🏷️ work

Of course, at like 9:30PM on my vacation day yesterday the main db server's hard disk array crashed and required some manual assistance that no one else could help with. Had to go to the data center because the system was totally offline. Don't have access so I had to wait for public safety. A truly annoying night that went till like 1am moving data and sorting out the issue. In the end, everything was fine except for me relaxing on vacation.

I really need a new position or a salary increase, preferably both. Luckily I really love what I do but my job has gotten substantially more complex over the last four years. In the last two years especially. I just wish I could finally have some authority and some people working for me as I really know what am I doing and have some great ideas but spend so much time having to ask permission and jump through hoops. The systems I am creating involve scores of servers intercommunicating and hundreds of thousands of lines of code in many different languages and on multiple platforms. I do so much work, that I honestly can't even believe it myself. Today, on my day off, after already putting in 40 hours as of yesterday I ended up with two very last minute work mandates from the top of the org.

One involved a whole bunch of programming in order to add a new feature to a complex app to help a very important person and the other was graphic design. Its been so long since I had to promote something graphically and with text. I do graphic design stuff all the time, but not brochure/flyer stuff with text layout.

This tiny new system feature was a huge hit. Basically, we are trying to advertise a new system feature I created that allows users to unlock their account from anywhere so that there is no more "locked your account our at 3am typing the wrong password into webmail and need to call the helpdesk to get back in." type of situation. Really I pushed for the system because I am that guy with the overly complex password that I am typing into my phone at 3am but once we rolled it out there was so much positive feedback. It used to suck to have to call the helpdesk and wait to get unlocked, especially if they were busy and you were in the middle of something important, or they had to wake up to help you. It also sucked for them because they are busy with lots of other stuff.

I tried my best and ended up with this slide. I just got one slide so even though the system has all kinds of other cool features, I focused on the "cloud unlock" portion. Hope it works out.

In the last three years of work I have taken on exponentially more responsibility and put in so much time but it seems like my career is stuck in a rut because of the structure of my department. I'm not sure what the answer is but I sure see there is a ton more money to be made because I see people around me making it. Today while sitting inside working into the 50th hour of my four day work week, I started to wonder what the whole point of working hard in a union environment is?

Maybe I shouldn't be so fließig, if only I wasn't so hopelessly addicted to problem solving and didn't actually love the work I do.

Unrelated iTunes U seems pretty cool on the ipad. I'm trying to sit through a statistics course right now.

Unrelated ios6 finally let's you upload media in the freakin browser like very mobile device I had since 2003. Even my old Nokia candy bar phone could do it. now the ipad can too.

It was an intense week. I feel like I need a vacation to a workplace where there is actual communication happening.

I decided to cut my hair because even just having wet hair in the morning was stressing me out.



@terry got his ring realized so we are one step closer to a wedding.

I had such a great work day for once and then I went to the gym all by myself with no prodding. I hope its the start of a great weekend. Looks like the weather should be. Now I just need plans.

As @terry #56315 mentioned, I won the infotech Niagara Beta awards for Techie - Large Company. I was genuinely surprised and excited about the award. I didn't know what to say when they called me up in front of like 500+ people so very spur of the moment I said something like,

I would like to thank Roswell Park Cancer Institute for presenting me with an endless series of interesting puzzles to solve, my coworkers for making it fun to solve those puzzles and my awesome boss Del Reid for allowing me the freedom to solve the puzzles as I see fit. Here is to a world without cancer.

Then I held up the award. It was cheesy but I think it worked. All in all it was a good day. Even more exciting was going to a morning meeting I was dreading and having someone there refer to me as a wizard and say that I was able to significantly up their productivity with one of my creations. Its nice to hear some positive feedback.

I am trying to wrap up this massive work project in the last few days so that i don't have to think about it during St. Patricks day weekend. I cannot wait for it to be freakin over. I have already worked 12-15 hours everyday this week. With 40 hours right now. Tomorrow hasn't even started yet. It better just go smooth and then I am going to take off.

I really hope in april we get a new position and I can finally have an assistant/partner in crime. I would love so much to have someone to work with directly so that I am not responsible for so much stuff alone. Plus its just more interesting to work with other people and have someone to talk to about the projects we would be working on together.

God I look strung out from programming.

I have so much vacation time and never any time to use it. I know I just went to New York but I have off on Friday and Monday was a state holiday so I really only took off Thursday.

This summer I want to travel around a bit but I have to use a bunch of it before April or I just lose it. I think somewhere warm is in order.

I just finished a 55 hr work week. At least the upgrade is over. I need more money. I can't tell you how sick I am of intersystems issues that i really have no control over. Let the weekend begin.

It is really time for me to be paid more or just get a different job. I just stopped working for Wednesday and its already Thursday at 4am.