Well, last Sunday I was watching an FA cup match in my local pub, when a young couple brought their twin toddlers in for a little refreshment. The place was pretty quiet, save for a couple of us watching Arsenal and another few folks enjoying quiet beers in the corner, but the arrival of these two little blonde kids changed everything. Both of them could not stop grinning and voicing their happiness at life in general.
One of the waitresses and I have often traded stories about our neices and nephews and how much we were entertained by happy little kids. These little boys just kept smiling at her as she poured drinks and served customers. The kids sort of walked around from table to table, and every customer was simply taken with their cuteness. It kind of warmed the heart.
Arter a quick snack, their parents bundled them back up, they gave a little goodbye yell, and they were off. It helps you remember how nice a pub can be on a quiet, grey Sunday afternoon.
I like these brief moments of heartwarming, and was equally touched a couple of days later just seeing an old picture of a four year old dancing around a Christmas tree, looking shyly and expectantly back up at the camera.
With the fuzzy stuff out of the way, I will take a minute or 20 and give a quick update on the past few days. Late Monday morning, I headed out to the airport with plenty of time to get checked in for my flight to Budapest. I kind of wandered around the airport a bit, then somehow headed through the security checkpoint to the gates 21-30. That would probably have been ok, but I was going to depart from gate 14.
I went through passport control, and it was at this moment I realized that I was just plain in the wrong part of the terminal. Unfortunately, there was no way to get to the part where my gate was without going out of the airport and back in again. So, I basically left Germany for about 5 minutes (considering that you are technically in no country when you are in an airport lounge), reentered the country, then went through security (hi, how come you have so many mobile phones and ac adapters? cos I am a walking office!) again, and finally made it to my departure gate, where I discovered that the flight would be truly full. Neat.
My colleagues were flying into Budapest from the UK, but would arrive a couple of hours after I landed. We landed on time, I had a couple of coffees and did some people watching until their plane arrived. From there, we met our taxi guy, who drove us a few hours south to Pecs, a university town.
Tuesday morning, we arrived at the repair site, and I met my customer for the first time. This was my first opportunity to see the operations, and I was eager to get into things. My colleague is a pretty good guy, and quite funny; I will have some big shoes to fill as I take over the account.
We spent the day going through the basics, bringing me up to speed. At 6, we packed up, and the customer took us off to a local winery for dinner and some bevvie tasting. This was our chance to get to know one another outside of work.
Since I am getting a lot of information in a short amount of time, nevermind meeting loads of people, I find it a bit challenging to be totally relaxed. On one hand, I am eager to make a first impression, and on the other, want to get through my learning curve as quickly as possible. This is no easy feat, particularly as I have recently discovered that I am a bit self conscious on a number of levels.
At any rate, there were about 9 of us sitting around the table. The wines were pretty good, as was the meal. We were doing a fair amount of joking through the starters and the main course.
The quality of the wines improved as the hours passed, as did the consumption. I was in no way drunk, but I was starting to feel like I could go outside in shirt sleeves, even though it must have been minus 3 degrees.
When my colleague started showing signs that he was enjoying his wine, I decided to quietly move a bottle out of harm's way, as his elbow seemed like it could knock the wine over any second. Well, I moved the bottle right into my own glass, managing to knock it over, spilling the freshly poured contents onto the table and almost into my customer's lap.
The restaurant wasn not very full, but when glass breaks, everyone stops for a moment to see which plonker did it. Of course I was sheepishly saying "fuck fuck fuck" in about every language I could think of as the waiter came over and laboriously used 10 napkins to mop up the mess.
Um, this was EXACTLY what I did NOT want to do when meeting my customer for the first time. I had been somewhat quiet for most of the evening as I tend to be around people I meet for the first time, when ka-whap! I turned the spotlight right on myself.
Fortunately, everyone was most gracious and did the reasonable thing by laughing out loud, and we quickly put the moment behind us. Unbelievable...
The next day we were back on site, and I was very careful with my coffee and water. We wrapped up our visit, then took a train north to Budapest, where we arrived right about rush hour.
A taxi took us across the river to our hotel, which looked out over the castle and parliament. Quite a nice hotel, I must say. We discovered that for an extra charge, we could take advantage of the executive lounge, where we attacked the fridge of beer and the snacks on the buffet.
I think we got our money's worth, then headed to a restaurant a few seconds from the hotel to watch a bit of Champions League. The place was dead empty at 20h, but the guy would not give us a table, claiming that everything was reserved for the games being shown on the 20 odd televisions around the bar.
We elected to stay there anyway, ordered food and drink, and watched as the place filled up. I had forgotten that Arsenal were playing a match that evening, also, and with luck, it was also being shown on tv. Most of the matches were rather uneventful, and I could almost say the same for the Arsenal except for the injuries that a couple of players picked up, ultimately making their victory sort of bittersweet.
I spent the whole following day visiting another supplier, and was pretty tired when we got back to the hotel at 7.30. My colleagues were equally spent, so we once again went upstairs to attack the refreshments and relax. A little past 10, we decided to go back to the same restaurant from the previous evening (boring, I know) where we found a completely different scene: the place was totally dead.
The waiter informed us that we could eat, but that the place would close promptly at 11, so we quickly ordered dinner, watched a few minutes of football, ate our food, paid up, and called it a night.
Today was a pretty early start. Caught a taxi at 6.30, got to the airport, and I am home once again.
I am planning to do a little sight seeing here this weekend, which I will agree is somewhat ironic. However, irony seems to be the story of my life right now. So long as I refrain from breaking any more glassware, though, I think it should be ok.
keep the faith
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
It Is Only So Mundane As You Want It To Be
In this week's exciting update, I will detail extensively the culinary delights I took advantage of this past week while staying in East Killbride. Um, burgers and chips, I think it was. Three times. For a bit of variety, I ate sandwiches for lunch each day, ones that I had purchased in the local gas station/convenience store that we passed daily on the way to the office.
Now, this in no way is a dig at East Killbride, it is more of a reflection on the fact that Bryan can simply make do when the food choices are somewhat limited. I have taken a big step forward by actually eating lunch during the working week. For years, I was all about a smoke and a smile during the Mahlzeit, and for the better part of a decade in the states, I spent about an hour each day drinking lattes and watching the traffic flow on highway 114.
The decision to consume burgers this week came about somewhat by accident, and truth be told, had I been at home, I probably would have simply filled a few soft tortillas with chicken, cheese, and jalopeños and called it a feast. (Whoever said Bryan wasn't super talented in the kitchen?) Upon my arrival in the hotel on Monday night, I thought a burger was the easiest thing on the menu, and I wasn't all that hungry.
Midweek, I got back to the hotel after work, and got so worked up about the football match between Arsenal and Barcelona, that I phoned up room service and ordered another burger. (more on the match in a second).
The very next day, I went with some colleagues to a pub to watch the Rangers match, and was told that the burgers were great. Turns out that wasn't exactly the case, but that is how the triple burger bit came about, and I was definitely craving a repeat of the schnitzel I ate last Saturday night, which perhaps was one of the best I had eaten since I came to Germany.
The week itself started pretty early for me. My flight to Glasgow by way of Amsterdam left Frankfurt at 5 minutes to 7 on Monday morning, which required me to be up at 4.15. Not surprisingly, around 5pm that afternoon (central european time minus one) I was ready to call it a day. My colleague noticed, and drove me over to the hotel.
The working days were spent trying to soak up as much information as possible, and further develop relationships with my colleagues, identifying who does what (and how well), who to contact in North America for systems or materials support, etc. With each day, I get a better feeling that I am progressing, and will be able to contribute in my position.
Wednesday night was to be a prety big night. I had no intention of trying to find some cool place to watch the Arsenal-Barca match. However, upon entering the hotel after work, I realized that I didn't want to watch in the hotel lobby/bar, either. Fortunately, I discovered that the match would be broadcast on local television, hence the reason for doing the room service thing.
I tend to be a bit pessimistic when watching teams play against Barcelona, particularly my team. Barca are easily one of the most skilled clubs in football, and are tremendous to watch. I have seen Valencia beat them on more than one occasion, but Arsenal have not been so fortunate. (Champs league final back in 2006 was one of the best matches I have ever seen in my life, though the result wasn't so great. And never mind the home and away games last year...)
The build up to the game was quite great; both teams play attacking football, quite attractively. However, most people were putting their money on Barcelona, including myself. That team just seems to be miles ahead of everyone else at the moment.
The game started brightly (sorry Chris, just had to say it), and I quickly realized that I would not be able to finish my burger. I was just too jittery. 26 minutes into the game, Barca scored their first goal, and I feared the worst.
For much of the match, Arsenal were chasing the ball, but continued to fight for their chances to play their game. Their efforts were rewarded with a wonderful equalizer, and while I got kind of excited, I also felt that we would concede another goal or three.
When Arsenal scored their second goal, another very impressive one, I did jump up and do a little dance, ignoring the fact that my drapes were open and I was wearing only my Arsenal boxers. (note to self - remember that what happens on the road is supposed to STAY on the road. Sometimes less detail is better...) Still, with 7 minutes remaining, I thought that Barca would get an equalizer or a gamewinner. So, I sat shredding a coaster on the corner of my bed til full time was called. Arsenal did get the result, and I was beside myself. After closing the drapes, I did another little dance, watched the post match commentary, then went to sleep with happy thoughts.
The guys in the office murmured a few words of congratulations the next day, and a few other folks sent me emails or text messages, which was nice. Truly, the match was fantastic to watch, even if you aren't a fan of either side. I am quite sure your man from the Ticket in Dallas had a few things to say during his program on Thursday and Friday. If not, he should have.
Well, as one can expect when you are a new start, the time zips right by as you try to learn as much as you can in a short amount of time. The days are full, but as I mentioned above, I believe I am making progress and getting up to speed. Like the passing from the previous night's football match, information overload can make you dizzy.
So, when Friday morning came about, I was very ready to fly home for the weekend. The logistics are a bit tricky, as my connecting flight from Amsterdam departs about 50 minutes after landing from Glasgow. If my first flight is delayed by more than 5 minutes, I would likely miss my flight back to Germany. Last week, everything worked out well. Yesterday, we were about 15 minutes late getting out of Glasgow, and I thought that the chances of me catching my flight in Amsterdam would be slim to nil.
Amsterdam airport is relatively well organized, but it is busy, especially on a Friday afternoon. That is what I was thinking as I raced from terminal D to B. The queue at passport control was quite long, but somehow I found myself getting through security (hello, why do you have so many ac adapters, cables, and handys in your backpack? cos i am a walking office!) with the thought that I might just make my connection.
I jogged up to the gate just as the last of the folks in the lounge were boarding, so was feeling pretty good about things. The moment of truth would come in Frankfurt at the baggage claim; did my suitcase make it, too?
An hour later, I saw my bag come out of the little chute, and I was pleased with my luck. Sure, the luck may run out at some point, as I am quite sure with as much travel as I will be doing, I am bound to miss a connection, lose a suitcase or whatever. Right now, however, I am two for two, and will hope the luck continues for the next little while.
It was nice to get home to an empty apartment last evening; it is nice to be back in Frankfurt. Even after only two weeks in the new job, and the overall new experience, I have a better understanding of how my father felt during his many years of business travel. It is a good feeling to have something to come back home to.
With that, I am off to the shops. I need to pick up the dry cleaning, and I believe that I am running low on tortillas.
See you out there.
bryan
Now, this in no way is a dig at East Killbride, it is more of a reflection on the fact that Bryan can simply make do when the food choices are somewhat limited. I have taken a big step forward by actually eating lunch during the working week. For years, I was all about a smoke and a smile during the Mahlzeit, and for the better part of a decade in the states, I spent about an hour each day drinking lattes and watching the traffic flow on highway 114.
The decision to consume burgers this week came about somewhat by accident, and truth be told, had I been at home, I probably would have simply filled a few soft tortillas with chicken, cheese, and jalopeños and called it a feast. (Whoever said Bryan wasn't super talented in the kitchen?) Upon my arrival in the hotel on Monday night, I thought a burger was the easiest thing on the menu, and I wasn't all that hungry.
Midweek, I got back to the hotel after work, and got so worked up about the football match between Arsenal and Barcelona, that I phoned up room service and ordered another burger. (more on the match in a second).
The very next day, I went with some colleagues to a pub to watch the Rangers match, and was told that the burgers were great. Turns out that wasn't exactly the case, but that is how the triple burger bit came about, and I was definitely craving a repeat of the schnitzel I ate last Saturday night, which perhaps was one of the best I had eaten since I came to Germany.
The week itself started pretty early for me. My flight to Glasgow by way of Amsterdam left Frankfurt at 5 minutes to 7 on Monday morning, which required me to be up at 4.15. Not surprisingly, around 5pm that afternoon (central european time minus one) I was ready to call it a day. My colleague noticed, and drove me over to the hotel.
The working days were spent trying to soak up as much information as possible, and further develop relationships with my colleagues, identifying who does what (and how well), who to contact in North America for systems or materials support, etc. With each day, I get a better feeling that I am progressing, and will be able to contribute in my position.
Wednesday night was to be a prety big night. I had no intention of trying to find some cool place to watch the Arsenal-Barca match. However, upon entering the hotel after work, I realized that I didn't want to watch in the hotel lobby/bar, either. Fortunately, I discovered that the match would be broadcast on local television, hence the reason for doing the room service thing.
I tend to be a bit pessimistic when watching teams play against Barcelona, particularly my team. Barca are easily one of the most skilled clubs in football, and are tremendous to watch. I have seen Valencia beat them on more than one occasion, but Arsenal have not been so fortunate. (Champs league final back in 2006 was one of the best matches I have ever seen in my life, though the result wasn't so great. And never mind the home and away games last year...)
The build up to the game was quite great; both teams play attacking football, quite attractively. However, most people were putting their money on Barcelona, including myself. That team just seems to be miles ahead of everyone else at the moment.
The game started brightly (sorry Chris, just had to say it), and I quickly realized that I would not be able to finish my burger. I was just too jittery. 26 minutes into the game, Barca scored their first goal, and I feared the worst.
For much of the match, Arsenal were chasing the ball, but continued to fight for their chances to play their game. Their efforts were rewarded with a wonderful equalizer, and while I got kind of excited, I also felt that we would concede another goal or three.
When Arsenal scored their second goal, another very impressive one, I did jump up and do a little dance, ignoring the fact that my drapes were open and I was wearing only my Arsenal boxers. (note to self - remember that what happens on the road is supposed to STAY on the road. Sometimes less detail is better...) Still, with 7 minutes remaining, I thought that Barca would get an equalizer or a gamewinner. So, I sat shredding a coaster on the corner of my bed til full time was called. Arsenal did get the result, and I was beside myself. After closing the drapes, I did another little dance, watched the post match commentary, then went to sleep with happy thoughts.
The guys in the office murmured a few words of congratulations the next day, and a few other folks sent me emails or text messages, which was nice. Truly, the match was fantastic to watch, even if you aren't a fan of either side. I am quite sure your man from the Ticket in Dallas had a few things to say during his program on Thursday and Friday. If not, he should have.
Well, as one can expect when you are a new start, the time zips right by as you try to learn as much as you can in a short amount of time. The days are full, but as I mentioned above, I believe I am making progress and getting up to speed. Like the passing from the previous night's football match, information overload can make you dizzy.
So, when Friday morning came about, I was very ready to fly home for the weekend. The logistics are a bit tricky, as my connecting flight from Amsterdam departs about 50 minutes after landing from Glasgow. If my first flight is delayed by more than 5 minutes, I would likely miss my flight back to Germany. Last week, everything worked out well. Yesterday, we were about 15 minutes late getting out of Glasgow, and I thought that the chances of me catching my flight in Amsterdam would be slim to nil.
Amsterdam airport is relatively well organized, but it is busy, especially on a Friday afternoon. That is what I was thinking as I raced from terminal D to B. The queue at passport control was quite long, but somehow I found myself getting through security (hello, why do you have so many ac adapters, cables, and handys in your backpack? cos i am a walking office!) with the thought that I might just make my connection.
I jogged up to the gate just as the last of the folks in the lounge were boarding, so was feeling pretty good about things. The moment of truth would come in Frankfurt at the baggage claim; did my suitcase make it, too?
An hour later, I saw my bag come out of the little chute, and I was pleased with my luck. Sure, the luck may run out at some point, as I am quite sure with as much travel as I will be doing, I am bound to miss a connection, lose a suitcase or whatever. Right now, however, I am two for two, and will hope the luck continues for the next little while.
It was nice to get home to an empty apartment last evening; it is nice to be back in Frankfurt. Even after only two weeks in the new job, and the overall new experience, I have a better understanding of how my father felt during his many years of business travel. It is a good feeling to have something to come back home to.
With that, I am off to the shops. I need to pick up the dry cleaning, and I believe that I am running low on tortillas.
See you out there.
bryan
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Nicht Mehr Arbeitslos
When I used to wait for the train in Darmstadt, it was not unusual to have a train or two fahren durch, to pass right through the station without stopping. Sometimes it was simply a freight train carrying a load of new autos, other times it was a passenger train that just did not have a scheduled stop.
Because these trains tend to zip right through the station at a breezy 50 miles an hour or so, you kind of notice, especially if you are already waiting on that particular platform. Obviously, most normal folks waiting stand well back, as the noise and the wind is pretty extreme. Unfortunately, I was always that guy who was standing a little too close to the edge, and once or twice found myself quite startled at the sudden commotion caused by a train hurtling through the station. On one occasion, I was on the telephone, and suddenly we were interrupted for 30 seconds or so. Though brief, the disturbance was quite powerful. "Whatever in the fuck was THAT?" asked the person at the other end of the phone.
"Ah, just a train passing by. You should have been here on the platform with me. My clothes just got ripped off by the force of the wind."
As I tend to do, I imagine what it would be like if that passing train was MY train, and I had to get on while it was moving at almost top speed. (I think the conductor is supposed to slow down when passing through the station, but I personally believe that they gleefully step on the gas, just to see the reaction of the passengers waiting on the platform)
At any rate, I no longer have to imagine, as I found out what the experience of getting on a fast moving train which hasn't slowed down for you to board is like this past week as I started my new job.
In a word, whoooooooooooooosh.
I began the week last Monday in the German office, picking up my laptop and other IT accessories, getting a packet of new employee information from HR, meeting and greetinng (and promptly forgetting everone's name) throughout the particular office, and getting a somewhat brief overview of the departments.
The next morning, a colleague and I drove to Amsterdam, where we caught a flight to Glasgow. Upon arrival, we took a taxi to East Killbride, where I met my new boss, and the majority of the team that I am joining. The office moves at a tremendous pace, and I confirmed that I would be jumping right into the deep end, with very little time to get settled.
So, over the rest of the week, I was bombarded with information, new names and faces (promptly forgotten...thank goodness everyone has to wear an ID badge with their name printed on it), and passwords for the various applications, programs, etc that I will be using. Information overload, with a capital Holy Shit.
And it was more or less exactly what I expected. And that is a very good thing.
Though they are very busy, my new colleagues are very welcoming, accepting, and friendly. I get the impression that they will be fairly understanding, as well, which is rather comforting, as it will take a bit for me to get my head around all of the various processes, organizations, and repair sites.
So, I finished my first week of work at breakneck speed, and I think I did relatively OK. Sure, I was ready to board the plane on Friday afternoon for the return to Frankfurt. A bit of laundry and some shopping today, intermingled with a bit of footy and coffee drinking will pretty much sum up the weekend, and on Monday, I will be back in Glasgow.
Since the majority of my team is in Scotland, I will likely spend a fair amount of time there over the next couple of months so as to learn. Ultimately, I will be based out of a German office when I am not travelling around to repair sites.
We will just have to wait and see how that all develops.
Meanwhile, I am back in the mix. It is not a new life, per se, but it is a new job that will have it's various challenges and adventures in a variety of languages. Fortunately, I feel up to the task, and believe I will soon be finding my stride.
First though, I will catch my breath, and try to find a few articles of clothing that seemed to have been ripped off my body during the past couple of days.
keep the faith
bryan
Because these trains tend to zip right through the station at a breezy 50 miles an hour or so, you kind of notice, especially if you are already waiting on that particular platform. Obviously, most normal folks waiting stand well back, as the noise and the wind is pretty extreme. Unfortunately, I was always that guy who was standing a little too close to the edge, and once or twice found myself quite startled at the sudden commotion caused by a train hurtling through the station. On one occasion, I was on the telephone, and suddenly we were interrupted for 30 seconds or so. Though brief, the disturbance was quite powerful. "Whatever in the fuck was THAT?" asked the person at the other end of the phone.
"Ah, just a train passing by. You should have been here on the platform with me. My clothes just got ripped off by the force of the wind."
As I tend to do, I imagine what it would be like if that passing train was MY train, and I had to get on while it was moving at almost top speed. (I think the conductor is supposed to slow down when passing through the station, but I personally believe that they gleefully step on the gas, just to see the reaction of the passengers waiting on the platform)
At any rate, I no longer have to imagine, as I found out what the experience of getting on a fast moving train which hasn't slowed down for you to board is like this past week as I started my new job.
In a word, whoooooooooooooosh.
I began the week last Monday in the German office, picking up my laptop and other IT accessories, getting a packet of new employee information from HR, meeting and greetinng (and promptly forgetting everone's name) throughout the particular office, and getting a somewhat brief overview of the departments.
The next morning, a colleague and I drove to Amsterdam, where we caught a flight to Glasgow. Upon arrival, we took a taxi to East Killbride, where I met my new boss, and the majority of the team that I am joining. The office moves at a tremendous pace, and I confirmed that I would be jumping right into the deep end, with very little time to get settled.
So, over the rest of the week, I was bombarded with information, new names and faces (promptly forgotten...thank goodness everyone has to wear an ID badge with their name printed on it), and passwords for the various applications, programs, etc that I will be using. Information overload, with a capital Holy Shit.
And it was more or less exactly what I expected. And that is a very good thing.
Though they are very busy, my new colleagues are very welcoming, accepting, and friendly. I get the impression that they will be fairly understanding, as well, which is rather comforting, as it will take a bit for me to get my head around all of the various processes, organizations, and repair sites.
So, I finished my first week of work at breakneck speed, and I think I did relatively OK. Sure, I was ready to board the plane on Friday afternoon for the return to Frankfurt. A bit of laundry and some shopping today, intermingled with a bit of footy and coffee drinking will pretty much sum up the weekend, and on Monday, I will be back in Glasgow.
Since the majority of my team is in Scotland, I will likely spend a fair amount of time there over the next couple of months so as to learn. Ultimately, I will be based out of a German office when I am not travelling around to repair sites.
We will just have to wait and see how that all develops.
Meanwhile, I am back in the mix. It is not a new life, per se, but it is a new job that will have it's various challenges and adventures in a variety of languages. Fortunately, I feel up to the task, and believe I will soon be finding my stride.
First though, I will catch my breath, and try to find a few articles of clothing that seemed to have been ripped off my body during the past couple of days.
keep the faith
bryan
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