“You really need to work on your presentation skills.”

My team has been asked to deliver a presentation at a conference in London. My boss isn’t very warm towards the theoretical background that the conference is themed around; as an established expert in her field, she can afford to shrug off approaches she doesn’t agree with. I could see she wasn’t keen on going.

“I could go and do the presentation.”
“Hmmm.”
“If you’re not that into [that theory], and don’t want to spend time on it, I can go instead. If the [national authority in our field] think [that theory] is really important, we should do something.”
“I think you really need to work on your presentation skills.”

Ouch! What a sharp comment! She could tell that I was shocked, and she backtracked clumsily. But the damage was done. The severity of her words stung me. I don’t think my boss has ever seen me giving a presentation, as it happens, which means that she just thinks I’m not good enough, rather than knowing from experience.

How I feel about work: two steps forward, one step back.

Cellar time!

It was too cold to dig, so Durex postponed our fixture. I got on with clearing out the cellar. It was a tip, full of old cardboard and bits of polystyrene that once kept stereos secure. I found letters dating back to 2004, and empty Space Raiders boxes. It took a few hours, but it was totally worth the effort. I managed to get most of the junk into one half of the cellar, and to leave the other half quite pleasant. It’s a good place to store the chairs that go with the new table.

Liz picked me up from the Vic after the deathly-dull Stoke Liverpool game, and drove round to my house for tea. We had mushroom and chicken risotto, served with lashings and lashings of white wine, then cheesecake, and later crackers, cheese and port. The table performed well on its debut, and then we settled down with “The World is Not Enough.” What a ludicrously bad film, but that isn’t important; I really enjoyed myself. I’ve missed Liz so much in the last couple of months, so it was great just to spend time together. James wasn’t the only Bond I enjoyed tonight.

What a good day! Two reasons!

1 – I bought a table! A folding dining table! With four chairs! For forty-five pounds! The couple I bought it from delivered it! It’s lush!

2 – My boss said she’d like to send me on a course to do with research methods! Yes! So the job that I’ve not much enjoyed for a while might be going to get me qualified in something? Hooray!

Salford Mists

I met some really nice people from downstairs on my brilliant GIS course. Work took a turn for the better today as a result. Then I met Paul in the King's Arms for a pint. He seems well, if you exclude his toe. Later Becky and I watched Fellowship of the Ring in the lounge, my first movie in the new flat. It was good to hang out with her.

Guardi

I exchanged a volley of texts with Guardi.

Guardi: Where’s my mention in your blog bor?
DTRMCR: Under June probably mate, I’ve not seen much of you really
Guardi: I saw you at new years
DTRMCR: I found a photo with you in it, you’ll be on later on
Guardi: Yer I better and you better say something nice

Liz

So much has happened since Liz and I last saw each other, good things, tough things, fun things and things we’d never have imagined. We went to the Lass, to Kro2, to Odder, and we talked and talked and talked. To me it felt very normal, very natural, to sit together in a pub, talking over a drink. We drank rather a lot, which felt quite normal too. It was lovely to catch up.

Jam St Café

I woke up to the sound of Lump by PUSA on Rock Radio, and heard the same song last thing before leaving Pi. Kate and I went to the Jam St Café for something to eat. The offer for Monday and Tuesday nights is two main courses and a bottle of house wine for £22, which we snapped up. The salad included orange and rocket, which went together very well. Liz texted. We’re meeting tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to it.

NTS Sheffield

Pumpkin risotto with crispy sage

Hugh's Recipe

Ingredients

For the pumpkin risotto

570ml/1 pint vegetable or chicken stock
1 small onion, chopped
12 fresh sage leaves, chopped finely
2 tbsp olive oil
170g/6oz arborio (risotto) rice
250g/9oz pumpkin or butternut squash, diced small
50g/2oz butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper


For the crispy sage

12-16 fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp sunflower oil


For serving

piece fresh parmesan, or vegetarian parmesan-style grating cheese


Method

1. Heat the stock until almost boiling and then keep over a very low heat. In a separate heavy-based saucepan sweat the onion in the oil until soft but not browned. Add the chopped sage and cook for a couple more minutes.

2. Add the rice and mix well for a few seconds to coat the grains with oil, then
pour in one-third of the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until almost all the stock is absorbed. Add the pumpkin or squash and a little more stock, and continue to simmer gently until the stock is absorbed.

3. From then on add more stock a little at a time, until the pumpkin is soft and the rice nicely al dente. You may not need all the stock, but the texture should be loose and creamy.

4. When the risotto is almost ready, heat the sunflower oil in a small pan and quickly fry the sage leaves until crispy - it takes a matter of seconds.

5. Stir the butter into the risotto, and season well with salt and pepper. Divide into four servings and throw a few crispy sage leaves over each portion. Bring the cheese and a grater to the table for your guests to serve themselves.

New projects 2009

How about some new projects for 2009? Why not?

1. This diary will change your life 2009

Kate gave me this wonderful diary for Christmas. Each week has an instruction or task to follow that will make life “more interesting for you than for other, lesser people.” What a thoughtful and well-chosen gift – I love this kind of thing. Remember Challenge Tennis? My first online project of the year documents my experiences with this diary, and can be viewed here.

2. Photo 365

Take a photo every day and upload it. View it here. That’s online project two.

3. Letters

My new year’s resolution is that I will write and post a letter for every fifty text messages I receive. Online project three is a record of this resolution – of who I’ve sent letters to, and whether I’ve had any replies. I’m still sketching out the details about including their content – some letters might be very private, for example. I’m expecting to have to write and send a letter every six or seven days, so around fifty or sixty as the year goes on. Letter writing is something that I want to be good at so I’ll do it more. See here for more.