Don't be in such a hurry

"The phone is not working" .....she is telling me this over the phone. So that is my first thought and it clouds every other interaction I have with this user. " Can you explain in detail, just what is not working about your phone.....please" but I know what is coming, and sure enough..." how would I know, you're the 'tech guy". Man I can hardly believe that people say that sort of thing to the one who actually has the ability to make the phone not work.

Not that I would ever do such a thing mind you. Nope, would not even consider doing something that, in the long run, no matter how hard I laugh, would give me extra work.

"Okay, you are right, I will walk over there as soon as I can and have a look at your phone. I am sure I can find a fix for it". good reason to leave the office for lunch and maybe go to the range to hit a bucket of balls on my way to her cube..."Do you know when you will get here, I really need this phone for my work, so hurry if you will". CLICK.

I will be right there, right..

On my way out of the office I run into a couple of projects that I had been trying to get finished now for about 3 weeks. I stop and take care of both issues in less than a minute. Sometimes things just seem to fit and the key to doing the tech type job is having the knack to know when that is. If it feels right then everything works and I won't have to go back to fix the fix.
After pizza and beer for lunch I go to the course and I hit those little devils probably better than I have in weeks. I question myself, very briefly, as to wether or not it is in part because the annoyance factor I am causing. NO not me. When I do get to the phone ladies desk, she is talking on it. What the $%# am I doing here, she called me on the phone she says is not working and she is still on the phone some time later. She did not see me walk in to the work area and she is over there yakking away about .......You guessed it. "It was over an hour ago, and I told him that I need this phone for my job. I just don't know why he could be taking so long getting here". Suddenly I recall that I have another phone that was returned as not working some time ago. I run back to my office and grab it push it in a box and take it to her
She is so happy to see me that she won't even get off the phone long enough to let me change it out for the other one, the 'new' one.
I want to share something with her," did you know that your department is charged $185. per hour for my services and that I looked before I got here your department's budget is shot for the next 5 weeks, you can not afford to make me stand around, considering I am required to report to your manager why I charged 6 hours to change out the phone". "So please get off the phone and let me fix it".
If looks could scar I would look like a burn victim. 30 seconds later I am walking away old phone under my arm she is trying to make a call and yells to me." hey now I don't have a dial tone".
"And you don't have the money for me to come back and look at it. I am sorry that this phone broke when it did, and I hate it when the replacement works ever worse"
"Call me in a couple of days after you get the okay to go over budget"

Just Can't Find the Consistancy

One day it is like everyone you know is doing something to make you smile, it's like a plot to work on changing how you feel and act towards everybody and everything.

What the hell is that all about. I like not feeling good about what everyone is doing, and who they are doing it to. One person is complaining about the wife another is joyous about life, another hates the neighbor down the hill and still another seems like he is impervious to anything.

This guy can sleep 24/7 for weeks at a time, now that is what I call a monumental waste of life. What the hell can you get out of that besides maybe a few bed sores. Might as well be dead. On the other side of the coin a friend has so many projects going it is hard to imagine how he ever gets any rest. Guess who is the happiest of the two.

With all the different ways that each of us spend our days doing all the things we do. One thing stays constant. That is each of us, in my opinion, don't spend enough time giving to others a little help. I watched a show the other night, the title is 'The Secret' and it is proof that everything I am saying here is true.

All the things I have previously felt and said about everything and everyone is now being reprocessed.

The secret is that it is all in your attitude. Think positive and receive positive. Think the other way and get that. Now don't confuse this with a little applied sarcasm, it still has a very prominent place in my world. Just did not have a ready victim just now. I am confident one will come around soon enough. That is the other constant in life.

Another day closer

So I got up this morning early could not sleep, days are going by pretty fast about now. Did not feel like eating so I got my golf clubs and went to the range before work. That was okay not hardly any other people there that time of the day. And I hit them pretty good.

So far today I can think of nothing much worth saying so I will try again later.

First Things ........

Tuesday morning, forgot to punch out last night, did not quite finish the boss's laptop and probably won't have it for him this AM, need to do some follow-up on a couple of tasks here in the server room. But to hell with all of that. I need to find a way out of here for a hour or two today to get to the range and hit some balls. As long as the network is running and there are no specific troubles preventing folks from getting their work done, why not go and enjoy myself.

I know for a fact that retirement is a ways off and if I even make it I probably will not be able to afford the stuff I want, so I will do as much of it as I can now.

Biggest project is to document the entire system infrastructure, need to have that for the next guy, or at least for recovery reasons. But what is more important that I do paper work for the man or I go do something I enjoy.

Not hard to figure out what I will do. First things first take care of me then the rest will be okay.

Taking Charge

In the field of sales people are, for the most part, very positive. They will work hard and smile doing so. It is understood that goals are met only if you work for them and if you don't well you will still get what you have worked for.
In the information arena I have control, so I claim, over the network and computers of the people who occupy the sales force for the company I am currently employed by. Most of them are half my age, all of them are very bright and extremely energetic. The office is always buzzing with music and voices, people helping others and making a living doing so.

In my case, I make a living making sure that the computer systems are always up and working.
I often respond to requests by claiming to be on my way..."I'll be right there". My idea of " right there" is a little different than most. For example, if the user is seated on the other side of the office(no more than 40 - 50 feet away), I usually wait until 1. I have more than one reason to travel that far or, 2. I just happen to be in the vicinity and remember to stop and take a look at the problem they are experiencing.
Some users don't get it at all. Today I was sitting in a cubicle and on the other side of the partition two users were discussing the fact that the network is slow and that there have been a few problems with e-mail recently. I listened quietly for a moment, then to save them any further embarrassment, just after I heard one of them quote me and the other responded with "is that what he said is the problem" I spoke up and said...
"that is the problem"
it was real quiet for a moment and then I mentioned that "with all the people in the office using Instant Messenger and MySpace and YouTube running streaming audio and video well there is no bandwidth left over for the work to get done".
The recoil was visible yet not damaging the response was the entire array of thoughts from disbelief to reluctant agreement. One even offered to use less open windows to help the situation. I'm thinking that is real generous considering you are the one to benifiet if you increase your ablilty to perform. But as I have said before I really don't use scarcasim on others too often, I find it is pretty much a waste of good wit.
As the day now draws to an end, looking back at that moment, which was around 9:00AM, I have not done much else since then. I hope they don't mind that it will be Tuesday before I look into the email problem.
With a quarter hour to go, I finish this post and notice that the afternoon would be perfect to go to the golf range and kick the shit out of a bucket of little white balls.
There is bound to be more, so come on back and check it out.