Snot not Snow

[susandennis]

After reading all my LJ friends entries this morning, I feel like I should grab a shovel and help out but I have a cold and feel like crap so I'm going to sit this one out. It is very strange to be here in very unseasonably warm weather and hear and see and read all about the Great Blizzard of 2005.

I am so so so happy to see androkles and currawong back online! It seems like they have been gone since forever and I have to admit that I was a little afraid that they would discover that they actually could live very well without LJ. Not only are they back but we got Henri, the King Parrot in the bargain!

I am in my new cube. It's quite spacious and very functional. I always have a hard time getting the height adjusted on the chair/desk/keyboard and monitor. That's just too many adjustments for me to coordinate. I know I have at least a couple of them wrong as I type this, but I'm not sure which ones. At least I inherited a lovely footstool that is on casters! I like.

Everything was in my cube and ready when I got here this morning. The first thing I checked as to make sure the light was on in the network tap. It was. I powered everything up. No network. Why? Why oh why can they never get the network connected? I tracked the cord to the hub - all appropriate lights were lit up. I called Help Desk. I got a woman who had a very very thick accent. I tried so very hard to understand her. She had a great fear of deviating from her script. I knew I was in trouble when - after telling her no less than 8 times that I had no network access - she asked for permission to look at my desktop via NetMeeting.

"I'm happy for you to look at my desktop but I'm a bit puzzled about how you are going to do that when I have NO network access."

"Oh, yes, that would be a problem."

She said she would send out a technician. I had meant to bring the mini today just in case I hit this problem and in my mucus encased state I forgot. I was not going to sit here with no network access for the 2-4 hours it would take a technician to get here.

So down on all fours in the dark trying to figure out why in the world someone would - with one single computer at the station - use a hub for starters. Then I discovered that there were two holes marked Data in the wall. I unplugged from the hub and plugged into the one that was not being used and bingo. I got network.

They do this just to fuck with me. I must learn to remember that.

My Mom was trying to print something out on her computer yesterday. She first sent me mail that sounded like a paper jam. I can't fix that. But then her next note talked about hieroglyphics so I send a note suggesting she reboot. About an hour later - way past her bedtime, the phone rang. She said that she rebooted but the computer wouldn't come back. I quickly VPN'd in and saw that she was very much up and operational...

"Could you have turned off the monitor?"

"I don't know, I did rebooted a different way."

"Ok, well, do you see something on the frame of the screen there right in front of you that says Power?"

"Oh yeah, I've punched that a bunch of times, it doesn't do anything."

"Ok, well, can you humor me and just punch it one more time - just once and then move your hand away from the botton and wait."

"Ok. Wait! This time it worked!! I can see my desktop!!"

Night Mom.

My new cube is now twice as far away from the coffee as my office was. I drink enough coffee that I think we can classify the trips as my new workout routine. On the plus side, the bathroom is much closer.

Comments

[katbyte.livejournal.com]

I too, am happy to have Androkles back along with the King Parrot that I have never heard of. I googled it and found out where it is from, etc.

You really got me thinking about what I would have done to help my mom and a computer. Your mom is a wonder. My mother was very artistic, a elementary school teacher and wonderful, but I don't think she would have grasped computers as well as your mom.

I hope you feel better soon. Head cold=10 days of misery. No matter what.

[susandennis]

Yep. My mom is the antithesis of an artistic elementary school teacher! She was just born too soon to get all of the computer DNA she needs.

And thanks about the 10 days. I was trying to remember this morning if it was 10 days for a cold or 2 weeks. Now I feel like I've been given a parole! I'm still hoping this one is mild. It feels better to be at work and distracted than home and focused on what hurts!

[machupicchu.livejournal.com]

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It is very strange to be here in very unseasonably warm weather and hear and see and read all about the Great Blizzard of 2005.

Those bastards are hording so much of the winter weather they're taking cold air away from us! They need to stop being so selfish and give it back, that's what I think.

60 degrees in January is not right. Not right at all.
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[susandennis]

Very very very not right.

[seattlejo.livejournal.com]

Can I ask what building you are in? My soon to be ex just got moved to a new builing.