I stole that line from one of those `ques- tionnaires',
ubiquitous in the public prints these days. You know the sort of thing: Favourite food? Favourite film? Supersti- tions? And so on.
There was a gem in the Guardian's unmissable soccer diary on Saturday; the England forward Chris Waddle's First job interview? At a sausage-seasoning factory. He got a lift on a moped but, on arrival, could not remove the borrowed bright- orange crash helmet. So he had to answer interview questions through the helmet's grill. He got the job. But the old ones are still hard to beat. Like Frank Worthington's Most dangerous opponent? 'My ex-wife.' Or another Eng- land international, John Gregory's Biggest disappointment? 'Daphne Saywell, Form 4B.'
ate his new habit with a maddening high- pitched beep. This Pavlovian punishment should preclude your having to take any further action.
Q. I work for a very socially smart boss, so when I chanced to meet him at lunch I was desperate to try and `keep up', so told a name-dropping anecdote. As I brought it to an end, I realised that on one of the two other occasions on which I have met my boss in such circumstances I had told the same story. As there was an even smarter executive (`Y') at the table, I did not draw attention to my mistake. I want my boss to know that I realise my faux pas. How should I engineer a situation in which I can confess it in a natural but witty way?
A.H., London E14 A. I agree that it is important your boss does not write you off as a banging-on bore. Therefore next time you run into him say, `It was kind of you to sit though that anec- dote about the Xs again without complain- ing. Someone told me that Y adores name- dropping and I thought he might enjoy it.'
Mary Killen
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