Yesterday I went shopping. I shopped a lot. I had plans when I entered the mall that I would shop for presents for the folks back home, but by the time I left, I only had items for myself.
Sigh.
Today I am at work - this is a work trip after all! Besides the lack of good coffee, the people here are fantastic and I feel settled in the office. I think that the next couple of weeks is going to go fast from a work perspective, as there is a heap to do here plus also ensuring my NZ work doesn't slip. However the time outside of work will pass more slowly - I miss the folks back home (one person in particular!!)
I'm also pleased to report that I was not taken in by a scam last night. It was 10pm and I was sound asleep when my hotel room phone rang. The person said they were from the front desk and needed to get all of my details to re-enter into their computer as they had had a system malfunction. Although I was half asleep I had the presence of mind to realise this sounded odd, so I told the person I was hanging up and would call the front desk myself. If they answered I would be more than happy to talk with them, but I was certainly not going to give them my name or credit card details over the phone to a complete stranger. And guess what - the front desk confirmed that whoever called me was not part of their company.
It is a well thought out scam, and the guy had answers to all my questions (like; can this wait until the morning - no because they get fined if they don't have up to date records etc etc). The thing that got me is that America excels for the most part in customer service, and the hotel I am staying in is amazing in this regard. So I knew there is no way they would bother a guest at 10pm for a stupid admin issue that could be better solved in the morning.
The funniest part was when the guy called again, 30 minutes later. I just hung up immediately but if he calls tonight I will record it and string him along a bit.
Sigh.
Today I am at work - this is a work trip after all! Besides the lack of good coffee, the people here are fantastic and I feel settled in the office. I think that the next couple of weeks is going to go fast from a work perspective, as there is a heap to do here plus also ensuring my NZ work doesn't slip. However the time outside of work will pass more slowly - I miss the folks back home (one person in particular!!)
I'm also pleased to report that I was not taken in by a scam last night. It was 10pm and I was sound asleep when my hotel room phone rang. The person said they were from the front desk and needed to get all of my details to re-enter into their computer as they had had a system malfunction. Although I was half asleep I had the presence of mind to realise this sounded odd, so I told the person I was hanging up and would call the front desk myself. If they answered I would be more than happy to talk with them, but I was certainly not going to give them my name or credit card details over the phone to a complete stranger. And guess what - the front desk confirmed that whoever called me was not part of their company.
It is a well thought out scam, and the guy had answers to all my questions (like; can this wait until the morning - no because they get fined if they don't have up to date records etc etc). The thing that got me is that America excels for the most part in customer service, and the hotel I am staying in is amazing in this regard. So I knew there is no way they would bother a guest at 10pm for a stupid admin issue that could be better solved in the morning.
The funniest part was when the guy called again, 30 minutes later. I just hung up immediately but if he calls tonight I will record it and string him along a bit.