I thought you had a good situation. Do I recall wrongly, or did you tell us a short while back that things had worked out, business-wise, to the extent that your family need not worry about money again, or something along those lines?

I find myself in a similar situation.

Do I recall wrongly, or did you tell us a short while back that things had worked out, business-wise

The company got bought out by another one, but I don't know really what my new role is... they don't seem to value IT [silly people]. Heads have already started to roll at Head Office (where I work) and it's all very unstable at the moment, and I don't dislike being here. It's stressful. Probably not as much as your gig, though.

to the extent that your family need not worry about money again

Oh, one can always worry. I don't make lots of money; we're just flush at the moment.

I'm sure I'll land on my feet, but at the moment, I think I'd be happier working for someone else. Scratch that; I *KNOW* I'd be happier working for someone else.

and I don't dislike being here.

(damned typos)

chillmost, are you thinking of looking elsewhere, too?

Yeah, there has been a major personnel shuffle/pissing contest at my company. Right now I'm a web monkey/one-man IT dept. I'm just keeping my head down and trying to avoid any misdirected wrath.

I really want to work as a freelance jack of all trades audio-multimedia engineer but I need to fill out a shit load of paper work for the Germans. That will take months to sort out with background checks and whatnot. Once it is done though I will be able to work freelance anywhere in the EU. I had a possible gig lined up recording Beatles songs for a german Beatles tribute band using vintage analog gear. I was a bit crestfallen when I found out I couldn't do it legally freelance. Then I found out from some people that have done business with him that the guy has problems paying bills. He seems to have left a lot of smoldering bridges in his wake. I high-balled him on my hourly rate and he hasn't called back in over a week. I think it took care of itself.

I had fun doing this last week though.

I was snooping on your blog. I want to see a pic of your new guitar.

Cool tune!

Yeah, there has been a major personnel shuffle/pissing contest at my company. Right now I'm a web monkey/one-man IT dept. I'm just keeping my head down and trying to avoid any misdirected wrath.

chillmost, our situations are eerily similar. Almost exactly the same... I could have typed those very words.

I'm also really into recording... but I'm not optimistic about ever doing it for a living. I also love photography, but I'd hate doing weddings all summer...

I plan to take some shots of the new guit-fiddle later. I've been too busy playing it to photograph it!

I seem to have spent 70% of my day being asked by people how to do certain basic things and the other 30% of the day having the same people telling me that the way I do everything else is wrong.

Them: How Do I do this?
Me: Press the button marked "this"
Them: How should we develop this?
Me: As a web application.
Them: You're wrong. We should develop is as a windows application.
Them: How do I access shared files on another machine?
Me: *sigh*

My job has gone insane these last two weeks too. My manager resigned yesterday and his director has only been in the company for a few weeks so he can't really cover very well. This comes after the director's boss quiting/getting fired last week. So I have no idea what's going to happen in the next few months. Hopefully no one will ask me to become a manager, I'd end up killing someone.

Them: How long to do this?
Me: About 15 Hours Dev.
Them: You should be able to do it in 2 hours.
Me: *sigh*
Them: I'll do it. I'm going to develop it in 2 hours.

... 4 days later ...

Them: See. Look at that.
Me: It's just a screen isn't it. It doesn't do anything.
Them: You'll need to do a tiny bit of plumbing at the backend.
Me: A little?
Them: Yeah - should take no longer than an hour.
Me: Looks like what's left will take 12 hours.
Them: No, I've already spent two days on it. It should now take no longer than an hour.
Me: *double sigh*

octothorpe, our director is no longer with us [I know this for a fact] but everyone is deliberately being kept in the dark about it.

I hate secrecy.

You'll need to do a tiny bit of plumbing at the backend.

Ha! That's fucking hilarious.

seanyboy, yesterday I was working with a user (a senior manager) who only understood how to access files via Word. She was trying to open xls files FROM WITHIN WORD and couldn't understand why it wouldn't work.

I showed her how to navigate with Windows Explorer. She'd never seen it before... she's been working on a PC every day of her life for ?? years, and she's never opened a folder properly before.

O_o

I seem to have spent 70% of my day being asked by people how to do certain basic things and the other 30% of the day having the same people telling me that the way I do everything else is wrong.

Heh. I had a former roommate once ask me to show him how I made a pasta sauce that he liked, because he said it always turned out better when I made it.

Every time I got to a new step, he'd tell me that I was doing it wrong, and that I should do it his way.

I hate secrecy.

Yea, people leave here with no announcements or warning. You just find out through the grapevine or stumble on their empty office.

[I know this for a fact]

You can read everyone's email too?

Tagline for Work: "You'll need to do a tiny bit of plumbing at the backend."

All the shit is in the back-end plumbing. I've been wading in it for years. You too?

My government teacher to his class, back in 1984: "You can either work or make money. You have to decide which you want to do."

Absolutely spot-on, although it has taken me 23 years truly to understand all of the reasons why.

Then again, he worked for a living.

Gotta love the folks who think there's a magic button that does the work. I just tell them my computer didn't come with one.

You can read everyone's email too?

Yeah, I'm the email admin as well as everyotherfuckingthing.

But, I actually overheard a phone call.

Gotta love the folks who think there's a magic button that does the work.

CTRL+SHIFT+F9

* Hits CTRL+SHIFT+F9 furiously *

Damn, must not work on linux.

yesterday I was working with a user (a senior manager) who only understood how to access files via Word. She was trying to open xls files FROM WITHIN WORD and couldn't understand why it wouldn't work.

That same user works in my office, I think. She uses word to open everything - excel files, image files, everything. She's older and I think in her previous job she had an assistant that actually did all the work.

She also has a very loud voice (because she's going deaf but refuses to wear a hearing aid) and makes personal phone calls - like appointments for botox for her creepy-ass, poorly face-lifted, tattooed eyebrows face - all day long.

Them: How Do I do this?
Me: Press the button marked "this"
Them: How should we develop this?
Me: As a web application.
Them: You're wrong. We should develop is as a windows application.
Them: How do I access shared files on another machine?
Me: *sigh*

Even I can see the stupidity in that.

That probably scares you, and it should.