03.04.2001 (th), New York, La Guardia airport
Stucked in New York.
Usually I have no problems at all if I are on the road with Thomas, all flights
are on time nothing is canceled or whatever, but now his luck seems to get lost.
May the power of a bogey is proportional to the trouble he has caused successful, and now Murphy rules not only me and Stefan but also Thomas. Indeed I
have to say Murphy keeps out of any business. We'd a successful POC (proof of
concept) today and maybe won a new customer (maybe not;-).
It started yesterday evening with AirTran a quite chaotic airline. The
flight from Atlanta to New York got more than one hour delay because the pilot
run out off flight attendants. At last they acquired one flight attendant who
went in with another flight and one who was called at home (having a spare day).
That is what the trip started like. In Stamford (Connecticut, half an hour from
La Guardia - you remember;-), I got a smoker room without ashtray (I used one of
the paper cups with a little water in it). The heater was quite confident about
his meaning and blewed cold air (even if switched to "Strong heat")
into the room which makes it more like a ventilator than like a heater. Anyway,
I worked at the POC until 2:00 am, then I slept quite well. Next morning we
went to the customers site and I made the POC. The customer seems to be
satisfied, we will see whether all that work for the POC was worth it.
OK, we went back to La Guardia and Tanja (talking on the phone with Thomas)
tried to get us on a earlier flight at 4:35 pm (instead of 6:55 pm), later she
called back and told us it works.
As we arrived at La Guardia we hurried to the gate (Air Trans has only one at La
Guardia, C4). There was no employee of AirTrans at the gate and the sign
"canceled" was easy to ignore. So we went back to the luggage check-in
of AirTran, in hope to find a employee of AirTran there. We found them, that
means we was able to see them from the end of the queue in front of the desk. It
was not that bad, only 200 people in front of us (the flight was canceled
anyway). It took us nearly two hours to proceed in front of the desk. Meanwhile
Thomas talked a few times to Tanja who tried to organize a alternate connection
to Atlanta. (Delta had a flight at 6:15 pm but this means to spend $700 extra).
At last we went to the desk, the lady told us she will be able to route us to
Pittsburgh than to Atlanta. OK, we agreed. Then she got concerns because we had
no need to ask for that alternate route because we were already booked for the
later flight of AirTrans at 8:55 pm back to Atlanta. Thomas and I get really surprised
by this information. (Later Thomas talked to Tanja and figured out she
made a booking to that flight to be sure we get out of New York this day.)
But anyway the lady denied to route us through Pittsburgh and also requires us
to pay 114 dollars extra fee because of the rebooking from the 4:35 flight to
the 20:55 flight (I repeat: which was canceled by the same airline which now
requests additional 114 dollars for the rebooking from a flight which was not
flying at all).
At last they won, Thomas paid the extra fee (and he gets really angry with
them). At last we were at the gate at 20:10 (after having dinner at the food
court, try that "Mingu of Japan" which is offering Chinese food, its
quite good) and get out of La Guardia at 22:00 because the flight was delayed
due to the thunder storm over Atlanta. See the good (what else can you do), we
got seats in the business class (that is also some kind of
"excuse";-).
I found my bed at 1:15 am.
If I think over it, I am going to believe I didn't like New York but may I only
don't like La Guardia. We will see, I fly to New York on Saturday for the XML
Developer Conference through Newark airport this is a new chance for New York to
prove whether it is a "bad" or a "good" city.
04.04.2001 (th), Atlanta
Internet sucks. Nothing is moving. It seems to be the
whole internet is corrupted today. We got enormous problems in the company today
(no incoming mails, no internet access), even our server was in the opinion that he
is not requested to work properly (no shared file access, no PCAnyWhere access)
if the internet is not working correctly too.
A few seconds ago (it is 0:30 am) I managed to send my mails out, but the
incoming mails (POP3) are not working at all (got my mails from post.strato but
outlook requires me to login to mail.earthlink.net which is my SMTP not my
POP3). May this is because of the thunder storm;-)
07.04.2001 (sa), Somewhere between Atlanta and New York
Something strange is going to happen. I left Atlanta today
heading to Newark. Stefan droves me because he needs my car. I picked him up
yesterday evening as he came in from Cincinnati (from a customer site). Again I
mentioned that Murphy likes him, because as I was at 8:15 am this morning in
front of his house he was not there, as I knocked on his door, he opens the door
with that looking that everybody proves, he came out of his bed in this second.
(He forget to change his alarm clock to the current daylight saving time (one
hour ahead)).
Anyway, we drove to the airport, I was little late and had a quite heavy
bordcase (because I carried a few of our advertising stuff for the exhibition we have to
do in New York). I decided to join the queue to declare my luggage and it worked
(10 minutes). Bypassing the displays I mentioned Newark is not leaving from
Concourse B but A (else I would have missed the flight).
I went to the gate, directly for boarding, get a seat in a totally full plane
except the seat right of me in the exit row.
Now I am sitting here, plenty of legroom, only the notebook (and all that ebXML
documentation with me), while my luggage is hopefully with me on this plane. I
have no idea where Murphy currently is, I think I am required to be prepared for
everything. I am intending NOT to work anything this day and Sunday (except
reading this ebXML stuff).
08.04.2001 (sa), New York City, Empire State Building, 80th floor
As
my bag comes through the x-ray, the security guy asked me "Is this your bag, Sir?".
"Jupp, it is a computer."
"I know Sir, may you open it for me."
"Sure."
"And start it please."
"Sure."
I was going to think over, the idea to take a notebook with me while trying to
get to the Empire State Building Observatory was a good one.
After the notebook has started successfully, he started smiling, "thank you
very much, Sir, enjoy your stay."
"Yes, I will."
I am now for three hours in this city, 1 hour and 30 minutes of this three hours
I spend in the several queues while trying to get on top of the Empire State
Building.
First queue was the ticket desk (this was the longest, 1 hour), then I paid the
9 bucks and went to the security check queue (10 minutes), (which may was a
little enlarged because some stupid idiot caused the security staff to let him
start his computer). Then I proceeded to the elevator queue (20 minutes) now I
am in the 80th floor, still 6 floors to go. Sitting here at the window heading
west to One Penn Plaza beside the Madison Square Garden while the queue for the
second elevator is passing by. A little boy (talking German to his mother
"Was macht denn der Mann da?") is all around me, while the rest of his
family is waiting in the line. I am not sure what I am doing here, but I had
this plan to went straight to Empire State Building and having a look at New
York City. And the notebook, well I had the idea to find a coffee shop or
something like that, sitting down and going through the rest of this ebXML
stuff.
I left Newark airport by taxi to New York City, the weather was not that
good but it wasn't raining. Reached the Marquis Marriott
hotel at Broadway near the Times Square half an hour later (40 USD taxi). And I tell you, this is not a hotel, this is
a housing factory. The lobby is on the 8th floor (while the Marriott theatre is
on the 3rd and there is no 2nd floor). The hotel itself goes
up 40 floors with a huge atrium the rooms are arranged around. The reception desk is
at least 30 meters long with a few (uniformed) staff working behind it. Like at
the airport there is a queue separation and a sign "please wait at this
line", a lady (uniformed too) is distributing the people to the several receptionists
behind the desk.
I think Murphy is with Stefan, because everything seems to be working today,
even the stuff we sent via FedEx to the hotel, already arrived (ready to
pickup).
After I checked in (and the (female) receptionist recommended me never to loose
my German accent, because it is so cute:-), I left the hotel and then need a few minutes beside the
pavement of Broadway to cope with the mass of people and the bustling
excitement, then I went right, up Broadway until Times Square, you do not need to
move your body by yourself, just match stream of people who went down Broadway then
imple with the bulk until you reach your targeted destination (but may
get the issue to leave the bulk on time). Then right up 42nd Street until I reached 6th
Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), at the corner Is the Bryant Park behind the NYC Public Library and on
the other side a Pronto Pizza shop. Guess which one founds my interest first. If
you ever be there, try the Pronto Pizza, it is good and - significant in a town
like New York - inexpensive. But be aware, the staff in there speaks only one
word English "NEXT!". But they understand several other words
(pepperoni, spinach, extra-cheese, regular and tomato). After that - starched as
I was - I went 6th avenue south (at Pronto Pizza I saw Empire State Building
first time above the other buildings). Then at 34th Street right and there it
was. You can't miss it due to the masses of tourists and busses and taxis and
shorts-dressed-white-socks-with-sandal-wearing-family-fathers which tries to keep their kids
and wife's collected. Empire State is..., queue gets shorter, I will go for
the last six floors now.
08.04.2001 (sa), New York City, Starbuck Coffee, Broadway
Did you know the Empire State Building was finished 1931? It was the first of
all skyscrapers of the city and build within 1 year and 45 days, costing 41 million
USD (and costing 67 million USD renovation expenses till today). By the way, the
initial plan was set to 50 million USD (that means it was nearly 20% less
expensive than planed, that is - as far as I know - also a significant
protuberant mark) The idea to build it was generated 1928 by John Jakob Raskob,
a Wall Street financier. Based on the question to William Lamb ("a brilliant, courageous architect"): "Bill, how high can you make it, so
it won't fall down?". The answer was: 443 meters.
That is interesting, isn't it?
Indeed the look over the city is great, if you
enjoy it, you are also able to ignore all the other people out there.
After Empire State I was a little leached out but still with convinced intention
exploring the city. Actually I saw this fancy building in the south. I don't
know why, but I can't remember its name at all, something with "iron"
in it. You sure know what I mean, it is at 5th Avenue and Broadway intersection,
that fancy building directly at the corner, formed like an triangle with an
sharp corner. Oh damit, go to Atlanta, they have build the same out there (but a
little bit smaller).
08.04.2001 (su), New York City, Marriott Marquis
What a city.
I don't know whether I like it or not. Do it, just go to Stardust Coffee or wherever, buy a coffee then, search for a place at Broadway and look at the
people passing by: tourists (with this
hell-yeah-I-am-in-NewYork-and-I-will-make-a-lot-of-pictures-to-proove-it look in
their face - and for sure with a camera in their hand -, smart dressed people
(going or coming from a theatre), people who think they are smart dressed (also
going or coming from a theatre), street artists and animation staff who
advertise for musicals and plays, cars everywhere (half of it taxis). Ten
people, ten different languages (at least three different German languages).
The time of day has no meaning, I saw this mass of people this afternoon as I
left the hotel and I saw it returning at 6:00 pm and at 1:30 am coming back from
the theatre.
New York is different the New Yorkers say. New York is different Thomas said.
New York is New York, which-was-not-Dean-Martin-but-whoms-name-I-cannot-remember
said. "If you can make it there, you can make it
... everywhere..." you remember?
That is the story, but it is also the truth.
A New Yorker will never say "You are welcome", a New Yorker will say
"You got it." (first time - at Pronto Pizza - I answered
"What?" and get the answer "You said whether I mind if you sit
here, I don't, sit and eat, you got it.")
We went to a play of a off-Broadway show this evening (Tanja selected it), it is
"dinner with friends" and is about two decade-married couples where
one is going to get divorced. It was really nice, not really a comedy but not
really a drama also. But I hate the end of this play, please change it or I will
never come back again;-)
After that we went to "Pravda" a small night club (more a bar than a
night club). It gets quite crowded but is really nice (especially if you are a
male single searching for perspectives, go there).
08.04.2001 (su), New York City, Marriott Marquis
Jepp, now I am slightly drunken. Feeling well prepared for
the tomorrow exhibition after reading through the rest of this ebXML stuff by
the help of three Malibu cocktails (and a coffee). Next time I start with the
cocktails not the coffee, but except this, it was a quite good mixture.
This day I meet T&T in a fancy restaurant at Lexington Avenue/53rd Street.
It is called "Brasserie" go there, if you like New Age style (and
indeed the coffee is excellent). Then we walked down 5th Avenue, entering the
Central Park and go on until reaching the Salomon Guggenheim Museum of Modern
Art. I like Central Park (actually I like the small part of the park I've seen).
Especially the squirrel are cute, especially because they are not afraid of
human beings at all. Careful, yes, but not afraid. If you walk through the
park, you will find them a few times but for sure in the area (30 m) of each
Central Park Snack Station (which also sells nuts). Reaching the Guggenheim
museum at last (by food!) T&T had only one hour time left so they decided
not to go in (not to pay the fee). I also was not that keen to see the red
quarters on yellow background (chalking up the separation of society in rich
(red) and poor (yellow) while the rich (red) are carried by the community of the
poor (yellow), while the poors are in the background and the rich are in the
foreground) and nails hammered in a cushion (representing a nail which is
hammered in a cushion or confrontation of nations or connectivity between man
and woman, whatever you like better and whatever the mood of your local modern
art censor is).
So we drove back with the bus, then we disjoined because they had an
appointment. I went east to New York City Central Station (which is directly in
front of Ex-PanAm-now-MetLife building). That is tremendous. A huge hall (with a
blue painted starry sky). I got a orange juice in one of the bars in the hall,
that was nice.
Then I returned to the hotel (stopping by at Pronto Pizza for a pepperoni pizza
(again, that means "Salami Pizza") and at Starbucks Coffee for a
coffee of the day - I like to have habits, even if they are only one day old.
At last I started to build up the exhibition computer to be ready for tomorrow
(hey you guys, can anybody explain to me why our FREEWARE software has a
PASSWORD in its installation? A password which is nowhere documented? (I will
call you tomorrow Bernd;-)
Then I went with the ebXML documentation down to the lobby and found a bar
called "Broadway" which
is also rotating. I spend there nearly three hours, I like this rotation, over a
few meters the engine gave a jerk, that is nice if you get drunk whereas your
body gets shaked. I can't believe that I paid 10 dollars for each of this
cocktails, I am loosing the contact to my badisch soul. (Actually it is quite
easy to pay, just say your room number and your last name (that is security,
isn't it;-) and sign the check, well all of this will return to me two days from
now if I get the bill:-<)
09.04.2001 (mo), New York City, Marriott Marquis
OK, guys. I spend in total 3 days reading all this ebXML
stuff found my self as last time at university while trying to get ready for an
examination. OK, I confess, I liked it. This is technical stuff, written by
technician for technician, very often you need to be really concentrated and are
required to remember a few stuff you have learned at university or use your
technical experience to understand. A few times you find yourselves cleverness
confirmed if you mention illogical chapters, phrases or definitions (making a
mark at the margin!) and especially if you find misspelled (English!) words
(note: this diary is NOT released to report misspellings on it:-))).
BUT: I did it to be prepared to stand all these technical questions and to
impress the clever people you expect to come to your booth and asking tricky
questions of how and why and what. Of 30 people coming to our booth the half had
no idea of XML at all (coming to the XML Developer Conference to inform themselves
about this stuff - who can blame them for this?), the other half
people who are convinced to know everything about XML (including ebXML and all
the other few areas where computers take part in) and saying clever things like
"... XML is powerful enough to run even on UNIX...", "... it will
take only a year until all ANSI X.12 users will change to XML...",
"... but how can you make business with EDI, is there still a market for
it?", "... it is impossible to define a DTD without a development
environment...", "... but you cannot convert a DTD to a
flatfile?" (with this tone: I-got-ya-you-stupid-bitch, answering (veeeery
diplomatic) "We can convert any XML - which is described, better defined,
by a DTD - into any flatfile structure. Look at this, this is a XML IDOC which
is use..." (interrupted) "but that doesn't look like a DTD."
Actually I liked it, it was not that crowded (they advertised 5000 people,
hohoho) and not that boring. To assume yourselves more clever than others is
always generating a good mood AND I managed NOT to wear this standard company
shirts (because it has buttons on it and I HATE that). For sure I was the only
guy in the entire exhibition (excluding a few of the visitors) which was wearing
a suit, but this is better than wearing a button-shirt (I'm getting a goose
bumps writing this).
And: the guys in the booth left of us were really clever, they had a ebXML
supporting system which was really clever and that complicated that it took me a
while to get the point. (Indeed: ebXML is not that easy to understand, the idea
is easy, the details are overwhelming.) You may already guessed, these guys were
not from the US but from Ireland (Dublin).
Later this evening I met a guy from a big American computer company. I spend the
whole evening with him, talking about being a foreigner in America and living
in America in common. This was one of the few Americans I ever met which you can
really talk to about anything without "keeping the surface". And,
after we moved from the restaurant to the "Broadway Lounge"
("Malibu Sunset Spirit", you remember?) he sits up and starts very
well accentuated "You asked me whether I am married..., actually Vaughn is
the name of the man I am living with." And he gets really relieved as I
didn't jump up and try to escape before he could try to take off my clothes
(still wearing a suit). As most gays I ever met, this guy was really neat, may
if I become gay I can also become a neat guy too. But I also think, this is one
thing the try-guy won't go for;-)
10.04.2001 (tu), Newark
That's it, I am leaving New York. Actually I already left
New York because Newark is in New Jersey. I was here at 7:00 pm, checking
in my luggage and the Delta assistant ask me whether I would like to go for the
7:30 flight (instead of my booked 8:30), I said yes, but was not hoping at all
(guess why;-).
She checked in my luggage and gave me a ticket for the 8:30 flight and set me to
stand-by on the 7:30.
After that I proceeded to the boarding, it was not that far to go. I asked at
the desk for the stand-by's already called, they ask for my name, then they gave
me the ticket for the 7:30 flight. And I proceeded through the boarding gate,
into the plane, sitting down in a only half full plane.
That was also the second I mentioned something really strange going on. Wait a
minute! A earlier flight, on stand-by, on-time. Maybe my luggage currently is
set to a flight to Las Vegas? It seems to be perfect.
Murphy may misunderstood this as disappointment, may he thought I was not
pleased with his power.
Lately the captain informed us about a delay due to heavy traffic in the air all
over New York. Even if Atlanta Hartsfield is fine and the plane is ready for
take off, we are not allowed to start until the air traffic in the New York area
decreased. (Life is a bitch.)
We will see whether, better when, we take off.
11.04.2001 (we), Atlanta
Reached Atlanta at 11:30 pm yesterday. Does anybody like to buy my bogey? OK, he is heavily used but he is still one of the "best".
13.04.2001 (fr), Atlanta
Today Stefan and Christiane (his girl-friend) picked me up for a sightseeing tour to Stone Mountain. That was cool. Stone Mountain is a rock east of Atlanta. The rock is more than 100 m high and has a width of 500 meters. It's amazing. Even the weather was not that good so the tourist-traffic was acceptable. (I have to go there in June with my family.) Even if the rain was impede us from walking down the rock (we drove up the rock with the funicular (planed and build in Switzerland;-) it was really nice up there. You have a great look all over the country, you can see the skyline of Atlanta and all the forests and lakes in the other directions. (The long sight was not that good due to the rainy weather and humbled clouds.)
15.04.2001 (su), Atlanta
I was out with Mark yesterday. We met a friend of him in
Virginia Highlands (part of Atlanta). It is so easy in this country to meet
people. Due to the fact we were 45 minutes to late, Amy (Marks
"girlfriend) had already met other people. We had a few drinks (one
Corona, then orange juice), and the ladies (3 of them) discussed pick-up lines
while John assisted them by quoting his favorites. What do you think about
"Hello, my name is John, remember that name, you will scream it out later
this night." (I like it.)
They were quite impressed about the German approach "Darf ich mir am Feuer
in Deinen Augen meine Zigarette entfachen.", especially they liked the German
accentuation, even after translating to English they liked it ("The
fire in your eyes could light up my cigarette.")
I didn't tell them that this pick-up line is from a German comedian and has to
be continued with the woman's answer "For all I care you can go up entirely
in flames." ("Von mir aus kannst ganz in Flammen aufgehen.")
John will go to Germany for a week in the late June, I advised him to use the
foreigners favorite "Hello, I am a foreigner here, may you can..",
the ladies agreed that this is a pick-up which ever "works" as long as
you can prove it is true. May it does not work that good, because I went home
all alone and I AM a foreigner:-<)
Later the evening we (all six of us) went to a "total different world"
as Mark told me, I cannot remember the bars name but it is a mix of a striptease
bar and a disco in Virginia Hights. Well, the stripping ladies there have a minimum
age of 40 years and are
quite... different, if you know what I mean? Indeed the bar is crowded like hell
and there are as much female guests as male. The different world is not because
of the old-aged ladies (there are only two or three of them), but because
Americans can be un-American here. I saw Americans do what I neither have seen
in the Netherlands were people usually do not care about what other people think
about them. You should try it, it is quite fun.
We went home at 3:00 am (because the bar is closing that time).
16.04.2001 (mo), Atlanta
The Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins 4:3.
Oh, I like Baseball. It is thrill and fun and strategy and suddenly everybody is
running, then the teams are changing position and everything starts from the
beginning. Even with the help of J. Rocker (who was dressed in white as the
other Braves, but surly this was only part of the Marlins' strategy) the
Marlins had 2 runs in one inning setting result from 3:1 to 3:3 but at last
Brogna get the last run in the ninth inning and we win.
Even the tickets were only 5 bucks for the upper level of Turner Field (compare
that to the 50 bucks for the hockey game). That is nice, try it, you will enjoy
it.
Also, I cleaned the car today, you cannot believe how big a Volvo gets if you
had to clean it by your own. The weather today was great. I wake up at 9:30 am
(that is a unusual time for a spare day to me). After finishing up a few things
(I was very productive, I think it was a quite good idea not to work through the
last few days - except yesterday - it seems to make me more effective) I went to
the forest west of our apartment homes, I found a tree in the sun and sat down
for an hour to read, that was nice. Sun, wind, cigarettes and Terry Pratchett
(Mort).
Later I went to wash the car, than I went to the Baseball game with Stefan and
Christiane. That was a nice day, ready to return to work tomorrow.
17.04.2001 (tu), Atlanta
Sam had his first day in the office today. Also Crystal and Xinghua was in today for a meet-each-other-meeting (both will start on the 1st of May).
18.04.2001 (wd), Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Back in central Wisconsin. The 51 is my road. I'm getting
used to drive down 51 in this default "midsize" American cars,
straight ahead, cruise control switched on (set to 75 mph). I like that. I have
to return to Wisconsin for a spare weekend just to cruise over this roads.
AND I again missed to get that pizza, tomorrow.
I have a turkey sandwich with me, hate sandwiches, especially this one. What
should it taste like? Turkeys have no idea how meat should taste like, neither
this manufacturer of this mustard has an idea how to open this piece of shit.
There is a arrow with the text "open here", I try, you listen?, I try
three different mustard bags and none of them is going to release any mustard.
Anyway, even if I get out this mustard it will not make the turkey taste better.
I am right, it will change nothing.
Would should I expect to happen at customers site tomorrow? My planes to
Wisconsin were all on time (I repeat: on time).
And: I left the office at 3:45pm for the 5:30pm flight. This is a risk because I
have to cross Atlanta Downtown when heading to the airport. For sure I get
stucked for about 15 minutes (rush hour starts at about 3pm) but I reached the
airport early enough.
And: while driving I enlarged without reason the distance to the truck in front
of me and milliseconds later the truck makes a full brake what trapped me in a
fetid cloud which reduces sight to zero and smelled like hell, but the distance
was wide enough to keep me out of any danger.
And: reaching the airport they had two closed gates to the parking area with
warning signs "Lot full". I drove up to the 4th level and found a
parking lot near of the daily parking exit.
And: as I reached the gate (on time, plane on time) the people already wait for
the boarding and there was no queue in front of the check in. I proceeded to the
desk, gave her my id and she checked me in within 20 seconds. ("Has any
stranger gave you...": no, "Have you left your luggage any
time...": no)
And: with the last flight I became a premium member of Northwest Airline
And: due to the fact I was so "late", she upgraded me without asking
to the first class.
I really don't know what I should expect to happen now? Will the customer cancel
the contract? Will BIC connect to National Defense Control to start a few
rockets? (After throwing an exception "NoRocketsAllowedOnGroundException(no
reason)".)
I am prepared with any test I could imagine, that is also not a good sign.
19.04.2001 (th), Wisconsin Rapids, WI
If you ever be in Wisconsin Rapids, go to the "Cafe
Molino" inside the Hotel Mead. This pepperoni pizza with hot peppers is
excellent, really excellent. It was quite a successful day today, actually it
was successful until 5pm. We run the last test on the server and Wayne (all his
stuff already packed and on his way home) had a quick look at it. Mentioned that
a few of this contents doesn't look very good. Whatever, I have to stay (as
planned) until tomorrow, I never really hoped to get back to Atlanta today,
never.
Curious: it works on my computer (same version, nearly same environment), but
who will be so mad to expect logic from a computer. I will check that out
tomorrow, I don't think it is a major issue (to be prepared I wrote a mail to
Natascha). Summarized the day was not that ineffective. As expected I ran into a
few serious issues in the morning, but I managed to get out of it (I am so
good!) without using a workaround.
Hell, New York (Yankees) and Toronto now start the 14th inning. The last two
innings nearly all outs (New York and Toronto) where made by the pitchers.
Local time at the game is already 12:08pm (The reporter mentioned that they now
are playing since 5 hours.) I like baseball.
20.04.2001 (fr), Central Wisconsin Airport, Wausau, WI
I can see the plane through the window, that means it is
here. That also defines the possibility, I said the possibility, that I get out of
Wisconsin on time for the first time ever. (The Minneapolis/St. Paul flight
which leaves half an hour earlier is delayed because the plane is not here yet.)
I went back to the customer this morning - well prepared to mess with this
mapfile issue, and also well prepared to face a lot of problems with the
remaining to install server.
First thing I heard from Tom was, that he received a mail from Natascha which
has an attached file. The mail contains the fix for the issue with the mapfiles,
that is service, writing mails in the night and getting the fix in the morning
(forget about the seven hour time gap;-).
You know what: perfume should make people smell better, but there is a quantity
of perfume (and a quality of perfume which gets enriched by quantity), which is
too much, quite too much. This lady is about 5 meters away from me, I give up,
wait a second, I be right back.
Yes, this is better, I hope this 25 meters are far enough.
I put the file on the first server and it worked, than I setup the new server
(mentioning that Tom had already installed the basic package), and it worked
too. 8:45am and all my work is done!? The rest of the morning I spend in
finishing the documentation and with a few phone calls (Neville setting me up
for a meeting on Tuesday in Detroit and Matt discussing a few topics with his
Java classes.)
At 2pm I left the customers site (and that only because Tom was stucked in a
meeting and I want to inform him about the finished setup and a few other
things).
I talked to Stefan and he told me that his Tennessee appointment went very well
(although you can call him quite not a Baan specialist), but his flight to the
customers site was quite amazing because he (and the other 30 passengers) tried
3 different planes until he found the right one and than had a quite bumpy
flight.
The story he told me sounds as directed by a little guy whoms name I will not
name right now. (Annette told me that thinking stuff like "I did it,
I cannot believe this, from now on everything will work fine and..." are
some kind of provocation for a bogey, especially for a bogey like
youKnowWhomIAmTalkingAbout.)
Whatever, I am still not at home, I shouldn't not praise the day before the
night is over (oder so ähnlich).
21.04.2001 (sa), Atlanta
Got in 11pm yesterday, not to forget: I got out of
Wisconsin ONETIME, and also the plane from Detroit to Atlanta was ONETIME.
But Murphy was waiting for me at the airport. (Because Stefan arrived at 6pm and
I am pretty sure Murphy decided to wait for me there.)
I drove north (85 north, exit at "Buckhead, Cummings" to 400 north,
exit "Sandy Springs", drive down Abernathy Rd, make a right to Roswell
Rd). Suddenly I found myself on the exit to Norlake Rd which is one exit before
400 north. Can't explain why, I just thought that is the right exit. But it was
not that bad because there are also 400 signs on this exit, later 85 north
directions so I followed them and two minutes later I was back on 85 north,
indeed back on 85 north exactly behind the exit to 400 north. Don't matter, I
decided to drive on until 285 which is as good to get home.
At the exit to 285 I tried to remember either it is to drive west or east and
with impeccable certainty I drove east, which is the wrong direction.
Well, this is it.
Mark promised me to take me out to a club called "Karma Atlanta" which
is - trusting his explanations - some kind of single-heaven, we will see.
I have to go shopping today to find something Sanna and Ulli can sleep on when
they arrive next week, also I have to pick up my suit from the cleaner (two
weeks now).
22.04.2001 (su), Atlanta
Nightlife in Atlanta.
Last night Stefan called me at 10pm and asked for joining him in a workout at
the gym. He was in the opinion if we don't do it now we may never do it. OK,
Mark told me, that he will call to possibly define where to go this night, but
he hasn't called so far so I decided to join him.
No I'm sitting here with a stiffness, but the start is made, from now on every
second day, I promise - fortunately there is noone I can promise to.
I came back at 11:15pm, had a shower and put a pizza in the oven (Red Barons
Single Pizzas). Then I got the call from Mark who was on the way to "Apre
Diem" in Virginia High to meet his friend Stefan (from France).
It is Saturday, even although I knew it was not a good idea to go for a
location I never have driven to by my own. Even knowing that Marks sense of
orientation is as near as weak as mine I told him I will be there in half an
hour (after he gave me a apparently very easy to follow directions). 85 south,
exit Tenth St/Fourteenth St, right on 10th St, at Piedmont right, at Monroe
right, at the cinema sign left on the parking lot.
Hehe.
It worked until I crossed 10th without turning right, so I was leaded back to 85
south, than exit Georgia Tech, right (because this - I thought - will lead me
back to 10th - all around Georgia Tech and suddenly I was back on the 10th St.
The next half hour I drove up then down, then up, then down again 10th St to
find the intersection to Piedmont. Had a few phone calls with Mark - who was
already in the Apre Diem, but they wasn't very helpful at all. (Now I think I
gave up to early when driving 10th NW.)
At last Mark gave his cell phone to one of the bartenders and he told me to
drive 10th to the dead end (I was there before, it is a very dirty dead end
where a railway is crossing and a un-paved road goes to right), then head right
because this is Monroe Rd.
So I turned 180deg again, drove back, decided NOT to drive into the unpaved (and
unlighted) "road" instead I drove right the street before the dead
end.
Now - in the light of day - I mention that a straight line can have to dead
ends, but I was so sure that I doesn't have to drive into downtown (where 10th
St gets you).
At last (one additional half an hour later) I was at CNN/Phillips Arena and
called Mark again to tell that I give up now and will go to drive home. As I
told him that I now was going to pass CNN he was yelling that this is not that
far away.
However - and I have no idea how - he guided me within five minutes through
Downtown to Ponce de Leon, to Monroe and than I remembered how to drive.
I reached Apre Diem at 12:40am.
After the Apre Diem we went to the "Karma" (www.karmaatlanta.com)
nightclub. That is cool, if you are female and/or a celebrity or if you have a
friend who has a friend who knows one of the doorkeepers, try it, else forget
it, you never will get in. (I indeed was there with Stefan (Marks French friend)
and Mark, and both knows the whole staff of the Karma so I got in and additionally
didn't had to pay any entrance fee (don't know how much it is). Once
you got in, it is not that bad. The prices are OK (5 USD for a Corona).
I came home at 5:45am (and wake up 1:48pm), was a nice evening.
