dias

Some of my colleagues and a project manager congratulated me for a project that went live. I didn't do it all alone of course but I did the difficult coding part. The client (which is the European Chemical Agency) was satisfied which seems it is not usually the case hahaha. There is one guy on the testing team in his fifties, he is the typical person who is doing the same job 30+ years, part of the system, who was "disappointed" when we first met. He straight up told me "I heard that a big consultant with international experience joined us and I imagined someone...." he didn't finish his sentence. It was kind of offensive but I laughed. I know he imagined someone 190cm with a fancy expensive suit and an intense and imposing personality. Kind of an imaginary leader I guess hahaha. And he saw me hahaha a laid-back 174cm guy wearing T-shirts hahaha. He was not impressed. This is the guy who congratulated me multiple times for this project. For one, that means no work for him as there are no bugs (which to be honest I didn't believe it myself lol). Second, he couldn't understand how I knew a programming language the rest of the coders didn't. I was like umm, I study after work, it's called working on the weekends hahaha. There is no actual value in receiving recognition as it does not translate in any promotion or pay rise. However, I do appreciate it, something is better than nothing.

Pursue. Ask him if he wants to meet for a coffee sometime.

Yes pretty much. Thing is, how can you protect your children from this?? You can't keep them isolated on one hand but you can't let them absorb nonsense on the other. What is the answer?

Uh! Oh! There is always one, coming from the top as always, and it's about money as always among other things. Personally, I believe this is going to "end" the next decade as it has gone too far. Give it 20-30 years and you will see the culture swinging back to conservatism. It might go to the other extreme, usually this is what happens. Unfortunately you son is exposed to it. I would definitely suggest searching for another school, or maybe homeschooling? This is a difficult battle to fight.

We spoke again and she told me all the gossips lol. As always, life is full of surprises. My ex-manager and Jake and probably a few others got into an argument resulting in my ex-manager leaving the company. She didn't know if he was booted or he left on his own volition. Well, he was a character and I was the only he got along well and supported him, he didn't have anyone now. I made a mistake, he made a mistake, the HR screwed me big time, he also suffered the repercussions. To be honest, I have to thank him, I got some very valuable life lessons from that experience. Certainly not pleasant lessons, however, I definitely needed them. Actually, what happened was like the butterfly effect of the chaos theory. Everything was just bad timing. Funny thing, it started because a Microsoft certificate happened to expire at that very day and when the IT updated it my location got flagged. Then the chaos ensued. Damn, this is so the butterfly effect hahahaha

Thing is what happens if you are none of that hahaha 😆

Ahhh, back to work. It not that bad, it's mostly I am sad I left. I had such an awesome time. Even my parents and friends mentioned that they had never seen me happier before. It was a trip so full of adventure................................... Just one last photo of New Orleans. Between Nashville, Atlanta and New Orleans, I liked New Orleans the most. I liked the swamps a lot too. I will return to explore more of Louisiana for sure. Well, now I have visited the east coast, the west coast and the south. The south suits me better with big difference.

I went to the shooting range yesterday with bro. I retract my comment about guns. There were many people there who were clearly habitual drug users. Most of them placed the target two meters away and just fired hundreds of bullets. Certainly one those would be the next mass shooter. When I made the comment about the freedom to carry guns I subliminally had the European folks in mind. Nonetheless we had a lot of fun. I am waiting for the plane now. I think I will tear up, I don't want to leave. I used my UK bank account for the expenses. In total I would say I spent approximately 4.5K pounds which is about 5.6K USD. Add another 1K USD my brother treated me when I followed his fancy lifestyle, that would be 6.6K more or less tickets included. Overall, the best trip I have ever had by miles. Worth every penny. 10 out of 10. If I had company in Nashville or the Mexican girl reciprocated the feelings I would give it 15 out of 10. 10/10 is still plenty haha Bro suggested we go camping in the grand canyon the next time, I want Yellowstone, in the end I will do both hahaha

Hahahaha I wish. I spent all my holidays for the year. Ahhh, why good things have to end???? Back to depression from Monday hahaha It was quite a day yesterday coming back from Nashville, there was no lack of adventure in this journey lol. I need to write about it when I get back. I took a bus to return to Atlanta, yes I used a bus in the US, which only very very poor people use unlike Europe. That was an experience in and of itself. It becomes more interesting because when I arrived my brother had already scheduled us to go with some of his colleagues into a private club that most members are millionaires (packed with hot barbies looking for a rich husband apparently lol). It's interesting to experience the polar opposites on the same day. I managed to take some proper photos of Nashville with the camera in the morning before I left.

I don't think this is right. In her shoes though, I wouldn't move in, simply because I wouldn't be able to afford it. I believe it would be wiser to ask your partner to move together somewhere else you can both afford. Personally I wouldn't mind contributing more financially if I had more money regardless if it's fair or not as long as I knew the other person did not want to take advantage of me. Also, as a guy, I wouldn't date women who would earn substantially more than me so contributing more if I earned more would be the only viable way. Plus, it's what Tinydance mentioned, the chances of finding a potential partner decrease a lot with this filter.

My last morning in Nashville. It started growing on me. Or it is I know I am returning back to my tedious work/life which makes me want to cry. Yeah I know it's this job that allowed me to have this trip, I think I forgot it since those 3 weeks were so different and fun.

Well just came back to the hotel. Would I visit Nashville again? Certainly but only with a girl, even a female friend would be fine. It's always better with good company but for Nashville to really enjoy it I believe you need a girl to tag along. In the end, I am glad I visited Nashville. Tomorrow morning I am heading back to Atlanta, I will spend a couple of days with bro, then back to Athens on Saturday unfortunately 😕 😑 😢. Again behind a computer all day long😢 😑 😞 😐 😕 😒 😢 It would be hard.

Well that was a night. I thought I should make the best out of Nashville since I came. It's not that fun when you are alone in this kind of places, usually you need a girl to enjoy it fully. I bar hopped quite a lot yesterday. The first two girls I approached didn't even let me finish my first sentence. Not fun lol. I moved to another bar that I liked the most. At that point I was tipsy so I didn't care much hahaha. I saw a hot brunette dancing, when she sat down I asked her if she wanted to have a dance with me. She asked me "you know how to dance" in which I replied "no but we will figure it out " lol. I apparently didn't know the steps, she asked me "what are you doing". I said I am not an American how could I know the steps, I asked her to show me. If I understood correctly from what she was showing me it's two steps on the left one to the right. Not difficult of course but I would need a bit more time to get the rhythm. Not that I have the rhythm in any sort of dancing to be honest but hey I can run 30km and do 17 pull ups, if I was a good dancer I would be freaking superman lol. The song finishes, she taps on my shoulder saying keep practicing lol. She was not interested in me, I think she accepted more like a reward I asked her because no other guy was on the dance floor hahaha. There are three reasons a guy would be on the dance floor most of the time: 1) he wants to get laid 2) his girlfriend dragged him willy-nilly 3) he is drunk. Usually the third is prerequisite hahaha. Then I offered another brunette* to buy her a drink. She accepted, we chatted a bit and danced a bit. She was from Boston so she didn't know how to dance country either lol. At some point she asked where I live permanently and when I told her in Greece she was surprised. She thought I live in states apparently. She then left. After that I decided to enjoy the music. Couldn't leave without listening to the band play sweet home alabama haha. I came from the other side of the planet, I had to listen to this song. Although as you can imagine it's a frequent request from the patrons of the bar. Some bands were average but there were 3 or 4 that were pretty good. It was a good night. I did drink a lot though. Might have been 12 bottles of beer. God knows how much I spent yesterday. I couldn't sleep at all, feeling dizzy and tired right now. I still have one day left here. I don't think I could drink anymore. *I mention brunettes because 9 out of 10 girls that check me out are brunettes. Don't know why.

I should have extended my stay in New Orleans. Nashville is not my cup of tea although I like country music. It has a street full of bars with the names of famous country singers and some nice bars but that's it pretty much. Sure many pretty girls but most of them don't seem very open and I get a pretentious vibe from people in general. Maybe I am wrong, maybe it's not the popular opinion, I do think it's indifferent as a city.

She did reply in the end. She asked me when I was going. I told her there is a flight for today I could take. She said she is very busy this week as she is flying to Boston on the weekend so she won't have time. I am a bit sad I have to admit. I really liked her. I am frustrated with life in a way. All the girls I truly liked in my life none of them wanted something more*. I do meet other girls but I wouldn't want to be with them, I just want sex or company. Why the f*ck it is never mutual with the ones I like?????? *now that I am thinking about it, regardless of the race all of them were similar in a way. I do have a very specific type. And this type doesn't want me and I don't want anything else which brings me to an impasse.

She lives in Florida. Yesterday I pinged her on fb whether she would go out with me if I visit Florida for a week. No response. Ah, never mutual with the girls I truly like which is once in a blue moon. That’s life I guess. Nashville it is then for my last week.

I arrived back to Atlanta yesterday night. Such a shame, I am actually sad I left. I stayed 3 and a half days full of activities and I forgot my past lol I thought that was my reality. Also, I started approaching girls a lot more again. Most of them didn't respond but I had company all the days I was there. Plus, the dating apps went crazy. Usually I get a like every 3 weeks or so, apps never worked for me but in New Orleans I don't know what happened I started getting 3-4 likes per day which is truly crazy for me. I was thinking about postponing the flight for a day. A girl messaged me yesterday morning and she was very eager to meet but she had to work until the afternoon when my flight was. Damn, that would probably be a certainty lol. However, exactly the same time a Mexican girl sat close enough to me in the hostel (she could have sit anywhere else so I figured she might wanted to chat) and I started a conversation and stuff and we spent the whole day from 9am till 5 pm together. We went for a coffee, drinks and food in an amazing Jazz restaurant on the suburbs 1 hour walking distance from the French Quarter. I had an amazing time. I really really liked her, it’s the first time I liked someone so much since the British girl in Liverpool. Probably the fact this girl was the most beautiful girl I have gone on a “date” with helped. I went for a kiss in the afternoon but she didn’t want. Although I think it was the “too soon” response rather than I don’t like you response. I believe so at least. Anyway, I had an amazing time. Hands down the best trip ever.

The guide brought one with him. It was so freakin cute. I loved it. I would take it with me. It would be an issue though in a few years having him in the living room as you can imagine hahaha.

Not exactly floating down Mississippi on a raft like Huckleberry Finn as I wanted but the Creole Queen steamboat was a good alternative!

The guide brought the small one from the "farm". They rescue small alligators and take care of them until they are able to survive in the wild. Only 2% of the baby gators survive. He did lure the wild big ones on the boat. He touched them multiple times too although he mentioned he had been beaten before. When he brought the wild ones on the boat I was like ok there is nowhere to run if the gator become aggressive for some reason 😄 🤣 And it was so easy for it to climb on the boat. They do jump quite high indeed. Sure the swamp is not for swimming hahaha. I don't think I could live in New Orleans. However, living this country lifestyle in the swamps fishing and hunting would suit me fine I believe. I would have so much fun. And the people in the country side here are so warm, chilled and friendly.

The swamp tour on the airboat was one of the most, if not the most, fascinating and unique experiences I have ever had during all my trips. We had an amazing guide. It was only me and a mother with her son from Ohio which made the experience even better. I hate the tipping culture in the US but I gave him 20 dollars because he was truly good and entertaining guide. It was like being part of the True detective series. Such an amazing experience. It is a shame I am not allowed to upload videos.

This trip has annihilated my savings but it's worth it. I definitely recommend the jazz cruise on the Mississippi River with the steamboat if you visit New Orleans. So far the best experience I have had here.

It's a strange city. It's like it was built from hustlers for hustlers. Interesting for a visit depending on your personality but I don't think it's nice living here. Of course I only see the city centre so I can not have a holistic point of view.

New Orleans is a whole different beast.