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The one thing at work that I don't like is when people don't tell me about a problem until the system is well and truly broke.
Why? It means that I have to do the layers of the onion. Keep working through issues until I get to the final item that is breaking all.

Oh, so it's not just me and my support specialist? I thought people hated us or something. I can't tell you how many times he or I have gone to a branch to do a job (say, install a new PC) only to find half a dozen problems that no one bothered to tell us about which mean, of course, that a half day road trip suddenly becomes a full day one. Or, worse, we have heard about a problem when someone complained to senior management before bothering to actually report it to us.
 
Yes, my best one was being escalated to because the "response time for an application running in europe and asia was measured in minutes".
It had gone up to a vp and back down to me.

What was it?\
Latency of 1200ms from a specific business area (small set of desks) in Sahabibad, India. Those who are tech's will understand that even Citrix won't work well over 800ms.
Why?
Someone had decided to spin up a new office area and put in a cheap daisy-chain router.

On the plus side, made a lot of friends as I chased down the various presentations of the problem, gave people sripts to capture each element of their end-user experience, and.....resolved them one by one, until I finally figured out that the help desk agent at the location was misguiding us. Figured out what the cause was when I pushed through his his belligerent / non-compliant attitude and had the business users run the tests for me.

sigh.
 
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Mandella - Pinga - it's all Greek to me. But I think I got the message. If you are having computer problems, call in an expert. Don't wait and expect it to fix itself.

Meanwhile, I'm stewing up some rhubarb. Make some fresh toast (I don't like it made ahead) and sit and 'dip' a corner of the toast into the sauce. Relax. Let your frustrations fade away. This is the beginning of a whole new week. First week out of school.
 
aaah, seeler, I don't talk tech talk much here. It is good to call an expert when something is happening, do a check-in before it is a panic. Then it can be treated.

Then again, that is the same with health issues. Dont' wait until something is stage 4 before checking out that nagging pain.
 
Pinga - I hope you didn't take my remark as disparaging.
As a kid travelling to town on the train I used to love to listen to the people who got on in Edmundston or Riviere Vert talking French. It was all Greek to me then too, but I was quite fascinated by how they seemed to animated as they talked so fast and waved their hands expressively.
Many years later, I was renting out rooms to university students; one of the boys' mothers was visiting. We asked him about a project he was working on. And he began explaining - all about chemistry. He was enthused, excited about what he was doing. At one point his mother looked at me and made a questioning gesture. 'It's all Greek to me,' I told her. We were both disappointed when he stopped explaining. But even though he had lost us after his first sentence, we were enjoying listening as he spoke with such passion about something he enjoyed.
Just because I don't understand, at least not well enough to explain it to someone else, doesn't mean I don't enjoy listening when someone speaks about their work or hobby or passion.
 
Ugh, bad start to the week. I am not getting the hang of this IV thing, but I did good with a lot of pokes and a lot of manipulation as least.
 
Happy Monday all!

It is a cool day, but the sun is brightly shining. Spent the morning doing some church work and personal errands in town. Going to spend the afternoon working in flower garden. I'm getting pretty excited about son and girlfriend's upcoming visit on the weekend.

I like to get my son to explain things to me I don't understand (computers, technology, whatever), he has a way of doing it that makes sense to me, and he doesn't make me feel silly about not understanding something.

Hope today and this week is better chemgal.

Seeler - your avatar looks cool. Can't see the photo really clearly, but it looks like an older snapshot.

We are winding into the end of June . . . once again, I ask "where has the time gone?" Slow down, summer, slow down!

May this week hold little snipits of warmth in your heart, an awareness of goodness surrounding you, and keep you healthy in mind and spirit.
 
I always liked Heart, but havent' seen them.
Chemgal, I hope this process gets easy soon. Sorry to hear it is still a struggle.

I'm on staycation this week, and darn it all, the weather is downright chilly right now. I'm actually in slippers and a sweater. Bummer. And I've only done 1 1/2 hrs of work!! But Camp is coming, and it needs to be ready. At least I'm on my sofa, not in my office.

Beloved - you're right about teens getting jobs: "sometimes it takes perseverance and innovation and searching" If only they were using perseverence and innovation and searching!! If only!! Waiting to hear on 2 interviews between 2 kids. tick tock tick tock....
 
I'm actually really mad about one aspect of the appointment. There are not enough tables. This is not the first time I missed having one. I actually have a fair bit of stuff to do - 4 vials that need to be cleaned and mixed, the syringe, the tubing to the syringe, etc. There is a theatre style table thing on every patient chair, but it is small and isn't as low as the tables.

The table that normally would be in my location was in use for someone else. What for? To hold their stupid chart and a small timer. They also had an IV pole for their med that had a little storage space, IV already going.

I had a nurse in training, and all of the teaching nurses come from a different area. Today, I was the only one doing the IV on myself, most people just get to come in and have a nurse do it all. If I've been stuck with a tiny table, doing the IV on myself, when I also have to mix drugs, I'm sure experienced nurses can do it when they have less stuff to deal with. I also have a chart for the location and my own log book that needs to be filled out. You know where that usually goes until I'm finished? The clinic chart on top of the computer and mine on the floor.

Next time this happens I am throwing a fit. I will start off nice, but as I already find this to be a bit emotionally difficult I can easily escalate that. My nurse seemed quite pissed off, but I think she just isn't as comfortable being new and it not being her official area.
 
Lots going on in the room, hard to catch up on everyone, so I will just do a bit of dusting and tidying and put out some fruit.

It's a cold rainy evening here, torrential rainstorm blocked plans to go out in the canoe with oldestson tonight. It may have matched your feelings / mood, ChemGal which I totally understand. What you are facing is tough, I can't imagine.

The weather also is not great for your vacation. I am departing Southern Ontario in 3 short days, but, I sense I am headed into rain for at least part of where i am going, so layers and remembering that a day of vacation even if raining is better than a day of sun when working.

seeler, i am unclear which one is you. i'm likely tired. help?
 
I know, I know ... it's June - but chilly and damp - so I'm going to through a few logs on the wonderhearth ... nothing like the crackle of nice dry wood to make us feel cozy! And I'll have a bit of the stewed rhubarb please! It's my favourite - always makes me think of my grandma!

Exciting to be packing pinga! Hoping your journey brings your many memorable moments - and that your knee is continuing to heal well! Knees are important to canoe trippers!!
 
feeling rather overwhelmed this rainy Tues. morning.
Spent yesterday helping at a high school-supervising 1 exam and answering the phones and doing my work on the secretaries computer. (We have profiles that follow us anywhere in the District-so at any computer I can pull up all my files) and I tracked down the grad gowns
This strike action by the teachers has broader implications than most realize

Take the grad gowns-shipped from Winnipeg to Purolator in Penticton. Grad is in nearby community. All confirmations went to secretaries e-mail. As CUPE staff-she is not at work nor accessing her work e-mail. So I had company resend e-mails to principal. Purolator wouldn't deliver gowns to school as they don't cross picket lines.
Prinicpal and vice principals were busy transporting folding chairs on utility trailer over to arena for grad. Our usual staff for this (Cupe) are not crossing picket lines. But their trucks-with electric loading platforms are also not availalbe.
Many text books and library books are not returned-and will be needed in the fall. Some schools are having Vice principals call families. The school I was at did not have lists to call families. These are kept by the teachers-who are not to provide written communication to Administration. C'mon government-settle this job action already!
 
I am generally a union supporter, but sometimes the people hurt by strike action are not the employers (in this case the Dept. of Education, I would think) but the ones who are missing out on the services they are entitled to (the students). Graduation is a big thing for young people - sometimes the highlight of their life. I hate to see it compromised by something they have no control over.

There was a teachers' strike in this province the year Seelergirl finished junior-high. Her prom was cancelled. Not only was she heart-broken at the time, but I think this missed opportunity carried over into her social skills in high-school and beyond.

Sorry about your problems with the gowns Tabitha. I'm sure you are doing your best for the students.
 
a wc tradition continues...ah yes, right where i left it...the WC Ikea Galumf ottoman with attached lingonberry spigot

ah yes, graduation...if i hadn't had had it, i would've turned into an evil ne'er do well and lived a life of mugging chickens and terrapins

bless the teachers for striking so close to the end of the school year
also bless teachers period -- they've got a very important duty
 
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aaah, tabitha, that sucks, and not how you want to be spending your time, I bet.
Nothing to say, other than it would drive me crazy as well.


I am feeling thankful today , but, also just a lot of stuff going on.
Pouring rain with thunderstorm warning blocked some of my plans for this week. Not supposed to be out when T-storms are in the area. drag.
Monday our system took a heavy outage due to someone else's action. Couldn't figure out why we weren't being escalated, until I found out how many apps were unavailable.
I am thankful to my uber-techs (I used to be part of the same team), who identified issue and had our app up and running from first reported issue to resolved/communicated in under an hour. There are some teams still working on resolution 24 hrs later. (ouch).
I am aware that some of those other teams is impacting our team as we rely on them, and so, our team can't resolve issues (frustrating as they are tense anyhow as I will be gone for .5 weeks).
Thankful for a team that will figure out it out, that will work together, and do their best. That will be focussed on our customers (internal) and their role, and what ever they do, will always do me proud.

I am thankful for having funds to be able to go on holida.
I am frustrated by technology. I did something to my Surface when travelling the other week and have not been able to recover. I did all the appropriate troubleshooting, adn resolution, but, to no avail. I ended up calling support. They couldn't resolve. I have now spent all of tonight on the phone with support, as they tried to do exactly what I had done a few times.....and finally agreed that the machine is toast. Painful to go through scripts, but i know enough about tyical calls to know why they are required. Waste of an evening though.

I am thankful for two young women who wish to travel on the youth program. I interviewed them today and they were such fine examples of our gifted youth. I was concerned about the one, but when meeting her she was mature beyond her years. As i discovered later, she had been trialed by fire of the kind that matures youth early. I am thankful to get the opportunity to meet these youth.

I am thankful for my family that have double checked things, saying, did you remember ____, did you get ______, do you need _____ for my trip to BC.

I am thankful for this room. for the folks who come here, for the laughter, and good community.
 
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