August 16 (Monday): Time Tunnel. Another day, another headache. Here comes the first day back in work after Friday the 13th. I begin with the heaviest of headaches which is not assisted by an MSN session with Sara asking: who is the real Jason Graham?

I go into work sheepishly and everyone is buzzing from the cricket. There is some gossip/word spoken about the evening but not too much, mainly Sandip and Stevo are interested because they were not there and barely even know the basics. I wander around the office feeling an atmosphere in my general direction. The main person to be giving me the cold shoulder is Louise, who isn’t totally off with me but somewhat frosty. I wonder what is up and just what I did Friday night during the blanks and missing scenes. Louise doesn’t go into specifics, instead just tells me that I am horrible/nasty sometimes. Other than that though, there appears to be not lasting bad.

I text Azmei asking what happened on Friday night and she replies “you said the F word and evils�. That’s as vague as can be. I later find out that she also phones Louise this morning wanting to know what happened Friday, wanting to speak to Andy. It turns out that her mum fell ill on Friday night and suddenly all drunken shenanigans seem unimportant. I text her with concern but she doesn’t reply.

Hays telephone me about a job interview opportunity and I jump at it. Will see you Wednesday.

At lunchtime I get dragged to the Wig & Pen with Stevo to get some lunch. I’m really trying to cut eating out at lunchtimes down (out) but he is generally able to talk (whine) me around. Today is good though, Wig & Pen has got free John Smith hacky sacks for regulars. Result! The Wig & Pen during the daytime is a funny place, generally you get a couple of fucked up people in wheelchairs drinking a pint with their wobbly head through a straw. It is site and surely they shouldn’t’ be allowed to drive their mechanic wheelchairs a bit pissed? Isn’t that over the limit? I guess they don’t buy RFLs.

In the afternoon, with Louise still very VERY frosty with me, I turn to Phoebe to cheer me up swapping text messages. At least she doesn’t hate me.

After work I head to the library with Stevo where we get a Cantonese phrase book and tape out. I guess to the one I got off the internet (Pimsleur) didn’t cut it for Steve. He drops me off home when really we should be popping to the pub on a glorious night like this one and as soon as I get in my phone beeps. I hope it is Azmei replying to my text but it is Mark asking if I am going to Asda “in the near future�. Strangely I was about to, so I call him and we hook up.

We go food shopping at Asda (me mainly for bog roll) and in return he cooks for both of us back at his (his parents are away on holiday at the moment) while his brother runs around getting his shit together for his holiday in Mallorca. Mark’s food tastes SO good; I wish I could cook so well. We settle in for the high cultural experience of watching Hot Shots on Channel Five. I remember seeing this movie in Colchester cinema and thinking it was ok but what happened, tonight I barely smile and only snigger when they do a joke a kind of off colour. Mark meanwhile seems to love it, laughing his arse off. My bad.

Hot Shots tires me out royally but tonight is the start of Sopranos series 5 on Channel Four, which I genuinely have the belief that everybody should watch this show as there is something in it for everyone (not least, just to gain a better understanding of the likes and loves of Jason Graham). Mark however cannot be persuading into staying up and watching it and I chip off, racing home to watch it on my own TV, leaving with the hardest/heaviest headache known to man. Needless to say when I get in I fall asleep watching it. Oh well, nevermind.

np: L7 - Monster