What a busy week! I spent most of the week playing computer IT guy.
My section at work is split into two offices that are in different parts of the building. We were told it was time to move together into one area of the building and it fell onto my shoulders to get all the workstations moved and set up. You'd think that would be easy enough, but these workstations have been in one place for years and all of the cords and connections are jumbled into a "Lampoons Christmas Vacation" sized ball. If everyone remembers the scene where Clark pulls the ball of lights out of the box and hands it to Rusty, "Here son". That's how I felt. Also, the Army doesn't make it easy to just move a workstation to a different part of the building. You need to access a computer system and first request a change, then wait for it to be approved. If you don't, then all of the workstations would become locked and you would have to e-mail a network guy who would take days to actually unlock them. Once the workstation was moved you would have to wait for someone to "turn on" the ports the user was plugged into for access to the shared network and internet. Army bureaucracy at it's finest! I played by the rules and finally got the green light to move all these workstations to a different area. Of course I had to move all of the Colonels and Captains in the office who did not understand the process and expected everything to just work once they were moved and set up. I also had to help move all of their desks, bookshelves, file cabinets and other random things from their offices. We moved one person at a time so that way the others could keep working. It took three days and a lot of whining from the officers, but everyone was successfully moved.
Of course that wasn't my only job last week, I also had my regular work to do. It made a for a few late nights and missed lunches. One morning I was getting out of bed. It was about 0630 and my plan was to shower, eat and get to work early to move more of peoples stuff. I grabbed my clothes, towel and bathroom stuff then quickly exited my room all while trying to figure out network issues in my head. I did my morning routine and when I finished shaving I put the razor back in my back, grabbed my towel and felt for my room keys in my pocket...."^%$&!" I had successfully locked myself out of my room. It was about 0645 and I called housing to admit to my embarrassing feat. They told me it was going to be an hour or more until someone would come..."&^%#!" I was sitting on the floor outside of my room, in shame, still holding my bathroom stuff and wet towel then it hit me, ROOMMATE! He works nights (2200-1000). He was still at work, so all I had to do was walk over to the security shack and call him to get his key. So, there I was walking around the Camp in flip flops, shorts and a dirty t-shirt all while still carrying my bathroom bag and wet towel. I was breaking so many regulations and was getting the stink eye from just about everybody I walked past. I got into the security shack and the guard new EXACTLY what had happened. Didn't have to say a word. Guess this happens quite often? He handed me the directory and I started calling random numbers in my roommates office. I finally got him and he saved the day! I got his keys, brought them back to the room to get myself in, grabbed my keys and finished getting dressed. I walked back to the security shack, called him again and he retrieved his keys. When I got back to the room I took some elk steak out of my locker and put it on his bed as a thanks. I don't see myself forgetting my keys again, not after that!
What is Elk Steak you ask? It's actual Elk Jerky from the Colorado Rocky Mountains. It tastes great and for some reason it's free at the post office. Another one of my odd jobs is to get the mail and packages that come in daily. If someone sends a care package to the Camp it ends up there and open for the takings. Someone is sending that jerky to us weekly and I am okay with that!
I have another driving mission today to go off post. I will be driving this time and I am scared out of my mind. Let's hope the locals drive nicely during the day.
My section at work is split into two offices that are in different parts of the building. We were told it was time to move together into one area of the building and it fell onto my shoulders to get all the workstations moved and set up. You'd think that would be easy enough, but these workstations have been in one place for years and all of the cords and connections are jumbled into a "Lampoons Christmas Vacation" sized ball. If everyone remembers the scene where Clark pulls the ball of lights out of the box and hands it to Rusty, "Here son". That's how I felt. Also, the Army doesn't make it easy to just move a workstation to a different part of the building. You need to access a computer system and first request a change, then wait for it to be approved. If you don't, then all of the workstations would become locked and you would have to e-mail a network guy who would take days to actually unlock them. Once the workstation was moved you would have to wait for someone to "turn on" the ports the user was plugged into for access to the shared network and internet. Army bureaucracy at it's finest! I played by the rules and finally got the green light to move all these workstations to a different area. Of course I had to move all of the Colonels and Captains in the office who did not understand the process and expected everything to just work once they were moved and set up. I also had to help move all of their desks, bookshelves, file cabinets and other random things from their offices. We moved one person at a time so that way the others could keep working. It took three days and a lot of whining from the officers, but everyone was successfully moved.
Of course that wasn't my only job last week, I also had my regular work to do. It made a for a few late nights and missed lunches. One morning I was getting out of bed. It was about 0630 and my plan was to shower, eat and get to work early to move more of peoples stuff. I grabbed my clothes, towel and bathroom stuff then quickly exited my room all while trying to figure out network issues in my head. I did my morning routine and when I finished shaving I put the razor back in my back, grabbed my towel and felt for my room keys in my pocket...."^%$&!" I had successfully locked myself out of my room. It was about 0645 and I called housing to admit to my embarrassing feat. They told me it was going to be an hour or more until someone would come..."&^%#!" I was sitting on the floor outside of my room, in shame, still holding my bathroom stuff and wet towel then it hit me, ROOMMATE! He works nights (2200-1000). He was still at work, so all I had to do was walk over to the security shack and call him to get his key. So, there I was walking around the Camp in flip flops, shorts and a dirty t-shirt all while still carrying my bathroom bag and wet towel. I was breaking so many regulations and was getting the stink eye from just about everybody I walked past. I got into the security shack and the guard new EXACTLY what had happened. Didn't have to say a word. Guess this happens quite often? He handed me the directory and I started calling random numbers in my roommates office. I finally got him and he saved the day! I got his keys, brought them back to the room to get myself in, grabbed my keys and finished getting dressed. I walked back to the security shack, called him again and he retrieved his keys. When I got back to the room I took some elk steak out of my locker and put it on his bed as a thanks. I don't see myself forgetting my keys again, not after that!
What is Elk Steak you ask? It's actual Elk Jerky from the Colorado Rocky Mountains. It tastes great and for some reason it's free at the post office. Another one of my odd jobs is to get the mail and packages that come in daily. If someone sends a care package to the Camp it ends up there and open for the takings. Someone is sending that jerky to us weekly and I am okay with that!
I have another driving mission today to go off post. I will be driving this time and I am scared out of my mind. Let's hope the locals drive nicely during the day.
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