Tuesday, January 23, 2001
Well, I think we've solved the problem of how to get permission for my
leave of absence: my boss just quit. Actually, it's worse than that—he
managed to quit, then unquit—and then requit. Specifically, he announced
his resignation to his entire staff at our weekly meeting; then met with
the CEO in the evening; then showed up at what was supposed to be his
going away party with the instruction that, "Uh, this morning never
happened." Jaded observers assumed this meant the CEO had made him a
counteroffer, which he took—a very questionable maneuver, in my
book. Moreover, subsequently, he stayed in his office with his door
closed for the next two days—at the end of which, I wandered in and
found his stuff cleared out.
As I recently saw written somewhere: "Silicon Valley isn't a jungle; in the
jungle there are rules."
At any rate, the good news was, I don't report to anyone at the
moment (my boss was a VP), so I guess I don't need anybody's
signature on my leave of absence form . . . Even better, I was
speculating that, in all the chaos, I could slog through the nine weeks
until the trip without actually doing too much of anything. This
morning, stunningly, I was informed that we have a new VP of Strategic
Programs, starting next week.
<Cartman>GodDAMMIT!</Cartman> We've gone months and months
without filling executive-level positions—and somehow they hook
this guy in two days.
In happier-go-luckier news, I got back up at 1AM Sunday night, in order
to make hotel reservations in Italy on Monday morning. Quite a sight was
I, sitting in the monitor glow in my boxers, mangling Italian for highly
bemused innkeepers on the other side of the planet. Still, it was a
rush—after a couple of months of listening to recorded voices,
and talking to myself, there I was, talking to real Italian people!
I have noticed an amusing pattern in my Sisyphean foreign language
endeavors. Goes like this:
- I start talking at foreign person in foreign language.
- Foreign person starts talking back; after about eight seconds,
the foreign person has gone well beyond my comprehension ability in
that language.
- I haul out my ever-handy "Sorry, erm, actually, I only speak a
little of [whatever language]" disclaimer.
- Foreign person breezily switches to English.
- I continue mangling the foreign language, mainly for practice.
So, somehow, and seemingly invariably, we end up each talking the other
person's language at each other. This reflection is submitted for
whatever it might be worth to you.
Anybody ever read Wallpaper*? This indulgent,
highly glossy, estimable rag purports to report on the subjects of
"Interiors, Entertaining, Travel," but it's really a lifestyle magazine
for scandalously young, rich, beautiful, trendy, globe-hopping people.
It's kind of like pornography; you don't know anyone who lives
like the people in this magazine, but it's nice to think that
there are some who do somewhere. (Thanks to Laylah, I believe, for
introducing me to Wallpaper*) Anyway, their recent winter issue
includes dispatches from The New Grand Tour: "Once was a time
when a young Englishman's education was not considered complete
without a spell of travel on the Continent: a chance to patronise
Parisian salons, buy up Italy's ancient marbles and pick up all
manner of foreign cultures on the way." Well, they've updated the
itinerary based on various, somwhat arbitrary, criteria ("No
Italy—too many tourists, not enough beachwear") and come
up with an itinerary that looks, happily, a great deal like mine
for this trip: Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Athens, and Istanbul. Nice to
have the validation. Now if I could just get a job that takes me to
London, New York, and Syndey every week; afford an interior decorater;
and look like one of the guys on their covers (and get a girlfriend
who looks like one of the women on their covers . . .)
Entertaining round-robin e-mail has been the order of the week:
From: fuchs@michaelfuchs.org
Subject: hotel d'Italia update
To: fuchs@ies.ac.at (Erin Fuchs), homonculous@mindspring.com
, Pitely@MARYWOOD1.MARYWOOD.EDU (Mark Pitely)
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 14:56:49 -0800 (PST)
Cc: SNAFU_97@hotmail.com (Sara Fuchs)
Well, I've made all Italian hotel reservations.
We're in Le Vigne in Florence (ten minutes from the Duomo); Il Duomo
in Siena (across from the cathedral, in a 17th century mansion);
Hotel San Francesco in Assisi (in city center, across from Basilica of
St. Francis, with a rooftop terrace); and [of interest to all] the
Coronet in Rome (in the old city, on one floor of the Palazzo
Doria Pamphili, off Piazza Venezia, with "interior rooms that
overlook the aristocratic family's lovely private garden court").
Although it doesn't sound like it, all these were in the bottom price
category in Fodor's (except one, 2nd to bottom)--but still far,
far from cheap. Though, in the Coronet in Rome, we're in one large room
with four beds, and un bagno privato. It's 400,000 lire per notte, or a
little less than $50/person/night. That's not too terrible for Rome in
the spring--in a palace.
Hope this sounds okay. All comments welcome.
St. Michael di Assisi
From Sara Fuchs
To: fuchs@michaelfuchs.org, fuchs@ies.ac.at,
homonculous@mindspring.com, Pitely@MARYWOOD1.MARYWOOD.EDU
Subject: Re: hotel d'Italia update
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 08:57:16 -0600
Yeah, I have a comment. Why aren't I going with you? I'd be a great
resource in Italy. I even know the bus system around Rome.
I mean, come on. How are you guys going to experience the real Italy,
staying in places with history and charm and character? You can't
possibly experience Italy without staying in some hostel near the train
station (Stazione Termini, a Roma - see, I told you I knew my way
around), sharing a room with a dozen other smelly 20 year olds, and
possibly getting robbed.
From: fuchs@michaelfuchs.org
Subject: Re: hotel d'Italia update
To: snafu_97@hotmail.com (Sara Fuchs)
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 10:56:37 -0800 (PST)
Cc: fuchs@michaelfuchs.org, fuchs@ies.ac.at,
homonculous@mindspring.com, Pitely@MARYWOOD1.MARYWOOD.EDU
Sara Fuchs intrepidly averred:
>
> Yeah, I have a comment. Why aren't I going with you?
Hey! Who lived in Italy for months? Who went back on her pan-European
jaunt? You may not be familiar with this fact, but Italy is a scarce
resource (just try booking rooms or, I assume, battling crowds). You've
gorged on Italy; time to let us provincials to the table.
> sharing a room with a dozen other smelly 20 year olds, and possibly
> getting robbed.
If they're stealing less than $120/night, count me in. Note to Team
Italia--breakfast is included with room charges; get hungry early.
Michael
From Matt Grabowy
To: fuchs@michaelfuchs.org, fuchs@ies.ac.at
Subject: Just who's going on this trip?
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 11:05:19 -0500
Let me make my position absolutely clear. Anyone that I have met at
least once and been able to put up with (their being able to put up
with me is probably also useful, but of far less importance to me) is
more than welcome to join our little adventure. My most recent update
has notified me of only 2 fellow travelers...Mike & (briefly) Erin. Who
else is going along? The more the merrier, I always say. Mark and/or
Sara are more than welcome in my mind - if you're in agreement.
Next, in response to Mike's request that I look into making
reservations in Turkey...I'll get right on it. I have to admit to
being caught a little behind on my research. I am currently only up to
the year 697 AD and the reign of Emperor Michael II and the ongoing
battles between the Saracens and the Byzantines on the political front,
while on the religious front the Patriarch Phostius is squabbling with
Pope somebody-or-other over doctrinal issues like the heretical nature
of religious icons (the result of which is why so few remain today).
Unfortunately none of this is actually very helpful for finding good
lodgings, so I'll jump forward 1300 or so years & see what I can do.
I have nothing to add to this.
A piu tarde! (Translation: "Later")
Michael
