Still Ill

Friday 4 December

The throat infection is still around. The doctor prescribes penicillin with an Ibuprofen chaser. I head back to bed.

Saturday 5 December

World Cup draw. England are drawn against Algeria, USA and Slovenia, which is far removed from my prediction on Twitter of Jedward, Katie Price and Karry Katona. English punters are already discussing who'll knock them out on penalties.

Apparently Charlize Theron, who is co-hosting the World Cup draw, reportedly pulled out a ball and said "Ireland" instead of "France" during rehearsals on Friday. Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke stressed that it was 'only a joke'. I bet the Irish think it's funny!

The funniest ever episode of "The Thick of It". Next week's episode can't possible be funnier. Can it?

Sunday 6 December

Did the first of my three Christmas shows on the radio. A pleasant change from my normal show.

Monday 7 December

Back to work and back to the gym.

Tuesday 8 December

It's Flick Wriggly Nativity today and I have a half day. Before we witness her sparkling stage performance as one of the sheep in the choir, the Good Lady Wife and I take the plunge and get an iPhone each. Not the new super-duper 3GS but the common-or-garden 3G one. It's free, with a contract. We sit in the car, near the school, stuffing McDonald's and playing with out phones! all I need is a Burberry baseball hat.

The Good Lady Wife had spent the early part of the morning in the class and the teacher had said that Flick was "very intelligent". Now, we're not getting carried away with it but that is pleasing and we're secretly chuffed. She has her faults but the pluses out weight the negatives. Long may it continue.

Wednesday 9 December

I'm still fumbling my way around my iPhone and I'm not happy that you can't put your own ringtones on it. You can only do it if you live in the USA. This is despite there being a "Create Ringtone" option on one of the iTunes menus. I'm sure there's an illegal way round it but I can't be bothered with that. I download my first app, which is the Sky Sports Centre one. I also get the Sky+ app, which means I can set a programme to tape remotely if I'd forgotten to do it at home. It works from upstairs but I'll try it from work tomorrow.

Thursday 10 December

Being first into the office I always pick up a couple of copies of the Metro from the front reception. I peruse the normally idiotic letters page (no, it isn't as funny as the old Viz letters page) and see a letter from someone at BBC Scotland who is looking to speak to people who are looking to get motivated to achieve something in 2010, whether it be to lose some weight, run a marathon or swim the Channel. With a great desire to re-start my book in 2010, I drop her an e-mail. I also mention how I motivated myself towards the end of last year to rid myself of depression and lose weight this year. She replies that she'll be in touch. My 2009 health kick was the main reason the book fell by the wayside.

When I get a call from "A Question of Genius". I've been selected for the show and it'll be recording in January. I'm so chuffed. I don't expect to win (I never do) but I'm looking forward to it. I like the buzz of it all; the excitement of being involved in something that's going to be "on the telly". Should I get to the last round my specialist subject will be UK Top 40 hits of the 1980s and that's a big "should".

More apps: Facebook, Tweetdeck, a Virtual pool game and the Profanity app, a favourite of Andrew Collins and Richard Herring.

Friday 11 December

Our work Christmas night out. A (very nice) meal at Le Monde followed by a visit to The Jamhouse, which is owned by Jools Holland. It caters for an older crowd but is less of a meat market than some Edinburgh venues of old.

Between leaving the restaurant and heading off to The Jamhouse we have a couple of drinks. While there I get a call from the woman who put the letter in the paper about motivation and goals for 2010. We have a chat about what I want to do and she says what they're looking for and the format of the programme. (I'm being deliberately vague about the exact content of the conversation for reasons that, well, I can't go into just now!) Again, she'll get back to me after she's spoken to others who have written to her.

The nearest I get to hedonistic behaviour all night is when I mixing my drinks; Diet Coke in Le monde and Diet Pepsi in The Jamhouse! I danced most of the night, which may be down to the sugar rush! Unfortunately there's was no Slosh, which I'm a demon at.

Walked through Stockbridge (the lure of the chip shop is strong but I resist) to get to my car and bump into an old colleague who is amazed at my transformation. She can't believe I've lost a stone and a half and in her inebriated stupor keeps stroking my slender face! The drive home is relatively quiet and after dropping off a colleague in Rosyth I finally get home between 1.30 am and 2am. A good night.

Saturday 12 December

Recovering from last night's non-drunken debauchery. My feet are still buzzing and my back and knees are aching. I'm now at the age where it takes a couple of days to recover.

Spend the day taking it easy and preparing my radio show for tomorrow.

Sunday 13 December

The second of three festive shows. this time the studio has been decorated and I feel like I'm broadcasting from inside a Christmas cake!

Monday 14 December

Anyone wishing to see me humiliate myself on TV can get free tickets here: http://bit.ly/6R9Zyc I'm recording on Wed 6 Jan 2010 at 2.30pm in Glasgow.

Tuesday 15 December

Off sick as the throat infection kicks in in big style. I'm breathing like an asthmatic donkey. I couldn't even move when the alarm went off. Dragged myself out of bed to phone work around 8.30am. Start popping pills shortly afterwards. My head's mince and my body is aching.

The team from "A Question of Genius" have been in touch to say that I'll have to change my specialist subject from UK Top 40 Hits of the 1980s to the Eurovision Song Contest. They say my original choice is "too broad". (I don't entirely understand the logic behind that with 10 years of hits against 50+ years of foreign records but I'm too ill to get my head truly around it. Hell they could ask me to change my specialist topic to "Deserts of the World" or "Margaret Thatcher" at the moment and I'd probably agree.) The specialist subject is only required for the very last round so the chances of me getting there are remote. Nevertheless I'd better do some swotting.

Did I mention I was ill?