Like other freelancers, I began to spend most of my working week at home, alone, making lists, staring out of the window at the pigeons. In 2017, I lost my job – a version of my dream job, the job – and slipped from an exhilarating workplace into the terrifying tundra of freelance life, a transition that led to a period of acute anxiety. How many levels were available was never made clear. In the great pantheon of PC games, Diner Dash was not among the most realistic, but I enjoyed its simplicity and I was enthralled by the thrill that came with pleasing customers and advancing levels. I found the work hard and boring, which was strange given that at the end of every shift I’d rush home to play Diner Dash, a video game in which you become a waitress in a busy restaurant, taking orders, serving customers, clearing away their cups and plates. My job was to make tea and coffee and I churned out hot beverages at high speed, while constantly restocking my cup and saucer area. I n 2005, when I was 16, I worked in a busy local café.