Week 4 - Friday 24/12/99

Got a bit drunk at lunch today. That's a Christmas Eve tradition for me. Was better behaved than normal, so I was told.
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Original Publish Date Week 4 - Friday 24/12/99

Week 4 - Thursday 23/12/99

Traveled back today. Luggage lost again.
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Original Publish Date Week 4 - Thursday 23/12/99

Week 2 - Monday 5/12/99

Up at 4:30 AM. Dress, Pack, wonder if my ludgage will make it this time.  Taxi at 5:30, off to the airport. I travel via Amsterdam, the trip is exactly as planned. I arrive at work at 12:45 local.  I have changed hotels, now in the Mercure Duna. Pleasant enough. Nice receptionist. Very nice.  I go up to my room, unpack and fall asleep.
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Original Publish Date Week 2 - Monday 5/12/99

Week 1 - Saturday 4/12/99 Sunday 5/12/99

Enjoy a brief but enjoyable weekend at home.
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Original Publish Date Week 1 - Saturday 4/12/99 Sunday 5/12/99

Week 1 - Friday 3/12/99

Project Meeting. I schedule this for 9:30 each Friday as a way of finishing the week. It is more a status meeting. It lasts for precisely 1 hour. 10 minutes after the meeting my taxi collects me for my return journey.  The journey home is relativly un-eventual. Especially as I pass through the worst airport in the World.  Charles de Gaule airport is huge. We are dropped of at terminal 2B. British Midland fly from terminal 1. There is a constant chime as new announcements are decreed. The chimes are similar to those announcing carousel in Logan's Run. A great film even more so as Jenny Aguter gets naked.  I eventually discover that I have to wait for a bus. This runs every 15 minutes and takes 15 minutes to visit every where else then get to terminal 1. At least I pass by one of th French concords. The French concord is still a great plane, even if it is French.
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Original Publish Date Week 1 - Friday 3/12/99

Week 1 - Wednesday 1/12/99

Hey the home straight, only 24 days to Christmas. I called my wife today, she is not too good. Migraine affects her really bad, that and having the kids full time is a bit of the shock to the system.  For the past 12 months or so I have been working from home, running projects for AT&T. Before that I was at Cable& Wireless working away all the week. I am now back to doing that.
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Original Publish Date Week 1 - Wednesday 1/12/99

Week 1 - Tuesday 30/Nov/99

Have a meeting planned at 2PM with all the "Super Users". These are departmental heads, but more importantly speak English.  Get taken out to lunch, but due to the lateness I only have my starter. Race back to the office to meet my team for the first time. They are nice!  Have a report back that my lunch looked great, so where is my doggy bag then!!! 
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Original Publish Date Week 1 - Tuesday 30/Nov/99

Week 1 - Monday 29/Nov/99

Well its a good job I travel in my suit. The reason is that it travels better on me than in a case.  I leave for my job. Suit, but old (possibly smelly) polo shirt.  Same as any first day.
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Original Publish Date Week 1 - Monday 29/Nov/99

Week 1 - Sunday 28/Nov/99

Packed and traveled out to Hungary. 
Said good by to the family, the neighbors and all. Taxi arrived promptly at allotted hour, surprise number 1, to take me to the airport. 


I am keen to try my new card which allows access to the lounge. Free beer!  


All went well getting onto the plane. We taxied to the end of the runway. Pilot placed engines on full power, released the breaks, were off. 


A whole new working life is laying it's self in front of me. Wait the power is removed and we are pulling off the runway. What can be the matter. The pilot tells us he has a warning light in front of him. Is this an omen?  Shortly he informs us, all is clear, it was a false alarm. 
Maybe he took the bulb out.    


Off to the runway again, and away we go. Off to Brussels.  
Arrive in Brussels, try to follow signs for the transfer desk. No transfer desk. I am not alone in looking for it, so we exit via Passport control and go to the normal check in. 
God it is busy. 
Or is it just chaos! 
It's just Chaos! 
Find the Sabena check in. I was informed what Sabena stands for. 
I cannot remember but the last to stand for "never again".    Try checking in only to be informed that the flight is fully booked and some how I have a standby ticket. "A what" my travel agents head will roll for this. Get a ticket to pass through to air side. I queue for passport control. Some woman is looking for tickets. She asks to look at my ticket. 


Oh no, I am the one she wants. Off the the Sabena desk we go. More checking. Eventually I am allowed to proceed. Apparently I am checked in already I only need my seat allocating. 


Off I queue again.    


At the gate. That's what us frequent travelers call the place where the plane is. I have my seat allocated. 
 We board. I am now on the final leg of my journey to a new job, full of exciting possibilities.    
We taxi to the end of the runway, "cabin crew prepare for take off". 


The engines roar, the brakes are released, were off. Oh s*&t, now what. 


The power is removed, we come off the runway. "Ladies & Gentlemen, a warning light has come on in the cockpit". 


Oh no not again! Surely not. I have never experienced what we had when I left the East Midlands, surely this cannot happen to one person twice in one day. Remind me not to go out in a lightening storm again!!!  Once again the captain removes the bulb and we take off for Hungary.  I have a bad feeling about this journey. I was not proved wrong.  After two hours we land at Budapest Airport. We transfer to the terminal and I am processed by immigration.  I along with several of my fellow passengers wait by the baggage carousel for my luggage.
 We are on belt 3, Amsterdam is on belt 2. 
Belt two winds its self into life. One of my fellow passengers notices their case on that belt. We all rush to belt two. Luggage is removed. I live in hope mine will come soon.  Several Items are eventually removed. Mine has not made it to Hungary.


 I go to the lost baggage desk. Fill in forms and request some for of personal items so I can make myself presentable on my first day at work.  I leave for the hotel, check in and leave them the details of my lost luggage. 
I go to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day!


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Original Publish Date Week 1 - Sunday 28/Nov/99