ODDREE.COM

Server Outtage

Please allow me to explain why the Gloop server has been inaccessible lately. It seems that my employer and their team of esteemed accountants simply forgot to pay the electric bill for the small facility that currently hosts my server. Seeing that the power bill was months overdue, our local electric company simply pulled the plug. I'm not sure when the facility will again regain it's power. But when it does, I believe that the server will immediately come back online. I guess there are some good qualities to AT power supplies (you real geeks know what I mean).

A Long Week In The Making

Boy, it sure has been a busy week! I suppose any week that I teach a class, and work Best Buy at nights makes for a 'long week'. This week at the training center I was teaching 2273a which is a Windows Server 2003 course. The course is a bit rocky to deliver because it's actually two seperate courses that were smacked together. One was a five day course, and the other a three day. It's a tad tough to get through the 'good stuff', but at the same time it allows the instructor to slice and dice material like there is no tomorrow.

Meanwhile, halfway through the week I got my two Microsoft "Welcome Kits". One for my MCSE, and one for my MCT. Yay for me. I have TWO new lapel pins to wear. Oh, happy day. I can use them as money clips and pin the two dollars I have together with them.

Mindless Rant #102

So I was strolling into work the other day at about 8:40 and I got grabbed by the owner of the company. He found it in his heart to remind me that the work day starts at 8:00AM. It seems he had come lurking around the training center again in another stab at micro-management. It seems he had some genuine concern. "Is there something going on that we should be aware of?". At that moment, it was like a bomb went off inside of me. "Well, I have been sick all week and teaching anyway. I also have two dead cars ...", but it seemed that was enough information for him. He really didn't need me to continue. What's this? I thought you were concerned. You want to know why I'm late? I'LL TELL YOU!

So then, he goes on to tell me that he would like to meet with me and the two other instructors that came from my previous employer before the buyout ... I mean MERGER. Of course, I was teaching all day so he asked that we do it over the lunch hour. "Will that work for you?", he asked. "Not really", I replied, "I need to get to the bank and move some money around, or I will be bouncing checks". Hey, if he was really concerned, I will tell him about all of my problems in life. But again, I get the feeling he really wasn't interested.

And so, I agreed to meet for a few minutes so that I could still get out and get my errands run over lunch. When I got to this meeting, the owner wasn't there. In his place was his right hand man (we could call him a henchman) who was getting things started. I hate that guy. He likes to make really retarted 'points' which usually involve stories that don't really go anywhere. He also sometimes writes down a few words while you are talking to him, and then he reads them back to you with explanations that could only be described as an SNL sketch gone wrong.

Eventually the owner showed up to ask us "what we think could be done differently". We have to wonder about the timing of this meeting. Just yesterday we (the instructors and a few others) had held a meeting that did *not* involve any member of management (including our 'manager'). The topic was "how do improve this training center, since management is failing to do so". So here we are speaking with the owner about "how things should run" when we just held this discussion withouth him one day prior. Everyone seems to agree that the real problem with the company is that our manager doesn't really 'manage' anything.

The owner goes on to tell us that 'leadership is with the individual' and that managers aren't necessarily 'leaders'. The whole point made absolutely no fucking sense. If you don't move people in the right direction, and improve business strategy, you are not a fucking manager. Fucking duh. Call our boss something else, and give her a pay cut. We also argued that because our manager lacks technical skill, she is unable to understand issues that arise. He disagreed. So whatever.

Meanwhile the henchman was busy writing down his 'thought words' and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here's what we need to do", he says, "do you know what this is?". He passes a sheet of paper onto the table which reads, "TO DO". Oh, that's brilliant. We need to make a "to do" list for our manager. Why didn't I think of that. If we tell our manager what to do, she will actually be a great leader! Here's a better idea though. How about we just do it ourselves, and you can give her salary to us? How many managers need a fucking "to do" list? That's pretty insulting.

Anyhow, the instructors gave up on management a long time ago. We have decided that we will just have to take this training business into our own hands while there is still some business left. At this next so called "training meeting" the managers may notice a sudden shift in power.

Now, I really must get moving. I want to exchange the battery in my Bug today before I have to head to my second job. I ended up calling off this morning, and asking another instructor to cover my last day of class. I hate when people do that shit to me, but ... I couldn't get off of the toilet. They seems to understand. And hell, I did teach all four days with a cold. Now that my digestive track seems to be back in order, I can buckle up for a nice long shift at Best Buy (now with extended holiday hours).