Stop the week

I've only been in the office for one full day this week - i've been a bit of a busy bloke, out seeing clients and interviewing trainees.

I have two massive projects to sign off and the thing i need right now (like i need an extra arsehole) is the AGM.

Since yesterday i've been sitting through never ending meetings, trying to look alert and doing my best to be sociable.

It's not finished - i'm going back tomorrow morning :@(

...

There's a big difference in the way that things are done here in France. In Engerland, it's all very cut and dried - we're here now, we should've been at this point, here's what we're going to do.Us brits don't have much time for waffle and going around the houses to get to the point.

Now, i don't know about you, but i'm not really the best meeting attendee at the best of times as i get bored and tune out very easily.Two days of french stylie, multiple intervenants, multiple exposés and mini-meetings which could easily be whittled down to one full day, all run on interminably.

There's so much time spent on going through stoopid details that by five o'clock today i commited the inevitable, unpardonable sin - i dosed of to sleep.

Yup !

I was sitting in the front row (d!oh). The DG saw me sleeping (or heard me snoring, depending on who you believe) and at one point said " .... n'est ce pas Monsieur XXXXXX ...".

My boss, sitting behind me, whispered "tu me fais honteuhhhhh" which was then followed by a chorus of cackles ...

I sort of covered myself by saying " well, you know, i'm sure there are so many factors involved that it's difficult to come down on one side or another" ... which seemed to work, as the guy looked at me with a steely eye and said 'hmmmmmm' and continued on.

My boss poked me in the back and as i turned around, she grinned and said "t'es un sacré numero, toi" .... i must've pulled something off, but never the less, my street cred is now in the nether regions of less than zero.