Episode #22 Defending my job...yet again.

So this is a little late in posting, but I've been trying to get stuff done.

So last Friday, we stumbled across the posting for the Software Engineer position that recently opened up in our unit. It had all of the normal stuff in it. The interesting/frustrating part was the fact that they were looking for 1 year of development experience, 1 year with .Net and offering $64k minimum. (If you want to apply, here's the link @ Higher Ed Jobs)

Anyway, I thought that was a little high, but apparently that's the number that HR came back with after their research. NICE!

However, most of us here have been here longer than a year (not to mention more previous experience) and we make that or less. Now I know that we were never paid what the private market dictates, but don't insult me by hiring someone with less experience for more money.

I know that if this were the private sector no one would even know. But it's not and I do. Talk about a slap in the face. If you think I'm not doing my job, then just fire me, don't insult me.

We did find out that our director is trying to get us equity adjustments based on this. After the many times we've been screwed before, I hope that this time I'm pleasantly surprised. Cross your fingers!

I'll keep you posted on the saga.

Episode #21 I'm in charge....so they tell me

So I've been in charge at work this week. That really amounts to nothing, but I can dream. So Monday morning, I get in. One of our System Admins wants me to sign some security access forms so he can get an account for the financial system for a project. Now he doesn't want to do anything illegal, as far as I can tell :).

I had asked may manager and director if there was anything I needed to know before they left.... So now there's this project that is supposed to go live at the end of the month and access is needed to complete this phase. Anyway, long story short, he doesn't need access, he needs a couple of generic account types. So I have to tell the VP that is heading the project that, I have no signature authority to grant these (or any) type of accounts, especially the ones that they need for another institution, and no one else is back till next week.

Panic! Chaos! Disaster! (My work here is done.)

Episode # 20 - Flight of the Leg Room Snatchers

So I was flying back from visiting Dacia in St Louis. After a 30 minute delay we board. The tall business guys are sitting in the front row. I understand, they need a little more leg room. I pick an empty seat in the next row (it's a full flight, get what you can). Not only do they need more leg room, but they think it's a freaking Hilton or something. All of them decide that they need to put their seats all the way back and completely stretch out and sleep. Because there wasn't enough room for you already, you have to squash the person sitting behind you too. How rude! You already got the seats with the most leg room, be considerate.

Episode #19 - Can't Trust Anyone!

I was out sick for a week. When I got back to the office, I found that my DBA had attempted to upgrade software on the server, messed it up, and ended up deleting a month's worth of development code. WTF? Where were the backups?! Then my boss told me, "You'll just have to do it over again."

NICE.

Episode #18 - Let's meet to discuss how much time we waste meeting.

So I spent an hour and a half meeting with a co-worker today to figure out (for our managers) how much time it would take us to finish a couple of projects we are working on together.

Now these projects aren't necessarily large and I usually just ask my co-worker questions based on his area of expertise. When he has time, he answers. Very symbiotic relationship.

But we wasted an hour and half meeting and sending email of the minutes to determine that we're going to continue doing what we're doing because neither of us is an expert in the particular field we're working on and it's difficult to say that, "I need xxx hours of his time to finish this."

Episode #17 - Follow up on the Stealership

So Dan finally got around to working on my brakes. We had gone out and bought the pads, shoes, & rotors for less than the Stealership wanted.

The Stealership is full of SHIT. My pads were not on the verge of replacment AND my rotors were far from being "below minimum" AND they could have bee machined.

What a load of crap!

Episode #15 - Make an effort

So I was asked to take a look at a request today because it involved one of my applications.

I open the request and take a look. The category falls under my application, but the description of the problem is vague, confusing, and doesn't sound like it involves my application at all.

<sidenote>

There are many applications on campus and sometimes the users don't know all the names so it gets confusing. However, if you have any sense at all, you can usually talk to them for a few minutes and ask some specific questions and find out what it is they're using and what they're trying to do with it.

That assumes you take the time to ask the questions. But I guess some people can't be bothered by that. Even if it is there job. "Let's pass it to someone else till the user gets so frustrated that they hate and bad-mouth us all over campus."

</sidenote>

So I call the user to find out what it is she's doing so that maybe I can help fix it or (if I can't fix) direct it to the right person.

I find out that it's not my application at all that she's having a problem with. I put her on hold and see if I can find the person in our office that handles that (so she doesn't have to wait around for a phone call again). I find the person. After they speak, it turns out that the root of the problem is not something that she can fix either. So I get back on the phone with the customer to see if I can gather a little more info before sending her back into the queue.

We have this desktop streaming software that allows us to see the end user's machine (on request). So I desktop stream with her and have her duplicate what's she's doing so that I can figure out the best person for the job.

After some confusion, I finally found out what was happening.

Me: "Go ahead and log in and do what you do to duplicate the problem."

Customer: "K, I'm logged in, now I type this and I should see a list of students, and I don't"

Me: "You don't see a list of students?"

Customer: "Nope. I see XYZ, but I don't see their names."

Me: "You're not seeing John, Joe, and Susan? I do."

Customer: "No, that's the problem."

(Note: All student names are in RED on the screen.)

Some of you who know computers may have figured this out by now. If you have, you are a great candidate for customer service and listening to the user. If you haven't, here it is.

Her monitor is not display RED. Monitors use RED, GREEN, & BLUE. She can't see anything in RED. Monitor is broken. Need new monitor.

That last part of the process (her real problem) took about 10 minutes to figure out. The request did not get around to me for about an hour and a half. Almost 2 hours to diagnose a problem that could have been fixed in 10-15 minutes if someone capable person along the line (and there were a couple) had taken the time to MAKE AN EFFORT.

BTW: I fixed the problem by changing the color palate of the session in the application she was using.

Episode #14 - Dealing with a Stealer-ship

So a couple of weeks ago, I took my car in for an oil change at the dealer. The cost of them doing the oil change is less than the cost of my time to do it myself. That is where my story begins...

On the checkup sheet, the mechanic noted that my power steering was grinding. This was something that I already knew. The power steering pump on my car had been making noises for a while. Dan just never got around to fixing it for me ;). That was OK because I remembered that I had an extended warranty on the car and the power steering pump was covered. I only had to pay $50.

Before I could make the appointment to take my car back, I did notice that the power steering pump had started leaking. Odd, since for the last several months it had not. Only when I got it back after my oil change. Coincidence?

So I take my car in for the power steering pump fix. The service advisor lets me know that my brakes and rotors need replacing. They can do that for me for just $380 . I can have Dan do that for cheap ;). They also inform me that I need a power steering flush for $110. Funny, aren't you going to flush it when you replace the pump? Of course, I don't have them do the work. Just fix the pump and give me my car back.

Two days later, I pick up my car.

Over the weekend, Dan and I go and pick up the supplies for changing the brake pads and rotors (for a lot less $). We jack the car up and start to take the tires off. On the first tire, one of the lug nuts is really tight even after Dan breaks it. We try to get it off and it just gets tighter. The BASTARDS have cross threaded the lug! So, of course, in a matter of time, the bolt shears off.

Now the car is back at the Stealer-ship to have the bolt replaced. We'll see if I can continue with the brake pads and rotor work next weekend.

Episode #13 - Breakroom THIEF

I get to work today and there are a bunch of suited men using our video conference area. All of our network people are in suits too - what a change. So I walk into the breakroom and one of the manager/supervisor types is looking for a coffee cup for one of the "suits." He asks me if we have extra coffee cups. We don't, because we have no standing budget for guest coffee/cups. We all bring our own.

So I tell him to get out one of the extra cups from the cupboard and wash it for the guy (mind you, the guy is standing right there). So he gets a cup, washes it, and proceeds to fill it with coffee from the coffeemaker. Coffee that employees take turns bringing in because there is no coffee budget. This is something I do. *ahem*

Then he goes to the fridge and opens it up and starts looking around, no doubt for creamer...and I know I have my own creamer in the fridge, so I wait for the inevitable. He opens my food drawer (I get my own drawer because I am the fridge cleaner in the building) and he says, "Well, someone has creamer in here."

And I say, "It's MINE, but I guess you can use it if you need to." And he thanks me, even though he would have USED IT ANYWAY. Seriously, that is SO RUDE. I'm getting a cubicle fridge.

UPDATE: when he put the creamer back in the fridge, it was OPEN. *snarl*

Episode # 12 Flight from Chicago to Las Vegas

So, on my way back from Detroit, with a stop over in Chicago Midway. I don't have to change planes, so after the Chicago bound passengers leave, and we through customers are counted I went to the rest room. Well, not all the passengers had completely left yet. While doing my quick business, a semi-elderly woman who needed wheel chair assistance told the attendant that there was a green roller bag above, and apparently pointed at my bag across the isle and 2 rows back, even though her bag was directly over her seat. I get back to my seat, and on a hunch, I look up to make sure my bag was there. YIKES!!! Not there. I was lucky enough to get the attendant that took my bag down... She pages the elderlywoman, and calls the wheel-chair pusher on the radio... They were almost to baggage claim, and would have to go through security to get back to the plane. Well, the arrive back at the gate, and I get my bag back. All in this time, people are boarding the plane. Luckily, I closed the overhead bin where the other bag was, so there was a space for my bag.

So. my heart rate is back to normal... then we take off. Area by the front door starts becomes crazy loud. As we climb, my ears pop 3 times in 1 minute. When we get over 10,000 ft, I begin to see stars. I guess the pilot does as well, and drops to 6000 ft. SHIT, cabin won't pressurize because of some malfunction of that front door (the wooshing sound is so loud, people can't be heard even when shouting) We can't land right away since we are laden with too much fuel Fuel means weight. Weight means landing gear may collapse on landing. Instead of landing back at Midway, we fly, at 6000 ft, going 180 or so burning fuel off and land at Kansas City.

Once we land, it starts to snow.

Ugh.

Finally, after fixing the door, de-icing, we are airborn once again. . . only 2 1/2 hrs late.

Episode #11 - Why don't you just use a headset?

So I'm following a minivan this morning and the hatch on the minivan is smashed in. The license plate is held up by a piece of string and some clear tape so that it is in the general area of where it should be. (Very nice.)

I follow the minivan on to the freeway (why don't people accelerate on the on-ramp? that's for another episode). The mini van is unreasonably slow. So I try to pass. Of course, the driver is slouched over and talking on his cell phone with one hand on the wheel.

Did you ever think that this may have caused you getting rear ended in the first place? Spend the $20-$30 and just get a headset. Drive with both hands on the wheel. Save on insurance.