The Nerve Centre

When I left, to go to the Nerve Centre, there were 429 days, 10 hours, 48 minutes and 02 seconds left until the World Cup started.

I followed the instructions and finally found it in the bowels of the control room. I'd left the Prague Desk in something of a flap so I was keen to get my business done quickly. Predictably, it didn't work out that way. Everything was slow and they made me fill in all the forms again. Then they told me that the ribbon was broken and that the new one was on order. I was to come back next Thursday (the day before I left) to get my picture taken. In the meantime I was to go to -1 and ask for (what sounded like) More Tea. He/She was to put a red and a yellow sticker against my security clearance. Then I was to go into the kitchen and ask for a food subsidy.

It was all very stressful. Finally, though, after I'd been quite literally put through the administrative wringer (they wouldn't let me take a photo of it) I retired into a broom cupboard for a power nap.

When I came back through the reception and into Elliptical Resonations Phase 2 there was only 429 days, 9 hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds left until the World Cup started. 

Time was, quite literally, passing.