I have avoided this blog for several days. When my parents called to see if I was OK I realized that I have been (careful, gross understatement coming) a bit on the negative side. At 6:30pm IST on Friday evening I got a call from IBM's mobility people that my final review and decision had been delayed until Monday. I lost it. I was so angry. Of the 3 possible outcomes of that phone call: 1) approved, 2) denied or 3) wait until Monday, #3 was the worst possible outcome. I hate waiting. No explanation was given as to why the decision was delayed. In fact, the people assigned to help me with this process refused to provide the name(s) of the people reviewing my case. I was stuck. I sent an urgent note to my US management team and they rallied behind me. For the first time in a few weeks I felt that someone was on my side. There was a ray of hope and a new plan; I would wait until Monday. That gave my US management team time to light a few fires. Still, I was so dismayed that IBM would do this to one of their own.
After drinking myself to near stupor, I went to sleep around 10pm. I woke up at 7 and called Nancy and vented for a good half hour. Nancy is one of a select few people in this world that will listen to my rantings and give neither pity or sympathy. She always gives me the perfect amount of support and comfort but does not let me wallow in self-pity. Can you understand why I married her?
I digress. After talking with Nancy for a while, I went back to sleep and awoke at 2pm! In total, I slept nearly 15 hours. I felt normal for the first time since I landed in India. I then had a driver take me to HyperCity, a big department store that sells everything from groceries to furniture. It also has a coffee shop with a decent latte, so I had 2 of them. Soon thereafter a friend of mine named Kiran called and invited me out drinking with some Aussies. Note from personal experience during my navy days: NEVER EVER try to out drink an Aussie. You will lose, you will hurt, you will regret. The club where we met was called Pebble. It was near the city center and was all out doors. It was nice to talk to a cool bunch of guys for a while.
On Sunday I went to The Leela Palace for their fabled Sunday Brunch. Many expats and affluent locals descend on The Leela in their Sunday best and indulge in the second best brunch I have ever had. Top honors go to The Royal Hawaiian on Oahu, but that is another story. I had lunch with a colleague, John and his wife, Wendy. After 4 plates of food and 6 glasses of sparkling wine I was feeling great, The food was wonderful and the service is top notch. Well worth the $45 per person (every once in a while).
Sunday ended and I went to work to find that I missed a serious deliverable to my boss's boss's boss's boss. Oops! To quote Pvt. Pyle from Full Metal Jacket, I was in a world of shit. I worked 16 hours, from 9am to 1am the next day, pausing only for a quick meal and a ride back to my hotel. During this shit storm, I was informed that my housing allowance was approved by IBM! It was small solace relatively speaking, but welcomed.
Today, Tuesday 10 May, I sign the lease for the villa. I will take lots of photos and post them later.
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