The tightrope of human exchange...

Aha, progress at last...

At approximately 15:05, I received a call from a girl at the Institute for Citizenship - to pre-empt the feminists, I say "girl" here because she had a girl's voice, which is not to detract from her womanhood, of course. She called to inform me that my interview had to be re-scheduled, as the "chief executive" had suffered a family tragedy. I indicated to her that I had not been informed of the original interview, but that this may be due to the issue with MSN mail that I had been experiencing. She confirmed that i was to have an interview, and I acknowledged this with politesse, exuding what I hoped was "mature satisfaction".

I then proceeded to overstep the friendly exchange we were conducting, with an ill-advised extension of informality. In an attempt to demonstrate my human compassion for the bereaved, I offered "my condolences to the chief exec". An uncomfortable pause ensued, broken by her expression of bewliderment: "er... right, well, I'm sure someone will be in contact with you soon." (translation: "Freak!")

Whatever...