...I woke up next to an Asian roofer?

I did. And it came as quite a shock to me, I can tell you. After a long and largely sleepless night -- more of which anon -- I was quite startled to open my eyes and find myself looking into the wise, inscrutable face of the guy operating a jackhammer right outside my window. We may have exchanged nods. Not, however, before I had ascertained that the third member of our unexpected menage was fully and securely covered.

I'll take this opportunity to introduce La Petite Boheme. She'll be popping up frequently in these posts -- in all probability, she'll make it her business to be the subject of more than a few of them. LPB falls into the 'nobody tell God he screwed up and gave me all the luck' category, and although last night came in over the wires too late to make the front page ... let's just say that my friend the roofer seemed quietly amused at the decadent carelessness with which we'd distributed wine bottles, pizza boxes and undergarments around my humble flat. It's my hope that these nights will be too frequent to qualify for individual mention in this space (although particularly exceptional exploits will certainly receive mention). It won't break my heart, however, if I'm occasionally allowed to greet the dawn without finding mysterious jackhammerists peering into my den of iniquity.