Christmas Deadlines

Gah! The reason I've not posted on this 'ere site for a few days is because Sian Llewellyn (Classic Rock commander Scott Rowley's Boba Fett, as it were) contacted me on Monday to tell me I have to get all my work for next month done NOW. The reason for this slave-drivery? Why Christmas of course! Future Publishing (owner of CR and publisher of titles such as Amstrad Action and ST Format) shuts down over Christmas so the staff of its magazines can spend two weeks on full pay, lying on their backs gorging themselves on mince pies, eggnog, and Noel Edmonds. We, the humble contributers get no such luxuries. Our festive season consists of toil and our reward is unemployment in the new year. Salaried staff (anyone over the rank of Untersturmfurher) are given gold shoes and diamond toilets as a reward for their 'hard work' - contributers (or 'drones' as we are often referred to by our disdainful overlords) are sent 'punishment rewards' and a 40% cut in pay. God alone knows what awaits me this year. If last year's wasp's nest in a box is anything to go by, I can look forward to yet another miserable bloody Christmas.