Terrible Analogies

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

It seems…no, I take that back…I *know* that we’re being asked to do much, much more at work with fewer and fewer resources.  For the past several weeks I get home in the afternoon and I’m just spent.  But I guess I really shouldn’t complain.  I’m sure many of you out there are in the same boat.  I do appreciate the fact that I have a sit down job, and don’t have to do much heavy lifting unless a server needs to be built or moved.

My Cubicle. Spot Locke and win a prize!

If I was given the opportunity to drop what I was currently doing, selecting a brand new job of my choice, and could jump ship into any other career path with no questions asked, I guess I’d have to go with:

- Killer whale trainer at Sea World
- Voice over actor for infomercials
- Ice Road trucker
- Breakfast cereal taste tester
- Anagram spellchecker
- Zamboni driver
- An undercover asset
- The guy who makes up names for bands
- Master of time, space, and dimension

But I guess I’ll be stuck administering computer systems, forever tasked with finding the quickest and most cost effective way to get more done with less.

Oh, before I forget, I must implore you to pick up the latest album from Street Sweeper Social Club.  Don’t think, just do.

Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine and Boots Riley from The Coup have put down some solid,  tight tracks reminiscent of Rage’s revolutionary vibe, but with less screaming. Clap For The Killers is without a doubt the standout track, but Megablast, Fight! Smash! Win! and 100 Little Curses drill through your speakers with driving Morello-signature guitar work (seriously, Morello is a guitar genius).  Eric Gardner holds the entire thing down with fantastic drum work.  No driving bass speakers here, that’s Gardner all the way.

Along with Vampire Weekend’s self-titled Vampire Weekend, Elvis Costello’s latest effort Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane, Kasabian’s The West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum (Kasabian is back to old form!), and Placebo’s newest Battle For The Sun, Street Sweeper has been on heavy rotation these past few days.

I’m amazed at how many great albums have been released recently.  If you’ve been away from the music scene for any amount of time, now is a perfect time to come back.

Music, Work Music, Work