It’s been a hectic couple of days. Crappy, actually. The week started slow, but Wednesday we got slammed with a couple of high priority database jobs. No real choice about it, even though I don’t have any database guys, or programmers, or developers on strength. Just do the best you can, the Colonel said – as if all technical skills are just interchangeable. Why does it seem that I am always put in these positions? Give me a truck mechanic to build a brick wall, why don’t you? Set up to fail, is what I call it. God, I wish I remembered more from those database design classes I took at Maryland. Maybe I’ll go over the 67th and see if they have anyone I can borrow for a while?
Everyone is running around like a zombie. Or should I say, the day shift is running around like zombies – the damn bombers were overhead again last night. They were cool the first time, and they’re okay during the day, but now we’re tired. Literally and figuratively. I wonder if the whole city is as tired as I am? I’ve think I’ve drunk a million cups of coffee and another million diet cokes.
We’re having trouble with the video distribution system again too. The digital maps are okay, but the UAV feeds keep freezing – and I think there’s a lens problem causing the screens to cloud over when viewed from an angle. Anyway, it’s been one of our biggest projects over the last 6 months and I want to get it right. There’s this one Army Warrant Officer who sits on the watch floor right up near the screens and he’s always got a snide comment to make. A couple of my guys have complained about him in the past and I have even heard him several times myself, always muttering under his breath. Earlier this evening we were up there playing with the test pattern again and I was frustrated and I heard him. Normally I believe in the old adage to praise in public and punish in private but I was just tired of the VDS problems and tired of this guy and just tired. And so I whipped around and said to him in a loud voice “Warrant Officer, if you have anything constructive to say we’d be happy to hear it. But otherwise I’ll ask you to just shut the hell up.” He walked away and, to tell the truth, I was bit embarrassed. I know at least two of my guys heard.
Ten minutes later I walked back into the office. My Staff Sergeant looked up and said to me “you did good up there, sir.”
Everyone is running around like a zombie. Or should I say, the day shift is running around like zombies – the damn bombers were overhead again last night. They were cool the first time, and they’re okay during the day, but now we’re tired. Literally and figuratively. I wonder if the whole city is as tired as I am? I’ve think I’ve drunk a million cups of coffee and another million diet cokes.
We’re having trouble with the video distribution system again too. The digital maps are okay, but the UAV feeds keep freezing – and I think there’s a lens problem causing the screens to cloud over when viewed from an angle. Anyway, it’s been one of our biggest projects over the last 6 months and I want to get it right. There’s this one Army Warrant Officer who sits on the watch floor right up near the screens and he’s always got a snide comment to make. A couple of my guys have complained about him in the past and I have even heard him several times myself, always muttering under his breath. Earlier this evening we were up there playing with the test pattern again and I was frustrated and I heard him. Normally I believe in the old adage to praise in public and punish in private but I was just tired of the VDS problems and tired of this guy and just tired. And so I whipped around and said to him in a loud voice “Warrant Officer, if you have anything constructive to say we’d be happy to hear it. But otherwise I’ll ask you to just shut the hell up.” He walked away and, to tell the truth, I was bit embarrassed. I know at least two of my guys heard.
Ten minutes later I walked back into the office. My Staff Sergeant looked up and said to me “you did good up there, sir.”
posted by Jack at 12:54 AM
2 Comments:
That's great - I think a constant bitcher is worse than the usual passive - aggressive shenanigans that are common in the Museum world. At least you were able to shut him up for a little while. Probably raised everyone else's morale too.
"shut the hell up"? Man, you are too polite sometimes.
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