Munich
May 9, 2011 

Back in beautiful Munich!  This is the last destination on my trip that I have been to before.  I was here in 2006 for three weeks when I was doing an earlier project for this same client.

Despite the internet problems, it’s nice that the hotel is just a ten minute walk from the office.  This is a huge improvement over last time, when it was a walk, a subway ride, then another walk. 

There’s also been a lot of turnover in the Munich office as well, even though it’s the same facilities as the last time.  

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I’m frequently astonished at what employees will tell a contractor.  I’ll be having lunch with someone and they’ll just start confiding in me.  I don’t mind, but I think the risk they take when they do this is breathtaking.  They don’t know me!  They don’t know that I’ll keep my mouth shut.  It’s just their dumb luck that I actually will keep the things they say in confidence.  But if I was a reckless asshole I could cause some real damage.

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One of my colleagues from the Brussels office is in Munich this week to help us, and it was good to see him again.  We had a very nice Italian dinner that basically took all night. 

Going to dinner in Europe is a very, very, VERY different activity from going to dinner in the States. 

In America, going to dinner is frequently the first part of an evening.  You eat, then you go to a movie, or a good hanging.  Or it’s something to do because work is done and you’re hungry. 

In Europe going to dinner is your evening. 

The entire vibe of meals in restaurants in Europe is very different than in the States.  The service is much more passive.  There’s none of that, “Hi, I’m Tamerlane, and I’ll be your server tonight, ” crap.  On the other hand, the staff at every restaurant here seems to assume that you have all day or night to complete your meal.  They seem utterly uninterested in “turning the table.”  This is nice ifyou really do have all the time in the world; a bit frustrating if you don’t.

So, while I enjoyed our three hour dinner, by the time I got back to my room it was so late and I was so tired I just read a bit and conked out. 

Things Clients Have Confided in Me Over The Years[1]

• I kill people for a living.
• I’m really a man.
• I voted for Christine O’Donnell
• I actually read Playboy for the articles.
• I love you.
• I am so stupid I think Bambi was a fish.