interrobang (‽)

My current project is implementing a new SAP system at some of our warehouses in the U.S, Japan, and Europe. When I joined the project I relished the possibility of going to Japan - I’d only been here once before, for a mere 24 hours, in transit from Singapore to Houston, so the possibility of a longer stay was enticing. Six months into the project I managed to wrangle my first trip.  I’d originally conceived of this as a Change Management dog and pony show for myself and my immediate supervisor, but by the time I’d floated it past management, several other members […]

After four months on my new project, I finally got the chance to travel beyond my cubicle.  All the way to our refinery at ‘beautiful’ Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  We’re implementing (among other things) a new dock management system, and I had to go and train some of the users on how to use it. The site is on Scenic Highway, but I think this must be an attempt at suspension of disbelief, because you’d be pretty hard-pushed to find a place less ’scenic’ than this - it’s just a huge collection of tanks, pipes, and chimneys which takes up all […]

Apparently my social skills aren’t quite as refined as I thought they were.  I thought I’d been rather convincing as a ‘regular guy’ when I accompanied Finn on his last scout weekend away, but he just had another one, and this time Louise announced that she’d be taking Finn, and not me.  Actually it may not be entirely down to my unavoidably-antisocial nature: when I asked Louise if she wanted me to dig out the tent again she replied “Um, no.  We’re staying in a hotel”.  I guess I drew the short straw there, then.
And the straw got shorter still when I realized that I’d […]

The in-laws are currently visiting, so I thought I may as well take a week’s vacation (first one since we went to Spain in 2005, I think…) and go somewhere interesting.  ‘Interesting’ turned out to be Memphis, Tennessee.  “Why Memphis??” everyone here in Houston asked.  “Why Memphis??” everyone in Memphis asked.  I’d like to think that I went there to visit the “Birthplace of Rock N Roll” ™ and soak up some of that ol’ blues history, but the truth is that, at 600 miles from Houston, Memphis is about as far as I thought I could take the kids […]