Tag: work

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BiteFighter

It still surprises me how little I notice the long drive to and from work. The only thing I notice is how much less time I have at home, which still isn’t good. It just makes my days feel so much shorter. Once I got there, I spent all day in group policies again. I think I found the source of some slow profile loading, so hopefully everyone notices that immediately.

The guys wanted to go to The Purple Cow for national cheeseburger day. I had Rally’s yesterday, but I wasn’t opposed. The Purple Cow wouldn’t have been my first choice, but the food was good and our server was even better.

I left for home a little bit late and passed Eric and Carlie on the interstate as I got closer to home. I wasn’t sure if it was them, so I called and talked to him on the phone for a little bit until we each got to our exits. Carlie sent me pictures of some turtles from their pond, which may or may not be related to the one we released there a couple years ago.

I stopped at the old house for a few things and then made it home. Summer wasn’t feeling well and sat in the sunroom all evening. I went out with the dogs and found they had torn up the water hose some more, and one of them carried a bottle of Tiki torch fuel out into the yard. The lid was chewed off, so I was worried one of them had ingested some, but they acted alright. Then as we hit the road on the Onewheel, it was evident that Stilgar didn’t have his usual energy.

We walked slowly the entire way to my parents’ house and I made sure he got some water. Then we made it home slightly faster, but he still wasn’t acting right. Muad’Dib was fine, but I gave Stilgar two cups of food to try and give him something in his belly. I came back in to eat some leftovers myself and then went back out to find he had thrown up both cups in two different places in the yard.

I gave him a bit more food and spent some time on the porch with him. He seemed to perk up a little bit, but I won’t know until the morning how he’s really faring.

Bored dogs get into things.

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No Rushing

I timed my trip to work this morning just about perfect, but I watched as someone else careened across four lanes of traffic and almost spun out over-correcting for his arrival in the left lane. I can’t imagine being in that much of a rush to get to work. I like my job, but I wonder what it’s like to love your job that much.

Someone said something about an ice machine, so I found it in the breakroom today. Evidently it was broken though, and full of water that wouldn’t drain. I was never clear on whether anyone contacted help for repair, but I was unsuccessful in my attempts. Otherwise it was another chill day, mostly in the office by myself. I dug around in group policies quite a bit, and started sorting things out for a big cleanup effort.

Nobody said anything about lunch, so I ended up just going to Rally’s to pick up something. They were incredibly slow for the three or four cars ahead of me, but as soon as I got to the window, I paid and was handed my bag of food immediately. It was still fresh when I got back to the office, but the burger looked like I had gone through the passenger-side of the drive-through and they threw it across the car at me. I gave up trying to be clean, and just went to wash up after I finished.

I considered leaving a little early since I didn’t actually take much of a break, but I still ended up leaving late. I thought I might intercept Summer in Conway for dinner, but she declined, so I decided to stop by Long John Silver’s for dinner by myself. After that, I went by Bargain Hunt to peruse for snacks before swinging by Splash to catch Summer for a moment. Then I continued home, stopping one last time to wash the bugs off of the car.

The dogs didn’t get a walk yesterday, so I changed and immediately took them out. They ran the entire way to my parents’ house, only briefly stopping a couple of times. On the way back, Stilgar tried picking up a dead squirrel that I hadn’t noticed on the way out, so I wondered if it was fresh. I kicked it out of his mouth and we continued home for some processed food instead.

Summer got home just after I did. Eaddie wasn’t terribly far behind her. I had Eaddie go out to check the mail, and she came back with an orange cat. I told her there was no way someone mailed that to us, but it kept rubbing its face all over the front door, trying to get in. She played with it for a while, and I tried to wrap up my own evening and get to bed. I’m still struggling getting to sleep, but I don’t know what other time I could possibly accomplish anything I need to do.

Act rich.

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Capitol Idea

I ran a little bit late this morning, made up some time in the rain, but then ended up losing that time when I accidentally took the wrong exit and had to drive down the side road to the office. I had actually passed Randy just before that, so he had a laugh when I finally got in.

The environment out there is just so incredibly relaxed. I made some coffee and poked around in SCCM a bit for the guys. There is so much to clean up and fix, and I’d be more excited to do it all if I wasn’t so tired from the long days.

For some reason, I was invited to a conference call with the Fortinet guys to hear their sales pitch for FortiVoice to replace our existing telephone setup. After that, Randy took me to the annex, and then we piled into Jimmy’s truck with Javier to go to Cotham’s for lunch. I got the hubcap burger, which was incredible. I didn’t love the fries though.

The afternoon was super quiet. Javier hung out in the office for a while trying to image a desktop, and it ended up being a problem with his flash drive. I really don’t know why they’re not imaging over the network anyway, but if I had to guess, it’s probably broken.

Diana called briefly to discuss our lunch date tomorrow. She was worried about her dietary restrictions and upcoming travel, so I told her I would chat with Summer and follow up with her in the evening. We left work a little early, but then I hit traffic in the middle of Little Rock, and it took me an extra half hour or more to get through it all. There were cops everywhere too, which may have been the cause of the stop-and-go line of cars. I ended up getting off the interstate early to go by the old house. The fish tank filter was having a fit, and hopefully I wasn’t too late to prevent permanent damage from it drying out. It’s still working for now.

Eaddie had a football game late, but Summer got home in time to go to the first home game to see Eaddie’s halftime show. I was going to take the dogs for a run to Ridgewood Brothers to see if their food was gluten-free, but turned around after a few blocks because the dogs went crazy sniffing stuff as we got further out of our usual area.

Summer went to the game, and I drove to the restaurant where I found Grant just as they were closing down. They had a big list of gluten-free stuff, so lunch tomorrow should be great. I headed back home and did some laundry, and then crashed after a long week of driving.

Not crashed driving.

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Review Bomb

I’ve gotten progressively less sleep throughout the week, but work has still been good. There was a lot more traffic and some rain today, but the drive was still straightforward and easy. I still wouldn’t want to do it without Autopilot though. I was a little bit more active today, and had a meeting with a vendor about our badge photo sync. Then for some reason, Randy wanted me to ride along with him to the admin office, where I didn’t really do anything for him. I met a few more people and looked at a timeclock that he couldn’t actually fix, but at least now I know it’s there.

From there, we went to a place by the office called BJ’s Market Cafe for lunch and met up with Maggie, Jim, and Jay. It was an odd place in what looked to be a very shady alleyway that was littered with potholes and standing water. Inside, it reminded me of Old South. It was packed with old people eating old white people food. They were all bragging about the beef tips with rice. I found it to be fairly bland, but the cornbread was good.

Sometime after lunch, Julie asked about my resume, and then I got a call from a local guy that may or may not be looking to actually hire somebody to do something that was never really made very clear to me. He just kept saying he liked to work with cool people, but all I really learned was that my sister doesn’t have a clue what I do. It’s not her fault, because I hardly know how to explain it.

Near the end of the day, Johnny called to check in and also said he enlisted the help of DIS for his SCCM project. We talked for a little while, and then it was time to go home.

Summer invited my parents over for dinner, but she didn’t give me any clues as to what she was cooking. I made it through unusually heavy traffic, then started a load of laundry as soon as I got in the door. From there, I started encountering aggravation after aggravation that made for a quiet night. I continued with laundry and took the dogs out for a short walk in the sprinkling rain.

Evidently I was temporarily suspended from Amazon Vine because I didn’t have enough reviews up, so I submitted several of those. Then I finished my last load of laundry for the night and went to bed.

Stop doing things.

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Roll With the Lunches

This morning was my roughest start, but I’d still had worse. Somehow I got out of the house with my undershirt on backwards, but I fixed that before I got into the car. I got to work a little bit late since I wasn’t sure anyone would be there to let me in, and traffic was heavier, but not really any worse or slower than when I’ve started earlier. I still got there in the same amount of time, or possibly even faster because all of the traffic was speeding.

I brought some speakers from home and got them set up for music, and then I got into the SCCM server. I have been constantly surprised by the lack of best practices, and I messaged Gary to tell him how good of a job he had done back in Russellville. I made a couple imaging drives for the techs, and it kind of astounded me how little any of them knew. At least they’re good-natured.

I was alone for most of the morning because Maggie came in way later than she told me she would be. Eventually people showed up, and then several of us met at Jacob’s Wings for lunch. The “boneless wings” were really just chopped up chicken strips with sauce, but they were tasty, and I actually liked that they had less breading. Jay showed up to lunch late with a new Kia that looked pretty slick. Then everyone headed back out and I wrapped up the afternoon in relative peace. It was basically a fraction of what I had been doing at Two Rivers, except most everything was still functional, and I had a team of people doing what Kim should have been doing so I could stay focused.

The drive home was fine with more of the Waveform podcast. Dad had offered spring rolls earlier, but Summer had to cook the food she bought for dinner on Monday for Eaddie, because she would be out late for school stuff the rest of the week. I got home and immediately headed out to return an Amazon purchase to The UPS Store, and then picked up some laundry detergent from Walgreens. Then I took the dogs for a quick walk through the neighborhood while my parents ran to the grocery store.

I dropped the dogs off back at home and then rode back to my parents’ house to eat. It got dark early, so I didn’t get to stay long. The girls were in bed when I got home, so I had to clean up the grill and put everything back in place on the deck. I spent a little more time with the dogs, and then came in to wrap up before bed.

Keys like butter.

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Screen Time

I got started a little later today, but was still the first person on site. I had a Soylent on the drive, for the first time in a long time, and I felt pretty good drinking that and listening to a podcast for the hour-plus drive. Jay came in and got me into the office, and we chatted a little bit. Then several of the other techs came into the shop to chat, and gave each other plenty of crap. It made me feel good about the environment being generally friendly and even a little lackadaisical.

Maggie and I went to “the annex” to gather some things from their old office area, including a bunch of large monitors for me. I let her drive back, and she enjoyed the experience. I spent the rest of the morning getting three giant monitors set up on a docking station for my little laptop.

Summer came by for lunch and we went to Red Lobster, which was a new experience I’d always dreamed about. She was having a rough day after her staff meeting, so we got her full of shrimp and I sent her home to walk the dogs in the fresh air. The rest of my afternoon was quiet until Kyle got back to the office and I chatted with him a little bit just to get to know him. Randy eventually came back from his admin meeting that lasted all day, and eventually everyone disappeared. I definitely get the feeling that I’m being given the autonomy I need to be happy and successful, so I’m excited to get to work.

The drive home was quiet, but I was frustrated that the native YouTube Music app in the car wasn’t working to play podcasts. I’ve been having to use my phone over Bluetooth to play anything but music. The drive actually goes by fairly quickly, so it’s just the work day that generally feels long. Robotaxi would make the commute awesome so I could actually do other things while the car drives me.

I made Summer walk the dogs again with me when I got home. I put Stilgar on the prong collar to try and keep him from pulling, and it seemed to work. He didn’t really fuss about it at all, but I think I need to use a less stretchy leash to really have an impact on him. After we walked the cul-de-sac, I took them for a run to my parents’ house on the Onewheel. We didn’t go any farther than that, and I got home to try and settle in early. I’m eager to see what tomorrow will bring.

Probably just more work.

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Working Boy

I was surprised at how easily I got out of bed this morning. It wasn’t great, but I didn’t feel awful. It was pitch black outside, and Summer was dead asleep, so I loaded everything up and headed out of town. I stopped at McDonald’s in Morrilton for some breakfast since I was about 20 minutes early. The sun didn’t come up until I was nearly to Little Rock. In spite of what Randy said, there was no one at the office when I got there. I was the first car on the lot, by several minutes. He finally showed up closer to seven, and I walked in with him.

Things went pretty slowly for me all day. Randy drove me around, first to the middle school to check out why the wireless was down. They ended up leaving me in the library for a really long time, so I just paced back and forth, looking out the giant picture window at the courtyard where kids walked around the turf for “PE.”

Next, we went to the administration building and got my paperwork finished before helping with a couple things. I felt good about being able to provide accurate assistance as Randy struggled with a shared inbox. Then we waited around until a school board finance meeting. There was also a new tech that stopped in, and Randy showed both of us how to run the cameras for the board meetings. Then it was just the two of us sitting in while they met over lunch. They did at least feed us a boxed lunch from Corky’s. It wasn’t the worst barbecue I’d had in my life, but they made a solid run at it.

After the meeting, we finally headed back to the office and I basically just relaxed while Randy and Maggie worked on some things. They scheduled me for the Arkansas Conference of Technology, which had me excited until I realized they wouldn’t be paying for my hotel. It was expected to get a hotel when I worked farther away from the conference, but now I have a daily commute to the city, so a hotel isn’t justified.

The drive home was in way heavier traffic, but at least it was uneventful. I got home and fried some tater tots so Summer and I could finish up the last of the burgers, and then I took the dogs out for a run. They did pretty well, but Stilgar needs to be leash trained badly. He’s too strong and too heavy to be yanking us around at every perceived critter we encounter. We stopped to see my parents briefly, and then continued around the neighborhood on a different path than usual until we got home.

Eaddie didn’t get home until late, and then came to talk to me about her Imagine Dragons concert the night before. Her father got them tickets near the front, but when ushers couldn’t find their proper seats, they were given pit passes, so they had a great time. Of course Summer was long in bed, so I was just happy to wind down before my previous bedtime, before I had to wake up two hours earlier.

PLAYBACK ERROR

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Working Girl

I got up early with Summer this morning so I might be able to go to bed early tonight. Even Eaddie got up pretty early because she had to record a session at Tech. I cleaned up some leftovers by making steak and eggs for Summer and myself, and then she went to work to help replace a starter in Trent’s car. I cleaned up the kitchen, washed dishes, and started some laundry before she got home.

I kept busy as the day flew by. Eaddie got home and then left to go to an Imagine Dragons concert with her father. Summer got home, but didn’t have long before she had to go to Greenbrier to train the staff there on how to properly clean the wash. Mom started making shrimp noodle soup early so Summer could come eat before she left town.

I took my Onewheel with us so Summer could leave straight for work, and then after I ate, I rode home to take the dogs out on a run. They were pulling pretty hard, and Stilgar is heavy and strong enough that it’s a real problem on the Onewheel. I got a prong collar in from Amazon Vine today, but I’ll need some walking time with him alone to properly train him.

We rode nearly four and a half miles, stopping briefly at my parents’ house for a drink. I should have brought their water bottle too, because Stilgar was super thirsty when we finally made it home. Overall they did fairly well even when we encountered other people with dogs, but they’re just too strong for me to pull away from a distraction when I’m on the Onewheel.

Once we got home, I fed them and took a late shower. Then I packed up a few last-minute things for the new commute starting tomorrow. Who knows what new adventures await. At least they pay better.

But that drive, though.

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No, but Yes

I was a little on edge this morning as I waited for a call from Moodle. I woke up early and Summer was around for a little while before work, and then I made some coffee and cleaned up a little bit while I waited. I eventually got a text, and about ten minutes later a call in the early afternoon, and she apologized for the missed communication. They filled the position, but would have a different one open at the start of next year if I would be available. This worked out pretty beautifully, since Randy would later confirm my employment in North Little Rock.

I took a breather as the afternoon flew by, and then Summer came to get me so we could go look at a house across town. That ended up being a pretty neat experience. The house was small, but super cute, and seemed to be well maintained. As we ended our visit, Alisha spotted the owner in the driveway next door, so she walked over to ask a question we had about the property line. Another guy drove up to look at the house unannounced, so the homeowner went to talk with him, and then came over to talk to us. She ended up taking us back inside to tell us the rich story about her life and the home.

Her father built the house for her mother in 1961 or ’62, and she knew the history of all the surrounding farmland before it was developed. She had all kinds of improvements made and maintenance done, and the house really did appear loved. I was a little concerned about the number of cameras outside, but it made sense for her situation. The lot seemed to be fairly sized, which was difficult to discern from the maps I found online. Summer was nervous about taking on additional debt, but we’ve been doing so well, and I may have an opportunity for immediate income.

We finally left and stopped by the old house before going home. She thought she had a Tech event for work, but ended up back home because she had the dates wrong or something. I took the dogs out for a run, but then wiped out going pretty fast just a few houses down the road. I don’t know how I didn’t take more damage, because I tumbled over backwards and lost my phone out of my pocket. I must have rolled just right to take the inertia out of the fall. I took the dogs back home since Summer was still in the driveway, and then the neighbor rode over on her little recumbent trike. I shook off a bit while we talked, and ended up continuing my ride with the dogs to my parents’ house.

I visited with them for a little while and then ended up just going straight back home. The dogs had been pulling kind of hard all night, and I was still feeling shaky on my board. I got them fed, and then I came inside to watch the recorded Linkin Park streaming event. I’ve never had a more emotional connection with a band, and I don’t entirely know why. Maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe it’s power in the vocals, but I was weepy the entire show, even with their new singer that made me feel a little iffy about them.

I got hungry late and ate some leftover pizza and fried mushrooms. Eaddie got home from her away game and went to her room to study and sleep. I thought I’d get to bed early, but I missed. I won’t be able to keep that up if I’m going to make it to Little Rock by seven o’clock in the morning for five days a week.

Get some cheddar for now, and worry about the rest later.

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Mystery Pasta

Johnny woke me up again this morning for more help with his server project. He was having trouble getting storage drivers working so he could install Windows Server, but he eventually got it going by manually trying several different ones by trial and error. I got around to some leftover Pasta Grill and finished my spaghetti, but left my lasagna for later in the day.

Randy has been great about my multiple interviews and other potential opportunities, so I wanted to reach back out to Moodle before the school board meeting. I assumed they had a lot of candidates to process, and I figured there was no way they would just ghost me at this stage, but I was feeling a little discouraged that I hadn’t heard anything at all since my skills test. I got a response pretty quickly, but I’ll have to wait for a call tomorrow morning to see if I’m actually moving forward. I just don’t want to leave Randy hanging since he’s ready for me to work if I don’t get a better offer.

I put on some tunes, had a nice shower, and then got to cleaning up around the house. I cleaned up all the dog stuff we’ve been accumulating and put it into a rolling rack that’s just been sitting in the corner. The dining room table had gotten a little wild, so I put a bunch of random stuff away, and did some more organizing. I’ve got to get the hard floors clear of clutter and mopped up in preparation for the new Roborock.

Summer came home early, but not as early as she thought she would. I thought we might do something together in the afternoon, but she had a headache and just took a bath and laid on the couch, so I took the dogs out for a run. They weren’t as good as yesterday, but we still had a good time. We got to visit my parents, did a couple extra laps around the new subdivision, took a break in the basin, and finally headed back home.

I worked up a little bit of an appetite, so I warmed up a burger for dinner, then put Summer to bed early. Eaddie came home late again and asked if we could leave the house on Friday so she could “lock in” her flute recording. I wrapped up a bit early myself, and made it to bed before midnight.

No sense worrying about making the wrong choice before it’s even presented.