I'm coming to the rapid conclusion that taking any time off from work is pointless.

The amount of stress you end up in before going - to ensure everything is in a condition to hand over, and when you get back - catching up on all those emails, pretty much nulls any de-stressing you got while on leave.

I have 30 mins before I leave the office to take 2 1/2 weeks off (which will be wonderful and full of memories that will stay with me forever); and I have about 4 hours worth of work to do in that time.

GAAAAHH!!!!!!

Cutting over some core systems from one datacentre to another, so I'm here at 1:30 so I can run two scripts, wait 2 hours, run the same two scripts again and then go home.

Why can't they give me remote access for this sort of thing?

Still, gives me time to catch up on some work I didn't do during the week.

Looks like I may be getting a Promotion at work (subject to CEO's approval)

The interview yesterday was for a Project Manager position - technically a step up from the Business Analyst role I'm supposed to do today (which actually includes Project Management anyway). It would involve a grade increase, so a little extra moolah and I would FINALLY get business class travel again for work and pleasure after they rudely took it away 2 1/2 years ago.

Thing is, I don't LIKE Project Management. I'm a tinkerer - I like to be involved in the nitty-gritty aspects like testing, development, design etc.

Whatever, we'll have to see what happens. Frankly I don't trust anything at this company until I see it written on paper, and even then it's suspect.

I have an unexpected job interview this morning....

I ended up going to Albuquerque NM last week for work.

Overall it was really enjoyable. We had a 14 hour flight direct DOH-JFK. Overnight in Manhattan, which allowed me to catch up with my Uncle (who moved to the states about 15 years ago) and his wife.

Interesting parallel - my Uncle works in the airline industry and has an American wife; I work in the airline industry and have an American girlfriend. Curious, huh?

Then LGA-ABQ, with a 10 minute transfer window in Chicago. Luckily the two gates were next to each other or we'd have been stuck. As it were we the last three on.

Albuquerque was dusty as expected. It also snowed, which I wasn't expecting.

Went to a Casino on the last afternoon. Lost 160 dollars in about 20 mins, which was a bummer to say the least. All on slots too - they didn't even attempt to make it interesting, they just took my money while (metaphorically) laughing at me.

One of the guys I was traveling with knew the manager of the casino. He suggested we go to the cable car nearby (longest suspended one in the world or something). It was about 10 mins by car, so he called us some transport......


..... which turned out to be a huge stretch limo! Seriously - the only car he had available. It drove us to the foot of the cable car and waited for us to get back.

I also had 6 ours to kill in Washington on the way back so I went to the Air and Space museum on the edge of the airport (owned by the Smithsonian now I think). Really worth going too, especially the space exploration section (if that's your thang).

11 hour flight home. Slept for 8 of them. WIN.

Anyway, just realised this was a really dull post, so check this out:



Made me chuckle.

One of my best friends is getting married at the end of next month in the UK. (e:ladycroft) and are are lucky enough to be going.

As is normal before these kind of things, my friend is having a stag party (bachelor party). It's going to be a weekend go-karting, comedy, drinking, (probably some breasts thrown in for good measure) in Edinburgh in Scotland. I've been looking forward to it for months, and it's supposed to be next weekend.

And now I can't go.

Why? Because work want me to go to Albequrque in New Mexico to visit a potential system vendor. It'll be a total of 21 hours flying there, for a 2 day meeting, then 21 hours flying back. It's 14 hours just from Doha to JFK, non-stop.

Economy all the way too.

And tonight I'm going to have to tell him. :(