Print Story A Day in the Life
Working life
By ReallyEvilCanine (Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:10:14 AM EST) A Day in the Life, WTF, Microsoft, LOL What?, pie (all tags)
N.A.V.Y.

When I joined the Navy many moons ago, I quickly learned that the name of the service was really an acronym: Never Again Volunteer Yourself. It was a lesson that I continue to forget.

"Hi, Monkeys. $MegaCorp has a new support contract with Microsoft and we don't talk directly to Blackie and his department anymore. Instead we follow $MSprocess. We need a couple volunteers to be our internal contacts."

Military poll

x-posted to da brog.



Well shucks, I'd been dealing with Blackie and his gang and had acted as a go-between for a lot of my fellow monkeys for years. This could be another rung on the ladder to the position of ESSM (Extra Super Senior Monkey) and the additional 20 bucks or so a year that such an esteemed position offers. The more projects like that I accept, the fewer tickets I have to take. Works for me.

With a second round of nagging mails our chief hooked another sucker, none other than Lenny. I pointed out that I hadn't had the training. "That's OK. We'll get it to you in the next couple weeks."

Suzi can't wait a couple weeks. She sent Lenny a request to file a ticket through $MSprocess and CC:d me. Lenny's note arrived not ten minutes later. "REC, I didn’t get chance to attend the $MSprocess training. Could you please log this issue on this occasion?"

Before I could laugh, up popped our annoying-as-fuck IM app. It was Lenny.

14:27 lenny: hi REC
14:27 rec: hey
14:27 rec: I think it's a hoot
14:27 lenny: is it?
14:28 rec: We both suckered ourselves to do this, neither one of us has a bloody clue, and no help or direction is being offered
14:28 rec: If I didn't laugh I'd have to cry.
14:28 rec: So I'm laughing.
14:28 lenny: kool

Ten minutes later came a mail with some links to what will undoubtedly be some very protracted, painful Death-by-PowerPoints with some fuckknuckle or another droning on and on, in an incomprehensible accent which appears to have been designed to do nothing other than rape the English language. If I'm really lucky, however, there'll be a link to the actual PPT slides and I can dodge what appears to be a total of some 11 hours of this particular circle of hell.

That'll have to wait, though. I have some tickets to answer. Somewhere in Estonia a fuckwit is trying to modify the contents of the HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionFontSubstitutes
key. On an IBM BladeCenter. A blade which is running Solaris 10.

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A Day in the Life | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)
Hmmm... you *do* curse like a sailor. by ammoniacal (4.00 / 2) #1 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:15:31 AM EST
Now it all makes sense.

"To this day that was the most bullshit caesar salad I have every experienced..." - triggerfinger

Not sure if you noticed by R Mutt (4.00 / 2) #2 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:17:14 AM EST
But you made the B3ta newsletter over the Mister Splashy Pants thing.

Now there's something to put on a resume. by wiredog (4.00 / 2) #3 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:21:53 AM EST


Earth First!
(We can strip mine the rest later.)

[ Parent ]
I noticed by ReallyEvilCanine (4.00 / 1) #4 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:01:55 AM EST
A friend on the ex-pat's board said pretty much the same thing a few hours ago. I'm getting more hits every 15 minutes than I do in an average week (none of which are converting to AdSense clicks). My average daily on the brog is around 35 views; right now I'm over 1500. The free stat counters are way past their limits and have dumped all data up to this morning. The only referrers I'm seeing are from b3ta.com/newsletter/issue320/ or mail links. Maybe I'll get two new readers.

the internet: amplifier of stupidity -- discordia

[ Parent ]
Congrats by R Mutt (4.00 / 2) #5 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:09:04 AM EST
You should put an image up: draw a magenta penis spurting out "Stuck in the Cube welcomes B3ta readers!" or something...

[ Parent ]
I should indeed by ReallyEvilCanine (4.00 / 1) #6 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:39:49 AM EST
/gets to work

the internet: amplifier of stupidity -- discordia

[ Parent ]
WIPO: Hobbits by Rogerborg (2.00 / 0) #7 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:20:38 AM EST
Damn blackballing Wizards wouldn't have me.

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Metus amatores matrum compescit, non clementia.
A Day in the Life | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)