Pushing

Same old trudge to the city on Monday morning with the feeling that the weekend didn't even happen - and that's including the fact that I was home already on Friday! A tired Golfy is not a very happy Golfy.

Worse still, when I arrived I find the place mostly deserted. The RC is having his car serviced so "working from home" which leaves me, Mad H, Golden balls, ST, a little fella from Liverpool and an Architect who doesn't know his lintels from his cornices. While this appears troublesome, Golden balls, ST and the little fella are generally great company and the day sped by (driven by the mahoosive workload) and was mostly entertaining to boot.

 

At about 8.00 I finally escaped and went and caught up with the little fella and the Architect for a beer in Dogget's on Blackfriars bridge. We made it a relatively swift one, with a view to getting some food, and I suggested the iPad driven techno boozer that is "The Thirsty Bear" just around the corner. This place has iPads on the table that you use to order food and drink, and pumps to pour your own beer as well. Great fun when it works as intended. We wandered up there and found a table upstairs. All well and good, but I'd forgotten that for this place to work properly you have to "be seated" so that one of the very rare members of staff can get you logged in to the aforementioned iPad that's bolted to the table. This process is purely for billing purposes and to be fair, hardly our fault if there's no-one around to organise things.

Anyway, we ordered up some beers on the device and figuring that that enabled the pumps on the end of the table starting pouring them. 5 minutes later, a staff member appeared with 3 more beers to fulfil our iPad order. Errrr ooops. Turns out we were extending the previous parties tab (that had already been settled, but not disabled) and not only that, but the kitchen had just closed (9pm) so that was the end of all that. Very disappointing - their burgers are awesome.

The food required came in the form of relocating to "Thai Silk" nestled in the arches just behind Southwark station. Good stuff and sufficed. By the time I'd schlepped across town to Holland Park it was midnight. The Thai didn't leave me feeling too chipper - although I suspect that's more to do with the long day, and so sleep wasn't my friend either.

Tuesday morning at 5am I was wide awake and totally knackered having slept for about 3 hours in total. I made an early start on the central line. All the crap food and lack of excerise isn't doing the waste,June any good either. So much so that I found myself perusing the clothes racks of Next in my lunch break and investing in new, slightly larger than I desire, trousers. It's not that I've put on loads of weight, it's just having done so well at loosing it lately, I'm suddenly piling it back on. More reasons to be thoroughly pissed off with the circumstances I find myself in.

The evening didn't help either. This time a 10pm dinner in the "Mad Hatter" with the RC, Goldenballs and the Heavy Metal Pricer. Good food, but not healthy and leading to yet another restless night after a long day.

Wednesday gave me the opportunity for a lay in and I didn't leave the hotel until almost 8am, meaning I was in the office for 8.30. Yesterday had been a day with our manager keeping an eye on things and that, while today sees him in the annual kick about with the other managers playing games with peoples lives through the medium of "picking sides" and the ones that are left at the end "unpicked" get to enjoy a good kicking at their managers discretion. OK, so I'm exaggerating ... almost.

The upshot of that is you don't want to be disturbing them with really bad or troublesome news on a day like that. It could spell career disaster, and certainly isn't going to win you any friends. Well, me? I could give a rats. If there's things that need saying, get them said. Time will tell if that's done me any damage. We definitely got noticed, if nothing else.

On top of that I've become thoroughly fed up of the dawdling and the pandering and the not-getting-on-with-it, so I took it upon myself to push (not too much, I wouldn't want anyone to think I should be leading or anything dumb like that) but just enough to put us on the right track. I drew up a list, and told Mad H this is what we're doing, and there's no more changes to be had... Obviously he chose to ignore this, but that's a two way street, and I chose to ignore any play to not follow my instruction, right back. That goes for everyone. Time to move forward as there's no time left for sitting and talking.

I also decided not to stay in the office past 8pm (it's killing me) and so conspired with Goldenballs to bugger off early-ish and go and see "Gravity" at the cinema. We persuaded the RC to come too - under duress - but nevertheless he was glad he did in the end. Stupid size hotdogs and buckets of coke and twenty quid a ticket!! That's London prices for you - but it's an incredible film, and for me, the best thing I've seen for a year or two.. Or maybe three.

Thursday brought the management back who seem relieved that I'd been pushing, although I'm not convinced the RC feels the same way. I stuck to the "buggering off as early as possible" plan and this time dragged not only the RC and Goldenballs, but also the Heavy Metal Pricer and Princess Sarah too. One other point of note was the appearance of The Gorse Fox, who was in fine fettle, not least because he was escaping the clutches of the noisy (and apparently disorganised) individuals he's been working with.

Anyway, the group (less the GF who headed off into the night) trooped off to my favourite pub in all of London (still) and then to the Bleeding Heart Bistro for nosh. The majority wanted a nightcap and I suggested the Citie of York, while the RC decided he was too tired and went back to the hotel. This bothered me somewhat. If anyone needs a bit if a break and a blowout, it's him, but people will do what they believe is best for them, and who am I to argue really? A shame. He was missed. We enjoyed the ambiance of the place, and if you're ever Holborn way, I'd recommend it for its architecture if nothing else.

Friday finally arrived after I'd had much shenanigans over adding an extra nights stay to my trip. I didn't want to, but having moved some key dates around (which I think is some retaliation for the pushing) there's much to be done, so do it we must. I was supposed to be at a wedding do this evening. Brother-in-laws to be more exact, but that hasn't happened. Instead I find myself writing this and feeling dozy.

I've done well over my allotted time again this week, and I can't actually maintain this pace for much longer. Which is lucky because apparently I won't have to. Things come to a head in a fortnight.... Allegedly, although given the email I just read, that might move.

Pah!

 

 

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