Kitchen sink was already in the car!
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Really Shouldn't Have Gone to Specsavers
Slightly off topic, but had to go to the opticians last week since I broke my glasses. So I book an appointment online at Specsavers, since their website claims you'll get your new glasses within a week.
So I turn up and report to the receptionist. She takes a few details from me and tells me to take a seat and wait for the optician. Someone then walks up to me and says they need to take me through a pre-sight test questionnaire. Questionnaire completed, I'm then taken over to someone else for my pre-sight test examination(!?). 20 minutes later, I see the optician. This last all of 5 minutes to tell me that yes, I need glasses. Useful. Since I currently wear frameless glasses, he recommended I stick with frameless glasses, with antiglare, scratch resistant coatings. No wonder, these are £50 more than designer glasses.
I'm then taken to the front of the shop to meet a stylist who helps me pick out my frames (I say frames, it is buy one get one free). She sole responsibility at the store is to hand you a frame, wait for you to put them one and say, "yeah, that looks good". She then invites me to take a seat and wait for the fitting specialist to see me. This person is trained to write order forms to the "factory" with my prescription and eye spacing. She then takes me to the payment desk, where someone else extracts silly amounts of money from me.
So I turn up and report to the receptionist. She takes a few details from me and tells me to take a seat and wait for the optician. Someone then walks up to me and says they need to take me through a pre-sight test questionnaire. Questionnaire completed, I'm then taken over to someone else for my pre-sight test examination(!?). 20 minutes later, I see the optician. This last all of 5 minutes to tell me that yes, I need glasses. Useful. Since I currently wear frameless glasses, he recommended I stick with frameless glasses, with antiglare, scratch resistant coatings. No wonder, these are £50 more than designer glasses.
I'm then taken to the front of the shop to meet a stylist who helps me pick out my frames (I say frames, it is buy one get one free). She sole responsibility at the store is to hand you a frame, wait for you to put them one and say, "yeah, that looks good". She then invites me to take a seat and wait for the fitting specialist to see me. This person is trained to write order forms to the "factory" with my prescription and eye spacing. She then takes me to the payment desk, where someone else extracts silly amounts of money from me.
I then ask if I can by some contact lenses as well. "Oh, that's a different department upstairs". So I head upstairs and get told that the lenses they stock are different from the ones I wear, so I'll need a lens consultation. I'm reminded to be wearing my lenses when I come to my consultation.
So I return yesterday for my appointment, only to be told I didn't have one. I show them my card, and they check the system; deciding they can fit me in. I then get asked if I've worn lenses before. I decide to answer this by poking myself in the eye. So I see the consultant, who asks me if I've ever worn lenses before. I think there was some joke I was missing. So, by spending £20 on a consultation, I'm allowed to buy lenses. I then given some plastic bags, as "when I fly to Seattle I'll need to put my lenses in a clear plastic bag to get them past security." I declare I'll just put them in the hold, then spend 10 minutes explaining this concept to the receptionist.
I walk downstairs and find I'm able to pick up my glasses, thus completing my last ever trip to Specsavers!
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Flights and Credit Cards
Tuesday was a big day - Visa turns up at 0700 by "special delivery" aka a guy in a Vauxhall Astra.
Got permission to proceed with booking flights on the condition that they charge it to my corporate credit card when I get it.
Find - flights booked from Edinburgh via Amsterdam, £3900! Glad I'm not paying. Then low and behold my credit card was sat on the doormat when I got home. Slight problem being that its credit limit is on £3000. HR had a fit.
On the plus side, my baggage allowance for the flight is 3 pieces of hold luggage and 2 pieces of cabin baggage. And then Rolls turn round and announce they'll fund an additional piece of hold luggage on top of than. Bottom line, I'm allowed 112kg of luggage
Might have to go out and buy a kitchen sink . . .
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Fun & Games at the Embassy
Had the fun of the US Embassy on Thursday.
Firstly, my interview was meant to be at 1030, and you aren't allowed to be there more than 30 mins beforehand. So I joined the queue at 1000.
The first queue was outside the embassy for a stall where they checked you had your interview printouts with you. If you didn't, they've hooked up with all the local pharmacies, where you can go "out back" and do everything you need to online and print them off.
Next queue was for a guy who made sure you had your passport (and that it was yours). He then gave you a bag for all your metal items. Bear in mind you aren't allowed bags, electrical goods, USB drives or mobiles. You then go through an airport style secuirty check, before finally being allowed in the building. Its now 1100.
Entering the building, you're given a ticket and told to wait your turn. I was 387, they were serving 250. You then get to sit in anNHS style waiting room with 200 other people.
30 mins later I get called forward. The end is in sight. You proceed to a bank branch style window where you hand over documents and get fingerprints done. Finally I can cut my fingers again! He then gives me another piece of paper I have to fill in and I get told to sit back down and wait for my number to be called again. Evidently this was only the pre-interview!
Whilst waiting I get talking to a girl whose waiting for a "seaman visa" (this prompted a very long inappropriate conversation) since she was being employed on a Disney cruiseliner. In her case, giving a "address of residence" in the US was quite difficult. We compared the waiting experience to sitting outside a headmasters office; everyone was sitting quietly looking slightly unsettled, and you weren't really sure whether you wanted your number to be called. Evidently our conversation was the most interesting thing happening, everyone around us turned around and listerned in.
2 hours later I get called for my interview (before seaman girl). I went into a sound proof booth and walked towards a woman behind more bullet proof glass. My interview consisted of:
How long have you been working at Rolls-Royce?
Where are you going in the US?
How long will you be there for?
Thank you, your visa application's been approved!
I then get given another form to fill in and I queue for the couriers to arrange for my passport to be returned. I leave the embassy at 1530.
I don't think I'll be applying for a US Visa in a long time. At least I finised reading the Lonely Planet guide to Seattle.
Firstly, my interview was meant to be at 1030, and you aren't allowed to be there more than 30 mins beforehand. So I joined the queue at 1000.
The first queue was outside the embassy for a stall where they checked you had your interview printouts with you. If you didn't, they've hooked up with all the local pharmacies, where you can go "out back" and do everything you need to online and print them off.
Next queue was for a guy who made sure you had your passport (and that it was yours). He then gave you a bag for all your metal items. Bear in mind you aren't allowed bags, electrical goods, USB drives or mobiles. You then go through an airport style secuirty check, before finally being allowed in the building. Its now 1100.
Entering the building, you're given a ticket and told to wait your turn. I was 387, they were serving 250. You then get to sit in anNHS style waiting room with 200 other people.
30 mins later I get called forward. The end is in sight. You proceed to a bank branch style window where you hand over documents and get fingerprints done. Finally I can cut my fingers again! He then gives me another piece of paper I have to fill in and I get told to sit back down and wait for my number to be called again. Evidently this was only the pre-interview!
Whilst waiting I get talking to a girl whose waiting for a "seaman visa" (this prompted a very long inappropriate conversation) since she was being employed on a Disney cruiseliner. In her case, giving a "address of residence" in the US was quite difficult. We compared the waiting experience to sitting outside a headmasters office; everyone was sitting quietly looking slightly unsettled, and you weren't really sure whether you wanted your number to be called. Evidently our conversation was the most interesting thing happening, everyone around us turned around and listerned in.
2 hours later I get called for my interview (before seaman girl). I went into a sound proof booth and walked towards a woman behind more bullet proof glass. My interview consisted of:
How long have you been working at Rolls-Royce?
Where are you going in the US?
How long will you be there for?
Thank you, your visa application's been approved!
I then get given another form to fill in and I queue for the couriers to arrange for my passport to be returned. I leave the embassy at 1530.
I don't think I'll be applying for a US Visa in a long time. At least I finised reading the Lonely Planet guide to Seattle.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Jumping through hoops
Off to the US Embassy tomorrow to "queue" for my Visa Interview, along with 15 bits of paper, a passport photo that's a completely different size to the rest of the world. I'm also banned from taking bags or electrical goods.
The online form I had to fill in along with the rest of my visa paperwork took 45 minutes to fill in even though the web form times out after 20 - uselful!
They also have "drop down box" and "add" system to list the countries you've visited in the last 5 years. Said form obviously isn't designed for Europeans, that question took 15 minutes alone.
They also have "drop down box" and "add" system to list the countries you've visited in the last 5 years. Said form obviously isn't designed for Europeans, that question took 15 minutes alone.
Are all countries this bad?
Given some of the US population, shouldn't they adopt a Top-Trump form of 1 in 1 out system?
Given some of the US population, shouldn't they adopt a Top-Trump form of 1 in 1 out system?
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Hold On
This is a blog so people track my movements when I go "across" the pond.
Due to fly out on the 2nd October, but haven't booked flights or got the visa yet . . .
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