Maybe this time.

I spent three solid hours this afternoon writing. I think I may have discovered the secret -- the dining room. It seems to clear out in the afternoon, with the exception of a few stragglers, so if I set up in here before lunch and then just stay, eventually I can turn off the TV and get some work done. This is also the only place in the facility with a strong wi-fi signal, so I think it's gonna be my office for the next week. I'm trying not to get too happy about this discovery, because there is a TV in here and these people are drawn like moths to a TV. Cross your fingers for me.

Three hours! And it's only dinnertime. Maybe it'll be quiet in here again tonight. At this rate, I can have this screenplay in some kind of shape by the time I get out, next Monday. Reading the Baldwin bio inspired me.

Writing an email to my friend M. this morning, replying to her question, "What's it like in there?" I realized that it's like moving in with the group of people you would encounter in the waiting room of a free clinic. It's the same demographic mix.

The woman who coos to her lover on the phone all day is sitting behind me. She has one of those phones that clip to your clothing so you don't have to hold anything and there's nothing obstructing your face. She's eating and telling her girlfriend everything that's on her plate. "Peas, mashed potatoes, meatloaf... that's right baby, meatloaf!" When you're on the phone, does the rule about not talking with your mouth full still apply?