Whoosh! There goes the deadline

I didn't sleep well last night as I anxiously contemplated the next few months; the howling wind probably didn't help either. Today at work was therefore an even bigger struggle than usual. I had a fair bit to do and was given the third degree by my boss. At one stage I had just about every spreadsheet under the sun open.

I don't participate in many work converations any more - most of the time I literally can't due to my lack of Mandarin - but the ballooning tragedy did crop up today. People were comparing riding in a hot-air balloon to bungee jumping and parachuting. Despite the horrendous accident at the weekend I'd happily go up in a balloon while I'd be cacking my pants doing either of the other two. I would do a parachute jump though, preferably a tandem with my brother who is now a veteran of several hundred jumps. But I think I'd give the bungee jump a miss.

At 12:45 today my mobile rang - it was the electricity company wanting to replace the meter at my flat. They rang me last month as I was walking home in the pissing rain after locking myself in the loo at work that day. Now I vaguely remember them saying something about the 9th but it was pretty much in one ear, out the other. So at lunchtime today I had to beetle home (as Dad would say - he says "beetle" a lot) so they could install this bloody meter. Half-way to my flat I remembered that all the meters are stored in a room with a combination lock. Neither I nor the two meter men had a clue what the code was, and after five minutes of faffing around I beetled back to the office.

Here's some excellent work news. I can't do an exam in the first half of 2012 because I've missed the enrolment deadline! I'm not exactly up with the play on the current exam system so I had no idea the cut-off date was so early. According to Stephen Fry's book, the late Douglas Adams (who frequently had writer's block) said "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly past." This particular whooshing sound is music to my ears.