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Issue 13

Things come to a head for Angie in Florence, but there's a warm welcome back in England, and a big decision to make.

Monday 
I've got to face it - things are really bad here. It's obvious now that Franca, Kate and Gina know virtually nothing about IT, which is not surprising as they're all ex-art students. The company itself is a joke, set up by Franca's mother to give her darling daughter something to do. They went to TechEd in Nice to find out what all this back-end stuff was about and it scared them stiff, so they decided to hire a spanner-woman to handle all the nasty bits - and Muggins here fell for it. To make matters worse they've seen a few instant prototyping demos and think it's always that quick, so they expect me to deliver finished systems overnight. The trouble is, I can't see it getting any better.

Tuesday
A blazing row with Franca. She's moaning yet again about Milan, and I ask her why she'll never let me go to the client to sort the problems out. Her reply is - wait for it - that I'm 'too dowdy' to represent the firm in a haute couture environment! Resisting the temptation to scratch her eyes out, I tell her we wouldn't have the problems in the first place if she hadn't allowed a loud-mouthed, over-dressed bimbo to spec it, and turn round just in time to tell Kate that, yes, I do mean her. I leave them gabbling in Italian (their favourite way of excluding me from conversations), and head for the Piazza Della Repubblica and a stiff lunchtime drink. That night I blub down the phone to Pete, and he tells me to keep my chin up. That's easier said than done when you're tired, lonely and 1,000 miles from home.

Wednesday
Franca, no doubt realising that she's in danger of being left holding the spanners, calls me in and apologises for her 'dowdy' remark. She also says that I can start looking for an extra developer (female, of course), and that she's suspending all new proposals until we get on top of our current commitments. It sounds great, but the only problem is that I think I've had enough. I'm sick of Milan's posh frocks, and miss working on systems that deal in things that really matter. I also miss working with other IT professionals and - though I'd never admit it - working with men. Still, Franca's made a real attempt to put things right, and the least I can do is give it a try. 

Thursday
Luckily tomorrow's the start of my long weekend home, which gives us all a breathing space. Kate's not speaking to me, but I count that as a bonus, and Gina, always the most reasonable of the three, is quite friendly. Franca is positively chummy, and I'm beginning to think that things might work out when she says she needs the Fashion Trends ASP upgrade by Monday morning. I say it's impossible because I'm about to leave for England, and suddenly we're back at square one, with her shouting at me that I can't just run off leaving my work unfinished (a bit rich, considering that she runs off skiing or powerboating every weekend). Finally she forbids me to go, but I've got a taxi outside, and nothing is going to stop me. Three hours later I see Pete waiting at the arrivals gate, and breathe my biggest-ever sigh of relief.

Friday
This is heaven - Pete's taken a day's leave, so we have a very late morning(!) then spend the day just wandering around together before meeting up with the gang from the old firm. To my surprise, Mike's there. Asking for a quiet word, he says that he's heard I might be interested in a move, and that they're keen to have me back. This time I'd be on the same grade as Carl and Denny, but at a slightly higher salary, in recognition of my crucial client-server integration skills. It's almost irresistible, but I tell him I've caught the Euro-travel bug and would find it hard to settle down. He then tells me - in strictest confidence - about the top-secret Project X, which puts a very different complexion on things. I say I'll think about it, but in fact I won't - I've already decided. I'm coming home!

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Issue 13 - Contents

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   Issue 1
   Issue 2
   Issue 3
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   Issue 5
   Issue 6
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   Issue 8
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   Issue 10
   Issue 11
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   Issue 13
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Issue 26
Issue 27
Issue 28
Issue 29
Issue 30
Issue 31
Issue 32
Issue 33
Issue 34
Issue 35
Issue 36
Issue 37

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