Freedom From The Mundane - A Writer's Blog

Friday, December 17, 2004

The Office Party

Goddamn cough is getting worse! Even Laura’s is returning a bit as she started to cough slightly again this morning. She thinks we keep sharing each other’s germs since we cough near each other and are destined to be forever coughing back and forward between us.

Gail had the day off and so after we dropped Laura off at school – and I embarrassed her by giving her a big kiss at the school gate – I got a lift to work. Edinburgh drivers really are terribly selfish on the roads and I’m glad I don’t drive at times.

I’m feeling guilty about not having written anything for about 12 days now. Apart from my Blog and a couple of freelance writing jobs that is, there has been no work on any fiction of any kind.

Strangely though, Jackie has been quiet in my mind. It’s almost as if he knew I would have been unable to accommodate him in my life with everything else that has been happening recently, and as such, took a step back and kept the pressure off for as long as possible.

He is about to make a big move in his own life – a move to Edinburgh brought on by a major discovery in the background to his family – and I think this short break in writing, while caused by the importance of other events, has been welcome because I would have been unable to put all my emotions and energy into this period of Jackie’s life which it truly deserves.

I have been thinking about him however. When my contract runs out at KIC it will coincide with the end of Hunting Jack as a novel. That is what will be pitched to agents as a full manuscript (after edits naturally). However, I think I may keep the contract going as a story – expand on it, take him to other places and meet new people. We shall see as much of this depends on time and there are other things I want to work on too.

My team at work had our Christmas lunch today. It was pleasant enough, not as raucous as I am used to (or would have liked) and the food was ok. We went to The Basement in Broughton Street and were miffed to discover a double-booking error had been made. I immediately pounced on this poor purveyance and pronounced to the proprietor that a bottle of red wine would be suitable compensation. He could do nothing but agree from under my glassy stare.

Later, we moved on to the Cask and Barrel – same street, different ambience – and had more drinks. Half of the team drifted away by 7 pm – a mixture of marital promises and age preventing them from having fun, so a couple of us headed up to the Opal Lounge, were we stayed for several more hours, gate-crashing a 30th birthday party (friend of a friend) and generally celebrating not just Christmas, but the fact I had not been turned away at the door for not being trendy enough.
Colin 11:01 pm

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