Another banquet...
Jun. 8th, 2003 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgp...some more toasts. It never ends.
Everyone (pretty much) got together tonight over at the Polet hotel for a celebratory banquet, and celebrations were in order owing to the successful launch and insertion into geosynchronous orbit of the Alcatel AMC-9 spacecraft for SES Americom. As far as I can tell, this gang will get together again next February to put another bird into orbit (albeit within a shorter timeframe).
This was a working dinner for Olga, Galina, and me. At times like this, just about everyone has something to say, and they say it. Later, at our table, the local Khrunichev chief, Vladimir Bronfman, pretty much held court with the rest of the folks at the table, and I even got to interpret for a while into French (adding some individual words in English, when I could not find them fast enough otherwise). I either did a fairly good job of it or the gentleman I was interpreting for was being kind, but I seemed to get through the session pretty well.
I called Galina (my wife, not my colleague) earlier and wished her a happy birthday, and then called my mom, who was a little confused about my calling her from the opposite side of the world, but we had a fine conversation anyway. At this point, I plan to spend a couple of days in Moscow on the way back, and then another day or two with my parents when I get to New York, which ought to place me back in Pagosa about when I figured.
I'm running on empty right now; the banquet kind of took it out of me. Unfortunately, the gent who's been left in charge of interpretation (Viktor left on the VIP flight) isn't very forthcoming with assignments until the last minute, so I guess I should grab some rack time and be ready for whatever bright and early tomorrow morning.
Cheers...
Everyone (pretty much) got together tonight over at the Polet hotel for a celebratory banquet, and celebrations were in order owing to the successful launch and insertion into geosynchronous orbit of the Alcatel AMC-9 spacecraft for SES Americom. As far as I can tell, this gang will get together again next February to put another bird into orbit (albeit within a shorter timeframe).
This was a working dinner for Olga, Galina, and me. At times like this, just about everyone has something to say, and they say it. Later, at our table, the local Khrunichev chief, Vladimir Bronfman, pretty much held court with the rest of the folks at the table, and I even got to interpret for a while into French (adding some individual words in English, when I could not find them fast enough otherwise). I either did a fairly good job of it or the gentleman I was interpreting for was being kind, but I seemed to get through the session pretty well.
I called Galina (my wife, not my colleague) earlier and wished her a happy birthday, and then called my mom, who was a little confused about my calling her from the opposite side of the world, but we had a fine conversation anyway. At this point, I plan to spend a couple of days in Moscow on the way back, and then another day or two with my parents when I get to New York, which ought to place me back in Pagosa about when I figured.
I'm running on empty right now; the banquet kind of took it out of me. Unfortunately, the gent who's been left in charge of interpretation (Viktor left on the VIP flight) isn't very forthcoming with assignments until the last minute, so I guess I should grab some rack time and be ready for whatever bright and early tomorrow morning.
Cheers...
