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"TRIPS - ENGLAND - MAR 2008"
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I was just informed today that I am needed back in London for another week of work. I will be flying out Saturday morning to London. This time I'll only be gone a week.
Here we go again.
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The flight over this time was different from going through Atlanta. The flight was only 6 hours from Newark New Jersey straight into London/Gatwick. Unfortunately, it is 9am in the morning and I'm tired as hell but can't get a goddamn room until 2pm.
So I get to sit in the lobby, on my ass, waiting for a room. Meanwhile, it's pouring like a sonofabitch outside so there is no use going outside.
So we sat. For three straight hours waiting for a room.
After half past twelve the hotel finally found a room and I hit the sheets hard, sleeping for a couple of hours. I am going to catch another quick nap before heading downstairs for a bite to eat, then off to bed again to get ready for tomorrow.
There isn't any Internet access here, so I won't be able to get emails until I get into London Ambulance.
Had a nice dinner at the hotel, I'm trying to get this jetlag off my ass.
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It is strange being back at London Ambulance Service again. Yesterday I walked across the bridge and under Big Ben, and I thought to myself that it felt like I hadn't left yet from first of February.
The lack of sleep combined with a little bit of dehydration hs caused my palpitations to increase again. It was nice that I had four days without them, but now I'm back to nearly every beat. They are currently the bane of my existence.
Meanwhile, I'm at the LAS data center working with one of my co-workers to upgrade their databases to the latest version of our software. They had too many issues trying to upgrade and so now they've flown us over here to fix it.
For some reason, last time we came to London it was a lot easier to get used to the time zone. Maybe that was due to having two days of rest before starting work, and this time, it has been less than a day..
So now I'm so blasted tired I almost can't even think straight. Even so, there is a job to be done.
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Yesterday after considerable work we finally were able to get our software to work with the LAS software. It was grueling. Their servers and connections are so slow that it takes approximately 30 minutes to restore a database. So each time we fixed something in code, we had to wait 30 minutes to test it. We finally ended up successful at exactly 5pm.
Ah well, at least I t worked.
Had bangers and mash for lunch and a pint. Was mighty tasty.
I still haven't had an internet connection so I haven't been able to get mail or do any kind of management work. I'm quite sure that it will all be waiting for me promptly on Friday morning when I go back to work in Salt Lake.
I awoke last night at midnight, wide awake. It was in my mind 6pm, not midnight, so I turned on the TV and watched the British version of “Cops”.
The police here are so different from the US. Here the police don't carry firearms. When they chased people down, they rarely ever tackle them. Nobody gets tased and nobody is ever shot. What kind of fun is that?
This woman the cops arrested steals a car and eludes the police. When they finally stop her, they walk up to her car and ask her to get out. Once out, they explain the car is stolen and she finally admits to it. Still not in handcuffs, she asks them if she can get her purse, which they oblige, and then let her get in to the back of their car, purse and all - with no handcuffs.
In the US, that would absolutely impossible. In the US its tazer first, ask questions later.
Comon, shoot at them, tackle them or beat them up or at least taze them, US style!
Ah well, regardless, the day has been extremely productive. We've brought their databases up to current version and installed the latest client. We have accomplished in just two days what they haven't been able to do in over three months. The clinical advisors and medical staff are ecstatic about being able to use software that has been available for over a year - but not to them.
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Yesterday we successfully upgraded their test environment to the latest version of our software. Ran into a couple issues here and there, but today we will be bringing their live system up to current. Even if the CAD link stuff doesn't work out in the end, they will still be up to latest version and be happy about it.
Last night I got my first full night of sleep I've had since I got here - just in time to go home tomorrow and be off for another three days. Today it is bright, sunny and cold - probably in the upper 30s F. Much colder here than it is in Salt Lake.
I tried again last night to order a medium rare cooked steak. I have tried four times total now in England to find a good steak - and I haven't found it. The steak was over cooked and fried - even though they told me it was flame broiled. I had it sent back and ordered some tasty chicken curry instead. I don't think there is one single tasty steak in all of England.
I did the day before enjoy some very tasty bangers and mash, and my co-worker had to have some yesterday. I quite recommend it. It is much better than bubbles and squeak.
By the end of the day we had successfully upgraded London Ambulance to the latest version of the software, fixed all their data problems and had them all smiling. We accomplished in 3 days what they have not been able to do in over three months. They asked if they could clone us. Hmm, cloning eh? I always wanted to make love to myself.
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I really hate airport security. Taking all your crap off, putting it in bins, taking off shoes, getting air blasted to make sure you haven't got bombs on you, then metal detectors and so forth. What a damn pain. Then when you get to your gate, you have to go through an entirely new security process. Take off your shoes again, get pat checked down, open your bag and dump every single content,. I get very frustrated with them very quickly.
Even so, it took about 17 hours to Houston. Emigration was 17 lines long with about 400 people in each line. It took 5 minutes to get through each line. Then we had to go through and get our bags, then get through customs. After that, hop a train, and run our asses off to the terminal, just as the yclosed the door on the plane. We missed it.
Goddamn I was pissed. Even so Continental automatically booked us on the next flight which left 4 hours later. Got into Salt Lake just after midnight.
Ah yes, so glad to be back in the Mormon Bubble that is Salt Lake. Please check your brain at the door, thank you.
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