It's been a strange day in the office ... →[More:]
Someone had designated today as Dress Up As A Pirate Day on our floor. Probably about 30% of the staff really entered into the spirit in full pirate regalia (including several people with toy parrots on their shoulders). A lot of other people wore just pirate hats and bandanas.

Jolly Roger bunting was being strung across the office, and as it approached my bank of desks, my college (whose name is Mr Bacon) said "You can stop right there. This is the Grumpy Corner". So we avoided having our desks decorated with flags and balloons.

A face-painting corner was set up to paint eyepatches on people (the gayest man in the office had his eyepatch painted in glitter!) and for reasons I haven't been able to fathom, tequila sunrises (without the tequila) were handed round.

Even more inexplicable than the non-tequila sunrises, it had been decreed that there would also be a bug-eating contest. Each team had to nominate someone by paying money to charity. I was working from home yesterday when all this was being set up and I had a horrible feeling I might be chosen but - phew! - my friend James volunteered for my team. I paid £10 to the charity, I was so grateful.

So after lunch everyone gathered to watch people eating crickets, ants, beetles and other things (not live ones, thank God, the dead ones were bad enough). The Rhino Beetles were huge. I couldn't watch.

Oh, and I had my promotion interview. I didn't think it went too badly, but you never know with these things. I'll find out in a couple of weeks. They're interviewing a lot of people. At least I didn't have to sit through it with a painted-on eyepatch.