Missing AMS

The weather outside here at MSP is very Dutch-like today. It's cool and misty with more than a little late fall in the air. It feels like Amsterdam.

I won't be going this year and I'm both relieved and disappointed. We're taking 2 airplanes this year and the way the schedule works the person going over would have to be over there for 9 days. With other work committments and hockey committments I find it difficult to justify pulling myself away from home for that long.

I'll miss the morning dutch coffee and the evening Heineken's. I won't miss the ever present battles between our two companies. I guess it's a wash. It'll be strange since this will be the first time since 2002 that I haven't been there.

Damn.

Old School

In the slow times of summer the kids tend to get restless. When I get home from work my first order of business is to start cooking supper. The trick is to get the boys interested in something that doesn't involve Disney Channel and/or SpongeBob.

As they as sitting quietly downstairs I open up the entertainment center and drag out 3 cases of old tapes. Yes tapes - no CD's. No iPod. Tapes.

So for the last hour or so they've been downstairs listening to Master of Puppets, Van Halen I, etc. My oldest even asked if I had any Hendrix.

Almost brings a tear to my eye.

R.I.P John B.

We say goodbye to a friend tomorrow.

Our co-worker and close friend John died last Thursday evening of an apparent heart attack. He was 51 years old and leaves behind a son who has just graduated high school. He's supposed to be attending school here this fall but all bets are off on that.

We're a small group at work. When one of us goes on vacation it's a little different in the office. He was always there for you. Outside of the Stores office they had printed the word "Sanctuary" on some label material and placed it on the door. It meant that if you needed to vent about anything you could go in there, sip some coffee and vent. I know I did a few times.

We'll miss John. I miss him now. Peace John.

So what's new....

The last time I wrote I was whining about wanting to leave England. A lot has happened between now and then.

Stanley's hockey season came to a premature end (broken right radius and all). While as a team we weren't as sucessful on the scoreboard as we'd hoped I think they all had fun. The kid wound up with 7 goals, 7 assists and 16 penalty minutes. The goon.

I'm already missing the rink.

I haven't been busier at work. We brought the second airplane home and as soon as I finished bridging that one I was neeck deep in the -800 that flew in from Belgrade (holy cow but does that aircraft literally STINK). I can see the light at the end of that tunnel now. All things considered I'm glad I'm still employed.

That's all for now.

Hurry up and wait

I'm sick of this office. I'm sick of waiting for the feds. I just want to go home. Right now I'm sitting at an office at London Stansted airport waiting to bring an airplane home. All we're waiting for are a couple of articles of official paperwork and we can start jetting westbound. If it doesn't happen today then it's time to give it a go tomorrow morning bright and early. My problem with it is why it's taken so long for some of this crap to go through.

I know, I get it, I'm a quality guy and these things take time but WTF!!!!

Sorry, I'm getting whiny again.

The flight over and the stay here at Stansted has been fine. The people I'm working with are fine as well. It just seems that these things get pushed on so damn fast that things get missed. Oh what the hell.

Plus I want to get home and see the 10 year old...he broke his right wrist at practice this week so I'm obviously bummed about that. Poor kid.

/rant......

Your Last....

I'm an Anthony Bourdain fan. While I was eating lunch at my desk today I came across this clip:


At about the 7:30 mark he asks the question to those dining with him: what would your last meal be? So I thought about it.

The meals would be mad in my parents kitchen. Food from my youth. No Pizza, no fast food. Whole Filipino foods. Pancit. Chicken and Pork Adobo. White rice. Lumpia.

Maybe a slice of Prime Rib as dessert.