But you can talk garbage endlessly, and a dog will still listen, and not be critical. My grandmother used to talk his ears off, and he never looked bored with her. Had no time for me, but that's another thing about dogs…their loyalty. I didn't take it personally.

I need a watchdog. I can't be on the alert all the time. I still get twitchy after I crash out for more than 6 hours, and wake up in a cold sweat. A dog could be on watch while I'm asleep. That's what they do…what they used to do, I mean.

Given the lack of an attentive listener, I have decided to spend some time documenting life A.P… "After the Plague". That's what this is. Not a blog, not really a diary, more a collection of observations, important events and useful information. "The Modern Guide to Survival in the 21St Century"….."Life Post-Apocalypse" ….. "The Jetty Journals". When it's too wet to go to town, I crank up the generator, turn on the computer, and add a few more words.

I worry that my mental health is deteriorating. I did briefly think this journal might be useful as a monitoring device, but you can see the logic flaw: If I become worried that I am starting to go a little troppo, I could go back to see how I was a year ago. I could get out last year's journal, and have a read, and think, "You're alright. That reads ok. It isn't Shakespeare, but it isn't Rasputin either." But if I'm crazy, maybe I might just think it reads ok. Or maybe I was mad last year and this year. If I'm really losing it, how would I know?

Very hard to be objective when you're the only one doing the talking.

It's not like I was prepared for all of this. I hardly had the ideal upbringing and education for my current career move as post-apocalypse survivor. If you were expecting to be one of the few people who somehow survived the worst disaster to afflict the world since the ice-age, what pre-requisites would you think essential? How would you prepare? Would you model yourself on me… comfortable middle-class schooling, with vague plans for a marketing degree and a stellar career in the thick of the significant world of business communications, with a special interest in multimedia?

Who needs to know how to light a fire or fix a generator when there are important issues to resolve like deciding whether to tape the football and watch the movie, or vice versa? Why bother learning how rice is grown when you can get sushi delivered?