[ Patch laughs. It's the chuckle of commiseration. ]

You sound like a-- friend of mine. You know something, though? I didn't really mind the paperwork that much. I liked knowing that my attention to detail, my willingness to do the whole job, no matter how boring parts of it were, was going to help keep my community happy and safe. I think the key is to not let it pile up. I could handle a few hours of it each day, it was when it started eating an entire weekend that I ended up wanting to throw my stapler across the room.

[ Then, after a bit of a pause. ]

Do you know from first-hand experience? About starving to death?