Unintelligent Design

Well, they're getting there... slowly.

"Die Geheime Geschichte" was top of my recommendations today. Hmmm, thinks I, half awake (my German is, er, 'nacht sehr gut' anyway...)- isn't that a L'ame Immortelle album, or something of that ilk? Sounds very promising.

No, it's a book by Donna Tartt. For one brief, joyful second I think "Yay, she's written something new!". And then I realise that they're trying to sell me the German translation of The Secret History, which I already own. D'oh. Still, they do get an 'A' for effort...

Does that sound like an Edward Gorey book title to you? The tale itself is actually a bit closer to Dilbert...

It's not my fault. Well, ok, it is my fault, but wasn't actually intentional. A not-too-awful week at work ended up with me being unexpectedly hauled into a meeting with some of the "Great and Powerful". And while we don't actually have a shirt-and-tie dress code these days (just as well, as I was wearing T-shirt and jeans), I was looking a bit unshaven at the time (it'd been a long week...) - which got some odd looks and comments.

Being scruffy and unshaven can be considered grounds for a formal 'presentation and appearance' snottigram from the HR catberts. And I can really do without one of them right now.

However, having a beard is fine. And even HR have to acknowledge that nobody can suddenly acquire a beard without some scruffy transitional stubble. So I'm officially growing a beard.

I don't actually intend to keep it, of course. I just need to leave it for a while, so that I can credibly say "this looks silly - beards don't really suit me, do they?" and lose it again. Well, unless it astonishes me by looking halfway decent.

I love my job. No, really...