Attitudes

Yesterday couldn’t have been more stereotypical of a Monday.

It started at home before I even got to work when I thought I’d be ahead of myself and check my work email… which I couldn’t. Instantly, this sent alarm bells ringing in my head that something was wrong at work.
Indeed, it was.

At work, I was faced with lights of the red variety in the server room instead of the green variety and servers half on and half off. This was certainly a disaster and a slight emergency and therefore I declared the Curriculum network unusable for the day until I (and our trusty maintenance company) had fixed it.

As a rule, teachers spend their working day inside a little bubble. Within this bubble is what they need to do during the day – their classes; their reports; their lunch, coffee break, etc. Anything outside of this bubble is irrelevant and so, if exterior forces affect what’s in their bubble, then all hell breaks loose. Of course, their bubble is the only thing that exists and is the only thing that’s important so whatever has disrupted the flow of the day in their bubble needs to be sorted NOW so that their bubble can function correctly.
Now when you have 40+ bubbles with the impression that they’re the only ones who matter asking to be put right immediately, it does get very frustrating. Sometimes, the asking can turn into demands which is usually responded by silence.

Yesterday was no exception. I had locked everyone's account to prevent them from logging on to the network which it did, although it prompted a flurry of questions which weren't really thought about properly before they were asked.
Examples being: I try to log on and it says, “Your account has been disabled”? (Yes, that was me. The server has no reason to disable your account itself); When will it be fixed? (Unfortunately, I failed the "seeing into the future" exam); Can I not log on and check my email? (if that were possible, I would have LET you log on).

By the end of the day, the responses above were typical to those sorts of questions. I had wandered into the world of sarcasm.

Throughout the day, I was becoming more and more annoyed with the damn servers and why they weren’t working and why people weren’t coming to sort them out and people asking me daft questions. However, a couple of comments shone out as an example of the typical teacher thinking only of what THEY need and want.

The first was in the morning when one of the questions above was put to me - “Can you unlock my account so I can play a DVD?” I answered no in a polite way and explained why. I’d rather not have anyone use the network until I know it’s properly fixed. This immediately prompted comments, meant in a joking way but, obviously designed to try and make me feel guilty and had no effect whatsoever - “Oh, that’s my planned lesson out of the window. Well, when the kids ask why, I’ll be pointing the finger at you” – yes, you do that and see if it makes your situation any better.

The second was at the very end of the day when I was at my most fed up.
I was asked if everything would be back to normal tomorrow (Tues) and, being the truthful bloke that I am, I replied by saying I don't know. Someone was due to come in tomorrow to have a look and we'll take it from there. At the moment, it's no. For some reason, I was then told that the teacher had a class doing some GCSE coursework... so what? That fact isn't going to make the repair any quicker. To be honest, I don't care what anyone needs it for and how urgent. My priority is that I have an entire network down that needs to be up and running as soon as possible. Then I got the guilt - "but this is happening nearly every week and it's not on" - tell me about it. However, as weird as it may seem, I didn't actually cause this problem or do it on purpose and I haven't been sat on my backside all day waiting for it to fix itself.

So, a message to all teachers everywhere who rely on us lovely support staff,

- When something goes wrong, 99.9% of the time, it's not actually our fault so don't go making us feel guilty by pointing the finger.

- Burst that bubble. You aren't the only department/teacher in the school and it's not just you with these problems.

- We, also, have a job to do. Let us do it. We're not just sat doing nothing all day. We're there to support you and when things like servers go down we aim to get things back up and running as soon as possible.

- Whatever you need things for, telling us isn't going to speed things up. If the network is down, the network is down. There is no special button to press if Mr A needs it for a DVD or Mrs B has an important test to do. We don't care. We just work to get things working for everyone as soon as possible.

I think that's all for now. Today hasn't been much better but that's another post.

BYL.

A priceless moment

I have to post this because it was probably one of the funniest and priceless things I have seen in a long while.

Last night, just before 10pm, I was on my way to meet my girlfriend from work (because I’m nice like that). To get to her workplace, I have to walk through quite a large ASDA car park. This is a 24-hour ASDA and so there were still shoppers pouring out of the store, however the car park was reasonably empty.

(I’m 31 but prepare for me to sound 83) As is usual on these occasions, there are “boy racers” who think it’s a great idea to gather with their friends and show off their souped up motors, revving their engines as much as possible and speeding around the car park, basically putting other people at risk.
I walk through ignoring all of this and having a little giggle to myself thinking how pathetic these peoples lives must be. Last night, however, one of these lovely people thought it would be nice to show off their talents to me.

“’Ere, mate, I bet you haven’t got a car that can do this” came a voice from across the car park. I looked over and found the voice came from a man, no much older than me, sat in a white car bursting with accessories – spoiler, alloy wheels, etc. If I’m honest, it did look good and you could tell he was proud of it. Behind him was a red sports car which had been polished to perfection with people milling around it admiring its paintwork.
When he saw that I was now looking over at it, the man in the white car turned to face front and revved his engine like there was no tomorrow. Pardon me for being old but it sounded like it needed some work on it. Then, in an effort to impress me with it’s performance he slammed it into gear…

 

 

 

 

 

 

… unfortunately, it was reverse and he promptly slammed his lovely white performance car into the front of his friend’s shiny new sports car.

Weather

It's rubbish.
I'm sat on the second bus on the way to work and I might as well have had my shower this morning fully clothed. I know i'm going to be spending half my morning stood in front of a radiator.

Stupid winter.

BYL.

The Wrong Side of the Bed

Firstly, to everyone who thinks they are referenced in this post, I apologise in advance. None of what I write here has any meaning today. It's just a big rant.

 

I don't know what's wrong with me today. I think I may have got out of bed on the wrong side. Not physically, obviously, otherwise I'm sure my girlfriend would have something to say about it. It started literally 100 yards from my doorstep and it's continued throughout the day. So, my dear readers, prepare for some meaningless rants.

 

Umbrellas - Of late, I haven't really had any luck with them. I had a particular nice one I bought from John Lewis in Liverpool just before summer. It was quite expensive but exceptional quality. That one got left on a bus. I haven't had one since then and have been trying to manage with just a hooded coat. Then, the other day, I saw an offer in Sports Direct - 70% off! - immediately I grabbed one and was happy I was back to owning a decent umbrella... until this morning.

This morning I was shown the full blown quality of this amazing product. Perfect testing conditions - it was windy and pouring down with rain. The damn thing didn't stand a chance. Completely annihilated after a whisper of a breeze hit it. That started my bad mood.

 

Buses - I use public transport every day and, on the whole, it's a fairly decent journey to and from work. A 30 minute bus journey taking 2 buses. Some people would rant at that very prospect but I really don't mind it... until this morning.

I'm sure a lot of people are used to buses being the odd minute or two late. Although a bit OCD when it comes to time, I'm not that bothered by a couple of minutes as long as it gets me to my destination in plenty of time. Late is fine - not turning up at all is another. This increased my bad mood as I knew I would miss my second bus and be later for work than usual.

However, I had slight compensation by my second bus also being late but in a rush and so I turned up for work at my usual time.

 

Servers - Servers are lovely things. They're supposed to do exactly that - serve. Ideally they're left to do what they're supposed to do and they tick away nicely without any user interaction... yes, until this morning.

I noticed a few errors early this morning and email our support company to investigate (we have a contract so might as well get my money's worth by making them earn it). They told me that a disk on one of the servers had become corrupt and needed to be rebuilt (technical term), could I reset it. No problem - into the server room to find little orange lights blinking at me from 3 of our 6 servers. This meant 3 disks were corrupt! A meeting follows tomorrow and this will be discussed greatly.

 

Am I incapable? - I run this show on my own. Since summer, I've been the only IT Support bod in the place and, therefore, my workload is increased. I receive various jobs throughout the day and they are prioritised, by me, and added to the day's list. This morning, a job came up that I have known about and it was sat on my list for today. A person who shall only be know as "P" thought they'd tell me that "we" should get this sorted sooner rather than later. An innocent enough comment usually but, in the mood I'm in today, not a good start. Can I not prioritise and schedule my own jobs? Do I need reminded which jobs need to be done immediately and which can wait? I'm quite capable of arranging my day and, as a result of that comment, I'm now ignoring the priority that other people put on their jobs. I'm the one doing the jobs, I'm the one who rates their severity, I'll decide how and when they're done.

On the back of this particular subject is the one that riles me most. I get calls and emails and stops in the corridor telling about things that need doing (annoys me but it's fine) and, as usual, I take note and add them to a particular list. This is all fine until my calls me to tell me the SAME job because a member of staff has also gone to him to reiterate it. Do they not know how that makes me feel? I hate it. It's as if they're thinking, "well, if I mention it to his boss, too, he HAS to do it" - grrr.

 

Last minute - As mentioned before, I have quite a full day most days. Jobs pile up and I work through each one in turn. Sometimes, I'm booked or I book myself into a particular lesson to work on something if a room is free. Today, for example, I have been quite booked up. Little jobs that crop up between those bookings are fine. Absolutely no problem. It's the "can you set this up in this room" literally with minutes to spare that I'm not so keen on. It's expected that I can do a job in seconds when it requires 10/15 minutes. It's perceived that I have nothing else to do so, at a click of the fingers, I can be there doing anything for anyone. This particular job ate away into about 15 minutes of my first booking putting the rest of my day out.

 

Last but not least... I burnt my toast at break :(

 

BYL.

Journey Home

It's Friday evening just before 5pm and I'm stood, in the dark and wet, waiting for a bus... that's late. It should have been here at least 5 minutes ago.
Every so often I'm looking into the sea of headlights coming towards me trying to see if any are bus-shaped. The lack of orange above them says they aren't.

On the bus now. My concentration on looking out for one almost lapsed enough for me to miss it but then, if it had been on time, that wouldn't have happened.
Two minutes into the journey I took a seat. Surprising at this time. A few people still stood because they can't be bothered to move down to the vacant seats at the back of the bus. Either that or those seats that are vacant are next to the larger variety of person or those who believe their shopping deserves a seat. So you're left to stand or sit with one cheek hanging into the isle.

A quiet bunch on the bus today.
A random schoolchild. Students. All with their variety of mobile ringtones recognisable as default Nokia or Samsung. No crazy dance tune today.

Halfway home. The mood hasn't changed. At work or with friends Friday is a happy day especially when it's over. When you're travelling on public transport and looking at the array of faces, it feels like a never ending Monday.
A few have left the bus. A few more have joined us. They could have been anyone. I haven't been paying attention. They can't have been elderly or pregnant otherwise I wouldn't have been sat here anymore.

It's the same view out of the windows as when I got on. A distorted black world viewed through a changing transparent raindrop window. Every now and again, distorted lights fly past. My orientation must be up to scratch because I have a vague idea where I am even though I recognise nothing.

Time has come to leave this constant Monday morning and return to Friday. These people could still be here next week.

BYL.

Of all the times...

A good many people will have observed the two minutes of silence today at 11:00 as a mark of respect to the many that have fallen during war. I, myself, have a great respect for these men and women and observed the silence along with the whole of the school. The second lesson was extended to 11:00 and the two minutes silence took place.

There are also a few people who do not observe this silence. Although I think this a little disrespectful, I do respect their opinion as long as they realise that there are many who do fall silent every year just for a couple of minutes.

I was left pretty damn angry after this year's two minutes.
I returned to my office at 10:55 to make sure my music was off and that I was prepared.
At 10:59 my office phone rang.
I ignored it.
The two minutes came and went and I felt I had "done my bit" and, as always, felt humbled at the thought of those brave people giving their lives. One person, however, didn't share my feelings.

I checked my voicemail.
One message.
Three minutes long.
Left at 10:59 by some salesman!

Of all the times to make a sales call, he chooses the one time in the year where most of the country is paying it's respects. A snotty and very angry email was to follow.
In it, I wrote how disappointed and angry I was at the lack of respect he showed. Not necessarily for the occasion itself but for other people who observe the occasion and because of the lack of respect he showed, I was going to show him the same and politely asked him not to contact the school again.

Phew! That's that rant over. Evil salesperson.

BYL

(posted from my phone because Wigan LA blocked Blogger!)

Disney’s A Christmas Carol – IMAX Manchester

It was someone at work yesterday who gave me the idea to go to the Odeon IMAX Cinema in the Printworks in Manchester today. All they did was mention that they were going and I realised it had been a while since I had been to an IMAX cinema. I think I’ve only ever been once years ago and I think I saw some rubbish nature documentary. Since then, things have progressed a great deal with the development of 3D technology. It was, therefore, an instant attraction to go and see a 3D film in a cinema on a screen that is 8 storeys high and as wide as 3 double decker buses end-to-end.

The film of choice was the new Disney 3D film, A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey (in no less than 4 roles), Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Bob Hoskins. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis (sp?) who also directed Polar Express and it was filmed in the same way as that film and Beowulf. I’d heard good reviews and seen some excellent trailers and, although not a massive fan of Christmas, I still liked the appeal of seeing this film in all it’s digital glory.

The Odeon in Manchester is deceiving when it comes to size. It looks small, like it would contain only 3 screens when you first walk but, after collecting the tickets and going up the escalator, we noticed that it actually had 20 screens in total hidden away including the ridiculously big IMAX screen. The queue for the screen was… small and we were the first people in it. We passed on popcorn and drink because we left our gold bullion at home and waited to be shown into the screen. When the time came, we had to collect a ridiculous pair of 3D glasses each. They were a gorgeous orange colour and all we needed was some garish shell suit and we’d slide right back into the eighties.

  We were faced with a massive white screen (obviously) and made our way to the seats. The seats were comfy and it didn’t matter where you sat, you were obviously going to get a good view. However, there were “Premium” seats for which you had to pay an extra £1. I sat next to a Premium seat and the only difference was a handy headrest. Waste of money.

I digress.
We were directed to put on our glasses and the film started. It was a bit massive.

My daughter has complained in the past that the recent 3D films haven’t included much 3D. This film had lots and it worked so much better on a big screen.
Jim Carrey carried off the role of Scrooge and his other characters amazingly and the animation was spectacular. The 3D aspects of the film did create a “wow” reaction, especially the flying scenes but there were also subtle 3D effects that were noticed unconsciously but certainly added to the enjoyment of the film.

Highly recommended although I would have set the rating higher than a PG. There are some scenes that make you jump and I think some children would find some parts a little scary.
Otherwise, a brilliant triumph for Jim Carrey, Robert Zemeckis and Disney.

BYL.