Reader's lives: Londoner calling

The city by the Thames will always have a special place in her heart

Dodwell-Bennett: Shopping trips beat power trips, every time

Golf handicap?
Not being able to play -- as my Scottish resellers will testify.

How many beers before you fall over?
I don’t do beer.

Car or other vehicle you drive?
With the kids, a Volvo XC90. Without the kids, a Mini Cooper S.

What was your first job?
Mail clerk.

How much did it pay and was that fair?
£4,800. Seemed fair enough at the time.

How did you get into IT?
I moved from a job in construction to Action Computer Supplies (now Insight). I thought IT would pay better.

Which TV personality would you most like to be, and why?
Supernanny Jo Frost, if only to prove that there isn’t a being on Earth who can stop my daughter whining once she’s on a roll.

Are you looking forward to the London Summer Games in 2012?
It is a ‘once in a lifetime’ thing. How often do we get to watch the Olympics live? My old stomping ground gets a makeover too.

How do you relax, and do you find it easy to switch off from work?
I envy people who can appear to just chill and do nothing, unless of course they live with me or work for me, in which case I’ll give them something to do.

Which is your favourite city?
London is special to me - I was born in London and I still have a strong feeling of ownership and pride whenever I go there. Amsterdam and Rome are close seconds though.

Is there any future in simply selling packaged product?
There will always be a space for selling plain old boxes, but less and less money in it.

What could prompt you to give it all up and join the revolution?
A big win on the lottery. Otherwise, nothing; I don’t have the desire, nor the facial hair.

What sport should be in the Olympics but isn’t?
Surfing. I want to see guys used to Bondi get in the water off Cornwall.

What is your favourite joke or the one you heard most recently?
I said to the gym instructor: “Can you teach me do the splits?” He said: “How flexible are you?” I said: “I can't make Tuesdays.”

Sorry, that’s pretty bad, isn’t it? Let me try again: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went camping. They pitched their tent and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Holmes woke Watson and said: “Watson, look up at the stars.” Watson replied: “I see millions and millions of stars.” Holmes said: “And what do you deduce?”

Watson replied: “If even a few have planets, there may be some like Earth. And there might also be life.”

And Holmes said: “Watson, you idiot, somebody stole our tent.”

Which is more satisfying: money or power?
Money. I’d have a shopping trip over a power trip every time.

What is your ideal holiday destination?
Anywhere with friends, as long as it’s not skiing.

Is IT well taught in schools?
You don’t need a lesson on email or the internet. You just need to use it as part of your daily life. That’s why a cross-curricular approach will work so much better. It doesn’t help that teachers are often given technology for the classroom without the training and support on how to use it. So I guess that’s a long-winded ‘no’, then.

Martine Dodwell-Bennett is group sales and business development director at Steljes