I wasn't blogging during the summer of 2002. Here are some of the things I might have posted about had I started earlier (and had I not been quite so busy going out and enjoying myself).
Thu 1: I'm not 100% sure, but that might have been me in the background on late-night Channel 4. Fri 2: Was desperately impressed when BestMate drove round with a dance CD playing in the car rather than Heart FM as usual. Sat 3: Went to Westferry to watch the new Austin Powers film, Goldmember. Laughed a lot. Reviewed it afterwards as "really bloody clever". Sun 4: Chatted online with a) BestMate b) the good-looking Canadian c) the downbeat Oxbridge student d) the NYC-based coding expert e) Maryland's loveliest f) the smiley French teacher (because chatting online was very much the thing in 2002).
Mon 5: Spotted our brand new boss being welcomed in reception, then later popped down to his introductory Meet & Greet in the basement for a few words of introductory encouragement and a free buffet lunch. Tue 6: Failed to get off the tube at Bow Road because the old man ahead of me took too long trying to squeeze off, and later BestMate laughed at me because he'd watched it all happen from the other end of the carriage. Wed 7: Got very very wet on the commute home, exacerbated by the queue at the top of the steps to get down into the station. Thu 8: Off to Cambridge for a meeting. They let us go first class in those days. Unimpressed by the salady lunch, but the sticky desserts were good. Fri 9: Set up my 'Out of office' because I had two weeks off. Watched Darius perform his new number 1 Colourblind on Top of the Pops. Went out for several Becks south of the river and came home through the Rotherhithe Tunnel on the back of a bike. Sat 10: Went to the seaside. It was absolutely chucking it down. Got the next train straight back to London. Sun 11: The first time I'd ever been to Nando's. Plumped for the burger option. Have tried to avoid going back ever since.
Mon 12: Went to Chelmsford and, on reflection, probably shouldn't have gone to Chelmsford. Tue 13: Went to Watford. Tanya poked a lot and said I needed two fillings. Bought a Royksopp album for £10. Wed 14: Took my T68 phone to a dodgy shop in Tottenham to have the software upgraded so it was as good as a T68i. Thu 15: Bought a Sony mp3 player from one of the shops on Tottenham Court Road (because phones only did ringtones back then, not proper music). It cost £260 and it was silver and dangly and I was well chuffed with it. Fri 16: Went to a picnic in Greenwich Park. Invaded by wasps. Ate pate and pork pie. Drank Pimms. Dropped the cheesecake. Sat 17: Went out drinking with mates again. Had 8 bottles of Becks. Hiccupped in the cab all the way home. Sun 18: Got the train up to Norfolk to stay with the family for a few days. Roast beef and lemon meringue pie for lunch. Mum was sewing me a map of London. I'd bought her a spoon from the top of the Empire State Building. Watched a team of skydivers jumping from a plane overhead.
Mon 19: Liver for lunch. Played Mum at pinball while Dad was at bowls. Watched the rain gauge fill up. My niece was surprisingly good at Mastermind. The local TV news was full of that child murderer they just arrested in Soham. Tue 20: Carvery at The Stag (until the meat ran out). Visited Origins, the interactive Norfolk heritage exhibition at the Forum which opened last year. Quite impressed but you wouldn't go twice. Wed 21: Family day trip to The Village Experience, whose attractions included a miniature railway, an apple press, a pottery demo and not-so-crazy crazy golf. I would've won if only I hadn't hit a hole in seven. 'Dancing Waters' turned out to be a roomful of hosepipes set to music. Thu 22: Last day in Norfolk. The nephews and nieces played with Hoppy the rabbit, glittery flower jewellery, freshly-baked clay pots and a Playmobil castle. I felt well trendy listening to my mp3 player on the train back to London. Brief trip to the pub. Fri 23: Put down a deposit on a digital radio because I'd been trying to buy one for weeks but nobody had any in stock. Another brief trip to the pub. Sat 24: The bank holiday weekend started here. But it only picked up in the late evening with yet another trip to the pub, and normally it was a lot more fun than that. Rolled in home at 3am. Sun 25: I can tell when I'm being softened up for something, and you can push me but ultimately it's my decision, and it was close but no thank you. Rolled in home at 4am.
Mon 26: No I didn't really enjoy last night, thanks, but I'm glad you did, and enjoy your muffin. Tue 27: Back to work. You're supposed to leave a snack from your holiday in the kitchenette, but I spent most of my time in the East End so I left a bag of 'jellied eel' sweets instead. Wed 28: Yes we can meet up after work. Yes we can go for drinks at Canary Wharf. Yes you can come back to mine. Yes you can stay over. And yes. Thu 29: I should probably have done that when I didn't have work in the morning and an urgent deadline to meet. Stayed late in the office, so had to send a negative response to a request for a repeat of last night, and I fear that was misinterpreted. Fri 30: Somehow got myself invited to the secret Friday lunchtime fry-up I never knew some of my work colleagues attended, and enjoyed much chat about surveyors, singers, sausage and seeds. Sat 31: That was definitely a mistake (and I have never done it since).
