Getting cold and dark out there.

 164th day sober. I was up around 4, maybe closer to 4:30, but had a bunch of stuff all packed and ready to go so it was easy to just have my coffee etc. and at 6, load up and go. 

So I made the run to the post office and on the way back picked up a bag of pork and kim chee potstickers behind H Mart, but didn't find any veggies at the food place near Tom's. I guess it varies. Tom had his homeless buddy over - I could tell by the white van parked in front along with Tom's truck - so I didn't stop in, as I figure when his friend is over they're working on something. 

I did hatch up a theory though: Tom's pal became homeless because of drinking, and of course Tom drinks, heavily at times it seems. So, since Tom has enough money coming in to keep the booze flowing copiously, maybe they get together and get blotto drunk. That would explain how awful Tom looked the other day. That would explain his friend, this homeless guy who lives in his van, hanging around so much. And that guy being an alcoholic would explain his becoming homeless in the first place, perhaps. 

Plus another theory just now: Tom knows I've stopped drinking and seem to have stayed off. He used to continually drink beers when I was over, which didn't bother me in the least but he may have thought I was judging him. (Actually I thought rather well of him for drinking them, because it's relatively easy to taper off of light beers.) The last few times I've been over, I've not seen him drink a beer at all. So the theory is, he's taking nips of vodka when he goes to use the loo or goes to get a book or something. I've done the same when Ken would be over and I'd start feeling shaky. Take a swallow or two of vodka which it's easy to keep a mug full of in the fridge or in a desk drawer etc. 

In any case it was cold out there, and dark to the extent that I should have put the lights on the bike before leaving, and had to put them on halfway to the post office. When I got back I cooked up about half the potstickers with some Chinese bacon and they were pretty good.