You know you're juggling too many balls at work when.....

.....you sign off an email to a client like this…

Fish
xox

Yup I signed off a note to my client with hugs and kisses.

*Cringe*

It was an accident of course. I had one of those days yesterday where I bounced from focusing on one account to the next and then back again with barely a pause for breath. Add to the fact that I was also dealing with befuddling emails from Miles suggesting I join him and his boy in taking up a fruitarian diet for a day when they are visiting in April.

A fruitarian diet???

Apparently this is all part of some scheme of theirs to be healthier, so they’ve decided to adopt this diet for one day a week in April, the very same month they’ll be visiting me.

According to Miles “dinner is tomato and avocado! Lunch is mango soup and true fruitarians only have fruit which has dropped naturally from trees…”

Erm…right you are then Miles. Let’s be honest here, subsisting on fruit that’s fallen from trees may be achievable if you lived in, say, Southern California, but exactly how much edible fruit does he expect to find on the ground in New York in April? Honestly, do I look like a squirrel?

“But we don't have to be that strict.”

Oh well, that makes it all okay then. Eye-roll.

“Bad news is you can't drink alcohol either... though on a holiday with an old lush like you we will probably both benefit!”

Old?? Cheeky bugger!! I’m 5years younger than him. Seriously though, no alcohol, is he out of his mind? How could I get through the week without a delicious glass of pressed Malbec grapes (that’s fruit right?) to look forward to? Besides, as a pseudo-veg I need the red wine for iron. I’m often borderline anaemic when I have my check ups, it would be a health risk for me to give it up.

“I assured B that you were a health freak too and that you would be more than happy to join us for the day as a fruitarian when we are over!”

Over my dead body. I think somebody might be searching for a hotel in April if they’re not careful ;-)

Nevertheless I’ve come up with what I think is an excellent compromise. Instead of foraging around like a squirrel for fruit that's dropped from trees, I’ve suggested we go for a lovely dinner at extremely healthy vegetarian raw food restaurant, Pure Food & Wine. Doesn’t that sound much nicer?

Left and centre photos vs. the one on the right. Note PF&W have alcohol :-) Infinitely preferable correct? Of course it is, no question about it.

However if you should happen to see 3 people foraging for fruits and nuts in Central Park between 12th and 18th April then you know they've coerced me into their hare brained scheme. Urgle.

...but enough of Miles and his crazy ideas and back to the work chat, as I mentioned it was a frantic sort of day, but in the back of my mind I was aware that I owed my friend Ariel a response to her email.

I still had a few things to do come 5.30pm, including a note to a client and a project plan I’d promised my boss by the end of the day, but I was in need of a break. To hell with it, I thought, I'll shoot Ariel a quick note and dashed a missive off to my pal signed with my usual xox's of affection. The note out of the way I switched my focus to the email I still had to send to my client.

I typed it rapidly, checked it for mistakes and then added my sign off, but instead of the usual ‘regards’, ‘best’ or ‘cheers’…

Fish
xox

I hit send and immediately realised what I'd done.

Bugger!!

My typing muscles clearly had fond memories of my earlier sign off to my friend and were still on autopilot.

Ahh well, no matter, there are much worse things I could have said to a client. I've been tempted let me tell you. I'm sure he - yes to make matters worse it was a he - will get a laugh out of it.

Maybe he’ll be as bemused as I was when, going through the whole rigmarole of applying for my Greencard, I would receive letters from my lawyer signed ‘Very Truly Yours’ ha ha!!