Old School

Had a lil ol' skool fun, rebuilding an old PC and formatted it with MS Windows '98. It has been awhile since I worked with this particular OS. It was good fun and a reminder of how far we have come in a few short years.

"Quid Pro Quo"

Remind me again, why it is, that I do, what I do. Help me to understand, why it is, that I am angry when the on call phone rings at 1:29 AM. Why it is, that, I am excited that I will receive my new laptop RAM later, today? Why it is, that I am partaking in a hot cup of Cappachino at 2:00 AM? Why it is, that I am nervous, about having only five cigarettes left till 5:00 AM. Why I am accepting the challenge, of rebuilding an old 386 computer for a friend, just so he can sell it at a garage sale? I'm not sure anymore if I absolutely love or absolutely hate my job, anymore....It is almost out of shear morbid curiosity, that I stick around to see what the next person has to offer up to the IT God. Make that four cigarettes left....The coffee is good (inhales deeply)...very good, in fact....The quadruple shot causes my heart race and yet somehow calms me...like an overhead projector being brought into focus......(fade to black)...Make that three cigarettes left. There there, inner child...daddy knows what it is, that you like....caffeine and nicotine...like a heroin junky after he slowly releases the tourniquet and feels the drugs entering his jonesing veins...It is good, no?...lights up another smoke (inhales deeply) make that two...two beautiful cigarettes ah, ah, ahhhh!...phone rings....go ahead caller you're on the air...this is #$% (Freudian pun)we are having problems with our router on the dispatch system....ah the dispatch system...my my, that is a problem...tell me about your childhood, caller. How did this make you feel?...Did you run away, because the farmer made you perform fellatio on him?.....Did you Clarice? Did you run...run away from the crying lambs? Quid pro quo, Doctor.... It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again....yes precious it does what it's told, doesn't it? (lights up last cigarette & inhales deeply) Quid pro quo, caller. What is it about good sex that make you have to take a shit? Something for something...just something to think about....LOL

On Call.....

There is nothing like having to deal with a difficult situation at work, just before bed. My mind spends the rest of the evening, hashing and rehashing the events that led out to the problems and the steps followed to eliminate them. Most problems are resolved in a linear fashion. You start at step 1 and work your way through the steps till you find the solution and record these findings either by memory or in some sort of journal. This is true of most things except when dealing with our wireless system. It is very unpredictable and almost seems to have a mind of it's own. Some things work only some of the time, while others work the other half of the time. Creating a trouble shooting guide is like writing about the dark. It is everything...and it is nothing. My hope is that they follow through on their promise of restoring the fiber optic lines. I believe it is the only way a dependable communication link can be re-established. I am often left with what I call a hangover in the mornings after trouble shooting a problem on our wireless system. It leaves my mind tired after a long night of troubleshooting. So many possibilities... so little time to make improvements. Production, production, production, that is the name of the game.

Study..Study...Study....

I spent the entire day reading and preparing for the A+ and Network + class, I have coming up in April. I purchased four new books and have started reading them to get a jump start on my exam. They are packed full of knowledge and I am very happy with my purchase. Tomorrow is a big day, the boss is home and will be back to work. I am looking forward to hearing about her two weeks of class and the testing involved to receive a MCSE Certification.

Ever Wonder?

I spent a good part of yesterday morning looking into schools to obtain my Microsoft Certifications from. It occurred to me that I am part of an explosive field that grows exponentially each year. I feel this is due to the fact that so many people are able to contribute to this field. Whether you are a programmer, technician, hacker or user, we all play our part and contribute each in some way. My question is, "what if everyone was able to contribute, to every endeavour"? For instance, how would the automobile industry benefit from the collaboration of every driver? Would the automobile change as we know it? Just something to think about.

Average day..and I still managed to learn something new.

Spend the day doing the usual, password resets, application installs, software evaluations. I did manage to create my first AIP (administrative install point) for Office 2003, and screwed up my e-mail program in doing so. After hearing 200 "bonks",trying to forward my e-mail, I realized I had loaded two instances of Office. Apparently this causes problems with GroupWise, causing memory problems in your control panel mail and an inability to see your address book. It's funny how much you learn from mistakes.

In Need of a Bit of Inspiration

I was feeling a bit down this last weekend, so I decided to watch one of my favorite movies, Cinderella Man. I have to laugh about what our generation defines an economic depression. I watch the news and see thousands of people lined up and camped out, to get a couple of jobs, at a fire station in Florida, for $45,000 a year. It just doesn't seem like good business to apply for a job that is taking 750 applications for only two jobs openings. I think this is what Las Vegas defines as a long shot. I think I would ask several of the people around me what their credentials where and then ask myself, "would "I" hire myself, over this person or that one"? I think you would have to be an ego maniac to believe you are better than all 1000 people standing in line. Are these the same 1000 people that six months earlier where all laying on a beach somewhere thinking it just doesn't get any better than this? I think if I was doing the hiring I would have been disgusted to look out the window to see such a site. I find it amusing that these people, at the first sign of a faltering economy, instantly line up on the bread line. They are crying about not having the thousands to pay for their $2500 a month mortgages. How god damn stupid are people these days?