…So little time.
Seems as if I’m doing nothing other than making up yearly goals for myself because my group is lacking a manager, and writing scripts to automate auditing tasks for this quarter. For the past few days I’ve come home mentally drained with just enough energy to shake my head in quiet desperation, then pass out on the couch as dreams of winning the lottery dance though my head.
Ah well. Such is life. Perhaps I’ll take a bit of revenge out on work in subtle, passive-aggressive style:
Oh, and before I forget, check out this awesome new point-and-click adventure game called Machinarium. Anyone want to buy me a copy? 
Work
Work
Q: What happens what a rat gnaws through the wires leading to a live circuit breaker?
A: You get one very dead rat, and one very dark data center.
Six months ago this very scenario occurred, forcing us to tap into a “temporary” power feed. This past Saturday we finally began the process of moving back on to the main power supply. Working in conjunction with several groups, we managed to gracefully power down all 600+ servers, enabling a complete power outage of our building. General Electric was supposed to have their portion of this monumental undertaking done in 8 hours.
As I write this post it is now Sunday evening, and there’s no word on when GE will have the power back online. Needless to say, this does not bode well for anybody involved.
And so I sit here with phone in hand, waiting for the panicked “all hands on deck” call, ordering me into work to assist with bringing all of our systems back online.
…And this event was so well planned, unlike the initial unexpected rat BBQ that initiated the original emergency power cutover. This is shaping up to be one exciting week. *sigh*
Computer, Work
Computer, Work
Working a bit of overtime a couple of weeks ago, I was trapped inside on a beautiful Saturday afternoon staring at a computer screen, working on my fluorescent tan in cubicle hell, asking myself who I could have possibly offended in a previous lifetime to have earned this dubious position in life. Finally, after many hours of carefully treading that fine line between numbing boredom and maniacal rage, I let out a muffled, desperate huff, threw my hands above my head, stood up and stomped my way out of the office to grab a breath of fresh air.
Spying an inviting bench on the far side of the lawn, I thought I’d sit for a spell and take in a few minutes of scenery that this carefully position piece of cement future must offer. I mean, why else was it placed there if not to offer a key vantage point to a vast expanse that showcases the meshing of man and his environment?
Taking a seat, I let out a slight sigh of relief from the pressures of my daily duties. Anxious to unwind I looked up, expecting to be awed and humbled by a scenic vista spreading out before me, but instead I was greeted with this sad sight:
Hmmm, not exactly what I was hoping for. Standing up and moving three feet to my left revealed the panorama I had been expecting to see:
I swear, next weekend I’m bringing my own hedge trimmers…
Landmarks, Work
Landmarks, Work
I swear, if I didn’t know any better I’d think that these guys have a miniature camera secreted away in a dark corner of my living room, watching me multitask whilst trying to “relax”.
It’s funny how “relaxing” in the modern world means having to constantly monitor communications from work via e-mail and cell phone, reviewing the latest news on the web, and keeping your Twitter / Facebook / MySpace / Blogs constantly updated with fresh info. Whatever happened to unplugging, reclining in a chaise lounge in the backyard, and reading a good book?
It’s no wonder some people tend to burn out on requirements of the modern age.
Books, Computer, Tech, Work, comics
Books, Tech, Work
Between Friday / Saturday / Sunday, I worked a total of 37 hours. It could have been worse had I not needed to show up at 6am on Saturday. You see, on Saturday we had take the entire data center offline for a scheduled power outage starting at 8pm that very night. If I hadn’t shown up at 6am on Saturday to run a few required change controls, I would have had to come back to work at 12am Sunday morning to help power everything back online.
Unfortunately, because I didn’t have to come back to work Sunday morning, I became (unbeknownst to me) the default on-call admin for Sunday, and wouldn’t you know it, the fit hit the shan Sunday morning and I had to work 13 hours to placate the panicked denizens of our crippled intranet. The first call came in just as I was digging into a bowl of Lucky Charms. One hour later I was in the office, and didn’t emerge until well after the sodium lights kicked on in the parking lot.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills...
For all of this work, I did get a few “atta-boys” and Monday off to recuperate, which I used to run a few vital errands I was unable to attend to during my missing weekend.
“Just doing my job, ma’am.”
And the moral of the story? Be sure to get your Monday morning blog post ready to go a couple of days in advance, because you never know what weekend surprises will bite you in the ass 
Computer, Work
Computer, Work
