Modern Life in the Jetstream

Well life surely gives you a kick in the guts now and again to remind you not to think your so special and privileged. I had to fly to Florence to my head office to pick up a laptop, it needed setting up and lots of security passwords and it is far easier for them to do this than send me the laptop and then let me try and get it done over the phone. So i had a crazy early morning, up at 4.30am and flew out via madrid and then i had to catch a train from Pisa to Florence, all very primitive i thought but it was the only way I could get there on time to pick it up. The train even dropped me off at the gates of the factory at Florence Rifredi station, perfect I thought. I was met at the gates but my old manager and I didn't recognise him as he seemed to have lost about 40 Kg, but it was my eyes that deceived me as he said he had gained weight. Well i told him i want to live in Australia again for the 20th time as I keep sending him mails letting him know. That evening i went out for a meal before going to bed early, outside my hotel was a food van which i had seen the previous time i was there 3 years before and i thought it must be good or it would have gone bust by now, I went over and was met by an English speaker who asked me what i wanted and I was offered the local specialty Lampredotto (Google It for description), i didn't know what it was but it sounded exotic, he pulled out a large break roll and then opened a pan with some spicey smelling sauce in it, and pulled out a huge lump of meaty stuff and chopped it all to pieces on a board, it was clear enough to me that it was cows stomach as i used to have it as a kid, i was worried but it tasted really nice actually it was just the texture that was pretty unappealing, it was like chewing a jelly fish that was full of dental floss that all stuck in your teeth. it was huge also, with about 1 pound of this meat in it, the beer i had with it cost more than the sandwich, total price 4.50 Euros. I felt over stuffed afterwards and i struggled to sleep right with such a full stomach.

I flew into Abu Dhabi with a copy of my work permit in my pocket and on getting into the terminal i was looking for the office that i saw last time, but i never found it, i just ended up at the immigration desk, last time the immigration officer saw on his screen that i had a work permit issued and pointed me to the office. This time he spent a long time just looking at his screen and then he stamped my passport and waived me through, when i got to the other side to be collected by the company rep, he asked if i had the visa, he was panicking as he was going to get his arde kicked for me not getting the visa, as we walked from one office to another, it was obvious that i had had my work permit canceled and a visitors visa issued by the idiot on the desk who didn't think to ask me first, it meant i had to leave the country to get my tourist visa canceled and issued with another. the next day I had to leave to Qatar and stay overnight to be able to have a new one re-issued. It all went find, i even managed to get time to visit the project manager in Qatar who is overseeing the job. But it was another 2 flights i didn't want and another night in a strange bed, but the internet was fantastically fast. I was able to download five of the movies that have just been released as i need some entertainment while on the offshore island. I was even downloading Jeeves and Worcester, some old comedy from the UK, i managed about 10 GB over 12 hours which i thought was excellent. pity the one in Abu Dhabi is about 20 X slower. I am now back from Qatar and everyone is smiling again and I have been to have my regular HIV & Hepatitis tests and X-rays for TB, so i cannot transmit anything to any of the 5000 Indian men who are all probably with tropical bugs that I don't want to catch. It is just a waiting game now until the company manage to get hold of my travel pass and get me a seat on the flight. I hope life is easier out there on the coral atoll now the job is almost complete.