Tuesday PM

Some improvements in my cold - less violent coughing, which is a relief.

Worked all day, managed to get quite a lot done - the studio was almost full - unusual for 8 freelancers (there are 4 more who pay rent but never come in, and I mean - literally - never come in) - only one away - and she is in Egypt, exhausted after a couple of months preparing the tour programmes and merchandise for Rhianna, McFly, Michael Buble and The war of the Worlds stage show. I have NEVER met anyone else before with such a heavy workload who isn't a mental and emotional wreck.

I had to send a load of print back because it was poorly passed - they hadn't even noticed, fuckers.

I had a big meeting in the afternoon - looks like I'm going to Leicester next week for a new client presentation. I used to work in Leicester a lot - the headquarters of NEXT is there, they would call me up for a 15 min meeting about a swing ticket and pay me for the whole day, with expenses. My only other relationship with Leicester is Joe Orton's diaries. I bought them from WHSmiths, Euston station, when I was 14. Read them on the train all the way back to Wales,  they were a revelation. I never looked back.

Need to go to London and Brighton in the next few days. Apparently they are already getting heavy handed with funeral security arrangements in the capital. I'm giving the whole subject a wide berth.

Talking of wide berth, the Boston bombings are something I can't talk, they are too awful. That hasn't stopped half the world talking shite on Twitter - it brings out the stupid in people. I follow Joey Barton to remind myself that compared to some people - I'm an intelectual heavyweight.

On the way into the studio this morning there was a young, well dressed, very smart Italian woman in Claremont - wandering around with a sheaf of papers, screaming obsceneties at the top of her voice for no particular reason. It was about 9am - she must have had a very bad start to the day.

I had to get someone to help me with some spelling today - it was only once, single sentence - but I just couldn't do it - it's impossible to explain dyslexia - I knew it was wrong - but it just wasn't 'computing'. Quite embarrassing.

I went to Smiths to buy a simple fine nib pen, a combination of Smiths being a really bad retail experience and pen packaging being universally shite made it a deeply traumatic experience. There is a bloke who works there from Liverpool - he always looks at my funny, like he knows me from somewhere - this is entirely possible - although as he also looks deeply embarassed and a bit scared - I hope he's mistaken.