under another sun

Up early to do November billing, and get on with work. A bit of a strange day as Lorraine was home so it felt like a holiday, despite her being ill. Looked after her as best I could, taking her a porridge breakfast, and nipping out to buy medical chocolate and lemsips. Mes amis in Paris paid my invoice same day, which is rather brilliant. I walked into town, still somewhat drained of energy, and bought next year's diary. Was able to find the right coloured Moleskine Semainier in Waterstones, thank goodness. No busses home so I walked back too, collecting my first over 10k day for a while. Home and I talked to Mum. Mason planning an imminent business trip, which is worrying her.  Then I received some late French work which I did through till seven. Lorraine had struggled up off the sofa for long enough to cook, before wiping herself out again. Beth very cheerful about receiving some clothes in the post with dinosaurs on them. One with a fetching green glittery T Rex. Also, we ...

Woke up on time, as I had remembered to set my alarm. James, who had morphed into a guardian angel last night, had arranged for everyone to have a wakeup call in the morning too. Up and dressed, and downstairs for a large breakfast. I was personally feeling fairly dreadful, having only had a few hours sleep and way too much to drink. These things are a matter of degrees, however, as some of the team had only been back at the hotel for a couple of hours. James went up to Dan's room and physically dragged him into the shower, to get him up. Cars arranged to take us to the airport. Snow on the ground. I was in the need of a good deal of water. The flight, from my perspective, abominable. Hungover, exhausted, too hot and as a consequence very edgy. Worst moment was going to the toilet, standing there noticing how much weight I had put on in the last few week, and then getting several searing chest pains. I looked into the mirror and thought, this is how it ends. I always knew it woul...

Last day of the Summit meeting today. Downstairs to the breakfast room, scarfed a large breakfast, then hurried to the main room to be do the Voice of God, a good shepherd who advised people when to leave rooms and enter them, and did a few introductions to speakers. I did a fair amount of moving between floors to. As upstairs VOG I was more visible. After I made an announcement, one woman came up to me and said "I don't have any coffee." Sadly my powers to manifest a cup of coffee for her did not match that of the deity. As a team all the things that could have gone wrong did not go wrong, and the day was a success, should your tastes extend to dull, content-free corporate guff. Huge relief once the event was wrapped, and clients pleased. Some time then spent tidying up the office room we had spent hours in, and then upstairs to freshen up and then assembled in the bar. Finally then, at around eight, a chance to go out into Vienna. We went to an Italian restaurant, b...

So today I was the Voice of God, the disembodied voice that booms out over a conference. I was told to get to the conference room, incredibly impressively decked out with projections, machines, wall posters and so on that I had worked on, for seven. I was five minutes late, but Dan, who was producing the whole show, slept through three alarms and so only pitched up some time after 8, when the show started at 8:30. He and Ash had been working till about four, madly enough. This gave me precisely zero time for rehearsal, and left me subject to the ever increasing concerns of clients, of whom there were more than 400 in the room. This all rather stressful. Me, as Voice of God, telling people to sit down, and then introducing the main speaker and doing a various bits of commentary during the day. Hard at first as I had no headphones, so was interrupted by myself booming off the walls, but it all settled down. I didn't have much time to be nervous. All was fine. There is a downstairs ...

Up early and shown to a table for one, and set off to the buffet to scoop up my breakfast bits. An enraged Austrian man snatching away my orange juice as he had been allocated the same table, and accused me of stealing it. Ridiculous creature. Once he realised that I had as much right to the table as me, he was a bit more apologetic. I suspected he was from the business whose are clients of the agency I am working for, so I treated him politely instead of punching his head, which is what he deserved. Talk about Entitlement. Lots of clients floating around as the events started today. I hold my own council at this stage. But the likeable agency folks very resilient. This is an immense event, in terms of budget, there was lorry loads of stage kit turning up, film crews, photographers, massive technology and staging, and even a team of three illustrators turned up to immortalise the workshops and the deathless attendees. A solid 12.45 hour day today for me, with a headache all day due t...

So a long time in bed, but not so much sleep. That infuriating thing when you are overtired, restless, and then eventually furious because you can't sleep. I did sleep eventually, but did not make the best of the opportunity I had. The day itself not bad. Had breakfast alone this morning at nine, and then went to the office which has been set up in one of the hotel meeting rooms. Did some writing, also some folding of hundreds of place cards, and emptying of hundreds of memory keys out of boxes. Went down where the Summit is now taking shape, and it is visually amazing. Seeing my words and headlines projected on an enormous screen, that wouldn't be out of place at a rock concert, rather good although also making you pray for no typos. Feeling a bit twitchy about having to do the Voice of God stuff too, which adds a touch of stage fright to the proceedings. The event itself is Tuesday and Wednesday, but tomorrow, Monday, will be the day of horror by all accounts. After lunch I...

Zombied up at seven o'clock in the Hilton Danube waterfront, (six UK time) and packed back the few bits I had unpacked, ironed a shirt and met Den outside smoking a cigarette. The taciturn taxi driver drove us to the Hilton Vienna hotel we are working for 7:30. Den and I talking about Cyprus, where his family are from. Ash and James had been out on the lash with the client all night. James had just a couple of hours sleep, and made off into Vienna to buy himself some fizzy hangover cure. I was fine, having only had two beers of course. Bloody tired though, with no weekend recharge. Work didn't get started for a couple of hours, a couple of hours I could have happily spent in bed. Den had another smoke outside, and I wandered across the road from the hotel and took the photo below. It was as far as I got away from the hotel all day. Still, a good breakfast, and then working on stuff in various business rooms all day. An enormous stage being built in the hotel. Dozens of p...

Lorraine and I running about getting ready this morning, packed bags but heading in opposite directions. She dropped me at Preston Park with Strangeface, my trusty old suitcase with a strange face. She drove to school, did a day's work and flew up to see Sam and Jade in Glasgow. Brief calls and texts today. I went up to Paddington, and left the office late afternoon with my Paddington colleagues Ash, James and Den, A zoom to Heathrow on the Heathrow Express. As we arrived at the airport, news of some kind of incident in Oxford Street, but it this turned out to be a scare, with nobody hurt. Twitchy about flying today. But we had a bite to eat in some place called Pilots. I judiciously got outside a pint of Heineken, which helped a bit. A cramped flight, very hot. Retained sanity by listening to the Kermode and Mayo podcast, stretching out a small can of Heineken for half the flight, and neurotically playing patience on my phone. Plane landed in fog, and clouds, so saw nothing ...