I used to have a co-worker who had been a Navy pilot in a previous life. He told stories about his experiences learning to land a plane on the tiny deck of a rising and falling aircraft carrier, in the middle of rolling seas, at night. After that nothing could phase him. He advised that one of the best cures for stage fright is to wiggle your toes – if you concentrate on doing this, your brain won’t have room for the fear of speaking in public.

For the past ten years or so I’ve had to do many presentations in front of audiences ranging in size from a handful of people to a couple of thousand. Stage fright for me is completely unpredictable – there are many times when I don’t have a single moment of nervousness, and other times when it’s been almost paralyzing in its intensity, rendering me unable to speak. Picturing the audience naked, deep breathing, wiggling my toes – none of these alleviates the symptoms, but somehow I’ve managed to get through all the public speaking engagements without collapsing into a puddle of anxiety by the podium.

Books: A Blind Eye by G.M. Ford. I've read a few other books by him and think I enjoyed them, but can't recall the stories. Many times I only have an impression of whether I've liked a writer's books, but no actual memory of the books themselves.

Cats: Tabitha rejected sliced turkey this evening. She seemed scared of the crinkly plastic wrapping, but then drank some milk. I'm running out of ideas of things she might like to eat.