I wrote at least 3,643 words yesterday. But they were all legal words, and they were all ultimately futile; my opponent, after wasting my entire day, opted to stipulate to what I wanted him to do at the last minute. I had steam coming out of my ears, and wrote him a scathing email which I then deleted, because really, what's the point? No need for me to be as bad as he is.

A large Tanqueray and tonic with plenty of ice, together with the first episode of the new season of Project Runway, worked together to get me into a more mellow mood by the end of the day. But of course, it did nothing to help my daily word count.

I read more of Deadline -- I'm now 430 pages into the book despite a busy work week, which should tell you how suspenseful this book is. I'd drop everything and read more right now if I could, but time and tide wait for no woman. There are always more briefs to write.