Long Time, No Blog

Apologies. It's been an adjustment period.

I now have that IT job, and have been up at school running between floors carrying flashlights, keys, laptops, ghost disks, and various cords. We set off an alarm trying to nab one of the 201 computers for the massive, beautiful, technological wonder that is a new ($$$) addition to the auditorium. Not a noise you want to be right by when it goes off. Yes, that would be a misplaced modifier. Sue me.

I'm enjoying the job, and learning all sorts of ins and outs that I can't even keep track of when jotting down notes more copious than those I take for class. But C doesn't seem to expect us to recall everything immediately, so all's well.

I had my first solo flight today ghosting machines. It's a process I only first heard of yesterday, and only witnessed once before I started working on it myself. The first computer ghost session C stood over my shoulder and coached me through it. The second computer, he stood there and nodded, directing me when I got lost. Then he went off to buy supplies while I took the keys and tried it alone in one of the offices. Let us say, that in most cases, a little more training might be required before such solo missions go successfully. I crashed and burned, and the computer seemed to do something similar.

C wasn't due back until after my hours ran out, and every time I tried his cell phone, I got a busy signal. So I left a long and detailed note describing what I think went wrong, and what I did to try to fix it. I don't think it will be a big problem, since all this ghost stuff is what C calls a "nuke and pave" operation. I suppose one could "nuke and pave" the same computer ad infinitum. So perhaps we just start a new session and I try again Monday. But I must say, going from DOS to a flickering Blue Screen of Death (not the technical term, but one which accurately describes the emotions felt on viewing) is not something I want to do again.

Here's hoping I didn't screw up too badly. I've done well enough on the other stuff, at least. I'm very good at altering the how-tos so that idiots can use the equipment. I simply go through the stuff, and anything that doesn't immediately make itself clear to me, I add. Like the colors of flashing lights. Does red mean "get help now?" The theoretical "idiot user" will fear something like this, and needs to know. These people are attempting technology for maybe the first time, in front of three-dozen computer savvy students who are probably laughing behind their hands. They need all the help they can get in such a stressing situation.

Since we're on the subject of teaching, I will inform you of a grand discovery. I have talked to the secretary in charge of classroom assignments and GPTIs (graduate part time instructor--that's me and my kind), and I have managed to arrange my ten hours of GPTI work thusly: I will teach both Eng 1301 classes, and only grade for two hours a week. Let me repeat. Only Grade For TWO Hours A Week. I'm sorry, what was that? Oh, right, it's just that I only cut my grading time down to TWO HOURS/WEEK!!! My fellow GPTIs are teaching two classes and grading for 12-14 hours a week. I get to severely lower my grading time, and instead of telling students why they failed, I get to tell students and faculty how they screwed up their computers. And the bright red T-shirts that are our garish uniforms have been shipped, and should arrive shortly, so we can be moving targets in the hallways. Yea!

We're still working on the multimedia room that will be our IT haven, and I really hope the separation of GPTI and IT will work. I fear what the others fear: we're conferencing with a student and someone comes into the office wanting to know why their email is down. And then waits there impatiently, while we try to conduct what should be a semi-private student/teacher session. I see students becoming nervous about an audience, and I see that audience attempting to cut into paper writing, lunch consuming, paper grading, and other GPTI stuff. In short, I see problems that maybe a hideous red T-shirt cannot solve. But we'll deal.

And that's about all the new news there is on this front. Sorry for the delay.

end.