Went out for dinner and drinks. Got home at 4:00am. Somewhat sober too.
Have no tolerance for those of us trying to learn their language. I’ve not done very well here in my efforts to learn French. The French cannot tolerate bad pronunciation and bad grammar. Oh, and don’t mix the feminine and masculine either.
When I try to speak to the locals in French, they immediately switch to English. It makes it difficult to practice or expand on my very limited vocabulary.
This intolerance on their part is funny at times. There is a little bar down the street, Kenzi Bar (no web site that I can find, there is a lame Facebook page). The bartender is a French expat. Beer there is 100 rupees a bottle. I’ve been there enough that I just hold up my hand, he gives me a beer and I give him the 100. I say, “Merci” as I hand over the money. I apparently pronounce that word so poorly that the bartender responds, “You’re welcome.”
No Marlin.
Seven nice yellow fin tuna.
A mild sunburn. Some dumb ass forgot to bring the sunscreen.
It was a beautiful day.
This is what it looked like back to the East as we were leaving the lagoon this morning and heading offshore:
This is a beautiful island. If I could go out on the boat every weekend, I could come to like this place.
Today marks the end of the second week past payday for the month of April. Since I didn’t get paid until April 13th for February and March, I was prepared for not getting paid on time in April. When I was paid on the 13th of April, I sent money home and bought a plane ticket. I also managed to keep enough money to make it to my departure date. Just barely. But, if I were to get paid for April I could even come home with a little coin in my pocket.
I could do better than just barely making it cash wise to my departure date if I haven’t hired this boat to go fishing on Sunday:
We’ll be out for the day chasing Marlin. I’ll probably catch nothing more than a good sunburn. But I figure I can’t come all this way without trying to catch a big fish. I might never get the chance again. You just know that if I get a Marlin there will be many pictures of the event. If there is no fish, I’ll probably just pretend the fishing trip never happened.
Unlike other game fishing areas, this island is not catch and release. If we land a marlin, it’s coming ashore. A big fish like a marlin will feed a lot of people and it won’t go to waste.
Really, they are. You don’t even have to ask them a question, they’ll tell you how to do whatever it is you are working on.
I chewed out an employee this morning. She was doing something stupid and I put a stop to it. Firmly. She then started making excuses. I told her to stop, I didn’t want to hear it. She continued to make excuses. I told her to stop, I don’t want excuses, just stop what you are doing. She, once again, started making excuses. Finally, I was forced to raise my voice. JUST STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! NOTHING ELSE NEEDS TO BE SAID!
Since this little event this morning, I’ve had three people come and tell me I could have handled the situation better. You get this unsolicited advice here all the time. One of my colleagues came to this island from the island of Cyprus, she’s says it’s the same there. Her conclusion is that people on islands think they know everything because they have no conceptual awareness of there being things they don’t know that they don’t know.
I had one guy in my office this afternoon lecturing me about the event of this morning. He even started drawing diagrams on my white board! I tried several times to cut him off, telling him the incident was over and it was time to move on. But he wouldn’t listen to me either! I remained calm. I had raised my voice enough for one day.
May 22nd. May twenty fucking second.
It has been quite a while since I have linked to Robin Hanson. I really like the economical way he writes in his blog posts. I like the level of knowledge he assumes in his readership.
Two excellent examples:
What Use Far Truth? and Stories Are Like Religion
I will tell my friends, such as the Turban Wrapped Bishop, reading people like Robin Hanson will make them think better and more deeply about their beliefs and their faith.
“Turban Wrapped Bishop.” I like that. The Turban Wrapped Bishop knows who I’m referring to.
Here’s a small sample of what the guy was like:
Of course that shows the best, or shall I say proper side, of Mike.
It leaves out all of the stuff about Mike I really remember.
I lost a good friend the other day.
Mike was a special person. When he entered a room, everybody noticed. Especially the women.
I wish I could be at the funeral mass tonight. I would like to participate in the mass in person. I would like to offer my condolences to Michelle, and the rest of the family in person. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.
I really wish I could be there for the gathering that will occur after the mass.
I’ve been to a couple of funerals over the years that, frankly, ended up being among the best parties I’ve ever attended. Tonight will no doubt top them all. I think Mike would want it this way too.
The evening will start quietly. There will be quiet greetings among friends, many of whom have not seen each other in years. Everyone will be deeply sad at the loss of such a wonderful person. Mike’s absence will be felt by all. But then, after a couple of drinks, people will start telling stories about the times they spent with Mike. They will be good stories. Very good stories. People will start laughing. There will be a lot of laughter, punctuated with more than a few tears. I wish I could be there to hear the stories told by others. I have a few of my own to tell. Well, more than a few. But since my children read this blog from time to time, those stories will have to wait to be told until later. I wish every one that attends the funeral all the best as they celebrate the life of our good friend Mike.
I’m going to miss Mike.
One last, and inappropriate, note to the men that will be attending the funeral: if your wife or girlfriend did not know Mike, leave her home. I’m comfortable thinking Mike would laugh at this last bit, as he would know I’m right.