Pynchon

If you consider surviving Christmas to be akin to running a marathon, then I am on the 22nd mile and digging in for the final push to the finishing line. It is Christmas Eve in 18 minutes. I should be in bed. We have another early start tomorrow, but what I have realised is that if I do not get onto the computer now to type up a few things, those things will be lost forever and I don't want that.

So, a quick summary, if I may?

Yesterday at work Lorraine and I tried desperately to leave our work in a reasonable state until we are back in the office next Wednesday. Of course we both failed dismally. It is no good knocking yourself out when new problems are coming in constantly and all requests for help are not forthcoming from the development arseholes. We also found out yesterday that next week hardly any programmers will be in the office. Well done, that man, on that brilliant piece of strategic planning. During a reasonably quiet period take away the resource we could do with to tackle some of the more difficult problems while not bothering the customers.

Ah... Fuck 'em.

Yesterday evening I spent gazing into the turquoise eyes of a beautiful woman over a dinner table at Buffet Island on the Tyburn Road in Erdington. Sadly Lorraine, Harriet Quant and the lady's husband Bobby were also in attendance. Ah... Lana Blue... Hey! A man can fantasise, can't he?

Buffet Island was excellent. Great food (I would especially recommend the Turkey Yuk Sung, which I suspect is not a traditional Chinese dish, and the Barbecued Spare Ribs - Oh, Yes! Yum, Yum), great company, good service (our waiter was a frightening looking Chinese man, but a stand up comic in his spare time) and great atmosphere. Bobby Blue used to be Lorraine's Boss. He said an interesting thing when he admitted that if he and Lana had not left the Company when they did, they would probably not have stayed together. They were both working in excess of 70 hour weeks and the Company had taken over their lives. Sometimes it is exactly how I feel with regard to Lorraine and myself, but I battle against that.

This morning we had an early start. Up before 6am and out of the house by 7:10am: Lorraine went to town to see her Chiropodist and I went to the Vet's to pick up Moon The Cat's diabetic cat food. Lorraine had ordered three boxes of cat food and a box of diabetic cat biscuits. The whole thing was incredibly fucking heavy and difficult to negotiate by public transport. Did she think he was going to starve? I imagine so.

I then went to pick up my Niece and Nephew and we met up with Lorraine for lunch (Caffe Uno, which was suprisingly quiet) and then we went to the Birmingham Hippodrome to see the panto "Peter Pan". ("Oh, No you didn't. Oh Yes I did!" Sorry about that. I slipped into panto mode there for the moment.) Very enjoyable and better than last years "Jack And The Beanstalk". Lots of audience participation. Very energetic and very funny. My Niece and Nephew seemed to enjoy it tremendously.

After dropping the kids off at Top Sister's house we came home. I watched a bit of "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross", sorted out the last minute shopping list, decided what fruit juices I needed to buy to have a go at making some more cocktails that we have never had before and then excused myself and turned on the computer.

And I am knackered.

It has gone midnignt. Happy Christmas Eve. I will be getting up before 6am again today. No time to answer any comments or comment anywhere else. I'll catch up with you all later.