The Aerie
Couldn't find a bit of work for months, and relied on teaching to pay the bills.
Come October, I have two network security scans begging for resources, one secure network design, and a bunch of domestic computer support projects. If only I could line up some technical resources, I could become suddenly wealthy! Serves to remember for next year in the Fall: maybe I can squirrel away some unemployed computer experts beneath a bridge someplace and break them out when the leaves turn.
Last night I stayed up very late fixing my neighbor's computer, paying for it by spending the day bleary-eyed. This evening after work I have to pick up another client's computer and install it under her watchful, anxious gaze. Then I head over to Professor Barker's, and slump home exhausted after a couple of games of 9-8-7...
The brief honeymoon with Buy More is over, and she's farting in the heart-shaped tub. First, of course, I am moved from the Nice Normal Cube to the Shelf Off the Aisle cube where I am now. It's delightful. Behind me, other contractors crammed two-to-a-normal-cube maintain a constant drone of talk. Occasionally they gather in large crowds in the aisle for chummy chats, bumping into the back of my chair. I spent a couple of hours scrubbing dust and hair and coffee stains off my desk, and performing anti-crud surgery on a mouse that was left in a drawer. That latter was a waste of time when I realized the Buy-More issued laptop has no mouse port, so I need a USB converter.
As I settled into my de-crudified desk I received a meeting notice. Now, having just started, it's not like I have a lot of meetings set up yet. But my plan for today was to leave at 4:00 in order to get some dinner at home before I attend to my elderly client, so I had scheduled that time as busy. So when was the one meeting scheduled for today? Right, precisely at 4:00 p.m., despite the fact that i make my calendar public and I had marked that time as busy.
Buy More is sitting around the honeymoon suite in a dingy linen muu-muu, chain-smoking Camels and scratching at the hair growing back in her armpits. When I responded to the meeting notice as 'tenative" I received a message from the organizer stressing how VERY important the meeting is - so important, apparently, that it could be scheduled into other people's busy time without consideration... Okay I'm grumpy, but I have a headache, too.
So now I have to leave at 5:00, get the computer, drive over to the client's site, install her computer, grab some dinner, and then head over to the Professor's.
And of course somewhere in there I'm supposed to be working on my college homework...
Posted by Albatross at October 4, 2007 3:04 PM | TrackBackAh, joy... sounds like you're now back on your normal track as a contractor... remember the old bumper sticker: "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." It's a shame you gave in already to idiocy. Unless you're contractually obligated to be there after 4pm, they really are being rude and you could justly walk away. As it is, it will inevitably be a botched project for which you'll be blamed in the end, right? :)
On your other news... if you need resources, ping me, I might know some people who could freelance moonlight for you...
Posted by: Ben at October 4, 2007 7:06 PM