6 things about Oregon Drivers...

I have noticed a few things about Oregon drivers;

1) They are terrified of going fast, in any circumstance anywhere.

2) Oregon drivers think the turn signal is a magic wand that makes the car next to them disappear so they can blindly change lanes.

3) The limit line at an intersection terrifies them, they can’t stop closer than 20 feet from the line.

4) Oregon drivers will never take the initiative or exercise their right of way. Waving the other car through an intersection even when they have the right of way is a given.

5) Can’t park.

6) And even though it rains all the time, Oregon drivers can’t drive in the rain.

My Greek Olympics: Getting started on the work

Kick off meeting with Siemens and sub-contractors:

SAIC decided to have a "kick off" meeting at Siemens with all the subcontractors. This was to be the official start of the project and a get together to meet everyone. As an omen of things to come, it rained very hard that day and the traffic was a mess. Kind of like someone telling us not to bother. So we all made it to Siemens very early in the morning for the start of the meeting. No one and I mean NO ONE in Greece would schedule a meeting so early. Ten o'clock is the average start time but they wanted to start at 8. So we had to wait for everyone else to show, even though we had the longest and most difficult drive, we were on time, no one else was.

Down the street in Plaka

So we waited and finally people showed, since it was raining, everyone was wet and not in the best mood. The meeting was a standard glad to be here talk and not much more. I did get to meet some of the contractors that I would work with for months to come, and they were nice people, mostly. The Altec  people were scum and David and Jay were already trying to get ride of them. The corporate dick's wanted to have a breakfast meeting at 6:30 am, no one in Greece would ever hold a meeting that early, it clearly showed how out of touch they were with the culture. A pointless meeting and a total waste of time, what a great way to start the project off on.

The Central Hotel:

After a few weeks at the Athos, we had to re-schedule our stay because of previous reservations. I had to move out and stay at another hotel down the street for a few days since the Athos was booked by a group. The place was a pit, the ceiling was only 7 feet and the shower area was less than six. I had to bend over to shower since the ceiling was so low, plus the hose didn't reach far enough. I then had to move back to the Athos and juggle rooms, it was a pain.

A hotel around the corner was in the process of being re-modeled and would open soon, I asked when they would open and they said they were but the elevator didn't work and the kitchen wasn't finished but I decided to move there. They had lots of space since they didn't have any reservations yet. So I moved to the Central hotel and was the first guest. It was so new the place smelled like paint and new carpet but it was large and I had a good room looking out to the Acropolis. It was also the same price as the Athos, but much larger. Soon most of the others moved over, I would stay there until I got my apartment and then a time after the Olympics.

My Greek Olympics: Living and Working

Aegina trip:

With our small group in Athens, we decide to go one of the nearby islands for the day, Aegina. So we met at the annex for coffee on a Saturday then take the train to the port and we buy round trip ticket on the next boat to which ever island we can get to. It coast 18 Euros, it is one of the high speed hydrofoils not the slow old ferries. The boats are fast and it only takes 30 minutes and we are there. First thing is food, we eat at a place on the harbor which had a nice view and the food was ok. By this time it is getting warm, but we decide to walk around a bit and see the island. Vic leads us out of town around the harbor and we walk into the surrounding hills, it is hot and dry. We eventually call this the Baton Death March of Vic, we all complain of the heat as we are just walking around a Pistachio grove.

We eventually decide to head back down to the water, we are all complaining about the heat, except Vic since he liked it. We find a small bar and drinks are the order of the day. After we cool off, we walk back to the town and find a place to eat again, Aigina is famous for Octopus and squid, so that's what we have, and more drinks of course. The harbor is nice with many small boats. This is where the boats have the produce that is from the mainland and it is displayed in a colorful way. Many colorful fruits and vegetables, plus nuts and fish, each boat is different. We take the next boat back and soon find ourselves on the train back to the Metropol.

Meeting with the Committee:

Jay, Vic, David, Vegelis the interpreter and I went to a meeting with the committee at DAOA. This was the new facility that was built by the organizing committee and the Police would get it after the Olympics. Since it was being built by the Organizing Committee, it was on schedule. This was my first meeting with the committee and seeing what was happening and how things work, Vegelis would translate for Jay and I would lean in to listen. It wasn't as important for me to hear, but I wanted to know what was going on. It was a back and forth that didn't seem to accomplish much.

After about an hour of this, Vic and I left to go to Siemens. There was an endless line of meetings we had to go to. We still were dealing with getting all the systems up and get a place to work so we could show the government what they were getting. We had an ETeam running on a laptop so the others in the office could look at it and get an idea of how that system works, no one did.

Rotating Project Managers:

Even though Jay was the brains behind the project, she was not the project manager. At first, during the bid and proposal phase, we had a Greek guy named Cosanettis. He went by "Coz" and was an American/Greek. This is important since most Greeks hate American Greeks (they feel they are not Greek). Coz was an idiot and he did lots of back-door stuff. He made really bad dirty jokes in Greek that the Greeks thought was stupid. After the first month in Greece, we had Coz removed and brought in Paul Williams then he was replaced by Paul Shifler who was the ports project program manager.

Shifler was working on the ports part of the project and he seemed to be an OK guy at first. I didn't know him, but David said he was better than Coz or Paul Williams. So Shifler took over and the power went to his head. Instead of listening to us as to what was going on, he fell in line with the corporate shits and caused the project to get off on a rocky start. It never recovered and the mentality was that they would fight with the customer the whole way.

Voodoo Doughnuts....

Well I was going to have to go once. Voodoo Doughnuts has become a 'cult' destination for anyone coming to Portland. There seems to be a line out the door and around the corner at all hours. I haven't seen it without a line or at least a group in front. But there is a second location that most tourists don't know about. Across the river up Burnside is the other location, usually never a line and it is the same stuff. It is a disgusting color pink building, must have been an old Taco Bell at one time by the looks.

Yes, Captain Crunch and Fruitloops...

So what makes Voodoo so good? Well it is the name and the fact that it has been on TV shows. They sell doughnuts with different toppings, topping like kids cereal or crushed candy bars, filled with different stuff or strange shapes. There most famous is the bacon doughnut in the shape of a glazed bar. But they are just very sweet doughnuts in the end. So I went and took a look, I got a Butterfingers and a Apple Fritter, the apple fritter was just like any I had had, and the Butterfingers wasn't anything to special. But I guess you just have to go once to say you have been. Who knows, maybe I will try one of those bacon doughnuts one day.

22 Southwest 3rd Avenue Portland, OR 97204-2713
Or
1501 N.E. Davis St. Portland just off Sandy Blvd and NE Burnside

My Greek Olympics: Work...

Dealing with Siemens, Chia Pet and SAIC:

We had office space at Siemens, but no one from Siemens seemed to want to help or do anything to get things going. On top of this, we had a bunch of new SAIC shits who came over and knew nothing of what or why we were doing things. One of the guys was some one who did some work in Salt Lake while I was there. He was supposed to do the training plans, but he didn't really seem to know much about training. One day after everyone else left, I was closing things down and Garry was there too. He came over to ask a question about something and the sun light was coming from behind his head. The light made the hair in his ears really shine and I couldn't take my eyes away. The only thing I could think of was a Chia Pet. So Garry became 'Chia Pet', the nick-names started to flow after that.

During this time we had many idiots coming in, Jay and Vic were off at other places and David was around some, but I had to deal with others alone. Ron was hanging around and George and we had moved away from the contract work and on to planning for the system install and IET1 issues. The corporate types rally made the work harder than it was. Siemens of course didn't seem to do anything.

Feeling like home:

One night we all were thinking about were to go to eat, Vic suggested we go to an area near his apartment in Thesio. We all walked from the annex to Monastiraki, then up around the flee market to Vic's place. We walked to the corner and there was a place with tables out in the little plaza area. We sat down and took a look at the menu. The menu had lots of fish which I liked and some other usual stuff. The waitress came out and we asked a few questions, she said she will bring out the fish tray to see what they had.

Thesio area of Athens

When she returned, she had a large tray with all kinds of fish and lobster. She described each and picked up one of the lobsters, it seemed dead. She said in a joking voice, the batteries had run out and they would get new ones. We all laughed and ordered, Vic got the lobster pasta, I got grilled bass and the others ordered different fish. George was kind of bitching about the price and we all thought he would try to bum a meal by not putting in enough.

This was a classic George move, everyone puts money in the pot and when it is counted there is only a few dollars more needed, that's when George puts his money in and only a fraction of what he should. Soon we take his money first to make sure he pays his fare share. George turns out to be a real cheep guy and is always looking at getting over on others. As David would say, he is tighter that a fly's ass stuck on fly paper.

My Greek Olympics: Ari tour...

Ari Tour:

A zoo at the acropolis

One of the first "group activities" we did was what was to be called the Ari Tour. Ari, our consultant and partner, would take groups on a little tour around the Plaka and Acropolis and tell many interesting little stories. We had one planned for a Saturday morning and at the appointed time, we all gathered at the annex. It was most of the people working on the project at the time, corporate types and office people, plus some contractors. Ari would start at the statue of the last emperor of Greece, which was next to the annex in the Metropol square. Some of the other SAIC shit heads came along and we could tell how stupid they were. One guy was wearing his tee shirt inside out because he was told that he could be "targeted" as an American because of the logo on his shirt.

Ari would describe sites with a description that would go something like this; "Here is the statue of Emperor X, he was not a good emperor, more like a playboy than anything. Though he did stand up to the Turks, he was killed on the walls of the fort and his body cut up and put out on display." We then would walk up the street towards the Acropolis and stop to look down a street. "That building was owned by a British general in charge of training the Greeks to fight. He was a terrible leader and couldn't understand how the Greeks fought or how the Turks fought, but the Greeks like him." Then the prostitute street or the main drag, this is where three thousand years ago all the hip people would go to be scene. On up the hill past other sites and churches, then we would arrive at the "rock". St. Peter came and spoke to the Athenians on this spot, the Greeks listens politely then left. This was the description of the events, always the Greeks were superior. 

On The tour..

Once on the Acropolis, Ari would start the talk on the buildings and surroundings and history. On one occasion, Ari was "taken to the police" because he was accused of providing an illegal tour. There were specific people who were licensed to give tours and they were very protective. The reason why he was taken was not because of what Ari did, it was because of the things the others said and did. A lot of mocking and gesturing to the tour guides who came to complain. A few pictures were taken, some jokes made and the big no-no, the open hand to the face. It was the ugly Americans for sure, I walked away from the group since I didn't want to have anything to do with it. Soon the police came and Ari was accused of leading a tour for pay and was taken to the Police.

We ended up going to lunch after the police took Ari, Jay also went with Ari to the police station. There was nothing we could do and it took several hours to resolve. We sat and ordered while the phone would ring every few minutes to let us know what was happening, Jay would call David and he would fill us in. Ari used his connections and a powerful lawyer to convince the police that it was a mistake. Ari was able to turn the tables on the complainant and in the end the tour guides were begging for his forgiveness. We all were having lunch and listening to the phone conversation going on between Ari and Christiana (Ari's Wife). Ari's daughter called and Christiana said, "your father is in jail, but don't worry he will be here soon". Ari arrive to the triumph of all and he gave a wonderful accounting of the events. Jay seemed to have enjoyed it as well and was having a good time, though it wasn't what we wanted to do on a Saturday afternoon.

After the Acropolis, the tour would usually wind around the east side and through less traveled paths on the east side. This would end up taking us back into Plaka or Psara restaurant for a big lunch. I ended up doing about ten Ari tours during my stay, but I would join then in progress or leave early on the later ones since I had heard it all before. It was a nice way to waste an afternoon, but after a while I became jaded with the tour and I wanted to do other things. As we got closer to the Olympics, there would be no time to spend on weekends, we just worked every day.

My Greek Olympics: Easter...

First Easter:

While I am in Athens on this trip, the Orthodox Easter was celebrated in March. I go to the annex in the morning for a light lunch on Easter eve and find the place packed, they will have a midnight service at the church in the square and TV cameras are being setup and lots of people everywhere. The TV cameras are there so the events can be televised live throughout the country. I hangout for a bit and have some drinks and something to eat that the staff bring me, I wonder off but I will be back in time to see the event later that night. Easter is a huge event, like Christmas, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July all in one. 

Since it is Saturday, most people are out but this is also a time when a lot of people go back to their village to be with family so the crowds are not quite the same. I wonder around Plaka and see what I can see, but there are not as many places open, mostly cafes. Later I get dinner and then make my way back to the annex around 10 pm. The events take place at midnight so I have some time to kill. I chat with Silvia as best I can since she doesn't speak much English, later George comes by as does Ron.

Inside the church in the square the major events are going on, the square is filled with people and as the time approaches I go over to see what is happening. All of the lights are turned off in the square and we wait for the procession to come out of the church. At midnight the procession comes out of the church, the lights are turned on and the thousand or so people in the square cheered. I just stood in the back of the crowd, but I could see over every one's head. Turning off the lights then turning them on is to represent the darkness then the light. I stand and look for a few minutes then I go back to the annex for one more Ouzo and I head back to the hotel. The next day we will eat and drink more so I decided to just go to sleep though I could hear all the noise that was coming from the square.

We are invited to Ari's home for Easter dinner, he lives a few blocks from the hotel and since we are new to Athens and the whole country goes on holiday for basically a week, there is no work to do. David, Vic and Jay go with me and Semos is there as well. When David and I try to go up in the elevator, it nearly fails and will not rise, we have to go up one at a time or take the stairs. This is the first meeting of Christiana and "the kid", the apartment is small and modestly furnished, many books are around.

The apartment is standard and I see how an average Greek lives, we go out on the balcony and enjoy the afternoon light before we eat. We have drinks and some little bits to nibble on while we look out at all the people in the street BBQing whole lambs on spits. Just about every lamb in Greece is eaten on Easter and cooking it on a spit is the way to go. The whole thing, head and all is cooked by hand turning it over coals, the smell is great and two or three are cooked by a family at once.

We eat dips and bread, 'red eggs' and olives to start. Then the dinner is served and we make our way to the table, first we get soup made from the internals of the lamb we will eat. I know there was liver and kidneys, possibly brains or lung in the soup, but am not sure. The soup also had spinach or greens and some grains. The soup was OK, but that was the only time I ever ate it. Then we had many types of vegetables and salads, finally the lamb comes out and we all tare into it. It is roasted and a little over cooked, but good. The first of many lambs of the trip, and I can't wait for more. They cooked it in the over so it wasn't quite the same as the BBQ lamb, but it was very good. There was so much food and we all ate like there was no tomorrow. We thanked Ari and the family for such a great dinner and for having us over, it was fun.



Vouligmeni south of Athens center.



Off to Vouliagmeni:

After dinner we were invited to have some drinks with one of the contacts that Jay and Vic had. We took a taxi to Vouliagmeni and went to one of the big hotels out on the point. Really nice place with a great view, nice weather also, this was the first time I had a chance to see the water and the islands. The hotel was part of a complex of hotels on a peninsula and had a view of north northwest. We met Lena and sat on some nice chairs out on a patio that over looks the water. It was warm and the sun was setting, a very nice view. We sat and talked for a bit, I didn't say much and I listened to Jay and Vic talk. There was a lot of talk about contracts on possible work that may follow on to the project. The hotel had a really nice view of the area and I would be back to this place for fun and a party later. We sat and just enjoyed the evening and recovered from the dinner, I was still full from all the great food. We had a few drinks then we went back and got a taxi for the drive back to Plaka and the hotel.

I watch TV at the hotel and saw the celebrations from all over Greece, it seems that Easter is like New Years, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July all rolled into one. The celabrations are different all over the country and some things are quite crazy. A town somewhere makes hot air balloons from tissue paper and releases them with a flaming ball of yarn as heat, a great sight as a hundred multi-colored balloons floating up into the sky, and then fireworks are shot into the group of balloons. Next thing I see are flaming balloons falling from the sky, chunks of fire dripping into the crowds. Another village fights a battle with another village across a narrow gorge, they shoot sky rockets at each other, hundreds of them, and they look like tracer fire from guns. They also show the celebration in the square the night before and I see myself on TV, I really standout or tower over all the other people. A very interesting holiday and I learned a lot about the Greeks.

Hood River weekend...

View from the hotel

I had the pleasure to spend this last weekend in Hood River. The short hour drive leads to a nice small town overlooking the Columbia River where the Hood River enters. This is a mecca for windsurfing and Kite-boarding in the summer and a jumping off point for skiing on Mt Hood in winter. I spent the night at The Columbia Gorge Hotel, a 90 year old hotel just out of town, which over looked the Columbia River. It was a nice place, very 'old world' in feel but was comfortable non the less.

A nice dinner in town at Celilo, a little place on the main drive which featured a wonderful steak as a main course, but started with Martinis and mussels. A bottle of Cabernet was a nice addition to the meal. After a nice walk to get a quick look at the place and look in the window of a few shops.

The next morning a long relaxing breakfast at Ground, a coffee shop and read through the paper while watching a massive dog gain many new friends. Then a walk up and down the street looking in more shops before starting the drive back to Portland. On the way back, the Washington side of the river beckoned so the drive was from the north side and a different view of the terrain.

My Greek Olympics: More food and more meetings

Laundry:

Down the street from the hotel was a barber and a laundry, the laundry was owned by an Australian Greek. His daughter, who worked there was pretty and we would talk to her, she spoke with an Aussie accent and I think she like to speak English. The father always gave us a look when we came in, kind of 'what are you doing talking to my daughter' type look. I would always wave to her when I walked by and say hello.

We found out that the 'twig' (SAIC person) had made a deal with then to do our laundry and apparently they gave her some money for having us use them. Since we were in a hotel with no services, we had to have our laundry done. It was a pain, but it wasn't that expensive and they did a fast job of it. We found out the twig did this a lot all over the place, a lot of corruption was going on in the main offices, but no one cared.

Coast of living:

I soon find out that most Greeks make very little compared to us. The average salary for someone with a degree is about 1,000 to 1,200 Euros a month. If they have a PhD they may make 20,000 a year. Some of the people I work with and had advanced degrees were making something like a quarter or a fifth of what I made. For them to spend 10 Euro on lunch was unheard of or much less the 50 Euro we could spend on a night of beers and dinner. So for us to go out to dinner every night was something. At the time we were on per-diem, which was something like 70 dollars a day for food. So we would go out and spend it, the Greeks thought we were all rich. I couldn't image what the uneducated did to servive in Athens, it is not cheep. Most apartments rent for 500 Euros a month or more and some people make less than 400 a month. I am told a lot of people live out of town in small villages and commute to the city to work, plus they have 2 or 3 jobs. I would spend in one day what they made in a week while working two jobs.

Japanese food:

Down the street from the hotel on Apollonius street there was a Japanese restaurant that had sushi. The guy who owned it wasn't very friendly, but the food wasn't bad. The sushi seemed fresh and it was a nice change of pace. The place was small and got crowded at night, some times it was hard to get a table. We would add this place to our list of places to eat, but since it was expensive, we would go not as often. Souvlaki was still the cheapest food to get and it was good. They did have 'chain' restaurants that sold Souvlaki but no one would go there unless they were tourist.

Meeting at Wackenhut:

One of the first things I had to do was look at the AVL system (Automated Vehicle Location) we planned to use. Vic arranged for me to go and I asked Ron if he would go also. Ron and I made the trip to the Wackenhut offices, which were next to the sweage plat on the other edge of the city and to get a demo of the system they use to track their vehicle. This 'off the shelf' systemwould be incorporated into the C4I system. I got Peter to drive Ron and me to the place and it smelled very bad because of the sweage. We go in and meet with the guys who will be in charge of the project on their end. We get a demo and looked at the system in action. I saw it as a formality since we had already contracted with them to deliver the system and it was a good system to use. It was a short meeting and Peter drove us back, on the way Ron said he was impressed with the system. I hadn't really thought of it, but I should have asked more questions. Down the road we would have some problems with the interface.