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[25 May 2005|05:26pm] |
Birthdays, cars, Cannes, French Driver, Germany, cocktails, insurance, Bentley, private planes, invoices, dance, concerts, rehearsals, deliveries, books, cash... All got stirred up in sour shake that I've been consuming since last week. Ever since the previous Monday I've been so busy like I've never been busy in my life!
Last week was my boss's Birthday. The more I work for him, the more I understand that it almost sucks to be rich. He truly is a big baby, but it's all the stress that he takes that makes him this way. So much is expected of him. For example he can't just celebrate his B-day in a neat family circles, it has to be a huge event with a bunch of guests and the best everything - hotels, bars, travel arrangements. Of course, that is more headache for me, but he is the one who get to face his rich stuck up friends with the results of my efforts. There's a bunch of people involved in making it all happen, but we are all humans and man do we make some errors!
I've just remembered how I sent out invitations to the guests... I've asked the French Driver for the driving directions, which would lead the guests to the N-Bar in Cannes, but I've decided to look up the exact address for this bar online. I didn't realize that there is a bar with the same name in St.Tropez. So on the invitations I put: N-Bar St.Tropez, address, driving directions for the N-Bar in Cannes. Then my boss got showered with phone calls from the confused guests and their PAs - how come the address is in St.Tropez and the directiones are for Cannes? Oh boy, was he mad!
Next, his cars. I don't know how many he has in France, at least 10 maybe, but there were two more being delivered from a tuning shop in Germany, and Bentley and a Porsche. Now, the word "Bentley" already gives me jerks, since whenever there's a Bentley, I ALWAYS run into problems! Anyway, the boss wanted both cars delivered before he arrives to France. I've spent the entire week calling the company in Germany:
"Hey, it's Yulia again, how's it going with the cars? Will they be delivered on Friday?"
They would say: "We are doing our best to get it all fixed right on time, but there might be a delay if the paint doesn't dry in time."
So I explain it to the boss and he goes: "I don't care when the paint dries, I said I need the cars in France on FRIDAY. Period."
See how he is? I had to call Germany every day and stressing other people with time limits is a big stress on me too, because I don't enjoy pressuring others. Well finally the paint dries and we are almost making it on time. The cars are loaded on a truck which would take them to France by friday afternoon. Before my boss boards the plane he asks me if the cars have been delivered.
I say: "When they get delivered, I will be informed. So far everything is on schedule."
He goes: "Get the phone number of the truck driver, hurry him up. You have to make sure he delivers as soon as he can."
Of course I could speak to the truck driver, but I've passed him a message to hurry up. Now take a guess why the cars weren't delivered on time?
They called me from Germany while I was in dance class and said: "We have bad news. The truck driver got stopped by the police because he didn't take breaks every 4 hours, he got fined for 3000 Euros and he will have to stay till the morning, they won't release him with the cars till tomorrow.
I know why it happened - because there was a Bentley on that truck. Bentleys always get me in trouble. But my boss was going to get really surprised when he gets off the plane and his cars are still not his garage. I didn't even dare to say it to him myself. I called the French Driver and said: "Hey, I'm sorry, but you'll have to tell him, because you'll be the first person to see him in France."
Poor French Driver... He got it bad. My boss arived to France being enraged with EVERYTHING. The hotel arrangement, the streets, the food, the restaurants. Everyone who works for him know that he can be like that. I've been warned several times. I've even been told that the boss had asked several people to talk to me about it, becase he is afraid that one day he might lose his temper with me and I'll leave the job. I think it's because he knows I lived in the US. That country makes a woman really defensive.
Anyway, the party is over and the boss is back in Moscow, now he has to pay 3000 euros extra for that fine the truck driver had paid. He said: "Who's gonna pay it? I'm not gonna pay it. Get the French Driver to pay it, it was his fault the Porsche got damaged.
I called the French office. There's no insurance cover for the Porsche, but I know the French Driver can't afford to pay 4000 euro for taking the car to Germany and back, plus 3000 euro fine... I spoke with him about it and he explained to me what had happened with the Porsche. The boss told him not to take this car, but a very good friend the boss was staying in the French house, and he convinced the French Driver that it would be okay to take the Porsche, since they are such good friends with my boss. The Fr.Driver tried to call to get the boss's OK, but wasn't able to reach him. They took the car and of course somehow the car got some minor damages, probably from some envious by-passers. What am I expected to do now - call the boss's friend and tell him it was his fault so he has to pay or what? How do I figure this one out? There's still the small German transportation company that needs its money, somebody has to pay it, but nobody consideres himself responsible. Man, it's never easy...
People sometimes ask me, if my job is dance-related, and I'm starting to say stuff like: "no, I think I'm more like a nurse in a nut-house..."
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nostalgic