Northern Immersion - Rain…Rain…and More Rain

Well, I saw on the news this morning that apparently a tropical storm is blowing over the UK right now.  And apparently there is another tropical storm right behind it.  So, today was pretty wet and gloomy again.  The lady at the front desk made a comment about the rain, and I said, “It’s pretty much what I expected Northern Ireland to be.”  I assumed the green came from somewhere, and apparently that somewhere is all the rain this area gets.  I’m a little surprised that the grass around here has adapted to survive on the three or four days of sun this area gets all year.  Okay, maybe it’s a little more than that.

Class was not much fun today.  The guys were complaining about all being tired from being out late at the game.  And of course today I had to talk to them about calculated fields.  Not exactly the most exciting topic.  The afternoon didn’t get much better when we got into security.  The bored grumblings turned into outright cussing when none of the security activities worked as expected.  I’m seriously tired of the GMS tenant refreshes.  It’s making my life a nightmare.  I think the guys walked away more confused than they started, which is never a good thing with security.

Lunch was good.  Went out with SD and his brother CD to Danano’s, an Italian restaurant, and had an amazing calzone.  It had pepperoni, chicken, beef meatballs, bell peppers, and jalapenos.  It also took up half the plate.  SD and CD are big guys and can put away some food.  I was not going to be outdone, though.  I was the last to finish, but I ate that whole thing.  They seemed impressed.

Dinner was also good.  The management and training team invited me out to join them at Pier 59, a seafood restaurant down near the river.  I had the baked trout and stir-fried vegetables.  The fish was so moist and tender, and the juice perfectly complimented the squash, bell peppers, and carrots.  I finished it off with a triple scoop of chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, and berries in a cinnamon-honey bowl.  Since KM, JM's wife, and I were pretty much the odd “men” out, I kept her engaged and entertained at the end of the table, while the others talked about work.  KM is up here looking for houses to rent, when she and JM move over in March.

The rain had finally stopped after dinner, so I came back to the hotel and worked some more.  It’s a little after midnight now, so I’m going to sign off.  Good night all.