Another month has gone by, and I hardly noticed it.Nothing much to report, really. We had our offsite on 16 and 17 April, and that was pretty tiring. Interesting though it was, it was hard to keep my eyes open at times. And I wasn't the only one... Anyway, it was good to hook up with people from all over the world again. And to meet some new faces. Two late nights, however, and I was completely destroyed and need to sleep most of the following weekend.Went to the Isle of Man last week and had a great time. Nice place. And despite what Trevor says, it's not backward at all. Maybe it has something to do with my getting on a bit in life, but I could see myself living there. Nice people, nice pubs, and the sea on all sides. What more could you want?Am off to Stirling for a day on Tuesday for training, and that pretty much concludes my travelling. But that's not to say that there won't be some more in line with the current restructuring in HSS. At the moment, I'm not sure how I would feel about that, but I'll cross that bridge if and when I get to it. Am looking forward to getting back to Bermuda at the end of May for two weeks of sunshine and general madness.C
Had a fabulous time in Dublin! As always, I find it hard to believe how quickly time flies sometimes.... Getting there was (as usual) a bit of a drag, with the incoming plane being late and then sitting on the runway for about an hour, meaning that I got into town way late. Missed the entire first half of the rugby match against England, and kept Darren waiting a while. Not that the match was all that watchable. Unmitigated desaster, once again.Picked up a cold and was feeling pretty sick by Paddy's Day of all days. Stayed on the couch all day, but managed to drag myself downstairs when the parade had reached New Street. I have added some of the pics to the Dublin set in my Flickr album. Had a chance to meet up with two girls I used to work with years ago, which was great, if somewhat short. But I guess that's always the case if you just visit. Met up with Gerry, too. We seem so much more comfortable with each other these days. Would've liked to see more of him, but his mom was taken to hospital, so that his attention was focused elsewhere. The old girl is fine again now, and back at home, thank God. Left Dublin with a heavy heart on Friday. I am beginning to doubt this whole "London experiment". The fact that Trevor still hasn't managed to work on the promised upgrade doesn't help. Had a chat with him recently that left a bad taste in my mouth. Have resolved to speak to him again next week and to let him know exactly how I feel. If he hadn't promised the upgrade, I never would've moved here and so I think that I'll ride out the year to gain the experience (if nothing else), and then either go back home or try to get a job in the NYC office until my work permit runs out at the end of 2010.On a brighter note, I met this really lovely girl, Sophie, and we've been having some fun. Went out last Friday and had a hilarious time. Mind you, my head didn't agree with that the next morning at all. Bit of a wasted day, yesterday.... Despite the obvious discomfort of that, being here is getting a little easier now that I'm getting to know a few people.Claudia
What a great weekend! Had my housewarming on Friday night, and Danny (one of my oldest friends) came over from Hamburg. I hadn't seen him in about four years, and we had a great reunion.The party went very well, due mainly to a very interesting mix of people. We had a good few laughs when some of the lads noticed that in one of the buildings opposite my balcony somebody was taking a shower, covered only by a frosted glass window. I guess they just forgot that there were actually people living on the other side....On Saturday, Danny and I hooked up with Daniel and watched Ireland get beaten by Wales in the rugby. Never mind. Scotland then proceeded to beat England, and that was very uplifting! The people were all friendly and happy, and so we had a great time. As the afternoon turned into evening, the Demon Drink took hold, and we went home somewhat early but happy.Sunday was spent watching a few movies and relaxing. When we went to the airport, we had to find out that Danny's flight out of City had been cancelled, and so he had to transfer to Heathrow. Unfortunately, that meant that his day was extended by a few hours, and I guess he was pretty tired when he finally touched down in Hamburg around 10 pm.I was long gone to lulu land by that stage, having collapsed in a heap on the sofa after hoovering and doing a load of washing in my neighbour's apartment.On that note, my boiler has now been replaced and my new washing machine (yes, that went, too...) will be installed while I'll be in Dublin next week. At least I don't have to face the mess, as those lads are very good with cleaning up after themselves.Looking forward to getting back home for a week. Need to recharge them batteries.Claudia
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