Wednesday

Got an early morning message that HWMBO had arrived safely in Singapore. I hope he’s doing OK jetlagwise. I’m just about over it. Unfortunately, I’m back in London on Saturday and the whole wake up at inconvenient times and go to sleep at inconvenient times will continue.

Went to work and was confronted by one of my test managers. I have been having meetings all week with various people I need to get to know. Nothing important was conveyed except for one. However, my associate is a bit unhappy that I didn’t bring him along to these meetings. WTF? His contention is that we are working as a team so he has to be in on all these meetings. I guess it’s a cultural thang. I tried to explain to him the way things work over here (you only go to meetings at which you can make a contribution or get some information, otherwise, you rely on your boss who goes to those meetings to tell you anything you need to know and ask you for any information s/he needs) but he was not impressed. His body language is radiating hostility (crossed arms, lean back in chair, and such) and I’m struggling. I’ve asked for some advice from other people on how to deal with this and hopefully it will work. Otherwise, it’s back to India for him.

Lots of meetings and stuff, won’t bore you with that. After work, I went to Penn Station to get my ticket to New Jersey to dine with Dr. Louie Crew, my friend of 20 years and a great man. I stopped off at Duane Reade to get various things I will want to take back like soap, large bottle of mouthwash, some candy to put out for the office, etc. Went to wait for the train after dropping by the hotel room to change. They had put out bars of soap, which was hopeful (I had to remind them after they forgot yesterday.

The area for boarding trains for New Jersey is absolutely bizarre. There are smallish bronze doors down to the tracks. When the train track is announced, a huge crowd forms around the door and, like a funnel, people try to get down to the track. It takes quite a while, and then you get to the train itself, which has no open doors! They wait for lots of people to crowd the platform and THEN open the doors. The train was clean and absolutely packed. A very cute black guy sitting across the aisle was talking on his cellphone first to his girlfriend and then to his wife. Quite amusing.

Louie took me to a Mexican bar for a margarita (mine without salt, his with) and then to his favourite steakhouse for dinner. We talked over people we’d known, things that are going on in the Church both here and worldwide, swapped stories that I can’t relate here, and the like. I was very surprised to hear that my former Area Dean, Giles Goddard, will be around here Friday for a meeting. Perhaps he’ll stay in this hotel (it’s quite convenient for the meeting area) and I’ll bump into him in the lobby.

What a wonderful and inspirational man Louie is! The time flew by, and before I knew it I was back waiting for the train to New York. Then walk to the hotel and fall into bed. Two more full days and then back home.

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