altivo | TGIF indeed

I thought today would never end. It was one of the worst, most stressful ones I've had in a long time. I even used bad language more than once. Those who know me will confirm the fact that I'm unlikely to use a four letter word once a month, let alone twice in the same day.

My security in the library job market comes not from my librarian skills (which are top notch, but librarians are not rare) but from the fact that I also know networking and computer stuff. Most libraries have to use a network specialist who is NOT a librarian and therefore doesn't have much talent at integrating the two functions. These days they are tied together very closely. Because I can do both, I'm much more desirable in the job market.

Unfortunately, I have all the usual impatience of the techie with people who don't know which side of the mouse goes up; and this job exposes me to way too much of that. I spent the entire day dealing with computer issues that never should have happened, like the user who complained that our network was down because she couldn't get an internet connection when she plugged in a 10-base-T cable. Not only is that supposed to work (provided the laptop is configured for DHCP) but I had just tested it back in the staff area, so I knew it was working. I told the desk clerk that our network was fine and it must be something about the configuration of the woman's laptop. Typically these users haven't the least clue about their own machine's configuration. Someone else did it for them. I won't touch it, because I'd get blamed for messing it up.

Well, after resolving several more urgent issues so as to avoid being called about them during vacation, I took a laptop out and plugged it in where the user had been when she complained. It worked. Then something occurred to me. We keep a couple of patch cables at the desk and check them out to users like that if they don't have their own. I asked to see the cable she had been using. Yes, it was one of ours. One of the RJ45 connectors was broken. The retainer clip was missing, and it had obviously been stepped on or rolled over with a chair or something. Of course it didn't work. The plug would fall right out if you put it into a jack. Neither the user nor the desk clerk recognized this obvious situation. Grrr. I hate being the technical support guy. I hate explaining the same old things over and over again. "I forgot how to work the scanner. Would you please show me again?" "Why won't this print?" "I can't connect to my favorite porno/chat/music download website." "This won't print." "Why do you limit my time on the computer to one hour? It's not fair." "I can't get this to print." "I forgot my password, could you look it up for me?" (Invariably, they haven't forgotten, they just have caps lock turned on.) "Why won't this file print?" "I brought in my resume on this floppy [holds up something almost unrecognizable, the plastic case cracked, the metal slider ripped off] and your machine says it's not readable. How am I supposed to apply for a job if you don't maintain your equipment." (Turned out that floppy was not only damaged, it was written by a Macintosh running MacOS, so never would have been readable on Intel machines anyway.) Oh and did I mention the number one repeating complaint: "I can't get this to print."

The city is in the throes of a "Veteran Appreciation Weekend" arranged by the mayor. Politicians. I hate 'em. He set it up without telling us, including promises that they could use our parking lot for seating, closing it to traffic and keeping library users from parking there. From noon onward we were swamped with traffic for that, even though the opening ceremonies were to begin right at closing time. The vets wanted to use the library as a staging area, changing into uniforms there, parking their stuff. Seems the mayor told them they could do that too. He had portable toilets brought in and set up in our loading dock area, blocking the access of our delivery vans. My boss did throw a fit about that and make them move the things. There have been dozens of little irritations and a couple of major headaches associated with this event. I'm glad I got to leave at 5 and will not have to do anything more for it. It was hard enough just getting out of my parking spot.

I actually find myself taking some amusement from the fact that it started to drizzle seriously at just about 5 pm, and by the time I got home it was raining fairly hard. Too bad, it rained on Mr. Politico's parade. It does bug me that they manage to glorify wars years after they are ended, and somehow forget how ugly and painful and pointless they really are. All those teenagers (yes, an 18 year old is still a teenager) are dead, Mr. Mayor. They never got to live their lives because of the ambitions and callous attitudes of a handful of sixty or seventy year old politicians on both sides. This is not something to play stirring music about and make great pompous speeches over. It is something to mourn, and something to keep from happening over and over the way it always does as soon as a generation or two have passed and everyone forgets how ugly it all is.

Anyway, fifteen days now without the library. Yahoo. I need 'em.

Current Mood: trying to get unwound
Current Location: Home in the oak grove
Current Music: Rain on the roof