OK, so I spent about 12 hours a day working in Colchester last week, trying frantically to get things going in a project. I've worked with that group before, but it was my first time in the facility. A good group of folks, and quite the experience.
It was nice trading comments with their general manager about football; he supports West Ham and kept trying to tell me that Arsenal wasn't a football club. Of course, he didn't have solid ground to stand on, as WH are struggling at the moment. They've got a new coach as of midweek, and it'll be a surprise if they can truly recover form. Then again, Arsenal had to claw a point out of their game yesterday against Portsmouth by coming from 2 goals down. I'm truly hoping that Arsenal find a way to return to their own form very quickly.
The workweek was extremely busy, but I did manage to have a few pints with some of my new colleagues, as well as my old managing director. Friday night, two of the guys from Dallas and I went to a Spanish restaurant for tapas. I was most impressed. I had been earlier in the week with a couple of clients, and had little trouble getting excited about a return trip. The family apparently comes from Andalucia, and they're very very nice, particularly our cute waitress, Estrella, from Friday night.
After several pitchers of sangria, the three of us had chupitos, then headed down the highstreet to the Hippodrome, a popular Colchester disco. They weren't quite open, so we had a pint next door in another pub full of Christmas partiers, meaning that most people were fairly well oiled, having begun their festivities several hours earlier in the afternoon.
Around 10.30, we queued up outside the disco, then got chatted up by a rather drunk local girl who was responsible for her office's party. She was trying to tell us that we were too old to be going clubbing, but of course, she was in line to go to the same queue. Eventually, however, her group tired of waiting, so they left before we actually got inside.
Once inside, the three of us grabbed pints, and watched the scene. As discos go, I prefer those from Spain, but with the holiday season in gear, it was nice to see the little Santa's helpers outfits being worn. Ultimately, I was reminded of the club scene from the film Trainspotting, though I was hoping that I wouldn't be clocked by any lager louts in the restroom.
After a couple of hours and a few more pints, we headed to another pub in time for two more shots (note to self - will I ever really learn?), another beer, and a suggestion that we go to an after hours place for a last drink.
Well, we trooped over to the next place only to find it closed to new customers. Not too surprising, considering the time (about 2am), but a bit annoying that the employee at the other pub had suggested the place to us. How come she didn't know the hours they'd be open?
At 2.30am, we were standing out in the street, and it was raining a fair amount. Furthermore, everyone else was outside trying to get a taxi, of which there are very few in the town of Colchester. Finally, thank goodness, we managed a taxi, and got back to our business hotel.
Two of us had to catch early taxis to our airports. I was leaving from Heathrow, and my American boss was leaving from Gatwick. Both airports are almost two hours away from Colchester. As my flight was leaving around 9.50, I needed to leave around 5.30 to get to the airport in time for check-in and lots of security checks.
After a night on the town, the mind sometimes makes some interesting choices. Rather than trying to catch a quick nap before the early start, I elected to have a couple more pints in the hotel bar with the night duty desk clerk. Fun as that was, my intake finally reached it's limit. I headed to my room to pack up, but made the mistake of sitting down on the bed, "only for a minute."
At 5.30, my phone rang with news that my taxi was waiting. I frantically threw my gear in my bag, hoped I wasn't forgetting anything, ran downstairs, paid the hotel bill, and rode to Heathrow, fading in and out of consciousness.
We arrived at Heathrow, I bid farewell to my taxi guy, then walked inside to the Lufthansa check-in desk to find hundreds of people already queued up. I hadn't looked in the mirror in what seemed like days, and I kept noticing a smell that I feared was coming from my person. On top of that, my mouth tasted like I'd just cleaned the floor with my tongue, and I sort of wanted a quiet safe haven.
Eventually, I got checked in, took care of business, went through three security checks, and still smelled bad. We boarded our flight on time, but then got to sit on the airplane for an hour before take off. Many passengers suddenly realized that they were going to miss their connections in Frankfurt, so everyone was a bit tense. I was glad that I'd be home soon enough, and particularly glad of the opportunity to shower.
Obviously the plane arrived an hour late, but I collected my bag, walked outside to the taxi stand, and was back at my hotel around 2pm. Oliver, the manager, was there to greet me, and made me a nice espresso while I logged on to check emails. I had a quick chat with my sister, who told me about their busy week in Valencia, then went upstairs for a bit of nap.
I wasn't feeling very hungry, but I was very tired on all fronts. Busy work week, no sleep from the previous night, and then a return to a German speaking environment. I already know that it's going to be very stressful in the coming months, and I find myself needing a bit of time to think about things a bit.
The project I'm working on has as first deadline of January 1, and it's going to be tough to get everything ready. There has not been much time for a lot of carol singing, etc. Christmas is a week away, and I've done no shopping, and don't think I'm going to have much time to shop anyway. I'm not too worried, actually, but would like a bit of Christmas spirit. I was in Colchester when the Weiterstadt team held their Christmas party, and Colchester has their party later this week, which I will miss also. That said, there are little Christmas markets in Germany, and I might run down the street to explore the one in Darmstadt a little later this afternoon. I might even find a few gifts.
This morning, my phone rang at 5.30am once again, but this time it was Chris calling to see if I had any grievances. Festivus was held at Goliad last night! Yet another party I had to miss, but I was glad to at least be included via telephone. My only grievance might have been that it's not always great when someone forgets to check the difference in time zones, but I was so out of it on the phone that I couldn't even think to say anything. I could hardly hear anything except for loads of people who seemed to have had several glasses of punch each all talking at once.
Thanks for the call, McKee. I wish I had been more alert. Maybe I'll call you in a couple of hours and return the cheer.
So it's Sunday afternoon, and I'm sitting in the hotel bar having a Kaffee. The weather is certainly chilly, and I'm starting to get in the Christmas spirit. I will work Monday and Tuesday in Germany, then return to Valencia for a quick visit, one that I'm really looking forward to.
With a little luck, one more shower will remove the last of the smell (did I step in something or what!!!???), and I'll get all my expense reports completed and approved. More on the joys of submitting expense reports in pounds, euros, and dollars later.
For now, I need to work on my feats of strength.
keep the faith
bryan
Atlanta hotel Darmstadt
suggested soundtrack:
Wham! - Last Christmas (ok, just joking)
Take That - Patience (ok, just joking again)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
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