Day In The Life

I’m still blogging as part of the Blog Every Day In May thing,but as fate would have it, today’s topic is Day In The Life.  For new readers, I actually already do this fairly frequently along with whoever feels like joining in, so maybe after May, you’d care to join in! You can see what the next date will be on this page here.

Anyway, down to it. Today has been a shitter of a day, but I suppose in some ways does illustrate nicely how frantic my life can be.  I haven’t had time to take many photos, so it’s fairly word-heavy.

My day actually started last night, as I was at work until after midnight. I had to wait until some dreary Latin American football tournament started safely before I could clock off and head for home. I have been on a run of odd shifts this week, starting at 6am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and 4pm Thursday and Friday, so my body clock is totally screwed. I only got about 4 hours sleep on Wednesday night, so I am verrrrrrry tired. I had intended to go to the supermarket on the way home, but instead, I blast the radio loud in the car and trundle home and fall straight into bed around 1.15, only pausing to say hello to the dog on the way past.

This is my dog, Max.

I wake up at 6 or so, when Lee’s alarm goes off and then again when he leaves for work. I try to go back to sleep, but the dog has joined me and is trying to crush me by lying on top of me. I am sure he means it as a sign of affection, but he is very heavy, so it doesn’t do to remain like that for too long.

I do my usual sweep of the internet and spend some time answering emails from customers and doing some research for a tutorial I have to write this weekend. I get out of bed around 8 and have a shower and get ready. I usually then take the dog out for a walk, but instead I have an urgent last-minute commission for a tutorial that I have to finish before work, so I finish off my text and then set about taking photos for the step-by-step part and the finished article. It’s pissing down outside and very overcast but with a bit of Photoshoppery, I manage to make them just about acceptable. It takes much longer than anticipated. The dog potters round the garden for a bit then goes back to bed.

This is a snippet of the tutorial, it will be live tomorrow.

Somewhere among that, I manage to wolf down two Weetabix, which I later regret, as they make me rather ill later. (I don’t like to talk about it much, but a few years ago, I had my gallbladder removed and it’s left me with a stomach that is constantly on a hairline trigger for being terribly upset.) I eventually finish up taking photos around 1315, and Lee appears from work. He has lunch and takes the very patient dog out at the same time as I leave for the big city.

I drive into town and instead of heading for work, turn off the Kingston Bridge and head for Pollokshields, where I used to live. My dentist is still there, so I get an eyeful of the amazing new Sikh temple on Albert Drive and park up and head inside to the theatre of torture. I end up waiting eons for the dentist to finish with the person before me.

Brightly coloured plastic at the dentist. Germy.

The dentist is somewhere I seem to spend a lot of time and money – I have horrible teeth. I didn’t look after them properly earlier in life and boy, do I regret that now. They now are the exact same consistency of Edinburgh Rock. This visit lasts nearly an hour and he cuts my back tooth away to the gum to prepare it for a crown in a couple of weeks time. A bargain at a mere NHS-subsidised £300.

A bit light-headed and slightly traumatised, I make my way back to the car, past hordes of mothers with their kids, coming out the primary school at the end of the road. Only when I get back to the car and look in the rear view mirror to see how puffy my face is, do I realise that I have dental cement ALL OVER MY CHIN. Nice look.

I wipe it off and drive to work, which is only 5 minutes away. I am actually early, which is a surprise to everyone, not least my colleague that I texted to say I’d be late.  I settle down to an evening of watching TV professionally and use my break to write this! The rest of the evening will be spent coordinating everyone doing their programmes, writing an event log and answering the zillions of emails and messages and phonecalls that go along with live television.

This is my desk. Bet you already have a headache looking at it.

I am looking forwards to tomorrow. I am so tired, so very tired. I am on call tomorrow for work but am hopeful of escaping The Call and catching up with some other work and some sleep!

I’m blogging every day in May as part of BEDM. Find out more here.

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