(no subject)

[pixilated-serra.livejournal.com]

CAN I NOT HAVE ONE GD DAY WITHOUT SOMEONE TALKING TO ME ABOUT A GD BROKEN PRINTER SERIOUSLY

Hmmm

[polarbee.livejournal.com]

Occasionally I pause and wonder, "How weird am I that I actually enjoy sifting through server event logs?"

On Managing Burnout

[superbus.livejournal.com]

Though I have enough Luser Stories to have a week-long miniseries on ABC staring Richard Karn as a ruggedly handsome version of myself, this isn't about that. This is about the constant pounding that a combination of dumb customers, dumb bosses and dumb corporate policies have after the 16 months I've been with my company.

Simply put, I have a decent job. I make OK money, and am getting worlds of experience. That said, I've about had it with it. Coming to work every day - even after changing to a better department - takes real, honest effort, and some issues, I see the problems in my head as the tickets come in. "Oh, God, this customer is an idiot... this guy can't spell "cluster", never mind understand how two Fortigate 300As interact in one..." "This guy's an asshole... I'll put this one off another hour... oh shit, it's been three hours..." "This guy's probably an asshole. Oh look, an MCSE, this'll be fun". The company's policies aren't any help either; I never get talked to for doing anything wrong on the issue side of things, every time I get talked to it's something procedural, or something having to do with our statistics. You closed a lot of tickets yesterday? Well, why didn't you take a lot of calls? And don't take a bunch of tickets at once, it affects our SLA!

I fully admit I could have it a lot worse; I got my current job in the nick of time, because I was a few days away from having to work for Cablevision's call centre, where I likely would have lasted a couple months as a drone; just going for the interview made me cringe, and I don't think I wanted anything to do with it. And though the pay's below my ability or performance level, I'm learning a tonne, and my team is really, REALLY good about helping each other learn. I've just been here too fucking long.

I've only been working in this industry a couple years, and though I've advanced very fast (I got a Lv. 2 position after ten months), I still can't help but think that something's missing.

We have a broad spectrum of people here; is this common? How has everyone else managed this?

Not again

[anivair.livejournal.com]

This one's the GM of our company.

Let me say that again.

He RUNS a company.

GM (at the end of his typing block): hey, is that all i get? How do I get it to write more?
me (incredulous): Really? Umm ... hit enter.
GM: oh, I get it.

later that same day (and I'm not making this one up and yes, English IS his first language)

GM: Hey, how do you spell sake?
Me: s-a-k-e
GM: Really? What did I just spell?
me: That would be sack.

Rgh.

[ravenofdreams.livejournal.com]

Dear Lawyerdude-
Yes, yes, I know, you are very politically incorrect.  In fact, I would not hesitate to say that you are more than politically incorrect - you're either a complete dillweed or you have the oddest (and wrongest) sense of what is funny ever.  But I suspect that this is for my benefit because, after all, what normal overpaid, overfed asshat can possibly resist the urge to deeply annoy and interminably fuck with the poor little me who comes to fix your computer and explain how you can pull your head out of your ass in future? 
I realize, you see, that I am not very large, not male, and look younger than I am.  I know this must send your weird need to make me flinch or blush into overdrive.  Unfortunately for you, I am also a smartass from the worst part of Boston who's been working tech support with all the boys since she was younger than you think she is now. 
I am immune.
So can we quit this crap?  I'm not going to flinch, blush, stammer, or leave - I am going to do the job I have been paid to do, with or without your cooperation in getting this information into your thick head - but I think your poor secretary is getting embarrassed for you.
- the tech girl who's getting tired of democrats this, women that, and black people the other.

But, you know, the day was made all better by the nice woman who gave me the gift certificate to the local weird-stuff store for answering all her questions.  Nice users FTW. 

How to save $3000 in 5 minutes

[luminairex.livejournal.com]

Actual phone call to WellKnownPrinterCo this afternoon

V: Yeah, every time our Mac users try to print "this is a test page" to your printer, we get 86 pages of gibberish.
WellKnownPrinterCo: Oh, that's because our printer doesn't have a PostScript chip built into it. We can add one for $3000.
V: Is that covered by our service contract?
WellKnownPrinterCo: No.
V: I see. Why couldn't I just set up a Windows print server in 5 minutes, and print to that?
WellKnownPrinterCo: Well...
V: I may as well buy a new printer, but I won't be buying one of yours in the future.
V: *hangs up*
V: _{I'll tell you guys where to put your $3000 PostScript chip...}
V: *fires up Windows server*
V: *adds printer*
V: *shares printer*
V: *points every Mac to print server*
V: *gives WellKnownPrinterCo the bird*

---

You'd think a $5000 printer would do PostScript without any modifications, let alone a $3000 chip. What's better is that they'll let you download the Mac drivers for the printer, but they don't give any indication that your printer needs "the chip" to use it. We went through half a box of paper before anyone disclosed this fact to us.