Well I am sitting in the MSP airport lounge (a perk of flying international and being a platinum member) waiting for my flight to London. With my family in town and all the Christmas goings on I haven't had a lot of time write this week. Maybe on the flight tonight I will crank out a post or three. Don't know. I am surprised though at how empty the airport is. I checked my bag and got through security in like 10 minutes! CRAZY. Though I am glad of it. Now I am hanging out in the lounge. FREE BOOZE!!!! ok ok really I am just drinking Iced Tea, but I could have a free drink or five if I wanted. But I don't want to mix drinking and sleeping pills. This will be the third time this year I will have been in London but this time I will have a week to see the sights and no work. Yeah no work.
Again I have a countdown going. My flight leaves at 7:10 PM and arrives at 9:10am. There is a 5 hour difference in time and I expect to see my lovely wifey around 3 tomorrow London time. That is less than 15 hours away at this point. Still to long really but it is manageable I guess. This had been the longest we have been apart, and I don't really like it. If I can help it we won't spend this much time apart again. A big improvement this trip though is that we will spend a whole week together rather than 50 hours like the last time I went to Moscow. But I am certainly looking at options to get us closer together.
Along another note, once I get some paper from Ruzana and some friends of ours I will finally have the package ready for the ole USCIS (immigration). It should take about six months for them to process, then assuming she is approved it will be sent to the US State Department. Then who knows how long it will take. But by our best figuring RG has spend 10 months out of 24 back in Russia, so maybe with 6-9 more of processing they will just drop the remainder and let her come back early. We shall see. We shall see. I can not wait to get on the plan and pass out cuz, when I wake I should be with in 6 hours of seeing the MRS.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Philly
Well I haven’t been writing blogs in sort of order lately and my trip to Russia in September gave me so many items to write about that other things have topics are getting put to the side. Which is to bad because I think I can get more details in if I write something up when it is fresh in my mind. Back in mid October I went to training out at SAP America head quarters out side of Philadelphia. I stayed in an area known as Kind of Prussia, just a couple miles from Valley Forge National Park. The hotel and area are relatively unremarkable. The landscape is very hilly and wooded even though the area is quite populated it doesn’t feel that way most of the time because of the woods seeming to have over grown everything. I went a few days early so I could see some of the sites in the area and the weather was perfect so it worked out really well. I have a burgeoning interest in the area because I have been reading biographies on the founding fathers. So far I have covered Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, and Adams. I think Monroe will be next. Anyway it is amazing to be in the same place where it all happened, where the country was started.
The first day I was out there I was able to swing into Valley Forge National park. I tried to get some good photos, but since I was on my own the self portraits came out a bit strange. Oh well that is life. The park is very large and crisscrossed with roads, bike paths, and trails. There are some sizable hills in the area and very few buildings. Most of the Army of the Potomac lived in little log cabins. The one nice place was George Washington’s head quarters, and a train depot put in for tourism decades on decades ago. There were also monuments everywhere. Some dedicated to the soldiers, some to Washington, and some to various generals. There were also displays of some of the defenses used at the time, and several areas where old canon were set up as they would have been during that time. I really was only to see things that were easily accessible from the road. If I go back I either want to road trip out there and bring my bike or rent one and spend a day or two riding the trails in the park.
The next day I met up with a friend of mine who had recently left my company and moved to Philly. We ate lunch at a nice Cuban place then walked around old town. The nice thing about the area is how all the sites are in about a couple square mile area of town. I saw just about everything. The Franklin Museum/post office/house site, Betsy Ross House, Franklin’s grave, the Liberty Bell, the tavern all the constitutional representatives met in, where the declaration of independence was written, Independence hall, and some others I honestly can’t remember. The tour of independence hall was easily my favorite part. To walk around were the delegates met and argued about, ratified, and signed the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and ran the revolutionary war was amazing. I was amazed to find out that they had even matched the original colors in the rooms. It was also a lot smaller than I had imagined, but when you think about it that makes sense, there would have been 30 or less people involved as there were only 13 colonies.
I was a little disappointed because I didn’t see any hidden compartments or clues to the Mason’s treasures like those in the movie National Treasure. But that is ok treasure hunting isn’t my thing. As much as this was an interesting place to visit the area really doesn’t have more than a few days worth of sites to see; a couple museums, Valley Forge, and Old Town. Then you have seen it all. Of course this doesn’t make it any less of a must see if you have a trip in the area though.
The first day I was out there I was able to swing into Valley Forge National park. I tried to get some good photos, but since I was on my own the self portraits came out a bit strange. Oh well that is life. The park is very large and crisscrossed with roads, bike paths, and trails. There are some sizable hills in the area and very few buildings. Most of the Army of the Potomac lived in little log cabins. The one nice place was George Washington’s head quarters, and a train depot put in for tourism decades on decades ago. There were also monuments everywhere. Some dedicated to the soldiers, some to Washington, and some to various generals. There were also displays of some of the defenses used at the time, and several areas where old canon were set up as they would have been during that time. I really was only to see things that were easily accessible from the road. If I go back I either want to road trip out there and bring my bike or rent one and spend a day or two riding the trails in the park.
The next day I met up with a friend of mine who had recently left my company and moved to Philly. We ate lunch at a nice Cuban place then walked around old town. The nice thing about the area is how all the sites are in about a couple square mile area of town. I saw just about everything. The Franklin Museum/post office/house site, Betsy Ross House, Franklin’s grave, the Liberty Bell, the tavern all the constitutional representatives met in, where the declaration of independence was written, Independence hall, and some others I honestly can’t remember. The tour of independence hall was easily my favorite part. To walk around were the delegates met and argued about, ratified, and signed the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and ran the revolutionary war was amazing. I was amazed to find out that they had even matched the original colors in the rooms. It was also a lot smaller than I had imagined, but when you think about it that makes sense, there would have been 30 or less people involved as there were only 13 colonies.
I was a little disappointed because I didn’t see any hidden compartments or clues to the Mason’s treasures like those in the movie National Treasure. But that is ok treasure hunting isn’t my thing. As much as this was an interesting place to visit the area really doesn’t have more than a few days worth of sites to see; a couple museums, Valley Forge, and Old Town. Then you have seen it all. Of course this doesn’t make it any less of a must see if you have a trip in the area though.
Friday, December 14, 2007
STUPID Immigration STUPID policies
Ok well I have always heard that immigration policies are some of the most confusing ridiculous government policies out there. But until you actually have to abide by them you can not even begin to realize how stupid they are. There are so many requirements based on so many different criteria that I am amazed we have as much immigration to the States as we; though if you are on a short list of certain countries it is easier than others. Of course I am trying learn about all of this because I want to get my wife back over to the states, and her situation is made more difficult thanks to the state department program that she originally came over on. Of course had it not been for that program we would not have met so you take the good and the bad I guess.
But here is what I find is ridiculous, 1 the goofy forms. And there are a ton of them, and you need different forms for different things, and you don’t know if you did them right or wrong for months. This is the point of the process we are in right now – gathering the correct documentation: marriage certificates, birth certificates, affidavits of our relationship by third parties, biographies, and the immigration forms. What fun. Once this is package of funness is completed it gets mailed to the USCIS. The what-what? The USCIS, the newer name for the old INS, I know everyone knows the INS so lets go ahead and rebrand a government agency. Again this just seems to add to calamity with which I am forced to be involved.
So beyond the USCIS, we also get to work with two parts of the US Department of State. At least that is according to the USCIS who actually answer the phone. On repeated attempts to contact the State Department I have only been referred back to the USCIS, who in turn say that the questions I have need to be directed to the State Department. YES THAT IS AWESOME! Government at its best, I tell you that much. So the concern I have is this RG is currently under a requirement to live in Russia for a total of 2 years to complete her scholarship agreement with the US State Department. Of which she has completed at least 9 or 10 months. However it takes 6 months for the USCIS to process an application. If it is approved it is sent to the State Department to change status, grant visas, etc. The State Department forwards this work to the US Consultant/Embassy in Russia. Well no one at the state department can tell how long this process takes, and if she has not completed her 2 year residency requirement if they hold her application or if we have to reapply.
So I don’t know when to submit the paper work. Too soon and we may have to start over after waiting say 12 months though at that point she would only need to live in Russia for 2 more months to meet the requirement. This would mean she would have to live there for and additional 10 months. If we submit the forms to late we are in the same boat if it takes that long to process. She may end up staying an additional 4-10 months just waiting on processing. AHHH!!. However if the State Department takes less than or more than 6 months to do there part who knows what the best time to file is. Or if they will hold her application until she is eligible then the sooner we get the application in the better.
Now this is just to get her Residency/Green Card. We have to continue to deal with the USCIS if she decides to become a US Citizen. But before she can do this we have to live together for 3 years as a married couple. We have like 4 months completed the rest won’t start until she moves home. Then there is an additional 5 year wait once she becomes a citizen before her parents would be able to get a Residency/Green Card and up to 10 years before her sister could be one. How crazy is that. The 3 year wait to become a citizen is to keep people from marrying just to gain citizenship. Though, if I join the military or become a diplomat she would automatically qualify for citizenship. Maybe this is something I could consider. The wait for her family on Residency/Green Cards is do to the limited number that are allotted to people from different countries per year. The wait is up to five years for parents and 10 for siblings from Russia. If they were Cuban they would immediately be eligible for residency.
So this is the silliness that I get to put up with as our country has different relationships with different nations, the rules have become ridiculously complicated. Beyond that politicians now argue about amnesty and citizenship for illegals from Mexico. How much of a double standard is that. If you are trying to get into the country legally to be with you family that has come over legally, well you may have to wait 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years, but if you came over illegally (hence breaking the law) we want to reward you!!!
So again I say…
“Stupid Immigration, Stupid Policies!!”
But here is what I find is ridiculous, 1 the goofy forms. And there are a ton of them, and you need different forms for different things, and you don’t know if you did them right or wrong for months. This is the point of the process we are in right now – gathering the correct documentation: marriage certificates, birth certificates, affidavits of our relationship by third parties, biographies, and the immigration forms. What fun. Once this is package of funness is completed it gets mailed to the USCIS. The what-what? The USCIS, the newer name for the old INS, I know everyone knows the INS so lets go ahead and rebrand a government agency. Again this just seems to add to calamity with which I am forced to be involved.
So beyond the USCIS, we also get to work with two parts of the US Department of State. At least that is according to the USCIS who actually answer the phone. On repeated attempts to contact the State Department I have only been referred back to the USCIS, who in turn say that the questions I have need to be directed to the State Department. YES THAT IS AWESOME! Government at its best, I tell you that much. So the concern I have is this RG is currently under a requirement to live in Russia for a total of 2 years to complete her scholarship agreement with the US State Department. Of which she has completed at least 9 or 10 months. However it takes 6 months for the USCIS to process an application. If it is approved it is sent to the State Department to change status, grant visas, etc. The State Department forwards this work to the US Consultant/Embassy in Russia. Well no one at the state department can tell how long this process takes, and if she has not completed her 2 year residency requirement if they hold her application or if we have to reapply.
So I don’t know when to submit the paper work. Too soon and we may have to start over after waiting say 12 months though at that point she would only need to live in Russia for 2 more months to meet the requirement. This would mean she would have to live there for and additional 10 months. If we submit the forms to late we are in the same boat if it takes that long to process. She may end up staying an additional 4-10 months just waiting on processing. AHHH!!. However if the State Department takes less than or more than 6 months to do there part who knows what the best time to file is. Or if they will hold her application until she is eligible then the sooner we get the application in the better.
Now this is just to get her Residency/Green Card. We have to continue to deal with the USCIS if she decides to become a US Citizen. But before she can do this we have to live together for 3 years as a married couple. We have like 4 months completed the rest won’t start until she moves home. Then there is an additional 5 year wait once she becomes a citizen before her parents would be able to get a Residency/Green Card and up to 10 years before her sister could be one. How crazy is that. The 3 year wait to become a citizen is to keep people from marrying just to gain citizenship. Though, if I join the military or become a diplomat she would automatically qualify for citizenship. Maybe this is something I could consider. The wait for her family on Residency/Green Cards is do to the limited number that are allotted to people from different countries per year. The wait is up to five years for parents and 10 for siblings from Russia. If they were Cuban they would immediately be eligible for residency.
So this is the silliness that I get to put up with as our country has different relationships with different nations, the rules have become ridiculously complicated. Beyond that politicians now argue about amnesty and citizenship for illegals from Mexico. How much of a double standard is that. If you are trying to get into the country legally to be with you family that has come over legally, well you may have to wait 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years, but if you came over illegally (hence breaking the law) we want to reward you!!!
So again I say…
“Stupid Immigration, Stupid Policies!!”
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Black Sea: Wedding Party
Ok well this is a long time coming, but this is my final Blog on my first trip to the land of the Tsars. It is certainly an exciting and amazing place to visit and I enjoyed the two weeks I spent there. Next May/June I hope to go back and explore St. Petersburg and I still need to visit RG’s hometown of Tagenrog. As I have mentioned the areas around the black sea are quite different than that of Moscow, and the people in the town we stayed were also quite ethically different, most of Armenian descent. My new family was very warm, accepting, gracious, and generous to me in earnest. I enjoyed talking to everyone down there and they were are very curious about the United States, and I was a bit of celebrity. RG told me this was because no one had met someone from so far away. I believe it is because they couldn’t believe someone would chose to put up with RG for the rest of their life (I kid, I kid). On the most beautiful day of our trip, the weather was clear, sunny, and warm my new parents threw us a wedding party. It was very similar to what would typically be a wedding reception for the area and I can tell you one thing I learned about Armenians, they certainly know how and like to party.
The celebration was amazing, and quite different than anything I have been through before. RG’s parents spent several days preparing for the event. They had arranged for a large feast, rented out a reception hall, and hired a singer/DJ/MC for the event. The feast was quite amazing. We had fried pork steaks, various sausages, and incredible imported beef specially cooked by the in-laws for meats. We had cheeses, breads, potatoes, vegetables, and salad for sides. To drink we had vodka, wine, juice, Pepsi, and more vodka. They also provided us with a large wedding cake that was much different than an American cake. For one thing it was not just white, it was white, gold, brown, and instead of having a plastic bride and groom it was decorated with a type of cookie and flowers. The frosting was also much lighter than and not nearly as sweet as the frosting used in the states. It was quite good.
The one shocking item on the table though was another meat that I did not mention above, a delicacy that everyone loved having, and loved goading me into eating; cow tongue, yes cow tongue. It was weird seeing the un-process foot and half long cow tongues on the counter at the house the night before, so it was a little nerve racking to try, but I have to admit it was pretty darn good though I probably won’t ask for it at meal when I order.
There were many people who came to the party, mostly RG’s dad’s family and friends as we were staying in his old home town. The godparents were there, aunts, uncles, cousins, the dad’s best friend from grade and secondary school, and of course the other close in-laws. I had an absolute fabulous time. Though I had to watch myself because everyone kept toasting us and I was concerned I might end up having one too many shoots of vodka. But there was so much food, so much activity, and it last for several hours I was able to hold my own; though I am sure I was showing signs of my typical post drinking conditions by the end of the night. I am also sure that there is video of me acting a bit crazy both because there was a videographer and everyone had camera phones and digital cameras that capture video. But luckily none of it ended up on youtube.
The music that they played all night was mostly regional and/or ethnic Armenian. It is very different from most music I am used to. Mostly strings and horns, very fast in tempo, and while I have no clue what was being sang about it seemed happy, up-beat, and festive. Everyone danced quite a lot that night. Everyone that is, except my bride and her sister. I had no problem jumping into the circle and dancing a little. Though I have no clue what I was doing. RG’s uncle and aunt (RG’s dad’s siblings) certainly liked to cut-a-rug, and so did a couple of her dad’s old school friends. I had fun and had to wonder what it would have been like if we could incorporate all of these people and some of their music into our wedding party in the states. It would certainly be entertaining to see RG’s family and friends from the black sea and my family and friends co-mingling and partying. Especially fun to watch would be the interactions when everyone would try to talk to each other.
As it was I had a lot of fun, I think the whole family had a lot of fun. Even my bride who would only come out on the dance floor for the slow songs!
The celebration was amazing, and quite different than anything I have been through before. RG’s parents spent several days preparing for the event. They had arranged for a large feast, rented out a reception hall, and hired a singer/DJ/MC for the event. The feast was quite amazing. We had fried pork steaks, various sausages, and incredible imported beef specially cooked by the in-laws for meats. We had cheeses, breads, potatoes, vegetables, and salad for sides. To drink we had vodka, wine, juice, Pepsi, and more vodka. They also provided us with a large wedding cake that was much different than an American cake. For one thing it was not just white, it was white, gold, brown, and instead of having a plastic bride and groom it was decorated with a type of cookie and flowers. The frosting was also much lighter than and not nearly as sweet as the frosting used in the states. It was quite good.
The one shocking item on the table though was another meat that I did not mention above, a delicacy that everyone loved having, and loved goading me into eating; cow tongue, yes cow tongue. It was weird seeing the un-process foot and half long cow tongues on the counter at the house the night before, so it was a little nerve racking to try, but I have to admit it was pretty darn good though I probably won’t ask for it at meal when I order.
There were many people who came to the party, mostly RG’s dad’s family and friends as we were staying in his old home town. The godparents were there, aunts, uncles, cousins, the dad’s best friend from grade and secondary school, and of course the other close in-laws. I had an absolute fabulous time. Though I had to watch myself because everyone kept toasting us and I was concerned I might end up having one too many shoots of vodka. But there was so much food, so much activity, and it last for several hours I was able to hold my own; though I am sure I was showing signs of my typical post drinking conditions by the end of the night. I am also sure that there is video of me acting a bit crazy both because there was a videographer and everyone had camera phones and digital cameras that capture video. But luckily none of it ended up on youtube.
The music that they played all night was mostly regional and/or ethnic Armenian. It is very different from most music I am used to. Mostly strings and horns, very fast in tempo, and while I have no clue what was being sang about it seemed happy, up-beat, and festive. Everyone danced quite a lot that night. Everyone that is, except my bride and her sister. I had no problem jumping into the circle and dancing a little. Though I have no clue what I was doing. RG’s uncle and aunt (RG’s dad’s siblings) certainly liked to cut-a-rug, and so did a couple of her dad’s old school friends. I had fun and had to wonder what it would have been like if we could incorporate all of these people and some of their music into our wedding party in the states. It would certainly be entertaining to see RG’s family and friends from the black sea and my family and friends co-mingling and partying. Especially fun to watch would be the interactions when everyone would try to talk to each other.
As it was I had a lot of fun, I think the whole family had a lot of fun. Even my bride who would only come out on the dance floor for the slow songs!
The Black Sea: Ah… This is what people mean by Police Corruption
Well for a long time, from everyone I have met that is from Russia, I have heard about the rampant corruption. In fact while in the states we may be held back in many ways by the entitlement system of welfare we have created, the Russians in my opinion are held back by the entitlement felt by government officials. I saw on a couple occasions in my short trip several times that government employees shock down the average citizen. First when we went to the black sea RG’s own uncle had to pay a bribe to the local health inspector. It wasn’t a lot of money and it was not a trial for the man to pay it. What astounds me is that the official is so up front about doing this.
The second time I encountered this type of thing is when I tried to get through the small airport that we used at the black sea. After we walked right through security without even putting our bags through the metal detectors or x-rays, the official checking documents starting telling us that my documentation was wrong. Before long he had us step aside and called someone else out. The new official also looked at the documents and said they were wrong. Funny they were perfect when I left Moscow. The second official and my sister in-law argued a little then walked off to a nearby office. In the office I am told he asked for $100 for the problem to go away. She talked him down to $50 and we on our way.
The final time was when I was back in Moscow. We were at an attraction in the north end of the city and we were waiting in line at a street vendor to get food. A nice meat filled pastry of some sort. Well we ended up waiting in line forever because the guy who ran the trailer was behind it paying off a cop for something or another. Now I know that there are more than likely more than a few corrupt police in America. But I have never scene such blatant and routine strong arming by public officials for pay outs.
I certainly believe that this is one of the major problems that keeps Russia from truly takings its previous and traditional place as a power house in the worlds economy. If you pay off the inspector so you can build a shooty building, that building may collapse, become unusable, or the upkeep will cost twice as much even if you do the bare minimum. There are long term effects by cutting corners. I think that Russia is a country were everyone cuts as many corners as possible and tries to get away with as much as they can. I do not think that it is a lack of talent but an institutionalized way of handling everything in life. It really is too bad because there are so many good things in the country that this type of behavior brings my overall opinion of the country down when I think about it.
The second time I encountered this type of thing is when I tried to get through the small airport that we used at the black sea. After we walked right through security without even putting our bags through the metal detectors or x-rays, the official checking documents starting telling us that my documentation was wrong. Before long he had us step aside and called someone else out. The new official also looked at the documents and said they were wrong. Funny they were perfect when I left Moscow. The second official and my sister in-law argued a little then walked off to a nearby office. In the office I am told he asked for $100 for the problem to go away. She talked him down to $50 and we on our way.
The final time was when I was back in Moscow. We were at an attraction in the north end of the city and we were waiting in line at a street vendor to get food. A nice meat filled pastry of some sort. Well we ended up waiting in line forever because the guy who ran the trailer was behind it paying off a cop for something or another. Now I know that there are more than likely more than a few corrupt police in America. But I have never scene such blatant and routine strong arming by public officials for pay outs.
I certainly believe that this is one of the major problems that keeps Russia from truly takings its previous and traditional place as a power house in the worlds economy. If you pay off the inspector so you can build a shooty building, that building may collapse, become unusable, or the upkeep will cost twice as much even if you do the bare minimum. There are long term effects by cutting corners. I think that Russia is a country were everyone cuts as many corners as possible and tries to get away with as much as they can. I do not think that it is a lack of talent but an institutionalized way of handling everything in life. It really is too bad because there are so many good things in the country that this type of behavior brings my overall opinion of the country down when I think about it.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Internet is conspiring against me
Whom would the internet conspire with eludes me, possibly the three sisters of Fait, who knows. All I do know is that for the last week and a half no matter where I am it seems the internet is not cooperating with me. At home it drops every 5 minutes and 40 seconds or so. So regular it is weird. When I talk to the wife I had to redial Skype 5 or 6 times for each conversation. The internet at home has also been slower than usual. Well I wouldn’t think much of it if it was just that it wasn’t working at home, but it doesn’t seem to work for me anywhere else. At my client I have no access on my personal laptop because I am waiting on security paper work to be processed. And just tonight in the hotel the hotel internet went down in the middle of my nightly call with the wife.. All I can say is arrrrrrggggggggg. To quote Charlie Brown.
So I am left to assume that the gods of the interweb are upset with me for some reason and have conspired to keep me from having the full and un-molested use of what many of my generation (and those younger) feel is a critical utility. So it frustrates me. And then frustrates me some more. But tomorrow there is at least a little relief. I will finally get my laptop certified for use on the client network. I think I will also finally get around to calling Qwest (again with the arrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggg) to have them come and look at the phone line coming into my house. But alas at the hotel there is nothing I can do. I had an aircard for a few weeks but returned it when I found my next assignment is in an area with incredibly expensive roaming rates, so it seemed ridiculous to pay $50 a month for 10 months for something I would not be able to use soon.
One of the worst parts about having internet failure is some times I can’t even call for help because as would happen I have no phone book. So if there is no internet I can not even look up the repair number. I will have to remember to put it in my contact list on my cell phone. Well I guess I will now cross my fingers that the connection last long enough for this post to be updated!
So I am left to assume that the gods of the interweb are upset with me for some reason and have conspired to keep me from having the full and un-molested use of what many of my generation (and those younger) feel is a critical utility. So it frustrates me. And then frustrates me some more. But tomorrow there is at least a little relief. I will finally get my laptop certified for use on the client network. I think I will also finally get around to calling Qwest (again with the arrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggg) to have them come and look at the phone line coming into my house. But alas at the hotel there is nothing I can do. I had an aircard for a few weeks but returned it when I found my next assignment is in an area with incredibly expensive roaming rates, so it seemed ridiculous to pay $50 a month for 10 months for something I would not be able to use soon.
One of the worst parts about having internet failure is some times I can’t even call for help because as would happen I have no phone book. So if there is no internet I can not even look up the repair number. I will have to remember to put it in my contact list on my cell phone. Well I guess I will now cross my fingers that the connection last long enough for this post to be updated!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
It was much easier before
I guess I didn’t realize exactly how good I had it before – probably too good. I knew I had a great set-up but just didn’t realize how good.
How good did I have it? Well I knew that when RG left for Moscow I would miss the attention she lavished on me during the weekends. I have to admit that the best part of coming home after a long week away was being greeted by such a wonderful woman. I am the only traveling consultant that I have met in the last two years whose girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife drops them off at the airport every Monday and picks them up Thursday or Friday nights. She liked the hellos and the good byes, and I think didn’t want to wait the extra ½ hour or so to see me that a cab ride would take. I also knew it would be kind of boring and lonely at home with out her. Having a roommate helps but it certainly isn’t close to the same (I don’t think he would be as cuddly and I certainly am not going to try).
But beyond that I didn’t realize home much a partner she was in my work. Though she worked full time she still put in a ton of time supporting me and my work. My laundry magically was washed, folded, and put away every week. My drive cleaning somehow dropped itself off and picked itself up. The house smelled better and was generally cleaner. There was more than beer and ketchup in the fridge. Other small tasks were taken care of while I was off and about. She would take care of things so I wouldn’t have to on the weekends. I never realized how short weekends really are until I had to do all of these things myself. I think I was just to list off all of the things I have to do myself now it could fill pages. So now I know how good I had it.
How good did I have it? Well I knew that when RG left for Moscow I would miss the attention she lavished on me during the weekends. I have to admit that the best part of coming home after a long week away was being greeted by such a wonderful woman. I am the only traveling consultant that I have met in the last two years whose girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife drops them off at the airport every Monday and picks them up Thursday or Friday nights. She liked the hellos and the good byes, and I think didn’t want to wait the extra ½ hour or so to see me that a cab ride would take. I also knew it would be kind of boring and lonely at home with out her. Having a roommate helps but it certainly isn’t close to the same (I don’t think he would be as cuddly and I certainly am not going to try).
But beyond that I didn’t realize home much a partner she was in my work. Though she worked full time she still put in a ton of time supporting me and my work. My laundry magically was washed, folded, and put away every week. My drive cleaning somehow dropped itself off and picked itself up. The house smelled better and was generally cleaner. There was more than beer and ketchup in the fridge. Other small tasks were taken care of while I was off and about. She would take care of things so I wouldn’t have to on the weekends. I never realized how short weekends really are until I had to do all of these things myself. I think I was just to list off all of the things I have to do myself now it could fill pages. So now I know how good I had it.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Airline Status may not always be a good thing!
Normally I am pretty glad that I have platinum status with the airlines. A lot of the time I get upgraded to first class. I have priority standby so I go to the front of the line when it comes to getting on a different flight. We also get a special call-in number to help us with issues. There is a lot more to it than that, you can go to NWA’s website and see all the benefits. Last year I flew over 120 flights, individual segments to qualify for status and this year I think I will do it by flying over 75,000 miles. That is a lot of butt time in an airline seat. I have to admit that I really do like flying first class when I get up graded, especially on longer flights.
But sometimes this can also be hazardous I think to one career. I know of four scenarios at my firm where being a Platinum status can get you into trouble, at least with jealous people. The first is if you travel with a client with out status. It never looks good when the person that eventually is paying your expenses (and hence wants them kept to a minimum) sees you flying first class all the time. If they do a lot of travel them understand and are used to it. But if it is not a regular part of the job they may not understand that you aren’t paying extra for the first class seat. And because the upgrade happens automatically there isn’t a lot you can do about it unless you want to call in and ask for a down grade, and then if coach is full it may not happen.
Similarly if you are flying with a manager that has lost his status or has lower status then you. They know the game, they know how it works, and generally they are a little upset that are no longer getting the benefits you are. In fact you getting the upgrade may be preventing them from getting an upgrade. So while they may just be teasing you about it being no big deal you may have to grow a pair of eyes on the back of your head. But most the time this creates a little humor in a group when all the junior staff are riding in the front and the manager is riding in the back.
Finally, and this is much more rare. I have heard of a time when a junior staff came to the gate after calling in to be put on standby, recognized two partners that were talking to the agents at the gate. And as he arrived he heard the agent say, oh sorry a Platinum member was just put on standby list – one of you isn’t going to make this flight. Then immediately called his name and handed him a boarding pass. Ergo, one of the partners didn’t get on the flight!
The finally scenario is the worst one to be in, the most dangerous one to be in – not just for your career but possibly for your life – that is when you have been upgraded on a trip going to or returning from a family function and you purchased your wife’s ticket with miles. When you get upgraded, she doesn’t. If you had purchased her ticket with money she would get upgraded. Now, when your sparky wife finds out that you have been upgraded she generally doesn’t give you many options. Either upgrade her, trade with her, or get yourself downgraded. Unlike clients, managers, or partners letting her fly in the back of the plane while you in the front would be an extremely risky proposition – and really SHOULD NOT be attempted. Ponying up the miles is really the best solution for all, though it may take a while to her them back. You still get to ride in first class, she is happy to be riding in first class (enjoying a little white zen) and you get to keep you life and all your body parts.
So while these tails are mostly humorist, most of us do not like being in any of these positions. Certainly they could be bad for client relationships, certainly they make a partner mad, but they could also ruin your home life.
But sometimes this can also be hazardous I think to one career. I know of four scenarios at my firm where being a Platinum status can get you into trouble, at least with jealous people. The first is if you travel with a client with out status. It never looks good when the person that eventually is paying your expenses (and hence wants them kept to a minimum) sees you flying first class all the time. If they do a lot of travel them understand and are used to it. But if it is not a regular part of the job they may not understand that you aren’t paying extra for the first class seat. And because the upgrade happens automatically there isn’t a lot you can do about it unless you want to call in and ask for a down grade, and then if coach is full it may not happen.
Similarly if you are flying with a manager that has lost his status or has lower status then you. They know the game, they know how it works, and generally they are a little upset that are no longer getting the benefits you are. In fact you getting the upgrade may be preventing them from getting an upgrade. So while they may just be teasing you about it being no big deal you may have to grow a pair of eyes on the back of your head. But most the time this creates a little humor in a group when all the junior staff are riding in the front and the manager is riding in the back.
Finally, and this is much more rare. I have heard of a time when a junior staff came to the gate after calling in to be put on standby, recognized two partners that were talking to the agents at the gate. And as he arrived he heard the agent say, oh sorry a Platinum member was just put on standby list – one of you isn’t going to make this flight. Then immediately called his name and handed him a boarding pass. Ergo, one of the partners didn’t get on the flight!
The finally scenario is the worst one to be in, the most dangerous one to be in – not just for your career but possibly for your life – that is when you have been upgraded on a trip going to or returning from a family function and you purchased your wife’s ticket with miles. When you get upgraded, she doesn’t. If you had purchased her ticket with money she would get upgraded. Now, when your sparky wife finds out that you have been upgraded she generally doesn’t give you many options. Either upgrade her, trade with her, or get yourself downgraded. Unlike clients, managers, or partners letting her fly in the back of the plane while you in the front would be an extremely risky proposition – and really SHOULD NOT be attempted. Ponying up the miles is really the best solution for all, though it may take a while to her them back. You still get to ride in first class, she is happy to be riding in first class (enjoying a little white zen) and you get to keep you life and all your body parts.
So while these tails are mostly humorist, most of us do not like being in any of these positions. Certainly they could be bad for client relationships, certainly they make a partner mad, but they could also ruin your home life.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Settle down I just got back from Russia
One of the things that is probably hardest to deal with being a consultant is navigating the minefields related to getting staffed from project to project. You will spend some time just sitting on the bench/beach with no assignment emailing everyone and getting no good leads for roles then you will be rolling off a project and get several calls for you be somewhere new the day after you leave where you are at. What makes it even harder and more arduous is the fact that normally your current project will not give you hard roll on/off dates. So you may think Friday is your last day on a project for 10 weeks in a row. Or you may think you will be around on a project for 3 more weeks to be cut loose this Friday. There is never any certainty. So when I went to Russia in September I had a roll off date that was in the middle of my vacation. I was a little apprehensive about this date actually coming true though.
Sure enough a few days before my vacation was over I was asked to return to the project when I got back (via emails… I know I shouldn’t check email on vacation… but). So I got set up my travel plans via the internet and was ready to go. Unfortunately I had made plans to help recruit the Tuesday of the week of my return. So I let my PM know I would have to have that day off. Also I was unable to update my scheduled availability because the utility didn’t work well from Russia. So I got home at 3:35 on Sunday. Took the train and a taxi home, did my laundry, repacked, went to bed, and was on a flight to the client Monday morning at 7:00am. Tuesday morning I drove the rental car back home. Again I didn’t update my staffing. But it was mostly because I had to run around so much.
Well sure enough my staffing manager thought I was on the bench/beach, and even though I hadn’t been able to line up a new project prior to my planned roll off date she had a hot item for me. So hot in fact the client wanted me there the day before. Of course my staffing manager got pissed because I hadn’t answered my desk phone. Now just an FYI this woman works from home and never uses her desk phone, but she gets really upset when we don’t answer ours when she expects that we are unassigned. God forbid you actually use my cell phone like I have written on my profile. Not only that I thought she was going to have an aneurism when I told her I would be at my project for at least another week. It turns out she had already presented me and the client had accepted me so the partners wanted me. Well sorry - she could have tried my cell.
So then she got all worked up about everything. I didn’t have the recruiting event on my schedule, I didn’t answer my desk phone, and I didn’t update my project availability. Sorry I only got back from Russia, flew to the client site, put out a dozen project fires, and driven back home for a one day event in the 48 hours. No biggie. I should have been able to update all the staffing paperwork too. That way when she decided not to follow the process and let me know I was being proposed on a project, she would have had more up-to-date information to ignore. Well over the next two days a couple of partners fought over where I would go and I ended up staying at the original client for an additional 3 weeks. But now I have a pissed off staffing manager. Though in the last couple of weeks I think I have begun to smooth things over by providing her with way more information than she needs. LOL
Interestingly enough, this last weekend, I had a similar problem to the one above. I had been staffed Thursday morning when I was flying out that night to go to Moscow. I booked my travel got all the paper work in order then headed off to the airport. Sure enough on the train to the airport I got a call. Tuesday afternoon was not soon enough for me to be on site. I needed to be there Tuesday morning; even if this meant flying right after I got home from Russia. Sure enough when I got to the airport and could get onto the internet my flight from Russia got in at 3:35 and the latest flight to NY was 6:59. Great. I didn’t have work clothes for the next week so I would have to land in Minneapolis, get my bags, clear customs, take a taxi home, repack, take a taxi back to the airport, clear security again, and get to my gate - all in less than 3.5 hours. Amazingly enough … I made it. I didn’t get to the hotel until 12:30 or to bed till almost 2:00a so I was worthless the next day, but I did make it.
I hope this doesn’t become a habit that when I travel internationally I need to make crazy travel arrangements the second I get home.
Sure enough a few days before my vacation was over I was asked to return to the project when I got back (via emails… I know I shouldn’t check email on vacation… but). So I got set up my travel plans via the internet and was ready to go. Unfortunately I had made plans to help recruit the Tuesday of the week of my return. So I let my PM know I would have to have that day off. Also I was unable to update my scheduled availability because the utility didn’t work well from Russia. So I got home at 3:35 on Sunday. Took the train and a taxi home, did my laundry, repacked, went to bed, and was on a flight to the client Monday morning at 7:00am. Tuesday morning I drove the rental car back home. Again I didn’t update my staffing. But it was mostly because I had to run around so much.
Well sure enough my staffing manager thought I was on the bench/beach, and even though I hadn’t been able to line up a new project prior to my planned roll off date she had a hot item for me. So hot in fact the client wanted me there the day before. Of course my staffing manager got pissed because I hadn’t answered my desk phone. Now just an FYI this woman works from home and never uses her desk phone, but she gets really upset when we don’t answer ours when she expects that we are unassigned. God forbid you actually use my cell phone like I have written on my profile. Not only that I thought she was going to have an aneurism when I told her I would be at my project for at least another week. It turns out she had already presented me and the client had accepted me so the partners wanted me. Well sorry - she could have tried my cell.
So then she got all worked up about everything. I didn’t have the recruiting event on my schedule, I didn’t answer my desk phone, and I didn’t update my project availability. Sorry I only got back from Russia, flew to the client site, put out a dozen project fires, and driven back home for a one day event in the 48 hours. No biggie. I should have been able to update all the staffing paperwork too. That way when she decided not to follow the process and let me know I was being proposed on a project, she would have had more up-to-date information to ignore. Well over the next two days a couple of partners fought over where I would go and I ended up staying at the original client for an additional 3 weeks. But now I have a pissed off staffing manager. Though in the last couple of weeks I think I have begun to smooth things over by providing her with way more information than she needs. LOL
Interestingly enough, this last weekend, I had a similar problem to the one above. I had been staffed Thursday morning when I was flying out that night to go to Moscow. I booked my travel got all the paper work in order then headed off to the airport. Sure enough on the train to the airport I got a call. Tuesday afternoon was not soon enough for me to be on site. I needed to be there Tuesday morning; even if this meant flying right after I got home from Russia. Sure enough when I got to the airport and could get onto the internet my flight from Russia got in at 3:35 and the latest flight to NY was 6:59. Great. I didn’t have work clothes for the next week so I would have to land in Minneapolis, get my bags, clear customs, take a taxi home, repack, take a taxi back to the airport, clear security again, and get to my gate - all in less than 3.5 hours. Amazingly enough … I made it. I didn’t get to the hotel until 12:30 or to bed till almost 2:00a so I was worthless the next day, but I did make it.
I hope this doesn’t become a habit that when I travel internationally I need to make crazy travel arrangements the second I get home.
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Black Sea: No Codes, No Water, No Power and No Animal Control
While most of the blog really centers on some of what I saw at the Black Sea back in September the first part also applies to Moscow. Dogs. Wild packs of roaming dogs. I’m not talking about small or medium sized dogs, I’m talking about full sized 60 – 90 lb animals. They are everywhere. They roam cities in packs. Originally I thought this was do to just a lack of government oversight; the lack of political will or care to take care of a “problem”. In Moscow and in the town we were at in the Black Sea the dogs were just there. Other than needing to watch you step on the grass I never saw them do anything but sit around and look at people. Thinking in the American way I thought huh, why don’t they hire some dog catchers and get rid of these animals. I mean they were running around in the subways. But this last weekend I learned that it isn’t a lack of will, it is a different philosophy than we have.
The dogs and other wild animals in Russia are scene as a natural and protected part of the environment. There are actually laws against getting rid of the animals. So instead shop owners and other citizens tend to leave scraps out for the dogs. This keeps them happy and from attacking people. I don’t know if the animals spread disease or not, I don’t know if that is part of the reason we have such stringent animal control policies. The Russia way seems to make sense though in its own way. The animals don’t seem to be hurting people (at least not very often though there are a few stories) and it would be cheaper than having an entire work force just to round up strays and take care of them. But it is a major difference when you walk around say New York – no dogs roaming free – and Moscow – no dogs on leases – oh yeah they don’t have bag laws so you always need to watch where you step.
Originally I thought the three things in the title of this blog were related, after my last trip I found that they weren’t but I’m throwing it all together anyway. One of the interesting things about Russia is that in the major cities you really wouldn’t know you weren’t in Europe if it weren’t for all the cops and old Soviet ornamentation. However if you get a couple hours out of the city, say to the black sea, everything can change. When I visited we had no running water. Or rather it ran for 1 hour a day. I couldn’t believe this. The reason for this was because the river the water came from was basically dry. It hadn’t rained in like 100 days. So we had to drive a town away to take showers as needed. We also collected water in pots and pans for and hour a day while also trying to clean things and brush our teeth. Now I never would have imagined such a thing happening in the states. But if you have watched the news at all, you know parts of the south are having this exact problem. Some cities are turning the water off for hours a day. I guess drought is drought anywhere.
However in this town I must mention that many people do not have into showers and toilettes. This is still common in some places that ½ the houses in town still use out houses. That was a bit crazy. They are available it is just that a lot of people that own older houses don’t have or don’t want to spend the money to put them in. House with them do cost more, but if you don’t have the money what can you do. I didn’t think this was a big deal, but I would be surprised if even a percentage of people in the West have out houses any more, or in the last 30 years. So while the dogs and lack of water surprised me there are reasons for it and so it isn’t as weird now as it was two months ago. But the last thing I saw really is different than what you would see in the states. That is the lack of building codes.
In Moscow I saw the lack of finish work and polish in a lot of things but everything seemed sturdy and well built. At the black sea I can’t say the same. There really seemed to be no real building codes. Buildings were built out of anything. Some walls in the same house may be covered in metal sheeting, brick, or un-matching unpainted wood. Roofs were tile or tin or wood, or both, or all three. Rooms were added to existing buildings half-hazardly, out buildings were built with materials that rotten in a year, and some buildings stood and were occupied when they were only 1/3-2/3 fininshed. For instance people may live in the first floor while the second was still under construction and the roof had not been installed yet.
My favorite example was where I saw the exterior walls, roof, and second level of a new building built around and over an existing house! People were still living in this house while they built the newer larger one around it. I think the cause of this is two fold. First people can’t get capital loans, there are no mortgages to speak of let alone home improvement loans, so they must build things as they have the cash to do so. The second is that inspectors and officials in this area are generally corrupt and take bribes pretty easily to look the other way or never inspect at all. So you get a some what odd mix of really nice buildings and really strange thrown together structures co-existing on the same streets. Very different.
The dogs and other wild animals in Russia are scene as a natural and protected part of the environment. There are actually laws against getting rid of the animals. So instead shop owners and other citizens tend to leave scraps out for the dogs. This keeps them happy and from attacking people. I don’t know if the animals spread disease or not, I don’t know if that is part of the reason we have such stringent animal control policies. The Russia way seems to make sense though in its own way. The animals don’t seem to be hurting people (at least not very often though there are a few stories) and it would be cheaper than having an entire work force just to round up strays and take care of them. But it is a major difference when you walk around say New York – no dogs roaming free – and Moscow – no dogs on leases – oh yeah they don’t have bag laws so you always need to watch where you step.
Originally I thought the three things in the title of this blog were related, after my last trip I found that they weren’t but I’m throwing it all together anyway. One of the interesting things about Russia is that in the major cities you really wouldn’t know you weren’t in Europe if it weren’t for all the cops and old Soviet ornamentation. However if you get a couple hours out of the city, say to the black sea, everything can change. When I visited we had no running water. Or rather it ran for 1 hour a day. I couldn’t believe this. The reason for this was because the river the water came from was basically dry. It hadn’t rained in like 100 days. So we had to drive a town away to take showers as needed. We also collected water in pots and pans for and hour a day while also trying to clean things and brush our teeth. Now I never would have imagined such a thing happening in the states. But if you have watched the news at all, you know parts of the south are having this exact problem. Some cities are turning the water off for hours a day. I guess drought is drought anywhere.
However in this town I must mention that many people do not have into showers and toilettes. This is still common in some places that ½ the houses in town still use out houses. That was a bit crazy. They are available it is just that a lot of people that own older houses don’t have or don’t want to spend the money to put them in. House with them do cost more, but if you don’t have the money what can you do. I didn’t think this was a big deal, but I would be surprised if even a percentage of people in the West have out houses any more, or in the last 30 years. So while the dogs and lack of water surprised me there are reasons for it and so it isn’t as weird now as it was two months ago. But the last thing I saw really is different than what you would see in the states. That is the lack of building codes.
In Moscow I saw the lack of finish work and polish in a lot of things but everything seemed sturdy and well built. At the black sea I can’t say the same. There really seemed to be no real building codes. Buildings were built out of anything. Some walls in the same house may be covered in metal sheeting, brick, or un-matching unpainted wood. Roofs were tile or tin or wood, or both, or all three. Rooms were added to existing buildings half-hazardly, out buildings were built with materials that rotten in a year, and some buildings stood and were occupied when they were only 1/3-2/3 fininshed. For instance people may live in the first floor while the second was still under construction and the roof had not been installed yet.
My favorite example was where I saw the exterior walls, roof, and second level of a new building built around and over an existing house! People were still living in this house while they built the newer larger one around it. I think the cause of this is two fold. First people can’t get capital loans, there are no mortgages to speak of let alone home improvement loans, so they must build things as they have the cash to do so. The second is that inspectors and officials in this area are generally corrupt and take bribes pretty easily to look the other way or never inspect at all. So you get a some what odd mix of really nice buildings and really strange thrown together structures co-existing on the same streets. Very different.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Mule
The other night I cleaned out my closet. This is something I should probably do once a year or more, but tend to do only at critical mass. When the there are so many clothes it is hard to find something or fit something new in. Don't get me wrong I don't buy a lot of clothing. I also tend to wear the same things until they wear our. Therefore a lot of the items can last for a long time. This whole activity was triggered by my wife leaving. Though obliviously it took a while to happen as she has been gone for 2 months. Before she left I made her make a bag for goodwill because she also tends to keep things forever. This bag has been sitting in the corner for two months because I only wanted to make one trip to the goodwill and wanted to thin out my old stuff to.
So the other night I finally did it. I took every thing out of the closet and made piles. Winter work clothes, summer work clothes, winter casual, summer casual, suits, pants that kinda fit if I loss 10 more pounds, shirts I like but haven't worn in 5-10-15 years, and other similar categories. Yes I have clothes I haven't worn since the beginning of high school. This year I did better than in previous years. I only kept 3-4 items that thought I probably wouldn't wear again but still liked. I used to keep 3-4 times that amount. Not there is a ton of room in my closet and goodwill has 4 (3 of my clothes and 1 of RG's) more bags of clothes to sell.
So during this process I was thinking of the term "Clothes Horse". This is a saying used to describe someone that likes to buy, own, and wear a lot of different clothing. Then I thought about how my closet was probably just as full as someone who would be considered a clothes horse, but for entirely different reasons. Instead it is because I never through anything away, even though I know I will probably never put that article of clothing on again it feels like waste to get rid of it before it is stain ridden and full of holes from wear. So I though maybe I am a "Clothes Mule" someone who just keeps packing up on old clothes. Someone who won't get rid of something until it is literally unwearable.
Then later that night I realized I was another kind of mule.... No not the kind that come from Columbia smuggling in a certain product from the coca leaf. No the kind that has to pack an entire extra bag for his up coming trip to Russia. A bag full of electronics and household items. Including movies, coffee, odor eaters, pain killers, chocolate, and lint rollers. Almost 40 lbs worth of this stuff. Of course if it makes the wife happy then I am happy to do it. Though I never thought I would be worried about fitting more chocolates into a suitcase.
So the other night I finally did it. I took every thing out of the closet and made piles. Winter work clothes, summer work clothes, winter casual, summer casual, suits, pants that kinda fit if I loss 10 more pounds, shirts I like but haven't worn in 5-10-15 years, and other similar categories. Yes I have clothes I haven't worn since the beginning of high school. This year I did better than in previous years. I only kept 3-4 items that thought I probably wouldn't wear again but still liked. I used to keep 3-4 times that amount. Not there is a ton of room in my closet and goodwill has 4 (3 of my clothes and 1 of RG's) more bags of clothes to sell.
So during this process I was thinking of the term "Clothes Horse". This is a saying used to describe someone that likes to buy, own, and wear a lot of different clothing. Then I thought about how my closet was probably just as full as someone who would be considered a clothes horse, but for entirely different reasons. Instead it is because I never through anything away, even though I know I will probably never put that article of clothing on again it feels like waste to get rid of it before it is stain ridden and full of holes from wear. So I though maybe I am a "Clothes Mule" someone who just keeps packing up on old clothes. Someone who won't get rid of something until it is literally unwearable.
Then later that night I realized I was another kind of mule.... No not the kind that come from Columbia smuggling in a certain product from the coca leaf. No the kind that has to pack an entire extra bag for his up coming trip to Russia. A bag full of electronics and household items. Including movies, coffee, odor eaters, pain killers, chocolate, and lint rollers. Almost 40 lbs worth of this stuff. Of course if it makes the wife happy then I am happy to do it. Though I never thought I would be worried about fitting more chocolates into a suitcase.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
The Black Sea: Are you serious… That thing flys?
Over the years I have flown quite a bit. In fact because my dad was a pilot all of my life I was introduced to it early on. My dad was a fighter pilot fighting the cold war in the late seventies and early eighties. He would dress me in a miniature flight suit – just the right size for a two year old – my mom had made me and would take on base to see all of the airplanes. When I was a little older than that he would take me along when he flew with his friends in small planes as well. Beyond that I flew on occasion across country or even trans-Atlantic when we would go on vacation or visit my family on the opposite coast than we lived. I remember flying gliders with dad, flying in single engine private planes, and I remember flying on my own to visit my grand parents when I was only 7. Later my dad became and airline pilot and I flew ½ dozen times a year after that. Now I travel for work, last year I flew 122 segments, this year I am already in the 80s. I talk about this because I feel I am pretty comfortable and used to flying, and have been doing it literally my whole life. However nothing really prepared me for domestic flights on a Russian airline.
First of all the airports around Moscow are not easy to get. For some reason they are not connected to the metro. There for you have two choices really, take a bus or spend a ton on the taxi cab. We took the first option. So we lugged our bags through them metro and the got onto a little mini-bus. It took a long time to get to the airport. For domestic flights we flew out of a different airport than I had flown into on the opposite side of Moscow. This airport was much more modern and was actually pretty nice. But that didn’t mean we didn’t have any challenges. The first is actually getting the tickets. If you purchase tickets over the internet you have to find a special counter to pick these up. Then you must check in a counter. This isn’t that strange, it was like this only 10 years ago in the states, though I thought it was weird that we had to pick up the tickets at a separate place than we checked in. Our bags were weighted and checked and we headed to security. Getting through security and to the gate was pretty standard and easy. Then when it was time to board we got on a bus and were driven to the plane. This isn’t very common in the states anymore but it hasn’t gone away altogether. My big surprise was when we pulled up to the plane.
For some reason I assumed wrongly that S7 airlines, a Russia airline, was so close to Europe they would be using mostly Airbus planes. What I was shocked to see was a TU-149; a plane that was designed in 1967 and was last updated in the early 80s. We had a similar plane in the United States in the Boeing 727. But it has been a decade since these have all been retired. Interestingly enough when I looked the plane up on Wikipedia it was said that the Russia version of the plane out performed its US counter part. However they burn a lot more fuel than newer jets and will not be noise compliant with in the EU in the next couple of years. The interior was at least 20 years old, the seats had fully metal back, much of the signage had actually been duck taped over, and the carpet was coming up in many places. We had to use a ladder truck to get into the plane, a little novel and out dated but no big deal. Looking out into the tarmac I saw much crazier looking planes – planes that are still being used – one looked like a WWII bomber complete with glass nose cone, another was huge and 4 engines attached to rear of the fuselage, many others looked like something out of the movie Air America.
The flight was not bad. It was relatively short. Thought the plane was loud, luckily I had brought a bunch of ear plugs to take care of this problem. In some ways the trip was nicer than flying on a US airline. They served us food, drinks, and then hot tea. The hot tea was amazing because they actually had larger silver tea sets to pour the hot water from. I also saw this on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Moscow. I guess even some of the minor effects of the American Revolution and the Boston tea party are still apparent in US society. Also the staff seemed friendly and service was pretty good. When we landed at the Black Sea airport, and everyone was finished clapping because we landed safely, I noticed that the airfield was surrounded by farms. I mean they came up to within feet of the runway. Also there were dogs running around on the tarmac and our luggage was unloaded into dump trucks, no fancy cargo carriers here. I have to say it was a little nerve racking but really it was just a few years ago all of this could have been seen in America. Ok maybe 20 years ago but still.
First of all the airports around Moscow are not easy to get. For some reason they are not connected to the metro. There for you have two choices really, take a bus or spend a ton on the taxi cab. We took the first option. So we lugged our bags through them metro and the got onto a little mini-bus. It took a long time to get to the airport. For domestic flights we flew out of a different airport than I had flown into on the opposite side of Moscow. This airport was much more modern and was actually pretty nice. But that didn’t mean we didn’t have any challenges. The first is actually getting the tickets. If you purchase tickets over the internet you have to find a special counter to pick these up. Then you must check in a counter. This isn’t that strange, it was like this only 10 years ago in the states, though I thought it was weird that we had to pick up the tickets at a separate place than we checked in. Our bags were weighted and checked and we headed to security. Getting through security and to the gate was pretty standard and easy. Then when it was time to board we got on a bus and were driven to the plane. This isn’t very common in the states anymore but it hasn’t gone away altogether. My big surprise was when we pulled up to the plane.
For some reason I assumed wrongly that S7 airlines, a Russia airline, was so close to Europe they would be using mostly Airbus planes. What I was shocked to see was a TU-149; a plane that was designed in 1967 and was last updated in the early 80s. We had a similar plane in the United States in the Boeing 727. But it has been a decade since these have all been retired. Interestingly enough when I looked the plane up on Wikipedia it was said that the Russia version of the plane out performed its US counter part. However they burn a lot more fuel than newer jets and will not be noise compliant with in the EU in the next couple of years. The interior was at least 20 years old, the seats had fully metal back, much of the signage had actually been duck taped over, and the carpet was coming up in many places. We had to use a ladder truck to get into the plane, a little novel and out dated but no big deal. Looking out into the tarmac I saw much crazier looking planes – planes that are still being used – one looked like a WWII bomber complete with glass nose cone, another was huge and 4 engines attached to rear of the fuselage, many others looked like something out of the movie Air America.
The flight was not bad. It was relatively short. Thought the plane was loud, luckily I had brought a bunch of ear plugs to take care of this problem. In some ways the trip was nicer than flying on a US airline. They served us food, drinks, and then hot tea. The hot tea was amazing because they actually had larger silver tea sets to pour the hot water from. I also saw this on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Moscow. I guess even some of the minor effects of the American Revolution and the Boston tea party are still apparent in US society. Also the staff seemed friendly and service was pretty good. When we landed at the Black Sea airport, and everyone was finished clapping because we landed safely, I noticed that the airfield was surrounded by farms. I mean they came up to within feet of the runway. Also there were dogs running around on the tarmac and our luggage was unloaded into dump trucks, no fancy cargo carriers here. I have to say it was a little nerve racking but really it was just a few years ago all of this could have been seen in America. Ok maybe 20 years ago but still.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Excited
Well I'm about to head to the airport and fly to San Antonio for a work party. Yes they are willing to fly people around the country for a party. The first promotion is considered quite a big deal so they invite all 300 or so people to a weekend get away. Funny because I just got back from a two day retreat for our Quarterly All Hands meeting. I haven't been staffed for 3 weeks yet I haven't stopped traveling yet either. Next it looks like I am going to New York for a 5 week project.
But this isn't why I am excited. I am excited because in less than a week I get on a plane to Amsterdam, that connects me to a plane going to Moscow. While RG and I are used to not seeing a lot of each other with my job, the longest I have been away from her so far was 2 weeks. Well it has been more than 3 times that now. And honestly I am missing her something fierce. So as I sit her in my warm and freshly ironed shirt with no pants on, killing 10 minutes on the computer, I realize that while this weekend is going to be fun I really can't wait for next weekend.
It will be our 6 month wedding anniversary. Not the biggest of course but something somewhat tangible. So are plans are actually pretty cool. We are eating at a restaurant that at one time was the private club for the KGB. I'm sure at some point in his career even the current president of Russia, MR. Putin, himself has eaten there. Of course I think I will be in better company with my wife though. Hopefully the next 6 days will go by pretty fast.
But this isn't why I am excited. I am excited because in less than a week I get on a plane to Amsterdam, that connects me to a plane going to Moscow. While RG and I are used to not seeing a lot of each other with my job, the longest I have been away from her so far was 2 weeks. Well it has been more than 3 times that now. And honestly I am missing her something fierce. So as I sit her in my warm and freshly ironed shirt with no pants on, killing 10 minutes on the computer, I realize that while this weekend is going to be fun I really can't wait for next weekend.
It will be our 6 month wedding anniversary. Not the biggest of course but something somewhat tangible. So are plans are actually pretty cool. We are eating at a restaurant that at one time was the private club for the KGB. I'm sure at some point in his career even the current president of Russia, MR. Putin, himself has eaten there. Of course I think I will be in better company with my wife though. Hopefully the next 6 days will go by pretty fast.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Moscow: Thanks Goodness for expandable bags
Well I am almost done talking about my trip to Russia. I have a few more subjects to write about but a couple more weeks and I will have to look elsewhere for ideas to write about. This is actually the last one about Moscow for now (I head back in November) and it really doesn’t have much to do with the city. When I went to Moscow I made a big travel mistake by not packing for the weather. This caused us to have to go to a mall and get me a zip up sweater. But this was far from my only travel mistake. You would think that someone who traveled more than 120 times last year and 80 this year would know the tricks. The problem is you get comfortable in your routine and do things with out thinking. That is when you, or rather I, forget things.
So beyond not packing any long sleeve shirts or a jacket I made a few other mistakes. I flew from Milwaukee to Detroit to Amsterdam after a full day of work, at the end of a work week. So I will admit I was pretty tired before I even got on the first plane. Then I decided to stay away the entire trip so I could adjust quicker to the new time zone. This kinda worked. Well I was so tired and been on the plane from Detroit to Amsterdam so long that when it was time to land I put my noise canceling head phones in the magazine pocket in the seat in front of me. Then I was in such a hurry to get of the plane, I left the headphones in the seat back pocket. I realized this about 30 minutes after getting off of the plane, but by the time I circled back they were nowhere to be found. I was informed I could contact security for the lost and found. For some reason I don’t see paying $80 to ship $40 headsets to the states to be a good investment.
The final goof I made was actually just a little risk I consciously took that didn’t work out for me. I didn’t want to check bags so I stuffed everything into a single bag. This didn’t work out. For one the overheads on the planes from any airline outside of the US won’t hold the massive bags we consider carry on. So I ended up checking my bag anyway. Next my bag was SO full of junk there was no room for anything extra… Not that I planned on buying anything in particular, but I should have assumed I would want to buy something. And so I did. Just a couple bottles of vodka, a large book, and some chocolates, but still that was room I didn’t really have. Lucky for me I was smart enough to buy a bag that expands! So I unzipped the top of the bag so it gained an extra 3 inches, say on it, pounded on it, repacked it, and finally was able to get everything to fit. Next time I will just take a small second bag to fill along with me. Of course part of this is because my wife, her sister, and their roommate gave me a 2 page list of stuff to bring to Russia when I return.
Also when I replace my noise canceling headphones, I plan to get nicer ones. No not the $350 Bose. But some thing twice as much as the old junkie Phillips I had before. So I will have to be three times more careful not to leave them on the plane.
So beyond not packing any long sleeve shirts or a jacket I made a few other mistakes. I flew from Milwaukee to Detroit to Amsterdam after a full day of work, at the end of a work week. So I will admit I was pretty tired before I even got on the first plane. Then I decided to stay away the entire trip so I could adjust quicker to the new time zone. This kinda worked. Well I was so tired and been on the plane from Detroit to Amsterdam so long that when it was time to land I put my noise canceling head phones in the magazine pocket in the seat in front of me. Then I was in such a hurry to get of the plane, I left the headphones in the seat back pocket. I realized this about 30 minutes after getting off of the plane, but by the time I circled back they were nowhere to be found. I was informed I could contact security for the lost and found. For some reason I don’t see paying $80 to ship $40 headsets to the states to be a good investment.
The final goof I made was actually just a little risk I consciously took that didn’t work out for me. I didn’t want to check bags so I stuffed everything into a single bag. This didn’t work out. For one the overheads on the planes from any airline outside of the US won’t hold the massive bags we consider carry on. So I ended up checking my bag anyway. Next my bag was SO full of junk there was no room for anything extra… Not that I planned on buying anything in particular, but I should have assumed I would want to buy something. And so I did. Just a couple bottles of vodka, a large book, and some chocolates, but still that was room I didn’t really have. Lucky for me I was smart enough to buy a bag that expands! So I unzipped the top of the bag so it gained an extra 3 inches, say on it, pounded on it, repacked it, and finally was able to get everything to fit. Next time I will just take a small second bag to fill along with me. Of course part of this is because my wife, her sister, and their roommate gave me a 2 page list of stuff to bring to Russia when I return.
Also when I replace my noise canceling headphones, I plan to get nicer ones. No not the $350 Bose. But some thing twice as much as the old junkie Phillips I had before. So I will have to be three times more careful not to leave them on the plane.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Rocky 7
In 1976 a little known actor wrote and filmed a movie about an under dog boxer in Philadelphia. The rest of the story if rather famous, Stallone’s star rose quickly winning an Oscar and many sequels followed. In fact there have been new Rocky movies for four decades. I personally enjoy the first one the best, though most of them are fun. I really don’t care a lot for the fifth movie, but the new one that came out this year, though it lacked Talia Shire, was really good also. Of course I still need to get my wife to see the fourth one. Then maybe she will understand how crazy Americans are when they make a decision to be against something (the cold war/Russia). Even though the villain isn’t played by a Russian and the fight scenes, while entertaining, are completely bogus.
What I found was really amusing this week while I was in Philly was the story of Rocky’s statue. For those who do not know the movies, in the third story line Rocky is Heavy Weight Champ of the World – sorry about spoiling a 25 year old movie – and the city of Philadelphia presents Rocky a bronze statue and puts at the top of the stairs to the city’s art museum. Well in Real life the movie prop was a real bronze statue and it was left at the top of the Philadelphia museum and became a small local attraction. As the years went on the Rocky legend from the movies faded. The directors of the art museum never though of the statue as art so they had it moved to the spectrum a sports facility in South Philly. It was moved back to the Art museum for the filming of several movies and always went back to the spectrum. Well after the latest movie came out in 2006, thirty years after the original, the debate of the statue was renewed and it was moved back to the art museum.
However this time the statues new home is at the bottom of the stairs along the sidewalk instead at the top of the stairs. What really amazed me about the statue in real life is how BIG of an attraction it actually is. I spent all of Sunday in Old City Philadelphia where the founding fathers literally designed the country and saw all of the sites there. That night I found the Museum around 8pm. There was just as long of a line for people to get their photo by the statue of Rocky at 8pm as there was to get their photos taken with the liberty bell in the middle of the afternoon! And on top of that most of these people were from around the world. It is absolutely amazing that a statue of a fictional character is such a huge draw even at 8pm on a Sunday. Looking online I have also found a ton of information about the statue, people really get into this thing, though people from Philly are split down the middle over whether they like it or not.
Another interesting thing I found out is that besides the Rocky movies the statue has cameos in several other films. These include “Philadelphia”, “Trading Spaces”, and “Mannequin”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Steps
http://www.ushistory.org/oddities/rocky.htm
http://philadelphia.about.com/od/uniquelyphiladelphia/l/blrocky_statue.htm
http:// www.rockysculpture.com
What I found was really amusing this week while I was in Philly was the story of Rocky’s statue. For those who do not know the movies, in the third story line Rocky is Heavy Weight Champ of the World – sorry about spoiling a 25 year old movie – and the city of Philadelphia presents Rocky a bronze statue and puts at the top of the stairs to the city’s art museum. Well in Real life the movie prop was a real bronze statue and it was left at the top of the Philadelphia museum and became a small local attraction. As the years went on the Rocky legend from the movies faded. The directors of the art museum never though of the statue as art so they had it moved to the spectrum a sports facility in South Philly. It was moved back to the Art museum for the filming of several movies and always went back to the spectrum. Well after the latest movie came out in 2006, thirty years after the original, the debate of the statue was renewed and it was moved back to the art museum.
However this time the statues new home is at the bottom of the stairs along the sidewalk instead at the top of the stairs. What really amazed me about the statue in real life is how BIG of an attraction it actually is. I spent all of Sunday in Old City Philadelphia where the founding fathers literally designed the country and saw all of the sites there. That night I found the Museum around 8pm. There was just as long of a line for people to get their photo by the statue of Rocky at 8pm as there was to get their photos taken with the liberty bell in the middle of the afternoon! And on top of that most of these people were from around the world. It is absolutely amazing that a statue of a fictional character is such a huge draw even at 8pm on a Sunday. Looking online I have also found a ton of information about the statue, people really get into this thing, though people from Philly are split down the middle over whether they like it or not.
Another interesting thing I found out is that besides the Rocky movies the statue has cameos in several other films. These include “Philadelphia”, “Trading Spaces”, and “Mannequin”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Steps
http://www.ushistory.org/oddities/rocky.htm
http://philadelphia.about.com/od/uniquelyphiladelphia/l/blrocky_statue.htm
http:// www.rockysculpture.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
Moscow: Sometimes you actually feel sad for Soviet Failure
At this point in time there are probably few people that would continue to argue that communism and central planning is a viable economic system. While I agree that if it worked it would be a more equitable idea for everyone to share equally in economic gains it lacks a force to drive the majority of the population to accomplish anything beyond the bare minimum. But traveling in Moscow I have to admit that the Soviet system did have some lasting benefits, they did create some amazing things, and it is sad in some respects that it is now a failed experiment. That government’s early legacy I think is very proud and accomplished.
When traveling in Moscow it is apparent that for at least the first 40 years or so of Soviet rule things in Russia were improving. As I have mentioned before and amazing metro system was created, major building where built, and the country industrialized. This momentum lasted until the mid 60s. Everywhere you travel in Russia you see monuments to this fallen empire. Plaques on walls, statues built into the sides of buildings, bronze art artwork in the metro, and many other structures. All of these things have a grandeur that is hard to explain. You can easily see how these scenes inspired the first generation of Soviets. All of the buildings from this area are also extremely well built and decorative. Then you can tell that times in the Soviet state turned for the worst anything built in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s was of much worse quality, much more utilitarian, and received much less up-keep. Not until the last 5 years or so has building quality begun to make real improvements.
Probably on of the most interesting and amazing places I saw in Moscow is now called the All Russian Exhibit Center. It is in the northwest corner of the city and is a must see. Started in the 30’s and really built up in the 50’s and 60’s this is an area with 300 or so buildings that stand as a monument to how much power the soviets did have at one time. You enter the area through a 3 to 4 story tall pillared gate, topped with the required statue of workers looking to the future and adorned with scenes of wheat and produce. Once through the gate there is a long mall with manicured lawns, flower beds, and several fountains. Straight ahead in the main building once dedicated to the USSR in grand classical styling. Sitting in front of this building is a story and half tall statue of Lenin. To left is a large farmers market and some exhibition building to the right a large park area with some of the largest, but closed, exhibition buildings. The buildings far to the right also are the most modern, made out of stainless steel and glass. These buildings were at on time dedicated to displaying scientific achievements, now they lay dormant and rotting.
Walking around the main building you see an amazing large fountain, all decked out in gold. In a circle around this fountain is a building, originally built and supported by each of the soviet member country. These building are built in a manor to show off what is special about each country. They were originally used to hold dances, events, and displays based on each countries unique ethnic culture. Once through this circle there are several blocks of more buildings originally dedicated to different alchemic disciplines or industries; such as chemistry, physics, or mathematics and agriculture, transportation, or energy. Each of these buildings again has its own character. Many have tile mosaics, statues, or even stained glass. Each one was beautiful in its own way. Similar to the building representing each member country these buildings were used represent their subject matter and hold exhibits and events. The final display of buildings in this area is the Aeronautics and Space buildings. These have a real rocket and a couple of jets on display in front of them, thought the buildings themselves are condemned.
The sheer size of this place was astounding. But what is more astounding is what is happening to the center now. It’s original purpose is now gone, Russia is a single country and the Russian Federation is only a fraction of the nations that once made up the USSR. However there are still all of the same industries, academic disciplines, and need for exhibition centers that benefit the public good. But this is not what is happening to this place, instead it has become victim to capitalism in a low form. Each building has been sectioned off and leased in parts. This wonderful center originally meant to benefit Russians by presenting knowledge is now a cross between a mall and a bazat. There was always a farmers market, and I think that fit in nicely with everything else. But now they hold discount electronic, fur, clothing, and other consumer events, there are restaurants where nations used to display their heritage, and every square foot of the entire campus is covered in advertising. In fact many of the wonderful buildings are obscured by aluminum framing that has canvas or plastic banner print adds strung from rung to rung. These cover up art work, statues, mosaics, architectural details, and many other items that once made this place special.
While this center isn’t the only place you see such capitalism gone wild; it is one of the most stark contrasts in the country of what was and what has become. Along with a reminder to westerns of how far the country has to go. After a day of strolling the streets of this marvelous center though I was personally left with a hallow feeling. I could only imagine what this place was like in its prime, how proud the citizens must have been that built, visited, and ran such a place. I it is sad then that it has now become a mall, that exhibitions are not held hear, and that it has fallen so far. Again this is the case with many places in Russia, you can see what they were and are. In most cases it is an improvement over the past. New apartments, parks, and commerce areas are much nicer than anything built a decade ago. There are many more entertainment options for people than in the past, clubs, bowling, etc. But on the more rare occasions you a left feeling a little sad that Soviets are gone, and that some of the marvelous things they built are not used in the obviously proud manner they were intended.
When traveling in Moscow it is apparent that for at least the first 40 years or so of Soviet rule things in Russia were improving. As I have mentioned before and amazing metro system was created, major building where built, and the country industrialized. This momentum lasted until the mid 60s. Everywhere you travel in Russia you see monuments to this fallen empire. Plaques on walls, statues built into the sides of buildings, bronze art artwork in the metro, and many other structures. All of these things have a grandeur that is hard to explain. You can easily see how these scenes inspired the first generation of Soviets. All of the buildings from this area are also extremely well built and decorative. Then you can tell that times in the Soviet state turned for the worst anything built in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s was of much worse quality, much more utilitarian, and received much less up-keep. Not until the last 5 years or so has building quality begun to make real improvements.
Probably on of the most interesting and amazing places I saw in Moscow is now called the All Russian Exhibit Center. It is in the northwest corner of the city and is a must see. Started in the 30’s and really built up in the 50’s and 60’s this is an area with 300 or so buildings that stand as a monument to how much power the soviets did have at one time. You enter the area through a 3 to 4 story tall pillared gate, topped with the required statue of workers looking to the future and adorned with scenes of wheat and produce. Once through the gate there is a long mall with manicured lawns, flower beds, and several fountains. Straight ahead in the main building once dedicated to the USSR in grand classical styling. Sitting in front of this building is a story and half tall statue of Lenin. To left is a large farmers market and some exhibition building to the right a large park area with some of the largest, but closed, exhibition buildings. The buildings far to the right also are the most modern, made out of stainless steel and glass. These buildings were at on time dedicated to displaying scientific achievements, now they lay dormant and rotting.
Walking around the main building you see an amazing large fountain, all decked out in gold. In a circle around this fountain is a building, originally built and supported by each of the soviet member country. These building are built in a manor to show off what is special about each country. They were originally used to hold dances, events, and displays based on each countries unique ethnic culture. Once through this circle there are several blocks of more buildings originally dedicated to different alchemic disciplines or industries; such as chemistry, physics, or mathematics and agriculture, transportation, or energy. Each of these buildings again has its own character. Many have tile mosaics, statues, or even stained glass. Each one was beautiful in its own way. Similar to the building representing each member country these buildings were used represent their subject matter and hold exhibits and events. The final display of buildings in this area is the Aeronautics and Space buildings. These have a real rocket and a couple of jets on display in front of them, thought the buildings themselves are condemned.
The sheer size of this place was astounding. But what is more astounding is what is happening to the center now. It’s original purpose is now gone, Russia is a single country and the Russian Federation is only a fraction of the nations that once made up the USSR. However there are still all of the same industries, academic disciplines, and need for exhibition centers that benefit the public good. But this is not what is happening to this place, instead it has become victim to capitalism in a low form. Each building has been sectioned off and leased in parts. This wonderful center originally meant to benefit Russians by presenting knowledge is now a cross between a mall and a bazat. There was always a farmers market, and I think that fit in nicely with everything else. But now they hold discount electronic, fur, clothing, and other consumer events, there are restaurants where nations used to display their heritage, and every square foot of the entire campus is covered in advertising. In fact many of the wonderful buildings are obscured by aluminum framing that has canvas or plastic banner print adds strung from rung to rung. These cover up art work, statues, mosaics, architectural details, and many other items that once made this place special.
While this center isn’t the only place you see such capitalism gone wild; it is one of the most stark contrasts in the country of what was and what has become. Along with a reminder to westerns of how far the country has to go. After a day of strolling the streets of this marvelous center though I was personally left with a hallow feeling. I could only imagine what this place was like in its prime, how proud the citizens must have been that built, visited, and ran such a place. I it is sad then that it has now become a mall, that exhibitions are not held hear, and that it has fallen so far. Again this is the case with many places in Russia, you can see what they were and are. In most cases it is an improvement over the past. New apartments, parks, and commerce areas are much nicer than anything built a decade ago. There are many more entertainment options for people than in the past, clubs, bowling, etc. But on the more rare occasions you a left feeling a little sad that Soviets are gone, and that some of the marvelous things they built are not used in the obviously proud manner they were intended.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Moscow: Really… Purses, Hair bands, and Mullets.. No..
So I know that there are many styles currently and in the past in the US pop culture that are really, really bad. Everyone has lived through being an example of such a thing. Many people out there may remember folding, rolling, and pinning their stonewashed jeans in middle school for instance. For the girls out there, did you have the blow dried pooffed up bangs? In the 80s everything was neon, in the 90s everything baggy (even on the girls), over sized, and a bit grungy. So I really shouldn’t comment on some of the more outrageous styles I saw in Russia, even if they were pretty bad. But it was something that I did notice and I am going to write about it.
The first thing along this line that I notice, I have to admit I was a victim of years ago myself. The mullet. You know, business in the front, party in the back. Short and trimmed in the front and let to grow long in the back. This was popular in the late 80’s through the mid 90s. Very popular with hockey players, it can now be seen at your local fair or Walmart on people that have been unwilling to change for the last 15 years. These were everywhere in Russia. On Men and Women, on celebrities on the daily variety show on TVS to people running around on their daily business on the metro. They are everywhere. And I have to say they are as bad in Russia as they were/are in the US. I don’t know why this style would get picked up there but it is rampant.
The next thing I noticed, but not everywhere, and not that prevalent were male purses. They were all small, most were made out of leather – brown or black. But everyone wore them across the chest with the bag actually hanging toward the back of the person. These were defiantly not Man Bags like Joey on “Friends” had. These were purses, no matter what people may want to call them. After getting back I talked about this trend to some of my friends, most are little more macho than others, and weren’t into it. But during this conversation I found out that this trend is not just in Russia, but Italy and Eastern Europe as well. One of my friends had recently returned from a trip to visit family in that part of the world and noticed the same items being used there. For whatever reason it looks like men overseas are starting to wear purses.
The final trend I spotted that I thought was a little weird was men wearing hair bands. Long hair on men has been somewhat common in the States since the late 60s. In the 80s it was a big deal for rock and metal bands; hence the commonly used term “big hair band”. But generally these performers and those that tried to identify with them just grew their hair out, maybe using product to make it look bigger but generally most had long untamed manes. Though from it is also somewhat common to see men with long hair in the US with ponytails in Russia I guess they wanted to take it a step further. They are using hair bands to hold their hair back. These bands look just like those that school girls wear, just a colored piece of plastic that pulls the hair back. I guess practically it makes sense, if you have long hair you probably don’t want it in your face. That is where the ponytail comes in. For some reason the hair band just seems like one step too many.
So while I am sure there are plenty of photos with me in strange but trendy styles, what I saw in Russia did seem a little out there to me. That may be the point. And I guess it really wasn’t as strange as those guys in the states that do the goth thing, but still it was something to look at. To bad though that they have to repeat the mullet mistake like the rest of the world. At least the other things are something different (thought there were man bags in the 60s from what I understand).
The first thing along this line that I notice, I have to admit I was a victim of years ago myself. The mullet. You know, business in the front, party in the back. Short and trimmed in the front and let to grow long in the back. This was popular in the late 80’s through the mid 90s. Very popular with hockey players, it can now be seen at your local fair or Walmart on people that have been unwilling to change for the last 15 years. These were everywhere in Russia. On Men and Women, on celebrities on the daily variety show on TVS to people running around on their daily business on the metro. They are everywhere. And I have to say they are as bad in Russia as they were/are in the US. I don’t know why this style would get picked up there but it is rampant.
The next thing I noticed, but not everywhere, and not that prevalent were male purses. They were all small, most were made out of leather – brown or black. But everyone wore them across the chest with the bag actually hanging toward the back of the person. These were defiantly not Man Bags like Joey on “Friends” had. These were purses, no matter what people may want to call them. After getting back I talked about this trend to some of my friends, most are little more macho than others, and weren’t into it. But during this conversation I found out that this trend is not just in Russia, but Italy and Eastern Europe as well. One of my friends had recently returned from a trip to visit family in that part of the world and noticed the same items being used there. For whatever reason it looks like men overseas are starting to wear purses.
The final trend I spotted that I thought was a little weird was men wearing hair bands. Long hair on men has been somewhat common in the States since the late 60s. In the 80s it was a big deal for rock and metal bands; hence the commonly used term “big hair band”. But generally these performers and those that tried to identify with them just grew their hair out, maybe using product to make it look bigger but generally most had long untamed manes. Though from it is also somewhat common to see men with long hair in the US with ponytails in Russia I guess they wanted to take it a step further. They are using hair bands to hold their hair back. These bands look just like those that school girls wear, just a colored piece of plastic that pulls the hair back. I guess practically it makes sense, if you have long hair you probably don’t want it in your face. That is where the ponytail comes in. For some reason the hair band just seems like one step too many.
So while I am sure there are plenty of photos with me in strange but trendy styles, what I saw in Russia did seem a little out there to me. That may be the point. And I guess it really wasn’t as strange as those guys in the states that do the goth thing, but still it was something to look at. To bad though that they have to repeat the mullet mistake like the rest of the world. At least the other things are something different (thought there were man bags in the 60s from what I understand).
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Moscow: Why is my Blogger now in Russian?
So the first week I was in Moscow, while RG was off looking for a job, I tried to work on my computer. One of the first things I did was try to post a blog. Interestingly enough when I logged into blogger it was all in Russian! There wasn’t even a button to change it to English. Luckily I remembered the format well enough to do what I was going to do. But I still thought this was weird, but I was in Russia. So the next thing I did was go to Google and do a search. Again it was all in Russian with no English button. I was not happy. When I did searches it primarily brought back Russian web sites. I DON’T know Russia. This wasn’t helping me. Then I noticed that the url was www.google.ru! Hmmm. So I typed in www.google.com and was immediately redirected to www.google.ru. After several more attempts Google finally started let me go strait to www.google.com. What a pain.
This happened often. Most large companies have created separate, more local, versions of their products in regional languages. Therefore I was redirected a lot to .ru sites. I am sure that these sites look at the IP address and realize it is coming from a Russian provider and redirect me to the regional site. The problem is I want the American site. Most of the sites I had to click on an English button or a button to be directed back to the .com button but for some I just had to retype the address until the server decided I wasn’t a complete idiot and wanted to go to the US site. By the end of the first day I was always redirected to the US sites, and from then on. This of course also causes problems. The US sites are hosted at least 5000 miles away.
Due to the fact that US sites are hosted so far away there was defiantly a lag time for almost all sites. KB (RG’s sister) had a high speed connection so that wasn’t the problem. I sure the problem was latency. This is the time it takes for an IP packet to be processed by each router, switch, server, and transmission line between you PC and the server. When you are in the US trying to access a US site there are maybe 6 or less hops so latency doesn’t generally cause issues. But when you are overseas you could be 20+ hops away from your target and have hire latency times for each transmission line because of the distance. This means a packet takes 500 milliseconds instead of 155 or less. This doesn’t sound that bad but most IP traffic consists of at least 3 parts, request, send, and acknowledge. So 500 actually means 1500 instead of less than six. Now multiply that by thousands of packets and things get a little slow.
While for checking mail, surfing, and even online shopping this may be ok it normally causes issues for corporate applications. In fact many of the services on my work laptop stopped working altogether and I received emails saying my machine wasn’t being updated. I also had a hard time signing into our corporate portal. So this was pain. Not because I wanted to do work but because I still had some administrative things to do so my expenses would get paid and I would get credit for things I had already completed. I also was working with my staffing people but the email forms they use have a lot of programming involved and did not work well from Russia. So to make a short story long – I was certainly surprised that using the internet would create such a hassle just because I was overseas. I could still do just about everything I needed to do. I just had to be more patient.
This happened often. Most large companies have created separate, more local, versions of their products in regional languages. Therefore I was redirected a lot to .ru sites. I am sure that these sites look at the IP address and realize it is coming from a Russian provider and redirect me to the regional site. The problem is I want the American site. Most of the sites I had to click on an English button or a button to be directed back to the .com button but for some I just had to retype the address until the server decided I wasn’t a complete idiot and wanted to go to the US site. By the end of the first day I was always redirected to the US sites, and from then on. This of course also causes problems. The US sites are hosted at least 5000 miles away.
Due to the fact that US sites are hosted so far away there was defiantly a lag time for almost all sites. KB (RG’s sister) had a high speed connection so that wasn’t the problem. I sure the problem was latency. This is the time it takes for an IP packet to be processed by each router, switch, server, and transmission line between you PC and the server. When you are in the US trying to access a US site there are maybe 6 or less hops so latency doesn’t generally cause issues. But when you are overseas you could be 20+ hops away from your target and have hire latency times for each transmission line because of the distance. This means a packet takes 500 milliseconds instead of 155 or less. This doesn’t sound that bad but most IP traffic consists of at least 3 parts, request, send, and acknowledge. So 500 actually means 1500 instead of less than six. Now multiply that by thousands of packets and things get a little slow.
While for checking mail, surfing, and even online shopping this may be ok it normally causes issues for corporate applications. In fact many of the services on my work laptop stopped working altogether and I received emails saying my machine wasn’t being updated. I also had a hard time signing into our corporate portal. So this was pain. Not because I wanted to do work but because I still had some administrative things to do so my expenses would get paid and I would get credit for things I had already completed. I also was working with my staffing people but the email forms they use have a lot of programming involved and did not work well from Russia. So to make a short story long – I was certainly surprised that using the internet would create such a hassle just because I was overseas. I could still do just about everything I needed to do. I just had to be more patient.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Moscow: One of the most peaceful places to be is actually the Kremlin
In a previous Blog I wrote about how for a while I always had this eerie feeling while in Moscow, how everything reminded me of old cold war movies and so on. This was probably most apparent in Red Square and outside of the Kremlin. However once you purchase a pass to the interior, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact I found being inside the Kremlin, the former headquarters really of the Soviet Menace, to be one of the most interesting, and peaceful places I have ever been to. Funny as it is probably one of the largest fortresses in the old world. We spent the better part of ½ a day exploring the public parts of the Kremlin. People are of course not allowed in the government palaces, but you can buy passes to view the architecture, visit the old armory, and view what ever exhibition is currently in town.
We arrived at the Kremlin in the early afternoon. As I have mentioned before, all roads lead to it. It is the center of the city and all roads originate in that area of town. You by tickets just to the East of the main tower, the cost is about $25 to roam around inside and also visit the armory to see the museum exhibition within costs another $10-15. You enter through the main gait; it is a long bridge with two towers on each end. From here you get a good view of several buildings surrounding the Kremlin, I don’t really know what they builds were or for what use but they were pretty nice looking. Once you pass through the gate you are allowed access only to the eastern side of the fortress. The western and northern areas are reserved for government uses and no tours/tourist are allowed.
Through the main gate you see a museum on you left and large, yellow government places on the right. There are also rows of canons from years and years ago. These were probably used to defend the walls at some point in history. You walk a path that is pointed out by surprisingly friendly and informative guards. Walking around the museum you run into a large (10+ feet tall) old canon in front of you, a path to the church square, and nice park on your left. The churches are all topped with beautiful golden onions, but they come in different shapes and sizes. There are 7 churches all together. I do not know why there are so many except that each is the final resting place for dozens of Tsars. So I assume as one filled up with dead leaders then next would commission a new church to be buried in. In side they are all similarly built with plaster covered brick walls that have intricate biblical scenes painted from floor to ceiling. The churches are also divided by a wooded wall, also painted from floor to ceiling, that contains a set of large doors that open at the beginning of services and close at the end of services.
After seeing the all of the churches (3 of which were closed for repairs) we continued on to the armory. This building has been turned into a museum. It is only two floors and looks like at one time it may have been used to house balls and events as it has a grand stair case and large ball rooms with floor to ceiling windows. Now however it houses an assortment of historical artifacts from Russian history. These include the inaugural and wedding costumes from emperors, empresses, and Tsars. Amazing outfits many including jewels and intricate detail work. Many of the thrones, crowns, scepters, and orbs are also on display showing both simple design and very intricate craftsmanship. There was another room that housed gifts from other countries to the Russian royals, including Faberge Eggs, silver platters, icons, and other strange and expensive things. There is also some suits of armor and weaponry on display. My personal favorite was room full of carriages. They were amazing, some where again coated in precious metals and jewels, but the most amazing thing is that each part of the carriage was hand crafted with intricate wood carving. This includes the axles, leaf spring retainers, and other parts that would normally just be functional.
After going through the armory we strolled along the wall and got a great view of the southern half of Moscow. We walked until we reached the park in north of the churches. Here there was a very nicely wooded set of pathways with manicured lawns, freshly planted flowers, and comfortable park benches. After a few minutes of exploring we decided to sit down and relax. It was one of the most peaceful places I have been. The sun was out, a breeze was blowing. We were in a park in the middle of the Kremlin, in the middle of Moscow – pop. 20 million+, and there were maybe 3 or 4 other people walking around the area. Everyone was friendly and every thing was very well maintained. It was easily one of the nicest places we visited the entire trip. Of course it is also one of the main attractions in all of Russia, but still it was nice to be there.
We arrived at the Kremlin in the early afternoon. As I have mentioned before, all roads lead to it. It is the center of the city and all roads originate in that area of town. You by tickets just to the East of the main tower, the cost is about $25 to roam around inside and also visit the armory to see the museum exhibition within costs another $10-15. You enter through the main gait; it is a long bridge with two towers on each end. From here you get a good view of several buildings surrounding the Kremlin, I don’t really know what they builds were or for what use but they were pretty nice looking. Once you pass through the gate you are allowed access only to the eastern side of the fortress. The western and northern areas are reserved for government uses and no tours/tourist are allowed.
Through the main gate you see a museum on you left and large, yellow government places on the right. There are also rows of canons from years and years ago. These were probably used to defend the walls at some point in history. You walk a path that is pointed out by surprisingly friendly and informative guards. Walking around the museum you run into a large (10+ feet tall) old canon in front of you, a path to the church square, and nice park on your left. The churches are all topped with beautiful golden onions, but they come in different shapes and sizes. There are 7 churches all together. I do not know why there are so many except that each is the final resting place for dozens of Tsars. So I assume as one filled up with dead leaders then next would commission a new church to be buried in. In side they are all similarly built with plaster covered brick walls that have intricate biblical scenes painted from floor to ceiling. The churches are also divided by a wooded wall, also painted from floor to ceiling, that contains a set of large doors that open at the beginning of services and close at the end of services.
After seeing the all of the churches (3 of which were closed for repairs) we continued on to the armory. This building has been turned into a museum. It is only two floors and looks like at one time it may have been used to house balls and events as it has a grand stair case and large ball rooms with floor to ceiling windows. Now however it houses an assortment of historical artifacts from Russian history. These include the inaugural and wedding costumes from emperors, empresses, and Tsars. Amazing outfits many including jewels and intricate detail work. Many of the thrones, crowns, scepters, and orbs are also on display showing both simple design and very intricate craftsmanship. There was another room that housed gifts from other countries to the Russian royals, including Faberge Eggs, silver platters, icons, and other strange and expensive things. There is also some suits of armor and weaponry on display. My personal favorite was room full of carriages. They were amazing, some where again coated in precious metals and jewels, but the most amazing thing is that each part of the carriage was hand crafted with intricate wood carving. This includes the axles, leaf spring retainers, and other parts that would normally just be functional.
After going through the armory we strolled along the wall and got a great view of the southern half of Moscow. We walked until we reached the park in north of the churches. Here there was a very nicely wooded set of pathways with manicured lawns, freshly planted flowers, and comfortable park benches. After a few minutes of exploring we decided to sit down and relax. It was one of the most peaceful places I have been. The sun was out, a breeze was blowing. We were in a park in the middle of the Kremlin, in the middle of Moscow – pop. 20 million+, and there were maybe 3 or 4 other people walking around the area. Everyone was friendly and every thing was very well maintained. It was easily one of the nicest places we visited the entire trip. Of course it is also one of the main attractions in all of Russia, but still it was nice to be there.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Becoming bionic one piece at a time
So I saw an ad the other night for a new show coming out this season. Actually it is a remake of a remake of a spin off. The show is the “Bionic Woman”. I guess they wanted the sexier version so did that instead of bringing back Lee Majors. This is kind of funny to me as the original show was on the air in 1976 and was followed up in 1987 and 1989 with return of movies. Now in 2007 they are re-imagining the show. That is the new word for re-making I guess. I don’t really know anything about it, I only saw a commercial. But I was thinking about how far in the last 31 years we have come to actually creating bionic people. Bionics are actually here, today. Many amputees are starting to get prosthetics that can have up to a dozen functions. To grab, rotate, lift, angle, etc. around different joints. This is far from the show but also much more sophisticated than anything in real life back in the 70s. Beyond that people are starting to interface themselves with computers more and more.
These interfaces may not be implanted like in Sci-Fi movies and TV but that are just as effect. For instance look how many people carry around portable computers? Then how many people use Blue tooth head sets. Some people also carry around a portable gps to get directions. In fact in the last couple of year you could get all of this in one device. My new work phone is an example of this. It is always connected to the internet via wi-fi or the cell network, handles calls, has a Bluetooth ear piece, has a music player, can interface with a gps, connects me to 3 email accounts, and keeps my calendar synchronized with Outlook. Similar to this I have seen in many magazines glasses that can also display a screen projection and watches that monitor your vitals and report back via Bluetooth to a computer. So even beyond prosthetics people seem to becoming bionic one piece at a time.
How long then before we could actually create a “Six Million Dollar Man”, and would we also get the cool sound effects? What I find interesting is that if you combine the consumer side of things with the medical side of things we really aren’t that far. We can replace bones with titanium, have basic robotic prosthetics that can be controlled by the brain, and have devices that are phones/computers/GPSs/entertainment systems/medical monitors. Not only that but we are starting to build portable replacements for our internal organs. So if you put all of this together on one person you have the basics of a bionic person. I started thinking about this when I got my new phone, then more when I saw a special about some new prosthetics, but really we are extremely close to what Sci-Fi was thinking 30 years ago. I wonder where we’ll be in another 30.
These interfaces may not be implanted like in Sci-Fi movies and TV but that are just as effect. For instance look how many people carry around portable computers? Then how many people use Blue tooth head sets. Some people also carry around a portable gps to get directions. In fact in the last couple of year you could get all of this in one device. My new work phone is an example of this. It is always connected to the internet via wi-fi or the cell network, handles calls, has a Bluetooth ear piece, has a music player, can interface with a gps, connects me to 3 email accounts, and keeps my calendar synchronized with Outlook. Similar to this I have seen in many magazines glasses that can also display a screen projection and watches that monitor your vitals and report back via Bluetooth to a computer. So even beyond prosthetics people seem to becoming bionic one piece at a time.
How long then before we could actually create a “Six Million Dollar Man”, and would we also get the cool sound effects? What I find interesting is that if you combine the consumer side of things with the medical side of things we really aren’t that far. We can replace bones with titanium, have basic robotic prosthetics that can be controlled by the brain, and have devices that are phones/computers/GPSs/entertainment systems/medical monitors. Not only that but we are starting to build portable replacements for our internal organs. So if you put all of this together on one person you have the basics of a bionic person. I started thinking about this when I got my new phone, then more when I saw a special about some new prosthetics, but really we are extremely close to what Sci-Fi was thinking 30 years ago. I wonder where we’ll be in another 30.
Moscow: Shopping for food every 2 days
One thing that was different about my stay in Moscow, or the Black Sea for that matter, was the time dedicated to shopping. I don’t mean browsing for clothes or the newest electronic gadget. Though you can do this pretty easily in Moscow, no I was thinking more about shopping for the basics. At least a couple times a week we needed to stop at the store on the way home from the Metro and then our supplies lasted only a couple days. There are much larger stores that you can go to and stock up similar to in the US. But getting to and from these stores, while transporting your goods, can be a challenge however. So it does seem to be a bit more complicated here than there. But at least everything is very fresh and most items don’t have preservatives.
While the water is horrible in Moscow we used mostly bottled water. This was probably the thing that ran out the most. I told RB that we should just boil it and put it in empty containers, but she didn’t like that idea for some reason. So every two days we stopped and got more water. Most things were sold in smaller quantities so they ran out. Most soda is sold in 1 liter bottles instead of 2 liter bottles, all the bread is sold mostly in a fresh baked un cut loaf about 2/3 the size of those in the states, and I never saw much pre-sliced lunch meat or cheese. The meat and cheese are available but only in the deli and then is small amounts. So when we would shop close to home we didn’t get a lot of stuff. Not to mention the smaller stores near the apartment had pretty high prices. It was nice that one was on the way home from the metro and the other was about 3 blocks away, but they did charge for the convenience (though this is the same of convenience stores here to, pay more to shop close hence the name).
Now, there are bigger stores in Russia that sell things at prices that are pretty low. The one that we went to was called Awah, pronounced something like Ashat or Ashant. I’m pretty bad at picking up Russian words and names. This store was a cross between a Super Wal-Mart and a Sam’s club. It was pretty much just a warehouse with shelves for product like Sam’s, but had the variety of a Super Wal-Mart. Including electronics, groceries, produce, clothing, toys, sporting goods, and more. Talking to a manager at work who defected from the Soviet Union, he was quite surprised to see such a store in my photos! Lots of stuff to buy and no lines to wait in (at least no lines besides the check out). The prices were very good and while they sold a lot of Russian food I didn’t recognize it looked like you could get everything you might want. The only problem with this store is that it is quite a distance from the apartment.
To get there we had to take a Mart-shootka (my phonetic spelling). This is a European styled van that has seat for 8 or 9 that drives the same route over and over again. It costs like 13 rubles each way (50 cent.) and you wait for it similar to a bus. And just like a bus more people pile in there are seats so it gets a little crowed. The ride takes about 20 minutes each way and it is a 10 minute walk to where we caught our ride. So it is about an hour trip there and back. Then on the way back you have to haul your bags around with you. This is the way it is for the majority of people. Because even though a lot of people have cars, most don’t. So they take the metro, bus, or Mart-shootka to get around, all while hauling there goods. So it can be a bit of a hassle to go grocery shopping.
The nice thing is everything was fresh and you didn’t have to have a car in Moscow to get to the mall or the store. However this was a little off set by the pricing at the local stores and the hassle in getting to and from the big stores. It was also different to have to stop so often to get what we needed. Certainly not like going to the store every 1.5 – 2 weeks and filling the trunk of your car like in the states.
While the water is horrible in Moscow we used mostly bottled water. This was probably the thing that ran out the most. I told RB that we should just boil it and put it in empty containers, but she didn’t like that idea for some reason. So every two days we stopped and got more water. Most things were sold in smaller quantities so they ran out. Most soda is sold in 1 liter bottles instead of 2 liter bottles, all the bread is sold mostly in a fresh baked un cut loaf about 2/3 the size of those in the states, and I never saw much pre-sliced lunch meat or cheese. The meat and cheese are available but only in the deli and then is small amounts. So when we would shop close to home we didn’t get a lot of stuff. Not to mention the smaller stores near the apartment had pretty high prices. It was nice that one was on the way home from the metro and the other was about 3 blocks away, but they did charge for the convenience (though this is the same of convenience stores here to, pay more to shop close hence the name).
Now, there are bigger stores in Russia that sell things at prices that are pretty low. The one that we went to was called Awah, pronounced something like Ashat or Ashant. I’m pretty bad at picking up Russian words and names. This store was a cross between a Super Wal-Mart and a Sam’s club. It was pretty much just a warehouse with shelves for product like Sam’s, but had the variety of a Super Wal-Mart. Including electronics, groceries, produce, clothing, toys, sporting goods, and more. Talking to a manager at work who defected from the Soviet Union, he was quite surprised to see such a store in my photos! Lots of stuff to buy and no lines to wait in (at least no lines besides the check out). The prices were very good and while they sold a lot of Russian food I didn’t recognize it looked like you could get everything you might want. The only problem with this store is that it is quite a distance from the apartment.
To get there we had to take a Mart-shootka (my phonetic spelling). This is a European styled van that has seat for 8 or 9 that drives the same route over and over again. It costs like 13 rubles each way (50 cent.) and you wait for it similar to a bus. And just like a bus more people pile in there are seats so it gets a little crowed. The ride takes about 20 minutes each way and it is a 10 minute walk to where we caught our ride. So it is about an hour trip there and back. Then on the way back you have to haul your bags around with you. This is the way it is for the majority of people. Because even though a lot of people have cars, most don’t. So they take the metro, bus, or Mart-shootka to get around, all while hauling there goods. So it can be a bit of a hassle to go grocery shopping.
The nice thing is everything was fresh and you didn’t have to have a car in Moscow to get to the mall or the store. However this was a little off set by the pricing at the local stores and the hassle in getting to and from the big stores. It was also different to have to stop so often to get what we needed. Certainly not like going to the store every 1.5 – 2 weeks and filling the trunk of your car like in the states.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Come on People! Be a little more up-beat we are
My wife keeps bringing up a very good point. And by saying she brings up I mean it drives her crazy and she keeps telling me about. True we are in a tough position. It is no fun to be separated by an Ocean and many miles from someone you love. True we will only be able to see each other occasionally for the next couple of years (hopefully less). True that we have a long and difficult process to go through, involving a lot of overly bureaucratic government agencies. But that certainly doesn’t mean that life as we know it is over for the next couple of years. Or that everyday is going to be a challenge to get through and that everything is so awful. We certainly in our opinion have much more to be thankful for than to be upset about. While our current living situation is not an ideal one it is certainly much better than a large portion of people all around the world.
For months leading up to RB needing to move back to Russia everyone has focused solely on this event. Many people asked us “what are you going to do?” or “isn’t there anything you can do?”. Then they generally would follow up wit a “that is really going to suck” or “it’s going to be so hard”. Now we get a lot of messages saying things like “congratulation, too bad you are away from…” or “happy …. it must be so hard with you … so far away”. While we appreciate the fact that people are concerned with our wellbeing and our relationship, it tends to be dwelt on by a lot of people. In fact there are some people that it is the about the only thing that come up in conversation. Well there is a lot more going on than the fact the RB has to go through such a painful immigration policy.
If fact even though we can not physically be together we are still doing very well. Better than say a soldier deployed to the middle east, dealing with one of us being in a comma, having someone in prison, or say a contractor from the far east working to earn a living for his family in America. All of these people may not see their families for 6 months, a year, or even years. They may or may not be able to contact their loved ones as often as the like. They are under a lot more restrictions then we are for keeping our relationship close and going strong. So in our opinion we are not very bad off. In fact I can travel to see her every month and a half or so. With my current job I have the ability to travel more often than most people and have benefits that offset many of the costs. We talk daily if not more often. With the internet calls are free, we email all the time, and chat whenever both of us are at a computer. So we are in probably as good a place as any to deal with this situation.
Finally life is not over. Before RB left we were doing a ton of things. Yet most people just asked about her moving away. Now that she has moved many people continue to focus on the fact that we are living apart. RB is reconnecting with family and friends. She will soon have a new and exciting job. Her job search is keeping her busy along with her rediscovery of her home country. She is learning about local pop culture and how things are over there. I have been promoted, gotten a raise, will soon be going to a new project. I have a new roommate who is also an old roommate. I have a lot of projects on the house, and after such a busy summer could use a little rest. A little. So really people buck up, this situation isn’t that bad, it certainly isn’t the worst thing that could happen to us. Thanks for the thoughts but lets keep it positive.
For months leading up to RB needing to move back to Russia everyone has focused solely on this event. Many people asked us “what are you going to do?” or “isn’t there anything you can do?”. Then they generally would follow up wit a “that is really going to suck” or “it’s going to be so hard”. Now we get a lot of messages saying things like “congratulation, too bad you are away from…” or “happy …. it must be so hard with you … so far away”. While we appreciate the fact that people are concerned with our wellbeing and our relationship, it tends to be dwelt on by a lot of people. In fact there are some people that it is the about the only thing that come up in conversation. Well there is a lot more going on than the fact the RB has to go through such a painful immigration policy.
If fact even though we can not physically be together we are still doing very well. Better than say a soldier deployed to the middle east, dealing with one of us being in a comma, having someone in prison, or say a contractor from the far east working to earn a living for his family in America. All of these people may not see their families for 6 months, a year, or even years. They may or may not be able to contact their loved ones as often as the like. They are under a lot more restrictions then we are for keeping our relationship close and going strong. So in our opinion we are not very bad off. In fact I can travel to see her every month and a half or so. With my current job I have the ability to travel more often than most people and have benefits that offset many of the costs. We talk daily if not more often. With the internet calls are free, we email all the time, and chat whenever both of us are at a computer. So we are in probably as good a place as any to deal with this situation.
Finally life is not over. Before RB left we were doing a ton of things. Yet most people just asked about her moving away. Now that she has moved many people continue to focus on the fact that we are living apart. RB is reconnecting with family and friends. She will soon have a new and exciting job. Her job search is keeping her busy along with her rediscovery of her home country. She is learning about local pop culture and how things are over there. I have been promoted, gotten a raise, will soon be going to a new project. I have a new roommate who is also an old roommate. I have a lot of projects on the house, and after such a busy summer could use a little rest. A little. So really people buck up, this situation isn’t that bad, it certainly isn’t the worst thing that could happen to us. Thanks for the thoughts but lets keep it positive.
Moscow: Not much for finish work
One thing that I noticed a lot in every part of Russia that I finished was the lack of finish work. Finish work is things like floor board trim, or grouting tile, or putting end caps on plastic components. I noticed this mostly in small shops, cafes, anything built by none corporate or government institutions or people, and in people’s homes. While most things were solidly built they weren’t built to be polished and finished well. This wasn’t the case in new corporate owned stores, night spots, restaurants, or business centers, and it certainly wasn’t the case in old soviet structures. Just in all the other 80% of the structures that people actually live and work in.
The first place I noticed this was in my sister in-law’s apartment. It is a very comfortable apartment. They have good security, it is well built, and the utilities seem to work well so all the basics are covered. But when you look at the floor you see that were you would expect a nice or even basic floor board, held in with finishing nails, instead you find there is a plastic piece with a wood grain sticker on it. This is held in by bright large un-hidden screws and has obvious connection pieces where two sections come together, as if this wasn’t cheap enough the end is missing an end cap. Next in the kitchen the counter was decent looking but when it ends, it just ends. There is nothing on the end of the countertop you can see the exposed particle board. So that was my first experience with contemporary Russian Finish work.
Many other things were of the same mentality. Buildings utilities were connected building to building with aerial wires rather than under ground utilities. Hallways in a large building would use multiple suppliers for the doors so none matched. Missing transition pieces abound. The list goes on and on. It isn’t that people aren’t capable of doing the work. In old buildings and upscale new buildings I didn’t notice such disregard for aesthetics. Lobbies of business centers, restaurants, new train stations, airports, and other important structures all are comparative to their western counter parts. I wonder then why even people with some extra money just don’t seem to care.
I talked to a few people about it and they seemed unconcerned. I was given two main reasons. The first, this is just the way it is. Ok. The second, why would construction companies spend money on making it nice when they know that the people that move in are going to redo it.
This is funny to many on many levels. First it shows how far some of the basics have to come for Russia to catch up with the west. Second I would expect people to want more, but I think 80 some years of Soviet indoctrination keeps Russians from playing the keeping up with the Jones game. Though I have heard of people wanting to buy cars as a status symbol their homes don’t seem to be used this way. It is too bad really because when the money and time are expended some of the building in Moscow was really cool. Some of the quality of what can be done is as good as I have seen anywhere and it has a great Russian twist to it. Like any other country they tend to use different colors and styles that are unique. So my hope is that as the economy improves and people have more money this will change, because I bet the designers in Russia could give those in the west a run for their money if they had more opportunity and people would pay for the finish work.
The first place I noticed this was in my sister in-law’s apartment. It is a very comfortable apartment. They have good security, it is well built, and the utilities seem to work well so all the basics are covered. But when you look at the floor you see that were you would expect a nice or even basic floor board, held in with finishing nails, instead you find there is a plastic piece with a wood grain sticker on it. This is held in by bright large un-hidden screws and has obvious connection pieces where two sections come together, as if this wasn’t cheap enough the end is missing an end cap. Next in the kitchen the counter was decent looking but when it ends, it just ends. There is nothing on the end of the countertop you can see the exposed particle board. So that was my first experience with contemporary Russian Finish work.
Many other things were of the same mentality. Buildings utilities were connected building to building with aerial wires rather than under ground utilities. Hallways in a large building would use multiple suppliers for the doors so none matched. Missing transition pieces abound. The list goes on and on. It isn’t that people aren’t capable of doing the work. In old buildings and upscale new buildings I didn’t notice such disregard for aesthetics. Lobbies of business centers, restaurants, new train stations, airports, and other important structures all are comparative to their western counter parts. I wonder then why even people with some extra money just don’t seem to care.
I talked to a few people about it and they seemed unconcerned. I was given two main reasons. The first, this is just the way it is. Ok. The second, why would construction companies spend money on making it nice when they know that the people that move in are going to redo it.
This is funny to many on many levels. First it shows how far some of the basics have to come for Russia to catch up with the west. Second I would expect people to want more, but I think 80 some years of Soviet indoctrination keeps Russians from playing the keeping up with the Jones game. Though I have heard of people wanting to buy cars as a status symbol their homes don’t seem to be used this way. It is too bad really because when the money and time are expended some of the building in Moscow was really cool. Some of the quality of what can be done is as good as I have seen anywhere and it has a great Russian twist to it. Like any other country they tend to use different colors and styles that are unique. So my hope is that as the economy improves and people have more money this will change, because I bet the designers in Russia could give those in the west a run for their money if they had more opportunity and people would pay for the finish work.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Moscow: History in the Train Stations
Moscow has many, many sites to see. Most of them are historical in Nature. Unlike the west there haven’t been many places built just to drive tourism. No big Arch over a river, Mega Mall, rows of tall buildings, or other such draws. Instead there are dozen’s of gold domed churches, a fortress that serves as the center of the Russian Government, many ex-soviet sites for you to look at and wonder what it was like years ago, a river that double back twice in the same city, and the insides of the metro stations. Yes, one of the most interesting places to visit, and you have to a dozen time a day, is the Moscow underground transit system. Call it a subway, call it and underground, or call it as the Russian’s do the Metro. You could easily write a book on all of the museum quality art work and structures that are contained and part of the various metro stations. In fact there have been books written. You could easily take a full day and just visit the 15 or so notable stations and it would be as productive as a day in any art or history museum.
Some basic facts (look on wikipedia for more!): The Moscow metro has 12 lines, 173 stations, 176 miles of routes, and moves 7.2 million people on any work day. When we were there we timed trains coming every 40 seconds on the week days and every 1 minute and 40 seconds on the weekends. Many of the trains are old but they are all pretty clean, almost no graffiti, and function very well. Most trains are 8 cars and each car on a busy day can probably from my estimate mover over a hundred people, so that would be close to a thousand people per trip! The metro started in operation in 1935 and its very creation affected soviet life. I have read in other sources that the 10-15 plans used to create the metro were the basis for the soviet use of 5 year production plans in all other industry. It also allowed the growing population of Moscow an affordable and relatively fast way to move around the city. The longest trips we took from one end of the city to another took around an hour.
As if the functionality of the system isn’t enough to marvel at, the design and form are nothing short of spectacle. Even the newer station that we visited by the University was built to be spacious with high ceilings and grand by anyone’s standards. The older stations are generally built with white, domed ceilings made of plaster. Most walk ways between areas seemed to be arched. The floors and walls were generally build of marble or other expensive stones. Many had very ornate light fixtures or even hanging chandeliers. Each station also was filled from on end to the other and top to bottom with soviet art. The station closest to my sister in-law’s house had murals in the marble walls; one depicting the hammer and sickle with Sputnik and other soviet symbols. Another station we visited had, I kid you not, had 10 foot status on both sides of a dozen archways. Many had images of Lenin or ever marks most had soviet symbols. Other common themes were the revolution, both the Bolshevik and earlier Decemberist (a revolution in the 1800s that help the ground work for the later Bolshevik uprising), and of workers in factories or on farms. All stations also had prominent markings of the year they were built. Each one was different and unique in its own way. All of them were amazing in one way or another.
When you traveled any time, you always had to pay attention. Every place had so much detail and so much to see. Unlike New York or Chicago taking a trip also offered a glimpse back into history. Even if some of this was the soviet view of history at the time the station was built. I was amazed everyday, and jealous. Back home we have a single light rail line that goes 11 miles. Another thing I didn’t mention yet is that it is cheap, around 60 cents each time you enter. Compare that to $1.50 – 2.25 of Minneapolis. I know many people would consider traveling in a new Mecedes or BMW traveling in style, but really look at the photo’s in this link of a hand full of stations and tell that this form of transportation isn’t the real way to travel in style: Moscow Metro
Some basic facts (look on wikipedia for more!): The Moscow metro has 12 lines, 173 stations, 176 miles of routes, and moves 7.2 million people on any work day. When we were there we timed trains coming every 40 seconds on the week days and every 1 minute and 40 seconds on the weekends. Many of the trains are old but they are all pretty clean, almost no graffiti, and function very well. Most trains are 8 cars and each car on a busy day can probably from my estimate mover over a hundred people, so that would be close to a thousand people per trip! The metro started in operation in 1935 and its very creation affected soviet life. I have read in other sources that the 10-15 plans used to create the metro were the basis for the soviet use of 5 year production plans in all other industry. It also allowed the growing population of Moscow an affordable and relatively fast way to move around the city. The longest trips we took from one end of the city to another took around an hour.
As if the functionality of the system isn’t enough to marvel at, the design and form are nothing short of spectacle. Even the newer station that we visited by the University was built to be spacious with high ceilings and grand by anyone’s standards. The older stations are generally built with white, domed ceilings made of plaster. Most walk ways between areas seemed to be arched. The floors and walls were generally build of marble or other expensive stones. Many had very ornate light fixtures or even hanging chandeliers. Each station also was filled from on end to the other and top to bottom with soviet art. The station closest to my sister in-law’s house had murals in the marble walls; one depicting the hammer and sickle with Sputnik and other soviet symbols. Another station we visited had, I kid you not, had 10 foot status on both sides of a dozen archways. Many had images of Lenin or ever marks most had soviet symbols. Other common themes were the revolution, both the Bolshevik and earlier Decemberist (a revolution in the 1800s that help the ground work for the later Bolshevik uprising), and of workers in factories or on farms. All stations also had prominent markings of the year they were built. Each one was different and unique in its own way. All of them were amazing in one way or another.
When you traveled any time, you always had to pay attention. Every place had so much detail and so much to see. Unlike New York or Chicago taking a trip also offered a glimpse back into history. Even if some of this was the soviet view of history at the time the station was built. I was amazed everyday, and jealous. Back home we have a single light rail line that goes 11 miles. Another thing I didn’t mention yet is that it is cheap, around 60 cents each time you enter. Compare that to $1.50 – 2.25 of Minneapolis. I know many people would consider traveling in a new Mecedes or BMW traveling in style, but really look at the photo’s in this link of a hand full of stations and tell that this form of transportation isn’t the real way to travel in style: Moscow Metro
Monday, September 24, 2007
Moscow: The Back Drop for the Bad Guys
The main thing that kept coming around in my thoughts the first couple of days I was in Moscow was how never in 8 million years I would have expected to come Russia. When I was a kid I remember playing countless games with my friends where Russians were the bad guys. When I was born my dad’s job was to sit by his jet-fighter in West Germany (remember for 44 years there were 2 Germanys!) in case nuclear war broke out. His mission was to fly into Eastern Europe or Russian and drop nuclear booms. Now I am married to a Russian woman and plan to travel on a regular basis to Russia for the next couple years, and occasionally for the rest of my life. In fact for as long as I can remember the only time I every saw anything with Moscow as the setting it was because that is were the bad guys were. I’m sure this is the case for most Americans that grew up or lived through the cold war. This becomes a surreal and almost uneasy memory when walking around Moscow, at least at first. By the time I left I no longer had this weird feeling.
I guess I must have had this felling the most the first few days because of the sights we saw. Right away we toured the city center and spent some time with in block of Red Square, the Kremlin, and St. Basil’s church (the one in all the photos with the multi-colored onion domes at the end of red square). It also was probably helped along by the fact that all of the Soviet era art, plaques, statues, monuments, memorials, and other decorative pieces are still everywhere. None of it has been removed or changed. Most building of importance still sport communist stars or the hammer and sickle. Everything is really out of the movies. While Russia has changed quite a lot since the Soviet Union it still has a very characteristic look in some places.
Should you watch movies like The Hunt for Red October, The Saint, Crimson Tide, Rocky 4 or any action movies from the 80s you see clips of these very places I was walking around. The Russian people were all friendly, I had family around but still there was an uneasiness in my thoughts. It doesn’t help that the police in that country are aloud to random stop people and ask for there papers. Even Russian citizens have to register were they live and provide proof that they have a reason for being in the city they are in. So of course I was worried about getting stopped for no reason and hassled. I don’t like the idea, even if nothing happens to me, at all. To further both of my reasons to feel uneasy there were a ton of Cops and Soldiers everywhere. The military uniforms are pretty much the same as they were for Soviets but with Russian symbols replacing communist badges. So there was always a bit of relief once we got back to the apartment for the day because I didn’t expect cops to show up there.
This feeling didn’t last the whole trip though. By the time we got back from the Black Sea it was pretty much gone. Especially in Moscow Russia is very interested in more dealings with Westerners - both for Tourism and Business. So I think westerns really don’t get hassled any more in the large towns. In the further out places people may hassle you if you go through there check point, but really they are just looking for a bribe and don’t seem to go out of there way to find out-of-towners. So really unless you are doing something wrong you really don’t need to worry about being dragged away or being extorted by police.
I guess I must have had this felling the most the first few days because of the sights we saw. Right away we toured the city center and spent some time with in block of Red Square, the Kremlin, and St. Basil’s church (the one in all the photos with the multi-colored onion domes at the end of red square). It also was probably helped along by the fact that all of the Soviet era art, plaques, statues, monuments, memorials, and other decorative pieces are still everywhere. None of it has been removed or changed. Most building of importance still sport communist stars or the hammer and sickle. Everything is really out of the movies. While Russia has changed quite a lot since the Soviet Union it still has a very characteristic look in some places.
Should you watch movies like The Hunt for Red October, The Saint, Crimson Tide, Rocky 4 or any action movies from the 80s you see clips of these very places I was walking around. The Russian people were all friendly, I had family around but still there was an uneasiness in my thoughts. It doesn’t help that the police in that country are aloud to random stop people and ask for there papers. Even Russian citizens have to register were they live and provide proof that they have a reason for being in the city they are in. So of course I was worried about getting stopped for no reason and hassled. I don’t like the idea, even if nothing happens to me, at all. To further both of my reasons to feel uneasy there were a ton of Cops and Soldiers everywhere. The military uniforms are pretty much the same as they were for Soviets but with Russian symbols replacing communist badges. So there was always a bit of relief once we got back to the apartment for the day because I didn’t expect cops to show up there.
This feeling didn’t last the whole trip though. By the time we got back from the Black Sea it was pretty much gone. Especially in Moscow Russia is very interested in more dealings with Westerners - both for Tourism and Business. So I think westerns really don’t get hassled any more in the large towns. In the further out places people may hassle you if you go through there check point, but really they are just looking for a bribe and don’t seem to go out of there way to find out-of-towners. So really unless you are doing something wrong you really don’t need to worry about being dragged away or being extorted by police.
Russia
Well I just returned last night from my first trip to Russia. I must say it was an experience. Having traveled a lot in my life I thought it would be more routine than it was. Russia is certainly filled with surprises and adventures. My general impression is that the country is in the midst of great economic and social changes with wide gaps of attitudes between various generations. The country is both on the cutting edge of modern advancements along with being painfully backwards in attitudes and rules in my opinion. Over the next couple of weeks I will try to write about the things that surprised me most, what I liked best, and what I thought was most interesting about the country. I certainly would also support anyone who would like to travel there and think it is well worth the visit.
I have to say I greatly enjoyed meeting my new family down in the black sea. They threw us a wedding party and freely expressed their happiness for us. I had a great time even if my blushing bride was embarrassed by me joining in an Armenian dance or two! I see a lot of potential in the area that RG’s dad and relative are from and think that in 20 years it will be one of the great vacation destinations in the world. I was also glad to meet RG’s and KB’s friends in Moscow, and their roommate IB. IB was very gracious in showing us the city and putting up with our (ok my) incessant questioning. Having friends in far off places always makes traveling more fun and interesting.
My trip also re-taught me a few lessons in packing! First an foremost, pack for the typical weather of the month not for the weather of the last couple of weeks. Moscow was cold the first week, and I didn’t even have a long sleeve shirt let alone a jacket. I brought extra pants and shorts I never wore but would have killed for my jacket and a long sleeve shirt. I also packed too much. Normally if I am going to a place with a washing machine I avoid doing this, well I didn’t. So getting things back in my back plus Vodka, Caviar, and Chocolate was a challenge. So next time I hope I can get it right; though - November should be an easier month to pack for.
I have to say I greatly enjoyed meeting my new family down in the black sea. They threw us a wedding party and freely expressed their happiness for us. I had a great time even if my blushing bride was embarrassed by me joining in an Armenian dance or two! I see a lot of potential in the area that RG’s dad and relative are from and think that in 20 years it will be one of the great vacation destinations in the world. I was also glad to meet RG’s and KB’s friends in Moscow, and their roommate IB. IB was very gracious in showing us the city and putting up with our (ok my) incessant questioning. Having friends in far off places always makes traveling more fun and interesting.
My trip also re-taught me a few lessons in packing! First an foremost, pack for the typical weather of the month not for the weather of the last couple of weeks. Moscow was cold the first week, and I didn’t even have a long sleeve shirt let alone a jacket. I brought extra pants and shorts I never wore but would have killed for my jacket and a long sleeve shirt. I also packed too much. Normally if I am going to a place with a washing machine I avoid doing this, well I didn’t. So getting things back in my back plus Vodka, Caviar, and Chocolate was a challenge. So next time I hope I can get it right; though - November should be an easier month to pack for.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I Can’t Wait to Be a Manager
I’ve been waiting to write this post for a while, and even though I should probably be writing about Russia, Moscow, or something along those lines, while I have down time I thought I would put this down. When I say manager, I mean the consulting version of a manager. They could manage 10 people, no people, 1 dollar, 10 million dollars, managers in consulting are simple people that are the next level up from Senior Consultants. This is either the 3rd or 4th level depending on the firm. All firms seem to have similar roles that perform at similar levels. Managers are considered to be the plug-and-play type of resource. They can hit the ground running. Typically they are used in sales (this is when people are begin to be evaluated on sales and managers are supposed to have a high enough level of knowledge to assist here), to head up small teams(3-10 people generally that are part of a sub project team), to head up important work streams (integration mangers track that the teams are cooperating and building a product with modules that work together), or to come in hit a problem hard – fix it – and leave.
The thing about managers is though, they think the title is the only activity they can do. Manage. They attend meetings, work on project plans, and deal with the client, but only really good managers actually do anything. Most of the time they are brought in to late in the process or are too weak of managers to effect change anyway. No all managers are this way. Most poor managers came from industry and just don’t understand how the firm works, or never got the opportunity to really learn the subject matter they are supposed to be experts in. They are good with the client and that is it. So far in my short 2 year career I have already scene 5 such managers out the 8 that I have worked with, and every single one of them came from outside the firm. It seems they have the inability to actually sit down and do anything productive, instead they find away to get invited into every single meeting, even those that have nothing to do with what they are supposed to be working with.
What really drives me nutz is how little regard they seem to have for getting the job done. One manager I had came onto the project 2 or 3 weeks after I did as the integration manager. In the next 6 months we had maybe 2 integration meetings. And in his dealings with the client he confused, misinformed, and quite frankly scared the client that nothing was going to work. On the same project they brought a manager in to help in the work stream I had be on. The work was 80% completed and I was in charge of another 15% really we only needed them for 5% because I was lacking in knowledge. They rolled me off the project when I completed my work and the manager stayed for another 4 months. After he rolled off no one could figure out what he had actually done! In fact they had to rework most of the design because he had poorly ‘managed’ the client. On the next project again I was dealt a crazy manager. This manager contradicted himself every time he gave me direction, took credit for any work I did, and dismissed my ideas and then later came up with the same idea 2 days later. In fact I did 70% and got almost none of the credit, the client actually asked the project manager what I had been doing.
The best though were the two managers on my current project. One from Miami, who could barely speak English, and another from Texas who really wasn’t there. In both cases I and another analyst hoped the managers would stand up to the client and consult. Tell them the proper way to handle certain situations. Both talked a huge game and both folded meeting after meeting after meeting. One was so spineless they rolled him off before his role was even completed. One of the funny things in is that I had to step in and make the suggestions and formulate the plans for him. Luckily this time I got credit for it. The other manager also got rolled off early. Not because he didn’t contribute, of course he didn’t, but mostly because he never put a full week in at the client. Week after week after week he didn’t show up Monday, or flew home Tuesday for 2 days, and every week he left for the early flight before lunch even on Thurdays! It was incredible. No one could really believe it. I think he got a local role and is doing better there, but what happens next time he needs to travel?
So basically I can’t wait to be a manager because then I no longer need to actually work, no longer need to produce, no longer need to have any knowledge, and no longer even halve to show up to the client. On top of all that I would get paid twice as much and get 3 times the credit! Or maybe I be one of the 3 decent managers. Interestingly enough they had been through all the levels at the firm and were not experienced hires. But hey why not get paid for not producing sounds perfect to me.
The thing about managers is though, they think the title is the only activity they can do. Manage. They attend meetings, work on project plans, and deal with the client, but only really good managers actually do anything. Most of the time they are brought in to late in the process or are too weak of managers to effect change anyway. No all managers are this way. Most poor managers came from industry and just don’t understand how the firm works, or never got the opportunity to really learn the subject matter they are supposed to be experts in. They are good with the client and that is it. So far in my short 2 year career I have already scene 5 such managers out the 8 that I have worked with, and every single one of them came from outside the firm. It seems they have the inability to actually sit down and do anything productive, instead they find away to get invited into every single meeting, even those that have nothing to do with what they are supposed to be working with.
What really drives me nutz is how little regard they seem to have for getting the job done. One manager I had came onto the project 2 or 3 weeks after I did as the integration manager. In the next 6 months we had maybe 2 integration meetings. And in his dealings with the client he confused, misinformed, and quite frankly scared the client that nothing was going to work. On the same project they brought a manager in to help in the work stream I had be on. The work was 80% completed and I was in charge of another 15% really we only needed them for 5% because I was lacking in knowledge. They rolled me off the project when I completed my work and the manager stayed for another 4 months. After he rolled off no one could figure out what he had actually done! In fact they had to rework most of the design because he had poorly ‘managed’ the client. On the next project again I was dealt a crazy manager. This manager contradicted himself every time he gave me direction, took credit for any work I did, and dismissed my ideas and then later came up with the same idea 2 days later. In fact I did 70% and got almost none of the credit, the client actually asked the project manager what I had been doing.
The best though were the two managers on my current project. One from Miami, who could barely speak English, and another from Texas who really wasn’t there. In both cases I and another analyst hoped the managers would stand up to the client and consult. Tell them the proper way to handle certain situations. Both talked a huge game and both folded meeting after meeting after meeting. One was so spineless they rolled him off before his role was even completed. One of the funny things in is that I had to step in and make the suggestions and formulate the plans for him. Luckily this time I got credit for it. The other manager also got rolled off early. Not because he didn’t contribute, of course he didn’t, but mostly because he never put a full week in at the client. Week after week after week he didn’t show up Monday, or flew home Tuesday for 2 days, and every week he left for the early flight before lunch even on Thurdays! It was incredible. No one could really believe it. I think he got a local role and is doing better there, but what happens next time he needs to travel?
So basically I can’t wait to be a manager because then I no longer need to actually work, no longer need to produce, no longer need to have any knowledge, and no longer even halve to show up to the client. On top of all that I would get paid twice as much and get 3 times the credit! Or maybe I be one of the 3 decent managers. Interestingly enough they had been through all the levels at the firm and were not experienced hires. But hey why not get paid for not producing sounds perfect to me.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
She Made It.
So there are a lot of changes in my world once again. Not that it ever really stands still for very long. So more to the point RG has made it to Moscow and is very tired. She had 20 or so hours of travel to get there and moved 150lbs ~ 68kg (I need to start learning metric measures, as that is what they use in Russia) worth of personal materials. So much in fact that the funny looking man at the airport had to hang a tag on her bag that said “HEAVY”. LOL. Luckily, though, we did have a lazy weekend to usher in the new period of our lives. Even though there were a lot of different people coming and going in the house. As I now have a new roommate and parents wanted to see RG off, along with help my sister settle into her new place in the dorm.
The weekend started off a little busy. I came home early on Wednesday to spend more time with RG before she left. The next day MQ started to move his belongings into the middle bedroom (he is moving in as changes in his life left him a bit homeless for the time). Also I should mention that the siders have been hard at work for around a week now and continued through Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday causing some extra commotion. By that night MQ had most of his belongings in, the house is mostly sided, and the weekend was already in full swing. My parents were supposed to come in but couldn’t make it because their flight was over sold in Denver.
The next day was RG’s last at work. And a long day it must have been too. She didn’t go in until 9am, had a long lunch from 11 – 1:30 and left for happy hour at 2p. But then again what do expect on someone’s last day. My parents did show up mid morning after had run to buy supplies for the siders (seems when you are getting a deal from contractors they expect you to do some running around – weird). I left my parents and joined RG for her work happy hour. We went to Gabby’s on Marshal St. It’s kind of a dive, but only 2 blocks from her work so that was that. After a few beers with her coworkers we headed home.
The main event was really that night. My dad was nice enough to take the whole family to Benihanna’s in Maple Grove. It just recently opened and is much nicer that the old location in St. Louis Park. And more importantly had RG’s favorite sauce. The place is so new that the address doesn’t show up on either Google maps or Mapquest. The new location wasn’t nearly as busy and the clientele seemed more cleaned up. The food was great, even my brother liked it (he normally doesn’t like it unless the food is a cheeseburger). The chef was pretty good, the drinks were good, the food was good, and the company was good; though my little sister had to take off early to continue to pack for her move to the dorm the next day. After dinner we all went home and kind of vegged out while we tried to let our full bellies settle down.
Saturday was pretty relaxed. We went and saw the new dorm room, my dad flew out after visiting friends, and RG and I spent most of the day just relaxing and hanging out together. Sunday and Monday were very similar to Saturday except that RG finished packing and it felt like time was slipping away. Monday night I took RG out to Taste of India in St. Louis Park. I had to turn around one time because I passed the correct exit but that wasn’t too bad. The food was excellent. RG was very happy because she got to go to both of her favorite restaurants before leaving. I was happy because we split a dinner so I wasn’t as over stuffed as I was on Friday. All in all it was probably our slowest weekend all summer and a nice way to spend RGs remaining time before she headed to Moscow.
Tuesday was pretty rough. We got up around 4am. I don’t care about anything, when you get up at 4am you are in for a day that is not going to be fun. MQ was nice enough to give us a ride to the airport. However he took the most complicated way possible. Back roads to 35w north of 36, 280 to 94, down Snelling, a hundred turns through St. Paul (past the old Ford Plant) to get to hwy 5. He got us there on time, but used the entire 30 min to get there. I think we could have cut at least 40% of the time out, but it worked out so no worries I guess; though I was a bit worried when after 20 minutes we were only ½ way there LOL. Get through the airport wasn’t bad. RG’s enormous bag was too heavy so we had to pay an additional fee, they marked as being extra heavy, and we went on to security. There were no lines, I mean no lines at security so it really isn’t worth mentioning. Once we reached the gate they were already boarding 1st class, so with in 10 minutes it was time for her to board. That was probably the saddest moment for me so far, but I’m sure there will be more. As I will be joining her in a couple days. We shall see how I do once I get home and she isn’t there.
Chatting with RG online this morning I do know that she made it to Moscow. I know that she had a long wait in NY and fun with security there. I also know that she had a very tiring flight with a small child crying and kicking her seat. But I do not know the details to these things. Hopefully she will write in more detail about her trip in her blog. Until then we can all just be happy that she arrived safe and sound…. We will have to wait and see if she is still sane!
The weekend started off a little busy. I came home early on Wednesday to spend more time with RG before she left. The next day MQ started to move his belongings into the middle bedroom (he is moving in as changes in his life left him a bit homeless for the time). Also I should mention that the siders have been hard at work for around a week now and continued through Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday causing some extra commotion. By that night MQ had most of his belongings in, the house is mostly sided, and the weekend was already in full swing. My parents were supposed to come in but couldn’t make it because their flight was over sold in Denver.
The next day was RG’s last at work. And a long day it must have been too. She didn’t go in until 9am, had a long lunch from 11 – 1:30 and left for happy hour at 2p. But then again what do expect on someone’s last day. My parents did show up mid morning after had run to buy supplies for the siders (seems when you are getting a deal from contractors they expect you to do some running around – weird). I left my parents and joined RG for her work happy hour. We went to Gabby’s on Marshal St. It’s kind of a dive, but only 2 blocks from her work so that was that. After a few beers with her coworkers we headed home.
The main event was really that night. My dad was nice enough to take the whole family to Benihanna’s in Maple Grove. It just recently opened and is much nicer that the old location in St. Louis Park. And more importantly had RG’s favorite sauce. The place is so new that the address doesn’t show up on either Google maps or Mapquest. The new location wasn’t nearly as busy and the clientele seemed more cleaned up. The food was great, even my brother liked it (he normally doesn’t like it unless the food is a cheeseburger). The chef was pretty good, the drinks were good, the food was good, and the company was good; though my little sister had to take off early to continue to pack for her move to the dorm the next day. After dinner we all went home and kind of vegged out while we tried to let our full bellies settle down.
Saturday was pretty relaxed. We went and saw the new dorm room, my dad flew out after visiting friends, and RG and I spent most of the day just relaxing and hanging out together. Sunday and Monday were very similar to Saturday except that RG finished packing and it felt like time was slipping away. Monday night I took RG out to Taste of India in St. Louis Park. I had to turn around one time because I passed the correct exit but that wasn’t too bad. The food was excellent. RG was very happy because she got to go to both of her favorite restaurants before leaving. I was happy because we split a dinner so I wasn’t as over stuffed as I was on Friday. All in all it was probably our slowest weekend all summer and a nice way to spend RGs remaining time before she headed to Moscow.
Tuesday was pretty rough. We got up around 4am. I don’t care about anything, when you get up at 4am you are in for a day that is not going to be fun. MQ was nice enough to give us a ride to the airport. However he took the most complicated way possible. Back roads to 35w north of 36, 280 to 94, down Snelling, a hundred turns through St. Paul (past the old Ford Plant) to get to hwy 5. He got us there on time, but used the entire 30 min to get there. I think we could have cut at least 40% of the time out, but it worked out so no worries I guess; though I was a bit worried when after 20 minutes we were only ½ way there LOL. Get through the airport wasn’t bad. RG’s enormous bag was too heavy so we had to pay an additional fee, they marked as being extra heavy, and we went on to security. There were no lines, I mean no lines at security so it really isn’t worth mentioning. Once we reached the gate they were already boarding 1st class, so with in 10 minutes it was time for her to board. That was probably the saddest moment for me so far, but I’m sure there will be more. As I will be joining her in a couple days. We shall see how I do once I get home and she isn’t there.
Chatting with RG online this morning I do know that she made it to Moscow. I know that she had a long wait in NY and fun with security there. I also know that she had a very tiring flight with a small child crying and kicking her seat. But I do not know the details to these things. Hopefully she will write in more detail about her trip in her blog. Until then we can all just be happy that she arrived safe and sound…. We will have to wait and see if she is still sane!
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