bad day?
Monday.
My partner at the helpdesk called in sick.
The phone rings non-stop for 5 and a half hours.
I opened over 6 pages worth of tickets, probably 80% of which I handled myself.
I ate lunch at my desk (although that was my choice, so I shouldn’t list it).
As crazy as it all sounds, I didn’t have a bad day.
Just a very busy one.
And it’s over; I’m home now. 
update 012706
Probably the busiest week I’ve ever had in IT. Of all the projects we have that go live this month, this one was the biggest. It was felt all over the organization. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s live now, and the users are learning. We’ve gotten past some of the major bugs, and hopefully, people will get used to the new system. As difficult as this week was, our director and the crew that led the command center felt it was a successful transition.
The dog was bad last night. After nearly a week of behaving, he went back to his chasing mode last night. Woke me up 3 times, and I gave it to him by way of newspaper on his way back in. I locked him in the guest room when I got home (I hate that I carry a grudge). He cried and scratched at the door. After a while, I let him out. He whimpered, almost like he was asking for my forgiveness. I kept yelling at him, and he looked dejected as he lay there. I felt so bad; I started petting him and telling him it was ok. To make him feel better, I took him for a walk (something we rarely do lately).
Buying my computer is on hold for now; not ready to fork over the $. I could easily get a desktop now, but I really want a laptop. And I can afford the models from Best Buy or Circuit City, but that would be taking the cheap and easy way to satisfy my craving. I want a good PC that will last me at least 3 years, and I will have to be patient to get exactly what I want – the Dell Inspiron 6000.
see-saw
Monday was unusually slow; today was awfully busy.
It was cold yesterday; it’s warm today. January = cold, but someone didn’t get the memo.
My knee was fine yesterday; it hurts today. My coworkers say I’m getting old.
update 012206
A lot has been happening, particularly at work. I’m still trying to keep up …
Major projects are going live in the next few weeks, starting with the biggest one on Monday. I think this one scares us all the most; it affects the entire organization, and management waited til the last minute to realize how important this system is. Now the entire place is freaking out.
We’re experiencing more change. We lost our secretary at the beginning of the month; we’ll have a new “assistant” start on Monday. Terrible timing, but we need the help. We’ve been interviewing for 2 more system administrators to assist our current one. I just found out Friday that one of our techs might be filling a slot, which would open up his position. I like what I’m doing at the helpdesk, but I prefer to be running around putting out fires. Another door might be opening for me.
MIA on tenyjr.com
audioblogs (no time)
new photos (no time)
WordPress 2.0 (no time and too new)
What I’m watching:
NFL Playoffs – I like Pittsburgh to go all the way, beating Carolina in the Super Bowl (sorry to my in-laws). Highly unlikely, but that’s what I’d like to see.
Lost – you either love it or hate it. I love it.
24 – ditto. If you haven’t watched this show, where the hell have you been the last 4 years?
American Idol – I hate this show. I’m only watching because we talk about it at work.
The Godfather Part II – I remember seeing this over 15 years ago and thinking to myself, how can this be better than the first? It was so depressing. But I watched it again yesterday, and now I know. It is still depressing, but the contrasts between Vito Corleone and his son Michael make the story so powerful. If it weren’t 4 hours long, I’d watch it again today.
I visited the Dell kiosk at our local mall Friday night. I got to see with my own eyes and touch what could potentially be mine soon. The salesman was very helpful and very honest on what is new, neat, and necessary. As soon as I got home, I customized several more laptops. I’m now down to 3 candidates:
It will most likely be the 6000, but if they can knock off some unnecessary options and up the warranty, I’ll go for the M140.
The dog is going through some phase. He gets up every other hour in the middle of the night to go out and chase something. He’s been doing this for a week now. Last night, CL tried locking him up in the guest room. He barked for a good hour or so. She let him out of the room, and he went straight to the door to be let out. After he got it out of his system, she locked him back in. This time, he started scratching at the door. We finally let him loose; he slept in our bed.
He didn’t wake us up to go out again.
lost it
ugh – i was gonna post today, but i’m no longer in the mood
update 011806
I’m just now noticing how unattractive the picture of my knees were. Just wanted to get the point across. I’m doing much better. It’s not as swollen, and there’s not much pain. I don’t have a regular doctor, though, and that’s been the issue as of late. I plan to remedy that hopefully in the next week.
Work is insane. I think I’ll leave it at that.
I think I’ll be ready to invest in a laptop late next week. Been shopping around and reading reviews on potential candidates. I’ve put a lot of thought into the features and capabilities of many laptops – Dell, Sony, Toshiba, HP, Gateway, Acer, even Apple. I always wanted a Mac, but now that I’m working in IT, I need more Windows experience, and I obviously can’t get that from Apple. I’d like to go with the Dell Inspiron 6000. It’s perfect for me to maintain my site, plus it’s powerful enough for me to handle photos, music, and movies. I hope to get a good deal with Dell; I just wish their offers would stop changing every week.
Lent is around the corner, and I think I’ll be giving up the pod this year. It’s gonna suck, but that’s the whole point. I’ll live.
A special shout-out to Amarot Mai and Sam – Happy Birthday, guys!
pain
I don’t know how I aggravated it, but my knee is killing me. It’s swollen and hurts when I either bend it or extend it. I woke up around 2 am with throbbing pain. I was able to work, but I hobbled from point A to point B. As my day ended, it hurt quite a bit. After doing the dishes, I laid on the bed with a heating pad wrapped around it. I will use some thermal pads to wrap it up in when I sleep. I guess I’ll be visiting the doctor tomorrow if it doesn’t improve.
the 13th
“Clean Off Your Desk Day”
payday
(most importantly) Friday!
other ideas for using your camera phone
Instead of taking pictures of people, places, or things, you can use your camera phone to capture shots for useful information.
43 Folders (thanks to Leo Laporte and his KFI podcast for the link)
january imix
what i’m listening to:
End Over End – Foo Fighters
Photograph – Nickelback
Lose My Breath – Destiny’s Child
Sun King – The Cult
Know The Difference – INXS
When I’m Gone – Eminem
So What’cha Want – Beastie Boys
(if you use itunes, get the mix)
holiday recap
What I hadn’t blogged about for the past week and a half …
Thursday – 12-22 – “Friday” for us at work. Opened presents when I got home. CL got a new purse, D got a portable DVD player, and I got a new watch (among other things, of course).
Friday – 12-23 – Took Salem for a long walk, then to “camp”. He hated it, as did the rest of us. Flew to CT.
Saturday – 12-24 – Drove to NJ to see Dad’s family. Had dinner at the “white house” in Franklin Lakes. Returned to CT after midnight.
Sunday – 12-25 – Went to Christmas Day mass with Mom and Dad. Had brunch; my sister and her family arrived. After they ate, we opened gifts. Jasmine had a field day with her pile of presents. Everyone was happy; needless to say, I’m well on my way to purchasing my own computer
Monday – 12-26 – Day of rest. Rainy but mild. Took CL to Mohegan Sun; she made $.25! Picked up D and went shopping.
Tuesday – 12-27 – Mom and Dad took us to breakfast, then to the airport. D got sick after the first flight; he slept on our connecting flight from Charlotte. Arrived home around 6:30 pm. Got sick that night.
Skip to Saturday – 12-31 – Got sick again that morning. Went to Applebee’s for dinner (didn’t finish mine, but did ok). We played games and watched War of the Worlds; good movie, yet weird and confusing. Celebrated the New Year, then went to bed (uneventful).
Hope everyone had a nice holiday
Christmas 2005
Pics taken at home and in CT and NJ.
A mix of shots taken by me, CL, Mom, and Dad.
Posted on Flickr.
Click on the pic to see them.
