To Blackberry?

Posted on 10 November 2007 by k

The dreaded question has come…Yesterday, my boss asked if I had been given a corporate mobile. I said no and the discussion went on. My boss is great…and was sensitive to the reasons NOT to have a corporate phone (ie the reason I now HATE phones…the fact that if it rings you feel obligated to answer it). In fact, he brought them up first and said not to feel the pressure to get one.
So. I successfully avoided the question with my boss…he was going to let me off without a phone! Then, later in the day, another AD (one that joined 2-3 months ago and hadn’t been offered for some reason) went on and on pitching why HE needed a corporate mobile to my boss—essentially negating my option to avoid one. And it’s not just a phone…it’s a Blackberry. Darn!

But, my boss will still support me if I don’t get one. Though, I think politically it’s best to oblige. Silly over eager, unknowing account people who haven’t yet learned the trap are spoiling the fun for the rest of us 🙂

Posted in Life in London, Technology | 1 Comment

Three Down…

Posted on 5 November 2007 by k

Hopefully lots to go. All’s well on the job front. No complaints. I go in at 9AM, leave just after 6PM and my co-workers seem great. Obviously, we’re still in the early days, but all’s well for now.

Believe it or not, I much prefer the “I Have Somewhere to Go Club” much better than the “Lounging after Completing my Coursework Club”…way more entertaining and preferred despite the early start (ie at the office by 9).

Thought it would be much more difficult to adjust to being in the office after 2 years out of the grind (1 yr working from home, 1 yr in graduate school)…pleasantly surprised.

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Exhausted…

Posted on 1 November 2007 by k

but relieved. Welcome back to the world of the working…right?
I feel good about my choice, but wow…I had forgotten how overwhelming first days could be. To make things worse, last nights sleep was spotty (nerves, I think). And, as a result, I was quite exhausted today.
Life on the Intel digital account brings plenty of technology and lingo…and product names (!) to keep me busy for eons. Mix that with the [assumed] politics of a Global network and the communcation and cultural challenges of a multinational account team and I’m sure to keep busy. And we all know I hate nothing more than being bored…definitely a good fit, and a proper challenge. I will learn a thing or dozens in this new post.

Know the best part? I was nervous about taking time off at the holidays for our India trip…I’ll have only been with the firm for 2 months. But, it turns out that due to the firm’s generous holiday scheme I’ll need to take 2 days leave between now and end of year in order not to lose it…in addition to the time off for India! Now that’s work/life balance…hmmm…now what to do with those 2 days of leave.
Now I just need flash cards to keep up with the code and branded names for all the products 🙂

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Sister Wed, Family Fun and Shopping

Posted on 29 October 2007 by k

We left mid-month to visit my family in Southwestern Virginia and to attend G’s sister’s wedding in Louisville, KY.

Since it had been six months since I visited, and more than a year since G’s last visit to the US, my family took off work in rotation in order to maximize their time with us–and fun! Grandma threw an impromptu “Welcome Home” party to celebrate our visit. My brother came in from Northern Virginia. We played mini golf and LOTS of card games. Mom cooked our favorite meals. And that’s just the start. And despite my age I still couldn’t stave off the tears on Tuesday morning as we started on our journey to Louisville, KY.

Luckily for my parents who were in the midst of a severe drought, our drive to Kentucky was lined by Fall color drenched in RAIN. Along the way, we made a pit stop in Blacksburg to see all the recent growth on our old campus and were pleased to see the orange and maroon Hokie spirit all around.

The drive to Louisville was lovely, but LONG. G kindly drove the whole way (likely due to the fact that I’m a novice driver after over a year off the road!—Though, I did renew my Driver’s License while in the States). I think we last drove that distance in one go during our Spring Break trip in 1999!

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Upon arrival in Louisville, we suffered a bit of hotel drama. But all else ran smoothly as we had a wonderful dinner with G’s sister, Cynthia, and her fiance, Will, on Wednesday night, had girls and guys nights out on Thursday, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday and , finally, the wedding on Saturday.

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The evening wedding ceremony was beautiful with autumn colors, musicians and a soloist. G’s sister and her new husband seem very content and excited. And we’re very excited for them…and wish for them the happiness that we found in marriage.

We’ve written many times about the benefits and drawbacks of living in London. Louisville is ~10 hours from Raleigh/Durham and DC. G’s sister’s new husband, Will, has a fear of flying. We live in London on one income. These factors and others led to an unfortunate circumstance. During their ~2 years of dating/engagement, we had only been briefly acqainted with Will prior to our arrival in Louisville for the Wedding festivities. Not ideal, but you do what you can…hence, we arrived in town a couple days early in order to have dinner with them as a couple, to become a bit more acquainted.

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And thank goodness we did! As is always the case at family weddings, our family time and interaction was very limited. The bride and groom and G’s parents were frantic with wedding arrangements, details and hosting out of town guests. SO we took advantage of our spare time. We drove through horse country, ate at favorite restaurant chains (PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, Panera & Qdoba) and shopped like crazy.

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Thanks to G’s parents’ quick thinking and pre-booking, we were able to visit at Churchill Downs to witness opening day, we watched the horses from a lofty Skybox. While it wasn’t my first horse race (Royal Ascot was earlier this year), it was fun to have a bit more time with the other wedding guests who remained in town…and to see the famous and iconic spires of an American Institution, Churchill Downs. A great time and we only lost a few dollars 🙂

Now, we just need to put another American visit on the calendar to conquer my homesickness…having a timeline seems to help.

Click here to see additional photos from the wedding weekend. Click on the individual photos if you’d like to see the caption.

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And Another…But No.

Posted on 17 October 2007 by k

On Friday, my part-time client gave me a ring. Would I like to come in for an AD role on the Schroder’s Account? Great opportunity. But, I wasn’t terribly impressed by the firm during my post there…I’m staying the course with the digital firm. Life’s too short to deal with the hiring freezes and budget cuts…

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Interesting Development

Posted on 15 October 2007 by k

My dissertation client offered me an executive level position today. Interesting development, but I think my decision still stands…

Posted in Life in London | 2 Comments

TATE’s Crack On Show

Posted on 14 October 2007 by k
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While this title is crude, how else can you say it?

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TATE Modern (an Art Museum in London) commissioned an artist to crack the Turbine Hall’s (large, vaccumous atrium) concrete floor. Initially, I thought that the work must be a realistic printed sticker or other trick to keep the hall’s expansive floor unharmed. But, alas, no. News reports and blogs reported that a few people had actually fallen into the crack within the first days of showing. It’s as deep as a few feet in some places.
G and I ventured to TATE Modern to check it out. The artist did, in fact, mechanically crack the floor for a reported total cost of £3m ($6m). Though, the methods are not disclosed.

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While I certainly enjoyed the slides in the turbine hall more, the crack is quite intriguing and has created buzz around the museum. Mission accomplished assuming that’s what they were after. Now, how will they fix it after the show has come to an end? Click here to see additional photos…

We also ventured to Leicester Square last evening to see the Tony Award winner, Avenue Q (it won against Wicked). Gotta love the half price ticket booth for same day tickets. Today, we’re off to see the Terracotta Army exhibit at the British Museum.

More on the crack from G…

What I think most people find facinating about this crack is “how in the bloody ell did they do it?” First thoughts are that it can’t be real. It must be painted, a sticker, a false floor or some other trick. But once you visit and see it — it is very definitely real. It is made of concrete and there are no false floors. The entire floor of the massive turbine hall is solid concrete and this crack is deep.

Interestingly enough, there is no word from the Tate or the artist on this most popular question. The pamphlet from the artist has a rambling narrative about racism, imperialism, immigration and such. I say that is a bunch of bunk — it is a crack in the floor and people want to know the secret. From a quick search on the internet though, it seems that others’ opinions are in line.

Don’t get me wrong, the idea that it is art is not lost on me. Looking at the crack made me feel a bit like watching a magic trick. You know it isn’t real and want to know how it was done. But you know that once you figure it out, that the magic will be gone.

While we were there, K tipped me off that she learned that the artwork cost £3 million to install. With a budget like that, my conclusion is brute force — they jackhammered the floor and poured/pieced in the “new” floor. There really isn’t any illusion about it. With the size of the building, digging up a strip of concrete down the middle would likely have little impact on the foundation and stability of the structure. The real magic here is that the Tate actually let an artist rip up the floor for something like this.

I think it is great that they did it and it is a great piece of work. It is just disappointing that explanation from the artist seems so disconnected from the actual artwork. Many people will likely just write her off as a nut case when they read about “her meaning” (me included!). The great thing about art tough is that everyone can draw their own meanings. One interpretation that I ran across on the net was that the crack represented the damage that an Earthquake can do even to a massive structure like the Tate. I imagine there are many other “good” interpretations as well.

If you are interested in more on how they did it, The Guardian has a good article that gives big hint at the end.

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