I’m working on a project at Xerox where half the team is in the UK. That half of the team is currently here in the US, and as is tradition, it’s my duty to take advantage of the language/cultural differences. It helps build team morale, and keeps my credibility in top notch. There’s a level of trust the UK developers put in their US team. If they point at some kind of food, or a road sign, and ask what it is or what it means, they’re ready to believe what you have to say.

Gavin doesn’t trust me any more. I told him there was a robot roaming the halls outside of the room we’re all working in (extreme programming, dude) and the next time he heard it coming, he was nearly out the door before he realized I was “taking a piss” (hardcore British slang for pulling a leg). It wasn’t a robot afterall, but a guy driving an electric cart.

The thing is, Gavin is so trusting, even when he’s shook his fists in rages of mistrust dozens of times now, exclaiming “I knew it, I can’t trust you for a second!” Everytime I do it, I feel bad, but really – the moment when he’s convinced there’s a robot outside or that Tater Tots are actually called Puffy Lumps is a moment so

worth whatever guilt follows.

I wouldn’t mind some suggestions as to what I can convince Gavin of. If he reads the site, all my plans are dashed, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take.