Sorry for the quiet this week. Been a few days of meetings and as feared more drinking that is safe for such dangerous things as walking and having polite conversation.
I am going to inflict one of my I’m not going to drink for a month (at least)rules on myself because of it. Thursday night I had a few too many and I was loud and beyond obnoxious. The only reason why I am only embarrassed and not mortally embarrassed is that everyone else was also loud and obnoxious. (Never mind some people that pulled even though in one situation the girl is engaged and in the other he just moved in with his girlfriend. The last person sparked one of my loud and obnoxious rants. Told him he was acting like a C-word for cheating, that he was being a twat at work, no one respected him and he knew better than to behave that way. While I was right, I might have said it in a better way. Funny part is he agreed with me.)
Lille asked about Javed when we arrived. They didn’t detain him this time, but if they had it would have been okay because it took two hours for our luggage to come off the belt and I wish I was exaggerating. A flight arrived from France the same time as ours did and I think it was just too much for the little Seattle airport to deal with.
I did witness some cop behaviour which scored high on the wanker scale.
Standing at luggage with Gabe, the other token American. Here’s a picture of Gabe.
He is relatively normal looking even though he wears his trousers low and his pants high. Cop came over to us and asked Gabe to see his passport and customs card. Cop looked it over. . .
”You live in the UK?”
I don’t know why, but immigration officials have a really hard time understanding Americans that don’t live in America. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten the “You live in the UK?!?” along with a look that suggests that I’m nuts for not living in the best country in the world.
“How long have you lived in the UK?”
“Seven years.”
“Why are you here?”
“Work. Meetings.”
“Who do you work for?”
“Xxxxxxxxx.”
“And you moved to the UK to work for Xxxxxxxxx?”
“I moved there for school.”
“Where did you go?”
At this point I was ready to be snarky and say, “Do you also want to know what his major was?” Please remember we had already been through immigration. We’re waiting for our baggage.
“You ever been arrested? Here or in the UK?”
Gabe had the sense to lie.
The whole exchange blew my mind. Gabe said it happens to him all the time.
I hate cops.
Anyway. Tuesday I didn’t sleep on the plane and I stayed up until 1 having a few (too many) drinks with my team because it was Adam’s birthday after I had dinner with Stephanie. With my jetlag coming this way I have found the only way I can sleep is if I exhaust and drug myself. Wednesday was meetings from 9-5 then a little party on the pier. Went to dinner, went out for one drink after and was in bed by 10:30.
Thursday breakfast at the market quick bit of shopping with Al and Ross then the company meeting at Safco field. After I meet up with my new team and we had a boat cruise from Seattle over to Bainbridge Island and back and I realised that when drunk my new team has a wild side that would give HR nightmares. I’m not sure why, but at one point a few people pretended to be a pole when another person pole danced on them. I have photographic evidence.
Came back to the hotel for a party here. It was decided that we would go to a club and because I am drunk and stupid I say yes. Got in bed at 2:30.
I was really ropey yesterday. Hands shook the whole day. By 5:30 I was in my frog pjs reading stuff on the puter, ordered room service and was fast asleep by 9.
Woke up at 4:30.
Meeting Monica and Meredith in a few hours for breakfast, then I’m shopping before I am off to the airport.
Wanna know what I am really excited about? I get to fly biz class back home. . .
September 8th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I think I would have been getting that cop’s badge number. Who set him up as an immigrations officer anyway?
And they wonder why we elect to expatriate…
Sheesh!