May it be over

If we were having coffee is a feature hosted by Part-Time Monster. Find posts on Twitter using the hashtag #WeekendCoffeeShare.

If we were having coffee, I would apologise that we haven’t had the chance to catch up this month! I’ve kind of been burning the candle at both ends.

Work has been intense, as one of my colleagues is on a month-long sales trip and I have been covering her work in the office. She deals with some of the busiest territories and an imprint, so this is a massive responsibility and challenge. I know the experience is invaluable for when I have my own territories, but I can’t deny that I will be so glad to see her on Thursday!

An unexpected bonus is an actual bonus that we’ll be receiving next month, for being the top imprint in the UK for the first time. Very chuffed! I also joined the entertainment committee, and the charity I suggested is the one we’re going to support this year, so I’m very pleased about that.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you about the great books I’ve been reading. I thought it was about time to read some Terry Pratchett, so opted for the rather obvious The Colour of Magic. It was hilarious, and it’s nice to know there’s a massive series of books there for me to dip in to when I’m struggling to find something to read.

After finally reading The Handmaid’s Tale last month, I picked up another famous dystopia: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It was brilliant and terrifying. Written in 1931, it was eerie to see how many of his guesses have already become a reality. The introduction by Margaret Atwood was also fascinating, showing how elements of the seemingly opposite visions of the future presented in this novel and 1984 by George Orwell both exist in our modern world.

If we were having coffee, I’d say we work hard, but we play hard too. Here were some of May’s events and new places visited:

Comedy Carnival, Bar Rumba. The comedy was good, the music was cheesy, they make a great Key West Cooler… what’s not to like? We even won tickets to go back and a bottle of Cava, because they thought we tweeted funny stuff during the show.

Balthazar. We went here for Kelly’s birthday, and it was really nice. So nice that I decided it was the place my fancy handbag should have its first outing.

Surrounded by my friends ordering grown-up stuff like artichoke and duck, I chose the macaroni cheese. It turns out that they do the best macaroni cheese ever, and everyone ended up eating some of it. (Tip: add bacon. Always add bacon.)

We had a celebrity spot in the form of Charlie Hunnam, but unfortunately I didn’t know who he was, so I don’t think it counts.

Jamie’s Italian. Finally tried a Jamie’s Italian, although I think leeks are an unnecessary addition to carbonara. I ended up going back again, though, and the bolognese was great.

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Borough Market. My friend visited one weekend and we took her to Borough Market for lunch. We just wanted to eat all the things. There were a few too many people for my liking, because the sun was splitting the heavens, but I’d like to go back and try more!

Madison. This rooftop restaurant has a gorgeous view of St Paul’s, but we just went to the cocktail bar. It was a lovely place to be on a sunny Saturday, and with everyone seemingly on the Southbank it was relatively peaceful.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. This musical was wholly appropriate for how we were feeling! It has now closed, but Tamsin Greig and co did a great job – it was a really fun show.

Scoff and Banter. We went here in the hope of sitting outside, only to find someone called George Clooney had a movie coming out that day and Leicester Square was set up for a premiere. Either way, the food was good!

Warner Brothers Studio Tour. OK, this isn’t a new place for me, but I hadn’t been since they added the Hogwarts Express, which totally merits another visit!

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Pitch Perfect 2. I love the first one, I love this one, I love Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson and a cappella and riff-offs. Love love love.

Avenue Q, Greenwich Theatre. I go on and on about this show, but it is absolutely hilarious, the songs are ingenious and this production was excellent (they always are). I liked Greenwich Theatre: it seemed that no matter what seats you had, you had an excellent view of the stage. All of the performers were excellent – I couldn’t choose a stand-out – although when Sarah Harlington sang There’s a Fine, Fine Line it was like she meant every single word.

Phew! It’s been a long, exhausting month, but when I see everything written down like this I realise it has been good-busy too! All the same, I am very much looking forward to June: it’s my birthday, I’ll be spending a whole week at home, and, of course, there are plenty more events in the diary!

Hope you have had a lovely weekend,

Lauren