Deeply repellent day. Started quite well. Up in the night unable to sleep but felt quite cheery walking along Oxford Street today, on my way for a day of research.

Clients were utterly obnoxious, and humiliated me. Spent 10.5 hours locked in a darkened room with them trying to account for poor work which I had little to do with, being forced to run around doing photocopying and so on like some work experience yoof, in between the stultifying ennui of hearing people drone out their tiresome opinions on the other side of the mirror. The best bit is where the consumer wanders in and looks at the ads on the walls. It is like some Samuel Beckett play for free.

Finally escaped at about 8:00pm, but only after being blackmailed into doing the whole execrable thing again tomorrow except this time in that nest of adenoidal miseries: Birmingham.

Walked back through the west end, the only bit of the day that didn't suck, and then onto the Brighton train where an obese stinking man who was drinking beers and having an hour long bullying conversation with unfortunate colleagues sat opposite me. Wanted to stuff phone into his throat.

Home and spoke to the delightful aerial-headed MJ who was at Lia's, and suddenly life seemed considerably better.