Good writers write for their audience and not themselves. I hesitate being introspective because it's inconsequential to anyone else. Then again, there's nothing else to do except being introspective in the dead of night.

I always arrive the night before working or teaching at another city: it affords me a good night's rest before I meet the customer on the following day. As usual, I'm always unable to sleep the first night. It's not hard to guess that the person in the next room can't sleep either. All I could hear are unconvincing female moans from his TV, separated by a thin wall and the headboard.

Fine, there is something else you can do in the dead of night.

Another good reason to bring industrial-strength earplugs when you travel.

My mind is sharper when I'm on the road. There's less distractions when life is put on hold for a week. The schedule's pretty good if you have a one-track mind; without having to cook, clean or even commute to work, all that there's left to do is work. Perhaps it's the promise of moving on to another city next week with yet another challenge. Whether this is a good or bad practice in the long run remains to be seen.

This week's an exception: I'm neither working (at a customer site) or teaching. For once, I'm a student taking part in a workshop. I also skimmed over a computer textbook on the flight over, in case I'm asked to do any analytical work. Sometimes I wonder whether it would be better just to study this material and get a Master's degree in the process. I doubt I have the patience or nerdiness to be an academic though. I like to work for a living.

Perhaps the answer will come to me in the morning. I'll do the third thing that most people do in this hour. Good night.