A Day In The Life (Part 1)

"Ooh, it's like the Poosday Drinks Project without hot beverages. Although there are some hot beverages in it. You know what I mean. Can anyone join in?"

Okay, I'm only posting this because Kelly is doing the same on her blog today (go on, have a look)... I wasn't actually going to post this at all, but then she told everyone to click over to my site and take a look. So, erm, apologies... this could be the most boring post ever!

Please note: It is a very quiet day in our office today.

11:45 – Bring in goalkeeper Ricardo in place of Cech in my Channel 4 World Cup Fantasy Football team. I am in 15th position in our league (out of 17 people). This is a personal disaster.

11:49 – Bloke at counter wants to leave some flyers. It’s not an event that we’re selling tickets for (grrr!) but there’s space on the rack so I tell him it’s okay.

11:56 – Predict tomorrow’s World Cup scores on the CD Wow website. I won a £2 voucher for predicting that England would draw 2-2 with Sweden last night.

11:58 – Lady phones up to book eight tickets for Suspiciously Elvis.

12:05 – The mail has arrived. We have a fan letter addressed to (actor) Colin Baker at the Theatre Royal. Darren gives it to me and asks me to open it. I refuse. Hey, just because I opened some fan mail addressed to Ian Ogilvy at the Theatre Royal last week… We were thinking of writing a ‘fake’ reply to the sender, but that would have been very cruel of us.

12:06 – Young lady phones up to book for Dylan Moran. Tough luck, he’s sold out.

12:07 – The following conversation takes place...
Dom: What’s that smell?
Darren: Offal.
Phil: Yes, it’s an ‘offal’ (awful) smell.

12:09 – Fools Gold by The Stone Roses is playing on the radio. Darren suggests that we should have a ‘Madchester’ party in the office and get Bez in to shake his maracas.

12:15 – Order the new Nouvelle Vague CD Bande A Part from HMV’s website. £9.99 delivered seems a good price for the Ltd Edition version. Their debut album was my favourite album of 2004 so I’m really looking forward to hearing their new set of cover versions.

12:22 – Lady phones to order two Beverley Knight tickets. Decides she’ll come in when I tell her about our transaction fees.

12:30 – Toilet break. Hey, this isn’t 24 you know.

12:32 – Darren opens the letter addressed to Colin Baker. We can’t believe it – it’s from the same couple who wrote to Ian Ogilvy last week! They are obviously serial autograph hunters. Darren says we should send them a picture of Tom Baker instead.

12:34 – Darren does a little dance because he’s going to Berlin tomorrow.

12:36 – Polly makes hot drinks for everyone. This is my third coffee of the day. I’m starting to feel hungry now but have no food to hand.

12:39 – I order the Thai movie Art Of The Devil 2 on DVD from Play’s website for £11.99. Curse the lure of internet shopping.

12:41 – Get up to serve bloke at counter but he’s “just looking thanks”.

12:43 – Darren is being inordinately happy today. Dom let’s his chair down and Darren calls him a tosser.

12:47 – Bloke phones up to enquire about the Strawberry Social event at Brighton Racecourse. He doesn’t want to book a ticket though, he wants to set up a stall there. I can’t help him.

12:49 – My attempt to make toast is thwarted when I realise that we have no butter left. I am going to have to go to Tesco…

12:51 – Serve a couple at the counter who are booking tickets for Grumpy Old Women.

12:54 – Decide to go to the bank as I only have 91 pence in my pocket plus I need to pay back the £30 I borrowed over the weekend.

13:00 – Bump into my friend Kristy who I haven’t seen since August when she had a major falling out with my friend Gary.

13:06 – Buy some Utterly Butterly and a bag of doughnuts in Tesco. Manage to avoid the weird girl who always has really random conversations with me when she’s on the tills.

13:11 – Finally make my toast but unfortunately my coffee is now very lukewarm.

13:15 – Young girl phones up to find out what time Dylan Moran will finish on Sunday night.

13:20 – Check Kelly’s blog and post a comment. Feel a bit guilty as she’s told everyone to read my posts about my working day – and I haven’t posted anything. Rather concerned that my colleagues will read it and realise how little work I’ve been doing today. Not that it’s a busy day… no-one has much to do. Hmmm, do I post this or not?

13:22 – Finish my toast and coffee.

13:23 – Tell more people at the counter that Dylan Moran is sold out.

13:27 – Some bloke walks past, swears and kicks the bicycle that is chained up outside the office.

13:29 – Darren lets down Dom’s chair as he walks past, so I get up and let down Darren’s chair – he calls me a tosser. I do a little dance.

13:32 – Postie comes in to collect today’s outgoing mail.

13:33 – Bloke comes in to book tickets for Will Self at the Old Market. Tell him to go to the Old Market.

13:36 – Lady phones up to book eight tickets for the Whippersnapper Circus.

13:43 – Darren crouches down behind me attempting to let down my seat but I catch him. He goes over to hassle Dom instead who tells him to “f*** off”.

13:48 – Bloke comes in to buy nine tickets for The Automatic gig which has just gone on sale today.

13:49 – Bloke phones up to enquire about the Midsummer Night’s Dream performance at Preston Manor.

13:53 – I’ve volunteered for Ops, the weekly meeting where all departments get together to discuss the forthcoming week’s events and review the events just gone. Get briefed by Stevie B and pick up our latest sales reports.

13:55 – Young lady comes in to enquire about The Vagina Monologues. Direct her over to the Theatre Royal.

13:58 – Walk round to the Dome with Jody discussing the volume of the seagulls outside. She signs us both in at stage door, has a mental block and forgets who I am.

14:05 – Ops meeting starts. There’s 20 of us in attendance, people from programming, marketing, technical, facilities, bars, marketing, security plus all the duty managers. I am the only person from the Box Office.

14:23 – Discuss the likely protests at Jerry Springer: The Opera following the protesters who were handing out leaflets at the weekend. I suggest infiltrating their group so that we’ll know their plans in advance. Is Jack Bauer available?

14:27 – Ops meeting finishes.

14:31 – Back in the office, time for another loo break.

14:33 - Read The Fiver daily email from The Guardian’s website.

14:40 – Lady phones up to enquire about Keane tickets – tell her to call the Brighton Centre.