Wednesday

Tonight there are a couple of book launches to go to. The first is near Euston, so me and Jess jump on the tube after work - but not before I pick up a possibly-dubious egg mayo bagel from a cheap bagel place on Wood Green High Street. The book to be launched is a novel published by a young company called To Hell With Publishing, who we've just taken on. They also now have their own shop, which features not only the original counter from Malcolm Maclaren's sex shop (it's made of car parts for some reason) but also lots of pages from books pasted on the walls with wallpaper paste.

It's a nice event and we have a couple of drinks and a chat - but we slink off early to get to the second launch, which is in the champagne bar on the top floor of Waterstone's flagship store on Piccadilly. This book is published by Franc Roddam (best known for directing Quadrophenia) who is a very nice man - especially as he has provided an open bar serving more or less whatever you could want; and as much of it. I partake of rather too many glasses of red wine, as well as a couple of beers, and stand around happily chatting to Jess, Paul, Andy and Deborah from work. Melanie Sykes (1990s Boddington's advert) is also there, for some reason - telly related, probably.

After what must be around 7 glasses of wine, the others suggest another drink at a cocktail bar in Soho. I agree, despite being resolutely not a cocktail bar sort of person. We go there and I have a profoundly unwise whisky and Coke while Andy, Jess and Paul enthusiastically get stuck into the sort of drinks that you're supposed to have there - i.e. the ones that take about 20 minutes to make and cost an unimaginable amount of money. I nip out for a fag and talk about UK hip hop to the bouncer - I have literally no idea what I was talking about, naturally.

I eventually make my way home at around 11.30, wanting to get the tube rather than do a night-bus on a school-night type end to the evening, and wander drunkenly and circuitously towards Oxford Circus tube. Fun book launch nights like this are when I remember how much I enjoy this job - even if I do go for it on the booze a little too much. Whoops.