Employment – Page 2 – The Bald Heretic – Short, bald dude with a goofy beard

Bat Attack – Update

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Update to the unfolding bat drama.

To be frank, while I did not come in contact with the bat, this still creeps me out so I can just imagine my more “panicky” co-workers flipping out and overreacting. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

A company that specializes in bat removal is coming out to inspect the building.

Bat Terrorizes Local Software Company

In my job, one of my responsibilities is to oversee incoming trouble tickets and make sure the support staff is routing them correctly.
I was working on something when my co-worker Luis asked me about a particular ticket that had just come in and how to handle it.

There’s something you don’t see everyday. A trouble ticket about a bat loose in the building.

Even more distressing was this bat was on my floor.

I told Luis to pass it to facilities and to contact the facilities manager so she could contact animal control, which he did. But then he decided to go have a look and in the process of checking out the bat it took flight across the length of the 15th floor and buzzed my desk.

Did you see that episode of The Office where they discovered a bat living in the ceiling? It was the episode titled “Business School”

I can now tell you from personal experience that having a bat flying loose in your place of work is not nearly as amusing to experience as it is to watch.

When it was reported as a barely moving, half dead bat I was just a bit put off, but mostly uninterested. Now that I could see the thing flying around the office I, of course, had to get in on the action. It eventually landed itself near the ceiling where the window blinds are.

As I was snapping a few shots for the record I did begin to question the sanity of getting too close to what could easily be a half-crazed, sharp-toothed, erratically flying rabies delivery system. That was when the Dwight Schrute quote from the same episode sprang into my forebrain:

“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think “would an idiot do that?” and if they would, I do not do that thing”

Animal Control eventually came and took the bat away.

Company Softball Tournament

Click image for full size

More pictures by clicking this link

Semantics

Co-worker: Can I ask you a question?
Me: Not if it’s about computers, I’m on my break.
Co-worker: It’s not a computer question
Me: OK, shoot
Co-worker: I’m having a problem with my e-mail
Me: That’s a computer question
Co-worker: No, it’s a software question
Me: #$%!*

Travelling Fuel

It feels good to have been at the Galway office today. I got to meet/see again many of my Irish co-workers.

It’s a good atmosphere there. We made plans for initial phase of the domain migration and we’re pushing that part through this evening.
We’ll see how it went when we get in tomorrow morning.

Two of the lads took me to a place called Shambo’s that features sandwiches served on unique Shamrock shaped focaccia or wholemeal breads.

It’s not a tourist place. This one was located in very industrial area and it was full of working class and professional type people obviously out on their lunch break.

That didn’t stop me from photographing my lunch before chowing down, though!

Click for the yummy goodness of full size

It was quite yummy!

After work today I decided it was time to have my official first Guinness in Ireland. I’d heard all the stories about how Guinness tastes soooooo much better in Ireland and I wanted to see for myself, especially since I am not all that fond of Guinness in the first place.

Owen, Niall and Paul all unanimously agreed that Murphy’s Pub was the place to go for this so I wandered down toward the river to find it.
It wasn’t much trouble and went in and had a seat at the bar and placed my order with the bartender.

And I, being the camera toting dufus I am, captured the momentous beer for posterity.

Click for full size image

Let me state for the record that it is absolutely true. This Guinness tasted fantastic! Smooth and not bitter like I recall my American experiences.

I see a few more pints in my immediate future….

Globetrotter

One thousand pounds for an elephant?
It’s outrageous! You’ve been diddled.

Undoubtedly.
But it’s not often one needs an elephant in a hurry.

—-

I’ll be headed to Seattle next week on business. I’ve always wanted to visit. The best friend of my youth, Rich Davis, is living up in Washington State and we’ll be getting together for dinner one evening. I haven’t seen him in over 12 years…maybe 15. We were pretty inseparable for most of our teenage years. People used to call us Heckle and Jeckle.

Pike Place Market, a cup of coffee at the original Starbuck’s and dinner at The Space Needle are all on the agenda.

When I get back I have a short time before I re-pack and catch a flight to Galway Ireland to participate in an IT project. We’re migrating the two international corporate NT domains. That should be fun. As luck would have it, Owen Finn will be there on one of the days I’m visiting so I’ll get to meet his family. I’ll also be entertained by members of the “Irish Contingent” on their home turf.

I’m taking a few extra days to take in the sights.

After that it’s only a few months before Cynthia and I head of to Spain for our 30 day adventure that we’ve been planning for the last year.

IT (special) Olympics

So my boss came up with the idea of having a team building exercise call The IT Olympics.
Basically we’ve broken into teams and are competing on a Nintendo Wii for bragging rights.

Jeana (my manager and teammate) prepares to knock one out of the virtual park

Home run!

To be honest, I was a bit sceptical of this activity, but I’m actually having a pretty good time.

New schedule

My boss just informed me that we are moving to a 9/80 schedule.
Instead of 80 hours in 10 days I work 80 in 9 days.

The payoff?

Every other Friday off.

w00t!