings. Though I pity his long-suffering girlfriend who has to be woken at 3.00 everyday to do her daily service, I pity her even more when I hear her crying as he yells on his way out of the door.

But even before he's out the door, there's another insistent sound, as the boyfriend of my downstairs neighbor rings her buzzer insistently, long enough to wake her up too. At least he rings her buzzer and not mine, like he used to when he started coming round.

Finally, by around 3.30, the nighttime sounds have subsided and I can try to get back to sleep. By this time, even the crickets chirping in my heating duct promote an atmosphere of calm and peace.

Unfortunately, my mind frequently won't let me just go back to sleep as if nothing happened. It kicks into high gear as I start coming up with ideas for the project I'm working on for my company. It's a very annoying time for the muse to strike. I often have to turn on the light, grab pen and paper and start scribbling the ideas down lest I forget them. It's amazing how the mind works. I come up with my best ideas in the wee hours of the morning.

I've even had to resort to late night cocktails recently, to get me to sleep after all this thinking. Try a heavy gin 'n tonic at 4.00 in the morning - it relaxes the mind quite spectacularly :)

If you'd guess from all this that I'm complaining - well you're half right. I'm tired as hell. But I'm a lucky guy - things are going great right now, apart from my nocturnal interruptions, and it will be over soon when I move to my new place. But boy, I can't wait! Besides, how could anybody complain when the weather here has been so beautiful recently.

Sunset near the Marina

Until yesterday, my project was on course to end this week because our own timetable could not agree with our customer's. But in my late night thinking sessions, I figured out a way to make it all work, and, well, I've only myself to blame now that as a result I'll be spending my work days in San Mateo for the next two months.

Silicon Valley - ah, it would be beautiful if it wasn't so ugly

It's odd - they're treating me quite well at the customer's site. However, there is one guy who refuses to smile or make eye contact, and I have the strong feeling that it's because he's gay. It's kind of like the "never trust the fellow ex-pat." syndrome, if you know what I mean. Maybe I should send him my web-page address? Errr ... maybe not :)

My evenings for the next couple of weeks will be spent in the less than delightful task of packing - or should I say "throwing stuff away"? :) You'd think that I'd moved too often over the years to have accumulated a lot of stuff that I don't need - but not so! Anyone want a tall-boy or my infamously ugly sofa-bed?