Countdown to Japan

Late to work, Bob called me on the train to cancel our night out tonight. Late to work again, stuck on a crawling tube train I felt utterly solitary, despite being in the centre of the city. Slogged all morning, then snuck off for a late lunchtime swim.

Afterwards more chugging through copy, and racing the clock. Felt increasingly tetchy as the day progressed. And after hours grew positively irritable waiting for a few chumps to indulge in some windbaggery about Friday's pitch before I could escape.

On the upside, thinking lots about Japan now. What a truly amazing life I lead, being able to fly off to Japan -- and, what's more, I will know people there when I arrive. Romy has also cleverly arranged for me to be met at the airport by a woman called Hitomi who will guide me to the bullet train. Hitomi has also asked if we can have a lunch together. This seems like a unimpeachably sound idea to me. Not everyone can claim to have a lunch date within a couple of hours of arriving in a new country. It must be some sort of record.

I am nervous about the flight though. Ever since all my phobias were hypnotised away, I have been feeling more phobic than ever. Typical.

Last Christmas I was in Long Island in New York with Mary Jane and the kids. This year I will be on entirely the opposite side of the world in Japan. What happens in life, as I have been telling myself lately, is impossible to predict. So much stress comes with trying to control change instead of embracing it.

Home on a delayed train playing Zuma and listened to Radio 4 podcasts. I am sure people sitting next to me think I am simple listening to my headphones and playing a game on my mobile phone for a whole hour.

Home and cooked myself a comforting curry laced with chilies.