февраля 28, 2005
A good day
3/1 17:41 Dandenong time
After a reasonable hotel-breakfast (at unreasonable Aussie prices), we headed to the other side of Melbourne to visit one of the two facilities of a major dealer here. Located on Footscray, near the harbor, it’s pretty fairly a location dedicated 100% to transport. Not terribly beautiful, and smoggy as all getout, that is to say... Still, all in all, not bad of a place. Temps here got up to maybe 30C (86F), mid-high humidity, good and sunny. Really, though, I’m finding it all quite bearable (unlike Bangkok last year...), though I think I got a light sunsinge on the backs of my hands today.
After the Footscray folks, we headed to meet with the Aussie office of one of our major component suppliers, basically, to discuss why either The Company, or the US offices of the aforementioned supplier persisted in shipping to Oz equipment not really suited to Aussie operation. Coffee, OJ, sandwiches, and talk of liability, engineering, and manufacturing processes filled the middle part of the day. All were quite pleasant, though one gent observed that I was quite outnumbered, and that throwing money at my pursuers to distract them was an allaround agreeable tactic. I left with the impression that we’ve got some resolution; hopefully most of the rest of the folks there thought the same.
Next, we went to the other, nicer facilities of the dealer headquartered in Footscray. These were on the highway to Sydney, on – as tends to be the case – a stretch of truck shops. We were bullshitted by a very pleasant salesman for well over an hour, then I was politely torn apart by a gent from their service side (after all, it’s my job to take it with a smile). Nothing really remarkable, and I think no hard feeling were held. During it all, though, all of a sudden the weather changed like a switch had been flipped. The clear, blue, bright day shifted in a matter of less than a minute to windy and overcast. I hear that the weather makes its way over from Adelaide, and that such rapid changes are not only common, but fully expected in Melbourne. Still, it was quite a thing.
Now, back at the hotel, I’m just about ready to head out for dinner. Then, maybe, a bit more about the day.
After a reasonable hotel-breakfast (at unreasonable Aussie prices), we headed to the other side of Melbourne to visit one of the two facilities of a major dealer here. Located on Footscray, near the harbor, it’s pretty fairly a location dedicated 100% to transport. Not terribly beautiful, and smoggy as all getout, that is to say... Still, all in all, not bad of a place. Temps here got up to maybe 30C (86F), mid-high humidity, good and sunny. Really, though, I’m finding it all quite bearable (unlike Bangkok last year...), though I think I got a light sunsinge on the backs of my hands today.
After the Footscray folks, we headed to meet with the Aussie office of one of our major component suppliers, basically, to discuss why either The Company, or the US offices of the aforementioned supplier persisted in shipping to Oz equipment not really suited to Aussie operation. Coffee, OJ, sandwiches, and talk of liability, engineering, and manufacturing processes filled the middle part of the day. All were quite pleasant, though one gent observed that I was quite outnumbered, and that throwing money at my pursuers to distract them was an allaround agreeable tactic. I left with the impression that we’ve got some resolution; hopefully most of the rest of the folks there thought the same.
Next, we went to the other, nicer facilities of the dealer headquartered in Footscray. These were on the highway to Sydney, on – as tends to be the case – a stretch of truck shops. We were bullshitted by a very pleasant salesman for well over an hour, then I was politely torn apart by a gent from their service side (after all, it’s my job to take it with a smile). Nothing really remarkable, and I think no hard feeling were held. During it all, though, all of a sudden the weather changed like a switch had been flipped. The clear, blue, bright day shifted in a matter of less than a minute to windy and overcast. I hear that the weather makes its way over from Adelaide, and that such rapid changes are not only common, but fully expected in Melbourne. Still, it was quite a thing.
Now, back at the hotel, I’m just about ready to head out for dinner. Then, maybe, a bit more about the day.
Morning in Oz
3/1 06:18 Dandenong time
Unlike in Queensland, Victoria has daylight savings time, so it is still dark out. This morning, I have piles of good news.
I got in touch with our network guys, and they indicated that for some reason AT&T had turned off my roaming capability for my blackberry. That turned right back on again, I now have access to my email (hmm.. this is good news?...).
Secondly, our travel coordinator is taking care of freaking out at the ticketing agencies for me. Since we were all promised over and over again something that Air New Zealand didn’t follow through on, and since she’s the one who assured me that all would be well, she is taking the whole LA-Aukland deal as a personal affront. She’s at the point of demanding ‘compensation’ for me. I can’t see that turning out other than good.
As for Melbourne, what I’ve seen so far (in my everything-deprived stupor yesterday) puts me in the mind of the city of Phoenix and its suburbs. The biggest qualitative difference I noticed is that Melbourne’s downtown is much, much taller, and undergoing a stupendous amount of construction. Crossing over a bridge, I saw well over two dozen tower-type cranes in operation. This is not a big city, either (yet). I wonder if there is a street in the entire downtown are on which you wouldn’t find some sort of new skyscraper going up. Booming is always impressive.
Two relatively big news items here these days are:
- The ‘rioting’ – I’ve seen clips, and I can’t bear to actually seriously call it that – in Sydney over a couple of kids in a stolen car being killed in a police chase some days ago. It’s pretty weak, even by Pac NW standards. Maybe 150 guys facing a line of fifty or so cops in full gear (though they did throw some molotov cocktails; I guess there’s that) yelling and whatnot. No gas, no breaking of stuff, no brawling, and exactly three arrests. Pitiful.
- The ‘surprise’ deployment of more Aussies to Iraq. Since the elections here just passed, and the party to win did so on a platform of “We will send no more troops to Iraq”, no one is really surprised that their being sent. One guy wondered what took them so long; most promises here being broken in a lot less than months. There’s real wonder here what it is, exactly, that Oz is getting from the US in exchange for their efforts, particularly since Oz’s main trading partner is China.
Whoa- time flies and breakfast is served. До будущей.
Unlike in Queensland, Victoria has daylight savings time, so it is still dark out. This morning, I have piles of good news.
I got in touch with our network guys, and they indicated that for some reason AT&T had turned off my roaming capability for my blackberry. That turned right back on again, I now have access to my email (hmm.. this is good news?...).
Secondly, our travel coordinator is taking care of freaking out at the ticketing agencies for me. Since we were all promised over and over again something that Air New Zealand didn’t follow through on, and since she’s the one who assured me that all would be well, she is taking the whole LA-Aukland deal as a personal affront. She’s at the point of demanding ‘compensation’ for me. I can’t see that turning out other than good.
As for Melbourne, what I’ve seen so far (in my everything-deprived stupor yesterday) puts me in the mind of the city of Phoenix and its suburbs. The biggest qualitative difference I noticed is that Melbourne’s downtown is much, much taller, and undergoing a stupendous amount of construction. Crossing over a bridge, I saw well over two dozen tower-type cranes in operation. This is not a big city, either (yet). I wonder if there is a street in the entire downtown are on which you wouldn’t find some sort of new skyscraper going up. Booming is always impressive.
Two relatively big news items here these days are:
- The ‘rioting’ – I’ve seen clips, and I can’t bear to actually seriously call it that – in Sydney over a couple of kids in a stolen car being killed in a police chase some days ago. It’s pretty weak, even by Pac NW standards. Maybe 150 guys facing a line of fifty or so cops in full gear (though they did throw some molotov cocktails; I guess there’s that) yelling and whatnot. No gas, no breaking of stuff, no brawling, and exactly three arrests. Pitiful.
- The ‘surprise’ deployment of more Aussies to Iraq. Since the elections here just passed, and the party to win did so on a platform of “We will send no more troops to Iraq”, no one is really surprised that their being sent. One guy wondered what took them so long; most promises here being broken in a lot less than months. There’s real wonder here what it is, exactly, that Oz is getting from the US in exchange for their efforts, particularly since Oz’s main trading partner is China.
Whoa- time flies and breakfast is served. До будущей.
Our guide for the week / Confessions
2/28 23:11 Dandenong time
Met the local service guy (who works for SB) who covers southern Australia and Tasmania for dinner and drinks. Roo for dinner again; not as good as last time, but still different.
I have discovered, to my dismay, that the platypus is a protected species, and so I will not be able to find out what its meat tastes like. Further, in keeping with the general theme I have discovered of Aussie wildlife, the platypus has poison spines – not a killing poison, but enough to make a predator think twice about eating one, or to make your hand swell up pretty well.
I am as yet unable to get my blackberry gizmo to fully link to a local network, or to get my laptop to dial in to any useful server. So, I am totally cut off (other than my mobile, whose sim card seems to have survived my not-in-Oz period fully unscathed) from communications until, perhaps, I re-arrive in Brisbane and check into my thoroughly modern hotel. I will, of course, post-date all of my postings, so as to further obfuscate the historical record. My apologies to all who came looking for updates and found nothing whatsoever.
We start tomorrow morning at 7:30. Since I intend not only to clean myself up, but also to call home before breakfast, and further, to call the office and deliver a severe tongue-thrashing about the plane tickets and the blackberry, I should get to sleep.
Not like, with the post-dating, it matters anyway; still, I feel obliged to maintain whatever semblance of authenticity I can...
Met the local service guy (who works for SB) who covers southern Australia and Tasmania for dinner and drinks. Roo for dinner again; not as good as last time, but still different.
I have discovered, to my dismay, that the platypus is a protected species, and so I will not be able to find out what its meat tastes like. Further, in keeping with the general theme I have discovered of Aussie wildlife, the platypus has poison spines – not a killing poison, but enough to make a predator think twice about eating one, or to make your hand swell up pretty well.
I am as yet unable to get my blackberry gizmo to fully link to a local network, or to get my laptop to dial in to any useful server. So, I am totally cut off (other than my mobile, whose sim card seems to have survived my not-in-Oz period fully unscathed) from communications until, perhaps, I re-arrive in Brisbane and check into my thoroughly modern hotel. I will, of course, post-date all of my postings, so as to further obfuscate the historical record. My apologies to all who came looking for updates and found nothing whatsoever.
We start tomorrow morning at 7:30. Since I intend not only to clean myself up, but also to call home before breakfast, and further, to call the office and deliver a severe tongue-thrashing about the plane tickets and the blackberry, I should get to sleep.
Not like, with the post-dating, it matters anyway; still, I feel obliged to maintain whatever semblance of authenticity I can...
Where the hell is Dandenong?
2/28 19:14 Dandenong time
Just a quick note before I head out for dinner.
Arrived in Brisbane after an entertaining flight, sitting with an older woman who is in the middle of an around-the-world trip (lasting, ironically enough, 80 days). So it appears I’m not the only one dumb enough to do that kind of thing...
Then from the Brisbane airport, car to Wacol, after fifteen minutes in Wacol, car back to Brisbane airport, then Qantas (tied with SW Airlines for worst regional carrier – ever) flight to Melbourne (pronounced as if the ‘r’ was silent). Then, from the Melbourne airport, long taxi ride to a Quality Inn in god-knows-where. And here I sit. By my calculations, my total travel time, including layovers and associated driving was 35.5 hours. In other terms, assuming I hold off until tomorrow morning, I will have gone completely without hygenic attention (other than washing my hands after using the bathroom) for 51 hours. And it is sweaty here...
I am tired, but need to get something to drink before I crash; I’ll continue this in a bit.
Just a quick note before I head out for dinner.
Arrived in Brisbane after an entertaining flight, sitting with an older woman who is in the middle of an around-the-world trip (lasting, ironically enough, 80 days). So it appears I’m not the only one dumb enough to do that kind of thing...
Then from the Brisbane airport, car to Wacol, after fifteen minutes in Wacol, car back to Brisbane airport, then Qantas (tied with SW Airlines for worst regional carrier – ever) flight to Melbourne (pronounced as if the ‘r’ was silent). Then, from the Melbourne airport, long taxi ride to a Quality Inn in god-knows-where. And here I sit. By my calculations, my total travel time, including layovers and associated driving was 35.5 hours. In other terms, assuming I hold off until tomorrow morning, I will have gone completely without hygenic attention (other than washing my hands after using the bathroom) for 51 hours. And it is sweaty here...
I am tired, but need to get something to drink before I crash; I’ll continue this in a bit.
февраля 27, 2005
Grrr.
2/28 06:47 Aukland time
I discovered why the big boss was able to find my tickets for so cheap. I get on the plane in LA, and immediately note that the seat to which I was directed looks a bit cramped. I inquire, and am brusquely told that it is an economy class seat.
13 hours in coach. Next to a dark window looking out on the ocean. Thank goodness these planes have that extra 2” of legroom. On a Delta-allied flight, I can’t even fit my knees behind the seat in front of me; this one afforded me at least a bit of mobility. Still, 13 hours...
So, here I am, after it all, in the business class lounge (courtesy of my Silver Lufthansa card – no thanks to my penny-pinching-without-regard-to-Company-policy boss), letting my legs stretch a bit in the five hours between flights. Unfortunately, the city and/or anything interesting is just a bit too far away for me to make a quick side jaunt, so... lounge it is. At least I get the chance to poke at my laptop a bit more.
Looking over my first day of tripping, I notice that I’m bitching a whole lot. I’ll try to tone that down as soon as things really get moving.
More later...
I discovered why the big boss was able to find my tickets for so cheap. I get on the plane in LA, and immediately note that the seat to which I was directed looks a bit cramped. I inquire, and am brusquely told that it is an economy class seat.
13 hours in coach. Next to a dark window looking out on the ocean. Thank goodness these planes have that extra 2” of legroom. On a Delta-allied flight, I can’t even fit my knees behind the seat in front of me; this one afforded me at least a bit of mobility. Still, 13 hours...
So, here I am, after it all, in the business class lounge (courtesy of my Silver Lufthansa card – no thanks to my penny-pinching-without-regard-to-Company-policy boss), letting my legs stretch a bit in the five hours between flights. Unfortunately, the city and/or anything interesting is just a bit too far away for me to make a quick side jaunt, so... lounge it is. At least I get the chance to poke at my laptop a bit more.
Looking over my first day of tripping, I notice that I’m bitching a whole lot. I’ll try to tone that down as soon as things really get moving.
More later...
февраля 26, 2005
LAX
2/26 18:21 Los Angeles time
It has been confirmed. I hate California. Only 1.5 more hours to go...
Taking a leg outbound to the west is different from my ‘standard’ eastward route. On the eastern route, into Frankfurt, the passenger waiting area contains a fair majority of people culturally different (and correspondingly more interesting) than do the flights heading to the Ohio of the Southern Hemisphere. Likely due to the respective market demands, the flight personnel catering to the Lufthansa flights are more considerate and polite than the ones catering to the ANZ (or United) ones. Briefly chatting with the ticketing lady in Portland, however, she made a comment to the extent that they find the Lufthansa folks ‘snooty’. To each his own...
My pre-flight in Portland was moderately interesting. I started chatting with an older guy who ended up being the anchor for a group of small-town Holy Rollers (I think they call themselves “Assembly of God”). Of course, in accord with DeLaubennier’s Law, as soon as three of them sat together, the conversational topics reduced down to church stuff. Discretion being the better part of valor, I tried to inconspicuously drop out of the conversation, only once being actually involved when one of the folks turned to me and asked, flat out, “So, are you a Christian?” I suppose, were I a bolder, less considerate guy, and they not kindly old folks, I might have thrown back at them, “No, Wiccan,” or “Well, we all worship the same God, since ‘Laa illa illallah, Mohammed rasul’”, just for fun. Nope, though, I just said, “Yep, Catholic” -- I just can’t bring myself to associate with the squishy, talky, stream-of-consciousness types that call themselves merely “Christians”. Unluckily, these were the sort for whom even that was a suspect answer. Being too nice to tell them what to stick where (truly, I am a candidate for sainthood), I endured a brief theological dueling match in which, thanks to my having attended a Catholic high school, I was able to demonstrate a level of competence which allowed them to justify to themselves letting me off the hook.
Two observations:
- are these the kind of people that really make up a significant chunk of the population of the US? Really? Seriously??
- ‘so, are you a Christian?”?? -- who the hell, after chatting in a public place with a complete stranger for, maybe, five minutes, says that?? See point one...
It has been confirmed. I hate California. Only 1.5 more hours to go...
Taking a leg outbound to the west is different from my ‘standard’ eastward route. On the eastern route, into Frankfurt, the passenger waiting area contains a fair majority of people culturally different (and correspondingly more interesting) than do the flights heading to the Ohio of the Southern Hemisphere. Likely due to the respective market demands, the flight personnel catering to the Lufthansa flights are more considerate and polite than the ones catering to the ANZ (or United) ones. Briefly chatting with the ticketing lady in Portland, however, she made a comment to the extent that they find the Lufthansa folks ‘snooty’. To each his own...
My pre-flight in Portland was moderately interesting. I started chatting with an older guy who ended up being the anchor for a group of small-town Holy Rollers (I think they call themselves “Assembly of God”). Of course, in accord with DeLaubennier’s Law, as soon as three of them sat together, the conversational topics reduced down to church stuff. Discretion being the better part of valor, I tried to inconspicuously drop out of the conversation, only once being actually involved when one of the folks turned to me and asked, flat out, “So, are you a Christian?” I suppose, were I a bolder, less considerate guy, and they not kindly old folks, I might have thrown back at them, “No, Wiccan,” or “Well, we all worship the same God, since ‘Laa illa illallah, Mohammed rasul’”, just for fun. Nope, though, I just said, “Yep, Catholic” -- I just can’t bring myself to associate with the squishy, talky, stream-of-consciousness types that call themselves merely “Christians”. Unluckily, these were the sort for whom even that was a suspect answer. Being too nice to tell them what to stick where (truly, I am a candidate for sainthood), I endured a brief theological dueling match in which, thanks to my having attended a Catholic high school, I was able to demonstrate a level of competence which allowed them to justify to themselves letting me off the hook.
Two observations:
- are these the kind of people that really make up a significant chunk of the population of the US? Really? Seriously??
- ‘so, are you a Christian?”?? -- who the hell, after chatting in a public place with a complete stranger for, maybe, five minutes, says that?? See point one...
It begins
2/26 13:08 Portland time
In the airport. Early – as usual. Beats being late, I guess.
At this point, I’m plugged into a wall power socket at a pretty much deserted gate, trying to find my way back into the traveling mindset. Somewhere over the Pacific, I’m sure it will come to me.
Some comments:
This will be my first round-trip (not counting Moscow-Yekaterinburg-Moscow, from last summer; I justify this omission by noting that I don’t live in either of those places) since my past-frequent jaunts to Salt Lake City from my previous position with The Company.
This will be my first time chasing the sun for a significant time since I traveled to Japan back in ‘92(?).
This will be my longest, ever, westbound trip.
...and it’s on Air New Zealand, of all the miserable luck...
Time permitting – and I expect it to, since I’ll be at the Los Angeles airport for four hours or so before I actually begin my trip – I’ll scratch down a bit more before I leave the country.
In the airport. Early – as usual. Beats being late, I guess.
At this point, I’m plugged into a wall power socket at a pretty much deserted gate, trying to find my way back into the traveling mindset. Somewhere over the Pacific, I’m sure it will come to me.
Some comments:
This will be my first round-trip (not counting Moscow-Yekaterinburg-Moscow, from last summer; I justify this omission by noting that I don’t live in either of those places) since my past-frequent jaunts to Salt Lake City from my previous position with The Company.
This will be my first time chasing the sun for a significant time since I traveled to Japan back in ‘92(?).
This will be my longest, ever, westbound trip.
...and it’s on Air New Zealand, of all the miserable luck...
Time permitting – and I expect it to, since I’ll be at the Los Angeles airport for four hours or so before I actually begin my trip – I’ll scratch down a bit more before I leave the country.
февраля 25, 2005
Last day in the office
Checking to make sure I've grabbed everything I'll need. Camera; blank phone; notebook; pens; tickets; various electronics-related gear...
A last-minute change means I'll be heading south from Brisbane instead of north (no Townsville this time). Should see a good chunk of Victoria -- Melbourne, Wollongong, and whatever's in between. Good thing I didn't bother to read up on Queensland...
More from the airport this time (thereabouts) tomorrow.
A last-minute change means I'll be heading south from Brisbane instead of north (no Townsville this time). Should see a good chunk of Victoria -- Melbourne, Wollongong, and whatever's in between. Good thing I didn't bother to read up on Queensland...
More from the airport this time (thereabouts) tomorrow.
февраля 11, 2005
More and more
First and most importantly, Wigu is back up! (Magical adventures ... in SPACE! - actually, but that'll do.)
Next, I actually have my tickets in-hand for the Brisbane trip, to occur in mere week-fractions. The expectation is that we will drive around Queensland, up perhaps as far as Rockhampton, still some miles away from Townsville, unfortunately. If the opportunity arises, I will make a point to agitate for a northward extension of our travels. All this work just to, basically, prove once and for all what a nerd I am. Ahh... sweet nerdhood...
As for Russia, I have tickets reserved (not as guaranteed as it sounds) for heading out there from 17 May through 4 June, hitting the cities of Saint-Peterburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok, along with the airport in Moscow for a matter of a couple hours. Stranger things have happened, but I don't expect to know for sure that I am going until probably after I return from Oz.
Then there's the visa to get, which might be another bit of challenge.
Whatever.
Maybe one more sitting-at-my-desk-in-the-States post before I get moving to warmer (by which I mean, 'unbearably hot') climes for my next round of frequent-flier-miles-accumulating.
Next, I actually have my tickets in-hand for the Brisbane trip, to occur in mere week-fractions. The expectation is that we will drive around Queensland, up perhaps as far as Rockhampton, still some miles away from Townsville, unfortunately. If the opportunity arises, I will make a point to agitate for a northward extension of our travels. All this work just to, basically, prove once and for all what a nerd I am. Ahh... sweet nerdhood...
As for Russia, I have tickets reserved (not as guaranteed as it sounds) for heading out there from 17 May through 4 June, hitting the cities of Saint-Peterburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok, along with the airport in Moscow for a matter of a couple hours. Stranger things have happened, but I don't expect to know for sure that I am going until probably after I return from Oz.
Then there's the visa to get, which might be another bit of challenge.
Whatever.
Maybe one more sitting-at-my-desk-in-the-States post before I get moving to warmer (by which I mean, 'unbearably hot') climes for my next round of frequent-flier-miles-accumulating.
февраля 04, 2005
Things (finally) fall into place
Today, after much jerking around by all involved (and potentially involved) parties, my tickets were purchased for my next trip. Sadly, it will be less exciting than I had hoped...
Itinerary is:
Feb 26: Leave Portland for LA; leave LA for Aukland
Feb 28: Arrive Aukland; leave for Brisbane; arrive Brisbane
Feb 29-March 11: travels by car in Queensland.
Mar 12: Leave Brisbane for Sydney; leave Sydney for LA; leave LA for Portland; arrive Portland.
Of course, I expect to see more interesting stuff in Oz this next time around, and not have to blow a chunk of time in a panic trying to figure out how to fix my rental car... Pics and commentary will resume shortly after landing.
As for Russia, my expectation is to be there in May/June at this point. We're having political-type troubles with our 'partner' over there that are making my new-visa-getting process more painful than last time. At this rate, I may not actually make another lap 'o the globe this year at all.
Then again, plans in The Company's international group seem to be formed and dynamited constantly. Who knows?..
Itinerary is:
Feb 26: Leave Portland for LA; leave LA for Aukland
Feb 28: Arrive Aukland; leave for Brisbane; arrive Brisbane
Feb 29-March 11: travels by car in Queensland.
Mar 12: Leave Brisbane for Sydney; leave Sydney for LA; leave LA for Portland; arrive Portland.
Of course, I expect to see more interesting stuff in Oz this next time around, and not have to blow a chunk of time in a panic trying to figure out how to fix my rental car... Pics and commentary will resume shortly after landing.
As for Russia, my expectation is to be there in May/June at this point. We're having political-type troubles with our 'partner' over there that are making my new-visa-getting process more painful than last time. At this rate, I may not actually make another lap 'o the globe this year at all.
Then again, plans in The Company's international group seem to be formed and dynamited constantly. Who knows?..
