trillianjedi - 11:23 am on Nov 25, 2004 (gmt 0)

Er, they seem like perfectly reasonably questions to me - why not just answer them?

If you need the additional battery - explain to him why.

If you need the re-writable CD-Rom - explain to him why.

If you really need something slimline/compact - explain to him why you need it and ask him to increase the budget for this as a one-off in the circumstances.

He's asked the exact same questions I would if presented with this by an employee ;-)

TJ