baking my way to the good books

Alright, as I'm sure you all predicted it's not been that easy to make Ben look like a super freak by buying him double shot coffees. Attempt number one led to exceptional motivation and energy as well as a massive number of billed hours (what else do you do if you're so wired you can't sleep!) Attempt number two made him break into a very interesting sweat at our lunch time CLE but everyone was just concerned he might be getting sick and sent him home. (Can you believe a law firm actually chose to send someone home rather than let them get sick at work, making them money!)

So I'm back to the drawing board.

There haven't been many brain waves of late so I tried Kate for inspiration. She didn't seem too impressed. It's probably down to the fact that Jean-Claude and Ben are old 'mates' (how old I'm not sure but they've obviously worked together for a while). In fact, as she and I cooked up some pasta post work (with standard glass of wine glued to hand) she made it quite clear that she thought my plan was a little 'unethical' and not what 'ABC is about'. I think she's just jealous she didn't think of it first.

Maybe she's right that hard work and dedication will pay off in the end. My challenge for this week is to push my cynicism aside and try a bit of the old Julie Andrews style hard work and good ethics. (Remember I'm a lawyer, I can do anything.)

Lesson learnt = be careful about sharing sneaky plans with Kate (she used to love scheming with me when we were at University, how love has changed her).

Way to get back in good books = cook up a batch of my fabulous sticky date and ginger biscuits.

In fact, I'm going to cook a second batch and take them in to work for mornos tomorrow to demonstrate the full extent of my Julie Andrews goodness.

double shot

When I first started at D & H as a criminal lawyer, there was an English bloke working with us who was a bit strange. He used to turn up for work about midday and then work through until three or four in the morning. Now, I know we lawyers often establish strange study/sleeping patterns while we are at law school but this bloke was especially strange. He consumed an awful lot of coffee and was always a bit jumpy and nervous. No one was really sure whether the coffee was causing the jumpy nerves or whether he was up to something very dodgy and that he just needed to keep drinking coffee to keep himself awake to get through it. My personal theory was that he worked London hours and was involved in some sort of international crime scandal. Anyway, he ended up leaving D & H in strange curcumstances. One day we got an email from the boss saying it was his last day and then he never came back. No explanation, no reason. Flat out weird.

Despite the weirdness, it was an interesting lesson in how too much caffeine can mess you up and make you seem shifty.

I was thinking about this because I'm just about to pop out for my morning coffee from Nonna's, I think I'll see if I can pick one up for Ben while I'm down there.... double shot perhaps?

in search of the perfect problem

I have just had the most deliciously evil thought.

You are aware that after the 'Niffen' incident I was put on seriously restricted duties, confined to the pro bono program and tethered to Ben's ankle until I proved my self again. The matter for Peter's VGM seems to have redeemed me in the eyes of the partners and the work situation for 2008 is looking tres positive.

Ben is looking more and more precarious. There is no way I can stop him crashing down unceremoniously so the right thing do is offer to cushion the fall. Be there as the supportive friend as he is swiped from partnership (perhaps even plant a seed in the minds of Uncle and Peters that all is not well with Ben) then slowly take over his work to build my own partnership worthy practice. This is all for the good of BCF of course, I wouldn't want to see the quality of the work and client satisfaction continue to flounder under Ben's poor guidance.

I am, after all, 'not too bad for a skirt'. I just need to find the perfect problem to knock Ben off his perch once and for all... drugs, terminal illness, gambiling problem? What can I gossip madly about to Kate and Uncle to destroy him? Ideas anyone?