as i continued to sprint towards the finish line, small issues kept propping up. but nothing too crazy. android seemed to be the biggest culprit in slowing me down and giving me a hard time. but i continued to fight through. the dinners were another factor, but i had more control over that. yet i still went because deep down i did want to get to know the people around me that i barely got to talk to because i was glued to my computer, talking to an AI to write code for me and fix the virtual bugs it created.

dinner was slightly better than the last. this time i chose to be in the corner again. i again did not know how to initiate conversations and only answered when spoken to. most of the night was spent thinking to myself, observing, analyzing, and enjoying the chicken thighs.