KA3AHb - Pt. VI - Vindication & Transport

It's 2 in the afternoon and we were in all-out setup mode...
It's all hands on deck - Cables to run, hardware being installed, configuring software, volunteers to be trained, etc...
Since I'm not skilled enough to do any of these things, I'm on "Bitch Duty"...
Taping down cables, dressing the the hardware with cable-ties and making it tidy, and generally doing housekeeping and tracking where all our hardware was being deployed.

A little after 6AM EDT my phone rang.

CALLER ID: Big Cheese

Wow. He called to fire me. I was just expecting an e-mail for the weapons-grade insubordination I had sent off...

The conversation was short. (A $8/min it better be...)

Yours Truly: "Wow, calling to fire me. I feel somewhat honored."
Big Cheese: "Is the hotel REALLY that bad?"
YT: "It worse. I promise."
BC: "Then you guys move. Find another place."
YT: "Ok, thanks for the approval- I need to give LTC an opportunity to fix it. Moving will throw several monkey wrenches in the mix- site transport, airport transfers, etc. Plus, a couple other LTC staff is there too... The need relief too."
BC: "Regardless - take care of you crew. Get it fixed."
(click)

Wow.

I sent a rather toned-down-but-still-very-realistic email to LTC project managers and the on-site director... That got a quicker response.
20 Minutes later I got a text from the LTC Project Manager "(Redacted) is on his way to the hotel to check it out."
SpongeMark said to have (Redacted) go to his room, so I shot a text message suggesting he experience Room 303.
I got a call 10 minutes later.
LTC PM: "You're moving. Hopefully you can stand one more night- pack and bring your bags with you tomorrow on the bus."
I heard from one of the other LTC staff that was at the hotel that when he went into Room 303 it was close to 100 degrees. He stormed out when he saw there was no A/C and only a desk fan to cool the place.

So we made it through one more night, and by the night of opening ceremonies for the Games we were in a brand-spanking-new hotel. Hotel Olymp on Prospekt Pobedy - and even mo' bettah, it was 10 minutes closer to the 'site.

We were roomed on 2 floors of a 12-story hotel... Floor 6 & 7 were mostly finished...

For instance, this is the door to the men's bathroom in the hotel restaurant...
But since the janitorial staff (usually old ladies) barge right in regardless of occupation, no door=no big deal.

They did try to make us feel welcome...

There was an elevator that worked, and they used keycards for entry. No WiFi, bare wires for lighting and (presumably) surveillance audio & cameras hanging out of the walls, but at least the 7th floor had blessed A/C. 
And curtains that actually kept the rooms dark enough to sleep.
Heaven.

We went out to celebrate- that tale has already been told here...

It finally looked like things were starting to level off.
...Until I found out the next morning that SpongeMark still didn't have A/C.
He tried to adapt and overcome-
Being on the 6th floor he just opened the window to catch some breeze, and at around 4AM a cloud of mosquitoes flew in and held a long discussion about whether to eat him right there or to pick him up and take him home for the rest of the brood to enjoy.

He came down to breakfast. He was not a happy camper.
"Fuck this place. Fuck this whole place. I'm heading for the airport."
We settled him down and put программист ученого on it. программист ученого speaks Russian but prefers not to... He likes to sit and listen to the locals talk when they think no one understands them. He says it's very educational.

We were off to the site and the first days of competition...


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE