A Totally Mr.Bean Moment

• Open the sugar-cup one handed and manage to drop a spoonful of sugar on the table.  √
• Put three teaspoonfuls of sugar in your to-go cup quickly which spill even more on the table. √
• Panic √
• Gather the sugar in your off-hand and wonder what to do with it. Decide to put it back in the sugar cup. Spill most of it. √
• Realise there is still quite enough sugar on the table. Try to wipe it off and manage to spread it all on the couch. √
• Leave quickly before anyone notices. √

I know…I rule…

Interesting bites

So I was at the lunch break with some of the other Greeks in ECB and I had ordered the chiken with rice (or as we greeks joked: Πούστη με Κινέζο). All was going well until at some unexpected moment an ambush herb (or somesuch) got in my mouth. The only thing I realised was a very salty taste kind-of “explode” in my mouth but I did not think much about it. I swallowed.

Three minutes later I started feeling a a reaction in my stomach. It started getting worse by the second so I decided to visit the toiled. I ended up springing towards it as I started heaving before I took three steps. Inside I pretty much puked my guts out (almost choking in the process) while the other worried Greeks were calling the ECB security and an ambulance.  I stopped throwing up as blood started coming out.

I was taken in the back to relax and I informed the team leader on what happened. He excused me the rest of the day while the medics arrived and started making tests. In the end they decided to check me in the hospital to take some blood and do some tests just in case.

In the end, I ended staying in the hospital for 3 very boring hours. I was checked out at around 4 pm at which point I visited the bank to take my stuff and go home. I decided to skip german lessons for today

Meh. At least it wasn’t as bad as the last time when I ate fish with feta cheese and as a dessert, strawberries with creme…oh how fun that was :S

Crisis Averted

It seems that all’s ok now in the [tag]ECB[/tag] front.

Phew…

Ugh

290 Calls/4 People manning the phones (as low as two at times) + 200 emails = Panic!

Trendy

Every time I end up in a trendy or “in” place, the experience solidifies my distaste for the whole scene.

On Friday a few colleagues from the [tag]ECB[/tag] had arranged a birthday party at a pizza place on the east side of Frankfurt. As one of them was Greek, I received an invitation as well along with a few others.

I was hoping to meet some people on the way there but everyone went there early and although I happened to enter the same Train as one of the birthday people, Reka, I did not recognise her in order to sit with them. Fortunately finding the place was not difficult.

Most people were having pizza (some with spinach…ugh) while I was busy either annoying them with my new shiny singing monkey balls (more on that soon) or taking videos of them while they were trying to talk. I must say that the aforementioned singing monkey balls were a great success among the participants, especially the two Greeks sitting close to me that were about to strangle me if I didn’t stop.

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I also managed to convince Reka not to kill me for the time being.

After the pizza was finished we visited a night club on the back (I can’t even remember the name). The doorman almost did not let us in since we were not dressed for the occasion. I especially with my leather trenchcoat and long hair must have made him think twice. Fortunately he let us in (although in retrospect I might consider putting an “u” in front of the first word) and we paid 10 euros for that privilege after which I wasn’t in much mood to buy a drink.

The music inside was boring to tears. A monotone beat and some simple melody that changed slightly every 15 minutes or so. No passion, no melody, nothing. Just brain dead music that requires an equally brain-dead person to consider it worth 10 euros. Fortunately the rest of the group were pretty fun to be around and we ended up dancing for a few hours until everybody got sick of the place and decided to leave.

However it still does not fail to amaze me that these places are actually popular. What the hell do people find enjoyable there? The boring music or the look-alike people that inhabit them? Seriously the dress code is completely stupid. They force people to dress like everyone or they will not get in. As if we don’t have enough conformity in our lives that we need some more.

It is depressing to see so many people flock to these places just because the “beautiful girls” go there or whatever other excuse they find for themselves. Why are people so uncritical of this? When did pop music become so absolutely bland? How can people actually enjoy this and even pay dearly for the privilege is beyond me.

A thousand times better to go to a metal or rock place. Even Gothic music is leagues better than the stupid House and the people you meet or see in the former are certainly more interesting. At least now I know much better than to visit another such club in the near future.

Groan

‘Ναι, παίρνω τηλέφωνο για να μου ξαναδώσετε το PGP κλειδί ενός χρήστη’

‘Λυπάμαι αλλά δεν έχουμε τρόπο το να βρούμε’

‘Τι εννοείς, αφού εσείς έχετε το αρχικό κλειδί και δίνετε μόνο μια κόπια’

‘Να αλλά δεν ξέρουμε πιο κλειδί του είχαμε δώσει και άλλωστε χρειάζεται υπογεγραμμένη ειδική αίτηση’

‘Μα αφού έχει ανοίχθεί ήδη ticket για το συγκεκριμένο θέμα, το οποίο έχετε λύσει με την φράση “Το κλειδί δώθηκε” και η υπογεγραμμένη αίτηση είναι μέσα. Απλά ζητάω να κάνετε την ίδια διαδικασία γιατί ο χρήστης το έχασε’

‘Να αλλά δεν ξέρω ποιό γκρούπ κλειδιών του δώσαμε’

‘Μα αφού εσείς κάνατε την διαδικασία. Πες οτι είναι η πρώτη φορά.’

‘Ναι αλλά δεν ξέρω…’

‘Κοίτα, μπορείς να ρωτήσεις αυτόν που έδωσε το αρχικό κλειδί; Ίσως θυμάται’

‘…’

‘…Ναι; Είσαι ακόμα εδώ;’

‘…’

‘Εμπρός;!’

‘…Εχμ ναι, φαίνεται οτι εγώ το έδωσα…εχμ…αλλα δεν έχω τρόπο να βρω ποιό ήταν’

‘Μήπως αυτό είναι ένας καλός λόγος για να αρχίσετε επιτέλους να συμπληρώνετε λύση σε λεπτομέρεια στο πεδίο που λέγεται “Λεπτομερής Λύση”;’

‘Ερρρ, ναι…μισό λεπτό…’

‘…’

‘ΟΚ βρήκα το γρούπ του χρήστη. Μπορείς να έρθεις να πάρεις το κλειδί’

‘Ευχαριστώ…’

Κάτι τέτοια είναι που σε κάνουν να κλαίς. Εαν δεν είχα τον πήθικο συνάδελφο να με κάνει να γελάω με τις μαλακίες αυτές, θα το έκανα…Ugh

ITS finally

Επιτέλους με έβαλαν στο δεύτερο επίπεδο υποστήριξης στην ΕΚΤ. Ναιμ είναι μόνο για ένα μήνα, αλλά το γεγονός οτι αυτό έγινε μόλις 3 μήνες αφότου προσλήφθηκα για Helpdesk είναι καλό δείγμα πιστεύω.

Σήμερα ήταν η πρώτη μέρα μου σε αυτή τη θέση και αν και δεν μου ανέθεσαν πολλά προβλήματα, δεν κόλλησα σε κάτι χαζό και ότι παρέμεινε απλά περιμένει τον χρήστη να επικοινωνήσει.

Δυστυχώς είχα ένα πονοκεφαλιάρικο πρόβλημα στο οποίο δεν κατάφερα να βρώ λύση και με μεγάλη μου δυσαρέσκεια αναγκάστηκα να το στείλω στο τρίτο επίπεδο υποστήριξης.

Παρ’ολ’αυτά τώρα πια έχω λίγο περισσότερη αυτοπεποίθηση στις ικανότητες μου για αυτή τη θέση γιατί θα παραδεχτώ ότι είμουν λίγο αγχωμένος όταν ξεκίνησα το πρωί. Εφόσον δεν έκανα καμία μεγάλη μπαρούφα και τα προβλήματα που με προβλημάτησαν έκαναν το ίδιο και στους άλλους συνάδελφους, είμαι καλά

…Αν εξαιρέσει κανείς την παρατήρηση που μου έκαναν επειδή μίλαγα πολύ δυνατά.

Πολύ ενθουσιασμός ίσως;

Wo0oOhooo

AAAAaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I found a job.

FINALLY!

After many months of searching and many more weeks of waiting, I finally was accepted in a position, and what a position it is!

I find it kinda strange how I left Greece and came to London to find a Job and I will end up in Frankfurt… eh

Finally a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. No need to try and find a whatever job just to be able to afford the rent (which in retrospect, after visiting today a friend who is paying much less than me for a room not much smaller, I realize was a bad choice). Fortunately I was saved the experience of having to become a bar tender at a gay bar (and concert hall, but I believe the first fact is more important)

So European Central Bank, here I come!