August 4, 2010 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
… seriously screwed up time management skills. Despite all of the literature, courses and advice, I still find the work life balance sooo hard to get right. It is a question of get up check emails – do what I call extra-curricular investigations/research (i.e. professional self development to the extreme) – shower – wake up D – wake up A – feed A and myself – prepare L for the car – gather the troops – get to the office – meetings, interruptions, discussions, thrashing, code, design reviews, wow where did the day go? – call D for a lift home – get home – feed L / spend time with A – bathe L – eat dinner with A and D – read bed time story – clean kitchen and do other chores – sit down to some brain drain for a short spell – continue extra-curricular investigation/research – fall asleep for a few hours – start again… And somewhere in there I have had numerous cups of tea and stressed about someone else’s problems.
I am sure that there is a lot of redundancy going on that I can iron out, but for the life of me I cannot seem to squeeze it out – in fact; the main reason for writing this entry is out of pure embarrassment… My poor mother and grandmother hardly hear from me and often they’ve said that they enjoyed reading my blog posts. So here we are after more than a year (May 2009 was the last entry) and I am only just adding a new entry – I’m seriously surprised that I could remember the account login… At a personal level we now have a new addition to the family and what a beautiful addition too! We have now passed our second winter in New England without much of an issue (this year seemed lighter than last) and we seem to be comfortably settled where we are.
On another note, the other reason for writing this entry is to reflect on the recent departure of my colleague that came over to Massachusetts with me back in March 2008 (8th to be exact). He has returned (with his family) to Barcelona after finishing his time here and I have to say it is a bitter sweet experience. Sweet – for him, he will be back in familiar surroundings with friends and family; bitter for us (the team that he is a part of) in as much as he will no longer be physically just in the next cubicle. It has given me time to reflect on my own experience here in the US and being in New England and to be perfectly honest, despite the usual “foreign viewpoints” (How Americans as a whole are Naïve, Self-centered, abrasive in their assumptions that the world revolves around them) there is one that sticks out in my mind that really, the rest of the world should applaud – Patriotism (however misguided or blind it might be). It still strikes me to see people standing when the national anthem plays; the cheering that takes place after the anthem is finished and how it is all taken so seriously.
As someone who has lived in 4 different cultures and seen a variety of national attitudes, the differences between them have been both different and yet similar. For the most part the national pride in the UK is tinged with the old imperialist attitude and the longing for what was and is no more – the British sense of humor more than makes up for it in that there is no comparison. Spain is a paradox in that part of the country is intent on a complete whole without any division; another part accepts the idea of a complete country but want a regional identity and history; lastly, the most volatile part that does not want to have anything to do with the rest and want to be recognized as a separate country all together. Saying that however, Britain does have the historical divisions between Wales, Scotland and England to contend with, but I never felt it so much as I did living in Spain.
Here in the US, there are historical division between the South and the North, but living and working in the North I do not get the feeling of angst that I have heard mention about the South. I did see a glimpse of it in a very humorous technical presentation at TechEd 2010 (a Microsoft geek-fest) in New Orleans when a New England friend of mine co-presented with another gentleman from Texas. The subject came up about using Bowling as a form of practicing software development and whilst the presentation was in full swing my friend turned around to his co-presenter and asked what type of bowling he was talking about “Candlestick or fat ball bowling” (Candlestick bowling is typical to New England and resembles a lot like skittles in the UK). The co-presenter quipped “Yankee, I don’t know what the heck you are talking about.” which brought rapturous laughter from the audience. This although very much tongue in cheek and said in good humor did remind me that not too long ago this very same country went through a traumatic existence and although they came out of it as a whole – the scars are left for generations to deal with.
So how do you deal with living as a whole when, perhaps, you do not share the same ideologies and maybe even the foundations of your beliefs are not completely in sync? From my experience of living and working in those different cultures, the one binding theme across all of this, was the idea of safety in numbers. It is easier to face the world under one banner and whatever your differences may be; trade, free-market and diplomatic relations are reduced considerably in complexity. In other words, the advancement and prosperity of the whole outweighs the individualistic needs of the parts.
Professionally I have been on a journey of discovery, about myself, about my industry (Software Development) and this has consolidated my belief that continuous improvement is the only way to excel and be the best (not just at a company level, but also a personal – professional level). This journey has led me to moments of painful soul searching and enlightenment and solidified my resolve for pushing for improvement at different levels. One of the primary failure points that I have seen in any relationship whether it be between regions/states within a country; between divisions/departments within a company; between teams within a division/department – a lack of trust and understanding. This is often brought about by the leadership having their own agenda that does not meld/fit with the other parties in the relationship. The foundation to achieving that trust is openness and clarity about intent and finding a common ground with which to move ahead – without it the already unstable foundations are weakened further. Recently I attended an excellent training course for Agile Coaches that re-kindled the fire I had within for improvement and pushing for higher standards both above and below. The values that were mentioned and re-iterated there are (in my humble opinion) key to the success of any corporation – I hope to be blogging about this on my technical blog in the very near future.
So here we are a full hour after starting my outpouring of thoughts and although this entry is complete, and although I am pretty settled physically (geographically and emotionally), professionally my journey of discovery has only just begun… I’m curious to see where it goes…
May 2, 2009 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - 1 Comment
It is either my guilty conscience or insomnia, but I thought it would be best to write an entry before I forget the password to log in to write posts.
Seriously though, I have been working flat out at work and offline to get to grips with various technological intricacies not only for my employers benefit, but also my own. Much of what I have learned lately I have been contributing to another blog (http://devblog.petrellyn.com/). It has been a definite work of love as I ended up ditching the original blog site in favor of using my own domain (petrellyn.com) and installing a blogging application there. Now that the site is up and running I have been dedicating most of my spare time (and the wee hours of the morning) to bring the postings up to scratch – ready to be slaughtered by my peers…
As for life in Massachusetts… well, things are going well. We’ve come out of a winter that in comparison to some of the freezing temperatures we used to suffer in Southampton in the UK; wasn’t that bad. To be honest we had thought it was going to be a lot worse that it actually was, not that I’m complaining mind you. So here we are, just in to spring and heading down the road in to glorious summer.
On the woes side, we are still amazed by the shenanigans that companies get up to if you don’t keep your mind on them all the time. Take for example, Verizon FIOS. When I first moved in to the new apartment one of the big deals was that it came wired for FIOS (optical fiber communications straight to the desktop). There were many introductory offers and one of them was TV, Telephone and Internet for $99 – Great! Unfortunately I don’t think in the time that we have had it installed (nearly a year now) we have ever paid less than $120 (not even taking in to account the taxes). Each time I have contacted Verizon, they have had a “glitch” on the system and couldn’t sort out my account. Yeah right, the glitch is called “Let’s see how much more this chump will take of us messing him around”. It is blatantly obvious that people do not take their work seriously, yet when they are the victims of something similar all hell breaks loose and there is wailing, gnashing of teeth and puling of hair – or at the very least a dissatisfied customer.
Doesn’t experience count for anything?
Of course it does! You cannot study for experience, it colors your judgment, and it gives you a base from which you can work from, but…
Don’t wear it like a medal. I find it sad and almost pathetic when someone has to state or predicate their years of experience to every other statement that they make, it shows the listeners that they are obviously not secure about either themselves or what they have to say. If you truly have that experience as you state you do, then the listener will notice that from they way that you put your point across.
I bring this issue up as something that has bothered me for a while, a very long while actually. There have been quite a few occasions I have heard people state “What should I know, I only have 10 years of experience” – perhaps they should stop and wonder why they would state that, what has driven them to make such a statement when the people around them would know that already. Perhaps it could be that the statement they were trying so hard to defend, was not being taken seriously for other reasons and not necessarily a reflection on their years of experience – it could very well be that their character trait is the issue or maybe, just maybe, the statement wasn’t worth making.
Food for thought…
Well as porky pig would say “th…th…th…that’s all folks”… until next time…
November 6, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
Finally, I’ve managed to “ex-digitate” and get on with writing another entry, partially inspired by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States and mostly by guilt at not having kept up to date.
It goes without saying that there is a certain amount of awe in what has happened, I really cannot imagine what it must feel like for those African Americans who have suffered the indignities of racism in a country touted as civilized and modern, to finally see a black president of the united States waiting in the wings to take one of the most important positions in the world.
However people might feel about the USA and its people, there is one thing that cannot be denied, it is most certainly a land of opportunity. Arnold Schwarzenegger is evidence of that on two counts. First, being an actor and second, being an immigrant, not just a first or second generation immigrant. And now we have Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan senior governmental economist.
Being as cynical as ever; I do feel that the honeymoon won’t last. Although he has won the most powerful position in the world, he has done so at a time when a lot of work needs to be done to mend, not only the image of the United States but also, the alliances with countries who have grown tired of a power that has become ruthless and self-serving. I really wish him and his people the best of luck in the long months ahead as he and his administration come to terms with the mess that has to be cleared up.
So, what has been happening since my last entry at the end of August? Well A has started school; D is now driving around in the Prius and settling in to life here in the good old U S of A. As time passes we have started to get an impression on a day to day basis of the people that surround us. In the development where we are, the people are isolated and cold, we have not had a single person introduce themselves since we have moved in and it has always been the case of us making the first move to break the ice. Even then it is only to a frosty reception, especially when they hear that we are not American. It is especially noticeable at school when D goes to pick up A. The American Parents will rarely address either of us and always stick to talking to other American parents. I find it quite sad really, considering that they are all descendants of immigrants and their perceived ignorance of the outside world is somewhat disheartening. I suppose, though, that it is a reflection on the area that we live and the people that surround us. In many respects, those more educated and liberal minded are often found in different walks of life and therefore at work I find that the attitude is that much different, to the point that co-workers stand open mouthed when I tell that of the behavior of the people around us where we live.
As the financial roller coaster continues its heady course to god knows where, we’ve been keeping an even closer eye on our expenditure than ever; especially considering the fact that there is only one salary coming in. Obviously we have not hit the dead of winter yet, so I am sure with the heating costs; our expenditure will go up considerably. On a lighter note, I don’t think there has even been a moment in my life that I have appreciated a purchase as much as I do now with respect to the Prius. At one point we were paying over 4 USD a gallon and that heady stage I was putting in close to 36 USD of gasoline every 10 – 15 days. Now with the price of gas at around 2.55 a gallon it only takes 22 USD of gasoline to fill the car.
AT a professional level I am still enjoying the work that I’m doing and I realize that in part it is due to the fact that I am working with colleagues that are truly team players and a manager that inspires so much. In pretty well every position that I have had the honeymoon period has ended with a resounding crash as one conflict or another turns the atmosphere sour and that is not to say that there have not been similar moments here, however the aforementioned colleagues and manager have swayed the moment and kept my spirits high.
Technically speaking, I have never felt more invigorated and productive in my life, I really get a buzz with the work that I do and I enjoy immensely the opportunities that I have in pushing my knowledge and experience further and further into the unknown – and they pay me for this?
Going back to the feeling that D and I have about the people we are living amongst here in North Reading, all in all the American public, for all of their advances in society are still quite prude and, for want of a better word, naïve. There are occasions where we meet people that break that rule, but all in all it is still a fair comment to make. I especially have a hard time with sarcasm, it is something that I miss from the UK and often it is lost on many of the people that I have come to know here. There are a few individuals, such as one particular colleague, who do surprise me on occasion and have made me laugh at their reaction, but all in all it is a bit of a wasted effort and many times only for my own vent of frustration.
Well, time to get on. I will try my best to jot down notes about my experiences and hopefully not let this fall in to a bad habit, but I can’t make any promises.
Until then be good, be happy…
August 28, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
Although it has been a while since my last entry, I don’t foresee that this will ever end, simply because of the fact that there will always be something to write about, albeit rather sporadic.
I suppose my main reason for the lack of updates in recent months is because of the fact that everything seems to be settling down. We are waiting for A to start school in the next week or so, our stuff has arrived from Barcelona and work is going very, very well.
We’re now setup with our doctor, dentist and pediatrician and so at least we are now “protected” or at least as much as you can be according to whatever health insurance coverage that you have. Having been spoilt in Europe with socialist healthcare it comes as quite a shock to have to think that on top of the taxes we pay, we still have to pay further for healthcare. I used to laugh at the commercial I saw once many years ago that showed a complete surgical team that was preparing everything to do an emergency operation on a patient and all of a sudden stopping and waiting to see if the insurance card was valid or not – meaning that the poor sod that was on the table needed to be covered by his medical insurance before they would proceed. Obviously in a critical situation the individual will get treated, but the economic repercussions afterwards could be financially crippling.
I watched on the “international” news last night as Hilary and Bill Clinton endorsed the first African American in US history to become the Democratic candidate for the US presidency. It is interesting to see how the media and, in my area, the general public perceive a vote for John McCain as four more years of Bush policy - a thought I suppose many around the world are also thinking. In typical American style it seems that the Cinderella story is repeating itself as one news caster had pointed out, it happened for John F Kennedy in his bid for presidency – the first Catholic president in US history and many comparisons have been drawn up on US television of the same occurring now with Barack Obama. Who knows what November will bring.
Unlike the changeover between Aznar and Zapatero in Spain thanks to the “unpopular war”, I doubt very much that the issue of Iraq will sway voters as much as the promise of improvements in the economy – from what I have seen and heard so far, although the American public are wary of their “boys and girls” being in a military role in a far off hostile environment, they seem to be accustomed to it, I guess, ever since World War II.
On a different note, we’ve been getting ourselves familiar with one of the more important aspects of life and that is the jaunt to the supermarket. Where as in Spain we were accustomed to being able to literally shop every day for the basics (fruit, vegetables and other produce) from small market style shops in the immediate vicinity, we’ve returned to the shop in bulk once a week routine. It is strange how different the two lifestyles are when in actual fact we are talking about the same basic outcome – putting food on the plate. As I sit here typing this entry out with my mug of tea beside me and my box of cereals waiting to be opened and poured into it bowl, I think about the time spent in Spain, fondly I might add, and then further back to the time spent in England (yes, believe it or not – with some measure of fondness) and I compare all of it to my years growing up in Cayman and in a sentimental (sad old gaffer) sort of way, there really is no place like home. Saying that though, I have learned that in today’s world, with international travel being what it is and the advancement of technology (i.e. Skype) I can be home either physically or virtually in very little time (especially now that there is direct flights from BOS to GCM). I’m quite happy to say that I am enjoying our new adventure and seeing A growing, learning and taking on this adventure with us is one of life’s greatest rewards.
So, this sentimental old gaffer is going to wrap up this entry and wish everyone the same happiness and sense of adventure that I have and to make the most of each day that is given to them. Carpe diem, eh?
July 4, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
Well, I’m finally back in the apartment in North Reading, plus a wife, child and a cat… At one stage I thought that it would be a bit of a hit and miss affair and in all fairness it is not entirely over yet – the container with all of our belongings still has a few more weeks before it gets here.
Where do I start? Well I guess at the stage where I arrived home after a relatively eventless pair of flights (I won’t go into the attempts of a well-intentioned fellow passenger to try and “save my soul” – it’s as damned as that of Salman Rushdie and not getting much better, needless to say I think I gave her fair food for thought). Obviously A was over the moon to see me and didn’t let me out of his sight for the whole time we were in Barcelona. After settling back in and going back to work, we started the mammoth task of preparing all of our things for the delivery of the shipping container the following Friday (approx 12 days after my arrival). In that time we packed over 100 boxes varying in size from double A3 (the size used by bakeries to receive the partially cooked baguettes) to A4. All in all we packed pretty well all of the children’s clothes and toys and as many things as we thought would fit in the container – during this time I was also at work from 12:00 to 19:30-20:00, as soon as I would get home we would carry-on with the packing.
When they day of the delivery of the container finally arrived a group of friends from work came to give us a hand to move all of the boxes downstairs to the area on a side road that had be cornered off for us. The lorry was due to arrive at 09:00 and by 09:05 we discovered that he had only just left the depot… typical timing – still it gave us a bit of extra time to locate the boxes exactly as we needed them. When the lorry did finally arrive we took about an hour or so to fully load it and it was sent on its way. Stage 2 completed.
Up until this stage we had been also working in parallel to make sure that the cat’s papers were in order and it looked as though it was a done deal. She was due to fly on the same British Airways flights as we were (BCN->LHR->BOS). Unfortunately a week before our flights we were informed that she would have to travel the night before and pick up our flight the next day from LHR to BOS. We were then sent papers at the last minute that meant a visit to the vets just 1 day before the flight! We had to make sure that her ears didn’t touch the top of the cage, this was the same cage that she had travelled from the UK to Spain on the same carrier (BA) and so I was more than a little rattled to think that she might not be able to fly because of the new restrictions that had been put in place. To add to the stress, we were also informed that although her flight was at 18:30 on the Friday (our first flight was scheduled to leave at 07:10 the next morning), she would need to be brought in and inspected by the Airport vet following up on the 2 inspections by our local vet (who signed an official document stating that the cat was fit to travel). The issue was that the veterinary service at Barcelona Pratt is only available from 09:00 to 10:30 week day morning’s – that’s right 1 ½ hours a day. This meant that once the paperwork was done, we would have to wait around until 15:30 when she would be eventually allowed into a secured holding area.
So up I get on Friday morning, with the rain tipping down outside the window and jolly 1 ½ hours journey to the airport by a combination of walking, metro (underground train) and friend’s car. By 09:00 a bedraggled cat and myself were sat in the BA animal handlers area waiting for the dreaded inspection of animal and cage. After about an (eternal) ½ hour, we finally got the go ahead the cage was safe worthy and suitable for the animal. On the way out of the office one of the BA staff admitted that she was absolutely petrified at meeting me, as I had rather got in to the full swing of my adopted passionate Spanish temper… impressive, obviously my rant in Spanish had done the trick – poor girl.
We met up with the official vet and then exchanged papers – he took the official document filled out by my vet and gave me one of his filled out previously. The cat was inspected once more for travel fitness and we then took the cage to the cargo area, where I foolishly thought she would be looked after… silly me. The intention was to take the cage, X-Ray it, put it on the shelf with the other articles due for delivery to the UK and take the cat in arms outside for a 4 hour walk in circles.
By the time 15:30 I was heading over to the train to take me back to Barcelona and to head home for the last evening in our flat. The poor cat was such a bundle of nerves and had no trouble in getting in her cage to hide from the racket going on around her. Stage 3 completed.
That night (Friday) saw D and I packing and re-packing, throwing away and swearing bitterly that we didn’t have so many things left behind. The taxi was due to pick us up at 04:30 to take us to the airport by 05:00 (ish), at 03:30 I got into the shower to have a wash and get ready to take the stiff down stairs. One of the most heartbreaking moments was the fact that we had to leave a couple of really nice 1994 bottles of wine behind with a neighbor (who came down at 04:30 to see us off).
We arrived at the airport without incident and booked our bags through to BOS from BCN via LHR. Prior to boarding the plane I noticed a min van pull up to the terminal in a big hurry and out stepped a BA engineer… and joined the queue of passengers getting on the plane. No sooner had we entered the plane than we received notification from the captain that there was a slight scheduling issue and a short while later the BA engineer rushed off the plane with his gear on to see to an “air traffic control issue” – at least that was what the captain had said to us when notifying us of the delay. It became pretty evident that we were not going anywhere when the captain finally came over the speakers to say that there was a mechanical issue being seen to by the BA engineer. We soon realized that we would not make our connection to BOS and so I started making enquiries as to what could be done about our cat arriving before us in Boston. The first steward I mentioned it too seemed more interested in his (lack of) good looks rather than the genuine concerns of a passenger. Thankfully I did manage to find someone with (as the Spanish say) “two fingers of brain” to try and help us sort it out.
When we finally arrived at LHR, we were directed to the BA customer Service desk in Terminal 4, where a young lady did her utmost to make sure that everything went ahead smoothly, the cat had been taken off the flight we would have been travelling on and was placed on the flight we had been re-scheduled to travel with. It also transpired that the original flight we were due to fly on (13:00) had mechanical issues and had been delayed by a few hours – seemed like it wasn’t a day for BA!
After a pretty uneventful trip (no sight of bible bashers) we arrived to find that we had lost one bag, luckily there was a BA animal handler there to re-assure us that the cat was ok, the only issue was that we had to follow him to the BA animal handling center in the south of Boston!? After paying off the airway bill for the cat, handing over the relevant paperwork and reporting the missing baggage, we finally left the airport with the help of a work colleague who came to pick us up. We followed the animal handler to the premises, paid the last bill and finally headed back to the apartment – a moment I had been waiting 3 long interminable months for.
The apartment was well received and we’ve settled in quiet well. With the fourth of July celebrations on us – I will take a short break and report back with more news of the new life in the U S of A.
June 7, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
Wow! Talk about last minute rush. Hang the curtains, wash the clothes, wash the car, pack the suitcase… couldn’t be more disorganized if I tried. Needless to say, I got through the morning in one piece and I am here at Boston Logon getting ready to get on the flight (in about 45 minutes).
It’s been a real experience coming here and now that my first three months have gone by I can honestly say that despite the initial frustrations with the whole credit history b****cks I’ve enjoyed the experience. Obviously it will be far better once D and A are here and I don’t have to worry endlessly if they are alright or not.
If anyone is planning on migrating to the U.S., in particular the New England area, I would say that you first need to have it clear in your head why you would want to come here – you would have to make absolutely sure that you recognized the motivations for the move. If it is for improving employment perspectives, then you need to be sure that you are willing to embrace a different culture (not just in the work environment but also in a social aspect as well). The key point is to maintain an open mind and take everything on as an experience; otherwise you could get caught in a spiral of emotions that will spin out of control. I say this from my experience when I moved from Cayman to the UK, back in 1988. It was a heady time for me and I never truly appreciated how lucky I was to be given the opportunity to explore and travel. On the other hand, if your motives are to pass the time here for a few years before heading back to where ever home is, then I would recommend that you pack in as much travel and exploration as you can in the short time that you expect yourself to be here – there is a lot to see.
The three months that I’ve been here has been a complete immersion in my work and some could say that I haven’t made the best use of my time when it came to enjoying what was available. But the way that I see it, it will mean that when D and A get here, I will be able to experience a lot of the things for the first with them and perhaps appreciate things a little more.
This is by far not the end of this blog, I shall fully expect that I’ll be adding to this “Experience Log” for the full length of my stay (be it 3 years or the rest of my life). After all, I am a still a Caymanian Nomad ;-P
Oh, by the way – Boston Logon is a pitiful place to stop and wait for a flight – there is absolutely bugger all to do here. Thank goodness I at least had the internet connection to make this entry; otherwise I’d probably be climbing the walls!
June 3, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
Well, after another bout of absenteeism from this blog I can now happily report that I have finally moved in to the new apartment! It’s taken me this long to get around to even typing it on the count that I’ve been running around like the proverbial blue arsed fly… which probably explains why its arse is blue – shouldn’t it be flying??
Anyway, that as it may be, I’ve been getting very little sleep simply for the fact that the venetian blinds (that our rental contract strictly forbids us to remove or replace directly) are so translucent that I can almost (with a fair bit of squinting) read the text on a page with the amount of light that comes in from the street lights at night.
I reckon the apartment complex staff has been watching too many reruns of Buffy or Angel (yeah, ok, so I’ve seen a few episodes and so what of it?) There is nothing wrong with a bit of brain drain every now and again. After all, I can sort of identify with them; I couldn’t half kill for a really rare steak now and then. They must reckon that by keeping light constantly pouring in, they’ll keep the vampire population down or at least not staying in their complex. Needless to say, I shall be endeavoring to locate some curtains as soon as possible, more than anything to give me a chance at a decent night’s sleep on my inflatable mattress…
Speaking of “those other TV shows”, it actually brings me on to something that used to make me laugh (alright chuckle to myself on the quiet). The TV show “I see dead people”, there I said it! And in fact if those male readers know what I am talking about, I needn’t say more! But there again, what was the point of me bringing it up if I didn’t talk a bit more about the leading star of the show, Jennifer Love Hewitt, how she has grown in to the role – literally. It was amazing how the episodes got more and more interesting to watch the closer she came to full term. Amazing… well… just amazing really, gives me sweats just thinking long and hard about the images… I bet she didn’t use any formula milk. Enough of that filthy mentality, god I can’t wait to get back to see my wife and son, a bit of wholesome sanity, rather than this limbo living. Thank goodness I managed to get out a bit every so often.
In actual fact last weekend I went bowling with a colleague from work and we innocently went to a bowling center in downtown Boston. I thought it was pretty strange when we actually encountered bouncers on the front door. And once inside, I thought the lighting was a bit too dim for a decent game of 10 pin bowling. The other thing that really started to irritate me were all of the scantily dressed young ladies that were well on their way to being absolutely rat-arsed (in my inebriated experienced mind), really put me off my game. Rather unsporting of their gentlemen friends to use covert weapons like that. Still, at least there was no sign of any Jennifer Love Hewitts, otherwise I would have been reduced to gutter bowling the whole night.
The following night it was back again to Boston to meet up with the same colleague and go to the cinema (movies, flics, etc.) We had agreed to meet and go and see Iron Man (so that I could satisfy the inner child in me to relive my childhood). I had gone dressed in “Piratas” (3/4 length chinos) and a Polo shirt – why not? I was only going to the cinema after all. Like the previous nights experience didn’t educate me. Lo and behold, as soon as I stepped out of the car park I walked straight into a pair of dancing divas (or nymphs – at least from the way they were dressed) and, as fate would have it, I had to walk in the same direction as they were – I think it was the longest 50 foot walk I have ever done in my life. No matter how slowly I walked, I still seemed just behind them and whether it was my imagination or not, it seemed the whole damned street was watching their progress up the street with me in tow. I must have looked like some kind of disheveled beggar trying my damndest to melt into the walls, pavement and any innocent light post that presented itself. Thankfully they walked passed a Starbucks and I could duck in to avert any more attention.
After the movie ended, we got in the car and went in search of the Faneuil Hall where there are numerous eateries to choose from in a single square… all closed after 10 pm… What???? On a Saturday night? Are they crazy? Do that in Barcelona and you’d be lucky to stay in business more than a week! Still, I guess it is another example of the cultural divide that many Europeans (and indeed, the reverse is true for Americans) need to cross. In the end we settled on an alleged meat in a bun from a very reputable “Cut me own throat Dibbler” (Terry Prachett and his DiscWorld series) type of person.
Needless to say, I had a good laugh, even when set upon by a gaggle of ladies trying their best to convince a poor young girl that she was extremely attractive and that anyone could see that. Why people insist on roping completely strangers in to something that she was obviously already mortified about – some friends. Still I managed to make her laugh (or cry, I’m not quite sure how it was that she reacted), but it seemed to get a good enough result that her friends left her (and me) in peace.
Hopefully I will get another entry in before my flight on Saturday, so until then…
May 21, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - 1 Comment
Well that was somewhat of a break… I thought that this would eventually happen, not so much the novelty wearing off, but having more things that occupy my time (such as work) I haven’t been able to be as consistent with my entries as I would have liked.
Since last writing here (which would have been shortly after my jaunt up to Ottawa) I had a shock visit from my mum! Talk about surprised – I nearly fell out of my seat! I was quietly hammering my head away giving the grey cells a good smacking about over a development issue, when out of the blue on a Friday morning, my mum phones – “What are you doing on Mother’s Day?”
Of course, my first reaction was (thinking to myself) “damned, damned, damned – forgot again!” However, I was not expecting for her to tell me that she was going to arrive that night! I was so shocked, that I think for the first time in my life I was completely speechless (well, for at least 10 seconds). Unfortunately (for my poor mum) her flight wasn’t due to arrive until really late that night – well gone midnight. What a magnificent surprise! But surely it was supposed to be me who did the surprising on Mother’s day? Still, we spent the weekend doing a few tourist things, visiting small coastal villages on the North Shore commenting on local architecture, churches, etc. We also went down to Cape Cod and drove around by Woods Hole and Falmouth.
All in all, it turned out to be a great weekend. The only damper on the whole event was related to my laptop from work – I think I literally worked it to death – the poor thing literally burned out! When I got to work on Monday and took it to IT, they came back and said that the motherboard had burned out – obviously to the greater amusement of my team – I was more interested in getting the data of the hard drive.
With the pace of work I have imposed on myself I have given little time for the possibility of touring around the area and so with my mum’s visit and the trip I had to the shopping outlets in Wrentham with colleagues from work last weekend, I’ve finally got around to getting out a bit (talk about too little too late) – “So Jamie, what good pubs do you know in the area?” “Well there’s this quaint little Irish Pub in downtown Ottawa or a nice little restaurant in Woods Hole on Cape Cod…” “Oh yeah lets drive for 2 – 3 hours for a pint, sounds like a bargain”. I guess I had better invest in a bit of time to investigate my surroundings in the North Reading Area before going back to Barcelona to pick up the family.
On another subject altogether (and now for something completely different), I went to have my hair cut on Saturday and made the biggest mistake in a very long time – I stupidly went in to one of those hair salons at a local shopping mall. After shaving my head, following it up by “clipping” the remaining tufts of hair to give it that, oh so handsome “S…t! What lawn mower hit you?” look, they had the gall to charge me $25. TWENETY FIVE DOLLARS? For that? I could have fallen in the grass out front and had the same done for free! It wasn’t even though there was anything special about the place – I kept looking around to see if any of the clients snuck off to the back to delve into whatever debauchery that goes on in those places… I couldn’t believe that they actually cut hair… well, sheared hair should I say. At least now I can get the full feeling of the 57 degrees Fahrenheit that we are experiencing lately – nice one.
It will only be a few more weeks until I am back with my beloved little ones and I for one will be very happy to see them. Not that I am not enjoying myself here (yes I am a workaholic – so what?) but it will be much better when we are all back together and I will have a real reason to get out and see a bit more of New England – bring on the Summer!!!
May 8, 2008 - Posted by jamie_uwh_phillips - Comments Off
Well, it’s now been 3 days since I got back from Ottawa and as I have a spare moment before zonk out time, now would be a good moment to recount the events of last weekend.
After faffing about in the office and between one thing and another I didn’t get out the door until gone 13:00 (1 PM for those that can’t deal with the 24 hour clock). The initial part of the drive was ok, pretty much the same through Massachusetts (thank … for the spell-checker), then going through New Hampshire the foliage got thicker and by the time I got to Vermont it was truly forested slopes and large hills (small mountains?).
The funny thing was the last 10 miles to the US-Canada border; not a soul in sight – reminded me of such movies like 28 days later, I am Legend, etc. The Canadian Immigration officer was kind enough to remember to stamp my passport (the number of stories I’ve heard of people being stranded on the US border because of paperwork). After about 20 minutes driving Quebec opened up in front of me (and behind… and to the left and right) endless fields and wide open spaces… anyone with agoraphobia would be absolutely… well, they wouldn’t have a good time, lets put it that way. The other thing that struck me was the language change, just like when you travel in towards the Basque country or into Catalunya, the only difference here was the fact that in the beginning I don’t remember seeing any signs in English, except for McDonalds, Burger King and oh for … sake – Dunkin‘ Donuts!
It was at this stage that the BlackJack (or more accurately Google Maps on my BlackJack) complained bitterly that it couldn’t find a network and so I was guided by the purple line all the way across Quebec and into Ontario, right up to my friends door step in Ottawa. It is funny, I had been looking forward to this moment for a good long time as the last time we saw each other was 24 years ago… wow. Saying it was one thing, seeing it written down is something else all together.
It was as if we had spent a long holiday apart, all the years came flooding back and it was great reminiscing about the things we used to get up to – especially at the marl pit off walkers road. After a few tinnnies of Guinness it was a relief to be able to rest without having to worry about whether I would accidentally drive off a road. The next morning was spent continuing our catch-up of the years and visiting his house which is being finished off. Later on we went and did the tourist thing and visited some of the most important landmarks in Ottawa, namely Parliament Hill. I was really struck by the British influence and showed my complete ignorance of recent history – Canada was not truly independent of British rule until 1982. In fact it was not until 1867 that Canada was formerly created as a confederation of four provinces (Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick).
After the history lesson, we had lunch at an Irish pub (more Guinness) and then spent the afternoon in a technological museum (Canada Science and Technology Museum) where my friend had me in stitches – nothing changes.
When we came out, I learned my first lesson about a country with such wide open spaces and people who forgotten the idea of distance (coming from an island of only 100 square miles). When we were discussing what to do next, the conversation got around to my friends brother who was living in a town “just down the road”… along the motorway, stop for re-fuel and two and a half hours later we arrive!!!! We had a great time reminiscing again and enjoying more hospitality in a beautiful house by Lake Ontario – needles to say we didn’t make it to the underwater hockey training in Ottawa that night (more beer).
Despite the 12 hour journey back to Boston (we had to go back to Ottawa so I could drop my friend off at his apartment and I could pick up my stuff), I had a great time and I am really happy that we could meet up after 24 years. The car did quite well averaging out at about 47 miles to the gallon for a round-trip of 1,400 miles.
Embarrassingly to say, even though I am a software Engineer with 10 years experience, I couldn’t get the damned galleries to work in this blog, so you’ll have to make do with the Oh Canada Album in the right hand pane. Until next entry, be safe, be happy and be good.
