The Guardian’s Diary

Alan and I had this idea of both doing a summary of a usual day in our lives.  Not to note the big things, but to get a glimpse into all the little things that make our lives different.  The follow events take place during the day of Monday 28th July, 2008…

8:00 - Alarm goes off.  I put it on snooze, knowing that my phone only has a 5 minute snooze.  I am groggy and unmotivated, but a voice at the back of my head tells me that I need to be in work early today.  I consider checking my email and seeing who’s online, but then I remember that I don’t have a laptop at the moment.  I slowly drag myself to consciousness, stare at the celing for a while, think about some of the more beautiful women in my life…

8:45 - I climb out of bed, weave my way around all the crap on my floor and get myself ready for work, then head downstairs for some breakfast (bread and cheese this morning).

9:05 - I have a chat with my landlord about the usual things: the stupidity of central governments and the dependency of people on them.  These conversations always last longer than I think.  I walk to work.

9:35 - I get in, fire up Thor, check my post, check my e-mail, see if anyone’s online.  Say hi to a few people.  Reply to easy e-mails, flag difficult ones for dealing with when I’m more awake, check Facebook.  Put some fun music on.  Blog.  Start getting SM ready.  Go and buy milk and OJ for the cafe and some nuts for me to eat for lunch.

12:00 - switch on betsy (coffee machine).  Chat to people online.

12:25 - start opening up.  Open doors, put lights on, put A-boards out, set snacks in place, make sure Betsy is ready, take old receipts off Timmy (till) and fold to go in records book.

1:00 - Achintya comes by for coffee.  He runs a local green/holistic publication and I’m on his distribution list.  I also pay him for advertising in trade - I do web design bits and pieces for him.  Really lovely guy.  A regular pops in at the same time, and the two know each other.  We have a nice three way chat.  He leaves and she and I natter on about Icelandic and New Zealand geology.

1:45 - I start sorting out the latest project, which is a set of 10-week courses that we’re going to run in September.  I try to coordinate people.  Some are very enthusiastic and have sent me their details already, some are very sluggish.  I try to work out what the best medium for promoting this is going to be.

2:00 - Another therapist calls to ask if she’s had any bookings for her weekend course.  We discuss it, and the next two taster days, that she might like to be involved in.  She’ll come back to me.  While she’s here two more customers come in for coffee.  I do a load of updates to the website.  I eat a couple of brown pittas with humous.

2:45 - A new therapist comes in to discuss practising here.  We have a nice chat, she gets very excited about the place.  She might join in our 10-week course idea.  She does singing lessons.  She’ll be back tomorrow with more information for me.

3:00 - I tuck into some carrott cake that someone donated to the centre.

3:30 - I send out a newsletter to let people know about this weekend’s course, and to start interest in a few other things we’re doing.

3:45 - a customer calls to make a booking.   I talk them through it, call the therapist, sort it all out.  Feeling of satisfaction.  I notice when looking at the diary that there are two bookings tonight at 6.  There will be competition for the brown room (there are 4 one-to-one rooms, but the brown is the most popular) so I work out who will go where.

3:55 - friendly guy comes in for takeaway coffee.  We have a quick chat.  Always nice to give good people great coffee.

4:15 - I do a little Stumbling, review a few pages, comment on a few blogs…  This includes watching a really uncomfortable debate between Richard Dawkins and an evangelical Christian.  I finally realise that I’m uncomfortable because “my side” is being taken by Richard Dawkins, who I detest.  I Stumble to something else.

5:00 - Print some flyers for a festival that one of the therapists is going to.  Tidy up the cafe a bit.  Plan where some new furniture is going to go.  Chat to a few customers who wonder by, make some coffees, set up rooms for classes and therapies.

5:30 - start printing flyers.  Printer plays up.  Spend an hour sorting that out.

7:00 - chat to one of my teachers about the changes that I’m going to make to SM.  She’s very in favour.

7:45 - all therapies stop.  The second class of the evening gets no students.  Three therapists sit around with hot chocolates while I cash up.  It turns out to have been a pretty bad day, but not awful.  I put the music off with a sigh of relief.  I put snacks away, turn Betsy off (saying good night), check rooms, generally put the place to bed.

8:00 - I close up, hugs all round with the therapists.  I call my friend Josie on my way home, end up in quite a long, fun chat, discussing the woes of my love/sex life, but in a humourous way.  I cook my evening meal of oven shit with beans and wine.  Devour in front of the computer.

9:00 - natter online with a couple of people, surf the net a little, look at some tattoo designs,  Come to the conclusion (again) that I’m going to need to pay a tattoo artist to design my next one.

9:45 - walk up onto the hoe to appreciate the awesome vista at dusk.  I can’t find my usual peace.  The drowsy melancholy that has dogged me all day, together with the fun fair that’s being erected on the hoe, stop be from being able to enjoy the moment.

10:15 - I do my last bit of surfing before shrugging off my clothes and falling into my bed.  I read a bit of my current book, The Eye of the World, and then turn my light off.

11:30 - a couple of people txt me as I’m drifting off to sleep

12:30 - I get to sleep

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