He was visibly impressed - the past week at work

Monday

Bank holiday.

A bottle of Gigondas was opened at lunchtime.

Tuesday

Back to my desk.

Gary, Assistant Librarian in the Reading Room downstairs, walked backwards and forwards across the upstairs floor with one hand behind his back (presumably some kind of affectation), and in the other hand giving out the morning's mail (his new responsibility).  Without a word he presented me with a heavy parcel - they were factsheets from head office.

In an effort to understand a particular demographic I am attempting to live their lifestyle - annoying to go to the Co-Op to buy special offers only to find that all of them are out of stock.  Walking (3 miles!) to the shops instead of using the car.  So far I have not been able to bring myself to watch Hollyoaks.

Wednesday

I spent the day at head office in London (although now we have a new source of funding it is not exactly clear whether they still are our "head office").  I arrived early and sat in an empty conference room making notes.  Gradually other people filed in for the 11 o'clock meeting, most of them seeming to know who I was (including Joe S who was completely unlike what I expected; also the friendly Sharon C).

The meeting, chaired by Nancy C (young, ambitious, politically correct) was to discuss the annual Conference. I outlined what the Institute intended to contribute, then left the speaking to others.  David B as enthusiastic as a young child.  Joe S upset one of the trestle tables and spilt coffee everywhere disrupting the meeting by about fifteen minutes.  Burly Sharon C recounted all the disasters Joe S had been involved in since his arrival at head office.  The meeting finished at 1pm and I left the building to have lunch at a nearby coffee bar.

In the afternoon a meeting with Tony S in fundraising.  News of the Institute's new donor has spread to head office, and he was visibly impressed.  He told me that Alec Nussbaum had taken the news badly.

Thursday

Long meeting in the morning briefing the Institute's Director Vijay Singh about the conference planning yesterday.  We are to hold our own seminar during one of the conference lunchbreaks.  Vijay Singh wants the publicity kept deliberately vague so that no-one tries to intervene until it is too late.

An e-mail from a magazine editor praising an article I had written.

Friday

Vijay Singh asked me to design a survey to go out to 174 local education authorities. 

My demographic research is going well and e-mails streamed in from various directions so that I felt I was surrounded by voices.

Assistant librarian talking about football transfers ("I've already had a lot of grief about that").