sapporo in a brown bag

It's been such an absurdly, psychotically, unreasonably crazy and stressful week at work (supposedly only until next Monday's newbies get adequately trained to pitch in) that by 5:40 PM (when the majority of the office was long gone - further evidence of the inequity of the distribution of labor within the company) my brain had seriously crashed out (also due to staying up just slightly too late talking to this engineer, a guy who outdoes me in both my follow-through and internet background checking skills by miles, and comes close to meeting my cynicism - very impressive).
I left the office 20 minutes before a train was coming and wandered workstress-drugged aimlessly, realizing I should call Avi back because since I loathe excessive text messaging I've got to return a phone call now and then to keep up with great people. While telling Avi about my week and trying not to go into arduous detail, I realized I wanted a drink to bring on the train (you're allowed to do that on the Caltrain, you know). But where to find a to-go beverage on the yuppiest stretch of Peninsula south of Burlingame, downtown's own University Avenue?
"Are you by a computer, Avi?"
"Yeah."
"Could you look up where there's a liquor store around here?"
"I'm so proud of you, Lee."
Apparently there's a 7-11 right on Lytton, a stretch I've never found reason to explore. Their selection wasn't spectacular but one can never go wrong with a solid steel can of Japanese beer. I can't decide what I think about drinking alone, let alone drinking alone in public, but it did feel like an appropriate way to kick off the weekend, a would-be 4-day weekend were my job not at a startup (that's right, I am actually expected to show up to work on Monday or take a personal holiday).
I got a couple of bewildered glances when I looked up from my Houellebecq novel, mostly subtle grins. I felt kind of like a middle-aged man listening to Nick Drake on headphones and drinking beer alone on the most archaic form of public transportation, but it did leave me feeling very pleased by the time I passed the thick nude clouds layed out onto the hills of South San Francisco.