Tuesday, September 27
Hurricane, smurricane
Thinking back over the past couple of weeks, I realized that in 2003, I installed a server at a bank here in Houston during Hurricane Claudette. A Docubase server no less.
Funny how things can change in two years.
Funny how things can change in two years.
Monday, September 26
Monday Monday
(The Mammas and the Papas to start the week)
Ok, didn't have to drop the boy at school today. Got up a little later than usual, 6:00 AM. Had a shower. Forgot to shave in the shower. Shaved in the sink.
Rounded up my gear and hit the road about 7:10 AM. Not sure what to expect for traffic. It was really foggy, but traffic was quite light. Got to work in 30 minutes.
There is a sticky note on the door from one of our customers, they want us ASAP to set their network back up for them. I know that they share a suite with another of our customers, so I grab come coffee and down my bran muffins and head out.
Broke a USB software dongle on one of the systems as I was putting it back under it's desk. The guy who knows how to get a new one won't be in till Tuesday. I was able to put the key back together and get the user working, but still felt stupid.
After about 2 hours I had both customers back up and running.
Back to the office. Have three new tickts. One is down on the second floor, they can't log into their server. Went down. Looks like we changed thier Admin password and didn't tell them. Gave them the new password and didn't bill them for my time.
Next ticket is on the third floor. The customer cannot log into their server. This time it is because they are typing the password wrong. They are a customer that does not believe in upgrading, ever, so their server is NT 4.0 with Exchange 5.5 and all their desktops are old Compaq Deskpros with NT 4.0 Pro. It took a long time to troubleshoot all their problems, but finally figured out that Norton A/V and Exchnage 5.5 are not playing nice together. Band-aided the problem. Opened a new ticket to follow up on this problem later. Also opened a ticket to run by the company owner's house later in the day to check out his home computer.
Next ticket. A local retail store has a Linksys router that has been crapping out for months, and it looks like the sucker finally died from the hurricane power surges. Picked up a new D-Link router from stock and headed out to the customer site. Took about an hour and a half to figure out all the router settings, as no one before me had done a good job of documenting the configurationl.
It's about 1 PM, and I need lunch. Stopped at the Galleria and ate at Chick-Fil-A. Forgot school is out today, there are kids running around all over the place.
After lunch I headed to that customer house to check things out. Lame ticket, but it was a billable hour that only took 15 minutes. Everyting there was just fine.
Next, headed out to my customer whose home office was in New Orleans. Two of their computers cannot attach to their server from New Orleans or their accounting application. I rebooted them, and after the login scripts ran, they worked fine. Another lame ticket, but another billable hour that didn't take an hour.
Back to the office for some time entry. As I was leaving I noticed one of the guy's keyboards needed some adjustment, as I owed him for something he did a couple of weeks ago. So, with the aid of an additonal keyboard, I set the top row of keys to read, "CARLOSYOUSUCK" instead of "QWERTYUIOP[]\". One of the other guys had a digital camera at the office, so I should have a picture to post here soon.
Headed home about 6 PM. Checked the mail, we didn't get mail delivered Thur-Sat, so I was expecting an onslaught of mail. Only three items. Guess we will get more later in the week.
Had frozen burritos and guacamole with chips for dinner. Downed another of those Miller High Life beers. Watched the King of The Hill and Simpsons and Lost from the Tivo. Played a little Halo 2. It's 11 PM now, I'm going to take a shot of insulin and hit the sheets. Wonder how much shit I will get done tomorrow.
Ok, didn't have to drop the boy at school today. Got up a little later than usual, 6:00 AM. Had a shower. Forgot to shave in the shower. Shaved in the sink.
Rounded up my gear and hit the road about 7:10 AM. Not sure what to expect for traffic. It was really foggy, but traffic was quite light. Got to work in 30 minutes.
There is a sticky note on the door from one of our customers, they want us ASAP to set their network back up for them. I know that they share a suite with another of our customers, so I grab come coffee and down my bran muffins and head out.
Broke a USB software dongle on one of the systems as I was putting it back under it's desk. The guy who knows how to get a new one won't be in till Tuesday. I was able to put the key back together and get the user working, but still felt stupid.
After about 2 hours I had both customers back up and running.
Back to the office. Have three new tickts. One is down on the second floor, they can't log into their server. Went down. Looks like we changed thier Admin password and didn't tell them. Gave them the new password and didn't bill them for my time.
Next ticket is on the third floor. The customer cannot log into their server. This time it is because they are typing the password wrong. They are a customer that does not believe in upgrading, ever, so their server is NT 4.0 with Exchange 5.5 and all their desktops are old Compaq Deskpros with NT 4.0 Pro. It took a long time to troubleshoot all their problems, but finally figured out that Norton A/V and Exchnage 5.5 are not playing nice together. Band-aided the problem. Opened a new ticket to follow up on this problem later. Also opened a ticket to run by the company owner's house later in the day to check out his home computer.
Next ticket. A local retail store has a Linksys router that has been crapping out for months, and it looks like the sucker finally died from the hurricane power surges. Picked up a new D-Link router from stock and headed out to the customer site. Took about an hour and a half to figure out all the router settings, as no one before me had done a good job of documenting the configurationl.
It's about 1 PM, and I need lunch. Stopped at the Galleria and ate at Chick-Fil-A. Forgot school is out today, there are kids running around all over the place.
After lunch I headed to that customer house to check things out. Lame ticket, but it was a billable hour that only took 15 minutes. Everyting there was just fine.
Next, headed out to my customer whose home office was in New Orleans. Two of their computers cannot attach to their server from New Orleans or their accounting application. I rebooted them, and after the login scripts ran, they worked fine. Another lame ticket, but another billable hour that didn't take an hour.
Back to the office for some time entry. As I was leaving I noticed one of the guy's keyboards needed some adjustment, as I owed him for something he did a couple of weeks ago. So, with the aid of an additonal keyboard, I set the top row of keys to read, "CARLOSYOUSUCK" instead of "QWERTYUIOP[]\". One of the other guys had a digital camera at the office, so I should have a picture to post here soon.
Headed home about 6 PM. Checked the mail, we didn't get mail delivered Thur-Sat, so I was expecting an onslaught of mail. Only three items. Guess we will get more later in the week.
Had frozen burritos and guacamole with chips for dinner. Downed another of those Miller High Life beers. Watched the King of The Hill and Simpsons and Lost from the Tivo. Played a little Halo 2. It's 11 PM now, I'm going to take a shot of insulin and hit the sheets. Wonder how much shit I will get done tomorrow.
Sunday, September 25
Ridin' The Storm Out
(A little R.E.O. Speedwagon. Anyone know what R E O stands for?)
Ok, a final hurricane wrap up.
Woke up this morning and went looking for gas and breakfast. There were gas lines all over the place, but found the brand new Super Wal-Mart here in Pearland had virtually no line. Could not find a place open for breakfast for the longest time. Finally found a bad coffee shop. But the requirements of food and coffee.
The pictures at the end of this post are from our morning drive.
After breakfast I got the outside of the house mostly back to it's normal condition. Then we put the boy down for his nap. The wife tried to get burgers at Jake's Grill which has recently relocated to the entrance of our subdivison. They were out of buns, and we were not interested in Atkins Specials.
She then went to Sonic. They had food, but virtually no choices. #1 or #2 burger, fries or tots, and any fountain drink. Still, a good plan for after the disaster.
Relaxed mostly after lunch. Went to Best Buy and Wal-Mart to get out of the house. Found out the wife has to go to work tomorrow. Found out day care is closed tomorrow. Crap, we both have to work.
Found out mom does not have to work tomorrow, she will watch the boy, in fact, he can go over and spend the night tonight.
Wohoo! All problems fixed, except for dinner. Called Chuy's River Oaks, and found that they were open with a limited menu.
Went to Chuy's, the food and service were excellent. So now I've got a belly full of Tex-mex and marguritas. (The best kind of Rita!) I'm going to play some Xbox Live and try to forget this weekend ever happened.
Neighborhood Damage
Busted Sign
Mely's Mexican Resturant Future Home.
Gas lines.
Ok, a final hurricane wrap up.
Woke up this morning and went looking for gas and breakfast. There were gas lines all over the place, but found the brand new Super Wal-Mart here in Pearland had virtually no line. Could not find a place open for breakfast for the longest time. Finally found a bad coffee shop. But the requirements of food and coffee.
The pictures at the end of this post are from our morning drive.
After breakfast I got the outside of the house mostly back to it's normal condition. Then we put the boy down for his nap. The wife tried to get burgers at Jake's Grill which has recently relocated to the entrance of our subdivison. They were out of buns, and we were not interested in Atkins Specials.
She then went to Sonic. They had food, but virtually no choices. #1 or #2 burger, fries or tots, and any fountain drink. Still, a good plan for after the disaster.
Relaxed mostly after lunch. Went to Best Buy and Wal-Mart to get out of the house. Found out the wife has to go to work tomorrow. Found out day care is closed tomorrow. Crap, we both have to work.
Found out mom does not have to work tomorrow, she will watch the boy, in fact, he can go over and spend the night tonight.
Wohoo! All problems fixed, except for dinner. Called Chuy's River Oaks, and found that they were open with a limited menu.
Went to Chuy's, the food and service were excellent. So now I've got a belly full of Tex-mex and marguritas. (The best kind of Rita!) I'm going to play some Xbox Live and try to forget this weekend ever happened.
Neighborhood Damage
Busted Sign
Mely's Mexican Resturant Future Home.
Gas lines.
Saturday, September 24
I'm on a Mexican Radio
What does he say?
(A little Wall Of Voo Doo as my wind up radio seems to tune Spanish language stations better than English.)
9-24-2005 / 2:35 PM
Went out for a drive about 1 PM. Nothing is open, folks are starting to come back to town. Neighbors got in around 11 this morning. There is no power in any of the parts of town I drove through. No gas, no ice, no nothing for sale.
Had a massive fight with the wife. Close quarters with no A/C and nothing to do seem to make us cranky.
My lead tech from work called to check up. He was out in Katy, TX. For the storm, and got no rain and only a little wind. He said the power was back on at his apartment, so he was heading back there. Still no word on power here. He does not know what our schedule is, and one of our customers that is on Galveston Bay vanished last night, he has not been able to contact
them since 6 PM yesterday. Looks like a fun week coming up at work.
The boy is having a fun day. I put his fort back together and back out in the yard. It is still windy, but I don't know that we will
see much more rain. Think we got maybe 1/2 of an inch. Things are just not that wet out there. Looks like I'll be dragging out the sprinklers and hoses once the wind dies down so I can water the lawn.
Ate some cold Spam-a-roni and Cheese and a Coke Zero for lunch. Think maybe I'll have a slice of cheese cake, or some M&Ms and take a nap.
2:45 PM - I was just lying on the sofa, relaxing. Then I heard my 3Com Audrey Internet Terminal make it's welcome sound. Man, like a flash, my wife was up and trying to get the AC turned back on in the house. It took me a couple of minutes to reprogram the day and time on both thermostats and get things running. But we have power again, so about 8 hours without power and we are back in business now.
Power, sweet, cooling power.
(A little Wall Of Voo Doo as my wind up radio seems to tune Spanish language stations better than English.)
9-24-2005 / 2:35 PM
Went out for a drive about 1 PM. Nothing is open, folks are starting to come back to town. Neighbors got in around 11 this morning. There is no power in any of the parts of town I drove through. No gas, no ice, no nothing for sale.
Had a massive fight with the wife. Close quarters with no A/C and nothing to do seem to make us cranky.
My lead tech from work called to check up. He was out in Katy, TX. For the storm, and got no rain and only a little wind. He said the power was back on at his apartment, so he was heading back there. Still no word on power here. He does not know what our schedule is, and one of our customers that is on Galveston Bay vanished last night, he has not been able to contact
them since 6 PM yesterday. Looks like a fun week coming up at work.
The boy is having a fun day. I put his fort back together and back out in the yard. It is still windy, but I don't know that we will
see much more rain. Think we got maybe 1/2 of an inch. Things are just not that wet out there. Looks like I'll be dragging out the sprinklers and hoses once the wind dies down so I can water the lawn.
Ate some cold Spam-a-roni and Cheese and a Coke Zero for lunch. Think maybe I'll have a slice of cheese cake, or some M&Ms and take a nap.
2:45 PM - I was just lying on the sofa, relaxing. Then I heard my 3Com Audrey Internet Terminal make it's welcome sound. Man, like a flash, my wife was up and trying to get the AC turned back on in the house. It took me a couple of minutes to reprogram the day and time on both thermostats and get things running. But we have power again, so about 8 hours without power and we are back in business now.
Power, sweet, cooling power.
Here Comes The Rain Again
(A litle Eurythmics in the morning.)
9-24-2005 / 9:16 AM
Went to bed around 11:30 last night. There was a big fire raging in Galveston, and a little wind and rain here. The power had been clicking off and back on all evening, cutting my Xbox Live gaming short.
Woke up around 4:45 AM, had to pee really bad, was surprised to find the power still working.
Woke up again at about 7:30 AM. Power was out. Hooked up the backup phone, and got a dial tone. Grabbed my flashlight and checked out the perimeter of the house. No water leakes. Stepped out on the front porch, there was a light rain, but the strong wind made it very unpleasant. Snapped a quick photo of the view down the street. A gust of wind caught the door as I was closing it to come inside and nearly knocked me over as I wasn't expecting the gust.
Called mom & dad, they live about 5 miles from here. They still have power. We're welcome to come over there if we wish.
Turned on the TV and got the wind-up radio. Found the simulcast for the TV on the radio and started listening. Sounds like most of the destruction was east of here. Says that nearly 600,000 folks in Houston area are without power.
Had a good breakfast planned, made sausage, eggs and hash browns for the crew. Did a little juggling with coolers and the fridge.
Think we will hang out here for a while. Play the day by ear.
After the storm
9-24-2005 / 9:16 AM
Went to bed around 11:30 last night. There was a big fire raging in Galveston, and a little wind and rain here. The power had been clicking off and back on all evening, cutting my Xbox Live gaming short.
Woke up around 4:45 AM, had to pee really bad, was surprised to find the power still working.
Woke up again at about 7:30 AM. Power was out. Hooked up the backup phone, and got a dial tone. Grabbed my flashlight and checked out the perimeter of the house. No water leakes. Stepped out on the front porch, there was a light rain, but the strong wind made it very unpleasant. Snapped a quick photo of the view down the street. A gust of wind caught the door as I was closing it to come inside and nearly knocked me over as I wasn't expecting the gust.
Called mom & dad, they live about 5 miles from here. They still have power. We're welcome to come over there if we wish.
Turned on the TV and got the wind-up radio. Found the simulcast for the TV on the radio and started listening. Sounds like most of the destruction was east of here. Says that nearly 600,000 folks in Houston area are without power.
Had a good breakfast planned, made sausage, eggs and hash browns for the crew. Did a little juggling with coolers and the fridge.
Think we will hang out here for a while. Play the day by ear.
After the storm
Friday, September 23
Good Day, Sunshine.
Good day, sunshine.
Good day, sunshine.
(Even more Beatles to delight your mind.)
We're done with dinner, got all the dishes in the dishwasher. Storm is looking worse and worse, but not so bad here. It is raining a little, the boy is having a good time running around in the rain. I took several pictures of the beautiful sunset. The air mattress is ready to roll.
Now we are hoping that the power stays on long enough to record our Friday night shows on Tivo. I'm still nursing beer number three.
More to follow.
Sunset at Sunrise Lake, Pearland, TX.
Good day, sunshine.
(Even more Beatles to delight your mind.)
We're done with dinner, got all the dishes in the dishwasher. Storm is looking worse and worse, but not so bad here. It is raining a little, the boy is having a good time running around in the rain. I took several pictures of the beautiful sunset. The air mattress is ready to roll.
Now we are hoping that the power stays on long enough to record our Friday night shows on Tivo. I'm still nursing beer number three.
More to follow.
Sunset at Sunrise Lake, Pearland, TX.
Last Call
For alcohol, the bartender said, what you havin'?
One Burbon, one scotch, one beer.
(A little George Thorogood & The Destroyers)
Well, it's getting dark outside. The wind has picked up a bit, and the trees are bending back and forth. We've had a little rain.
I made a batch of Spam-a-roni And Cheese. Ate about half of it myself. The little woman fed some of it to the boy and he really liked it a lot. I'm doing my best to drink all the Miller High Life before the electricty goes out completely. It's already blinked out once and I had to reset the Internet router.
I think I could start an entire additional blog to record every time a reporter says or does something stupid on air tonight. What a bunch of idiots.
It's almost time for Clan Easy Frag's four beer Friday night. I'm only one beer short now.
I'll keep blogging these compeletely uninteresting posts till I completely loose power, then maybe setup some posts for when power and net access comes back.
One Burbon, one scotch, one beer.
(A little George Thorogood & The Destroyers)
Well, it's getting dark outside. The wind has picked up a bit, and the trees are bending back and forth. We've had a little rain.
I made a batch of Spam-a-roni And Cheese. Ate about half of it myself. The little woman fed some of it to the boy and he really liked it a lot. I'm doing my best to drink all the Miller High Life before the electricty goes out completely. It's already blinked out once and I had to reset the Internet router.
I think I could start an entire additional blog to record every time a reporter says or does something stupid on air tonight. What a bunch of idiots.
It's almost time for Clan Easy Frag's four beer Friday night. I'm only one beer short now.
I'll keep blogging these compeletely uninteresting posts till I completely loose power, then maybe setup some posts for when power and net access comes back.
I'm dreaming
Of a white Christmas...
(A little Bing Crosby to lighten the mood...)
It is funny to think that on Christmas Day we had snow on the ground.
Now outside, it looks like this.
Looking out the front door.
(A little Bing Crosby to lighten the mood...)
It is funny to think that on Christmas Day we had snow on the ground.
Now outside, it looks like this.
Looking out the front door.
A picture of you in your birthday suit,
You sat in the sun on a hot afternoon.
Picture book, your mama and your papa, and fat old uncle charlie out cruising with their friends.
Picture book, a holiday in august, outside a bed and breakfast in sunny southend.
Picture book, when you were just a baby, those days when you were happy, a long time ago.
(Courtsey of The Kinks)
Had a grilled cheese, Coke Zero and Sour Cream & Onion Lays for lunch.
Been out on the back patio with my wife and the boy running around. Took this picture of the ominous skies. The hurricane track has changed again, and is coming more our way again now.
Time to go inflate the air mattress, looks like we might be sleeping in the closet tonight.
Picture book, your mama and your papa, and fat old uncle charlie out cruising with their friends.
Picture book, a holiday in august, outside a bed and breakfast in sunny southend.
Picture book, when you were just a baby, those days when you were happy, a long time ago.
(Courtsey of The Kinks)
Had a grilled cheese, Coke Zero and Sour Cream & Onion Lays for lunch.
Been out on the back patio with my wife and the boy running around. Took this picture of the ominous skies. The hurricane track has changed again, and is coming more our way again now.
Time to go inflate the air mattress, looks like we might be sleeping in the closet tonight.
I woke up,
Fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head...
(Yes, more Beatles.)
Woke up at about 8:30 this morning. Went to bed about 1 AM. A day where I get to sleep late, and I wake up out of habit.
Hmmm... What day is it? I've been off for two days, so it should be Sunday. But wait, there is that hurricane thing, so it must be Friday or Saturday. Let's see, went to work three days this week, off one day, must be Friday. Ok, so it's agreed, Friday is the day.
Should I get up, or just lie here. A ringing phone has my immediate attention, guess I will be getting up.
It is my wife, she and the boy are coming home. Looked out front while we were talking, no newspaper for the second day in a row, she doesn't have one there either.
Turned on Channel 13 to watch the local news and find out what is happening.
This is the basic rundown:
1. Traffic to evacuate is still bad everywhere.
2. Bus in Dallas exploded, killed a bunch of hospice patients.
3. One idiot arrested in Galveston for trying to surf at 4 AM.
4. Four houses have been looted in Galveston.
The media is also trying to goad people in and out of the government to blame for problems with evacuations. Way to go media! Go for causing anger and distrust during this calamity.
Emptied the dishwasher, filled it back up, baked some Bran Muffins (don't want hemmorhoids or constipation when the electricty goes out and the plumbing becomes unreliable), started a pot of coffee.
I need a nap.
Dragged a comb across my head...
(Yes, more Beatles.)
Woke up at about 8:30 this morning. Went to bed about 1 AM. A day where I get to sleep late, and I wake up out of habit.
Hmmm... What day is it? I've been off for two days, so it should be Sunday. But wait, there is that hurricane thing, so it must be Friday or Saturday. Let's see, went to work three days this week, off one day, must be Friday. Ok, so it's agreed, Friday is the day.
Should I get up, or just lie here. A ringing phone has my immediate attention, guess I will be getting up.
It is my wife, she and the boy are coming home. Looked out front while we were talking, no newspaper for the second day in a row, she doesn't have one there either.
Turned on Channel 13 to watch the local news and find out what is happening.
This is the basic rundown:
1. Traffic to evacuate is still bad everywhere.
2. Bus in Dallas exploded, killed a bunch of hospice patients.
3. One idiot arrested in Galveston for trying to surf at 4 AM.
4. Four houses have been looted in Galveston.
The media is also trying to goad people in and out of the government to blame for problems with evacuations. Way to go media! Go for causing anger and distrust during this calamity.
Emptied the dishwasher, filled it back up, baked some Bran Muffins (don't want hemmorhoids or constipation when the electricty goes out and the plumbing becomes unreliable), started a pot of coffee.
I need a nap.
Thursday, September 22
That's The Way,
Uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it.
(Don't know who sings that.)
Ok, now it looks like Rita is going to hit east of here in the Beaumont area.
Survived dinner with my parents.
The girls next door were leaving, and brought me fish, beef and Cheesecake from their freezer so if the power goes out, it will get eaten.
Damn, that Cheesecake won't fit in the freezer, looks like I'll have to work on eating it starting tonight. Damn.
And Jake noticed my plight and mentioned me. I'll be safe here, you just watch out for that next blizzard up there in Bend.
(Don't know who sings that.)
Ok, now it looks like Rita is going to hit east of here in the Beaumont area.
Survived dinner with my parents.
The girls next door were leaving, and brought me fish, beef and Cheesecake from their freezer so if the power goes out, it will get eaten.
Damn, that Cheesecake won't fit in the freezer, looks like I'll have to work on eating it starting tonight. Damn.
And Jake noticed my plight and mentioned me. I'll be safe here, you just watch out for that next blizzard up there in Bend.
Well,
I ain't feeling happy,
'bout the state of things in my life,
But I'm working to make it better,
With a six of Miller High Life.
(Ok, my life is not a They Might Be Giants song either.)
Back yard is mostly clean now. Got a couple of things left to bring in, and the shed is battened down. Took a bunch of digital photos of the house and the shed and the things in the shed.
Went out looking for:
1. Gas
2. Propane (other gas)
3. Beer (gives me gas)
Found Miller High Life in bottles. Bought two six packs, so now I have about 40 beers here. That should get me thorough the weekend.
Cooking a roast in the slow cooker, my folks are coming over for diner tonight. Gooing to start cooking in the morning, get enough food ready to cover the next few days to put in the cooler.
I've taken two breaks to eat and relax today, watching two stored up episodes of Stargate SG-1, so I'm getting caught up on that right now.
Miss the wife and boy, but they might come back, they and my in-laws couldn't get out of town this morning. They are going to check things out around 8 PM tonight and decide to leave or not.
More to come....
'bout the state of things in my life,
But I'm working to make it better,
With a six of Miller High Life.
(Ok, my life is not a They Might Be Giants song either.)
Back yard is mostly clean now. Got a couple of things left to bring in, and the shed is battened down. Took a bunch of digital photos of the house and the shed and the things in the shed.
Went out looking for:
1. Gas
2. Propane (other gas)
3. Beer (gives me gas)
Found Miller High Life in bottles. Bought two six packs, so now I have about 40 beers here. That should get me thorough the weekend.
Cooking a roast in the slow cooker, my folks are coming over for diner tonight. Gooing to start cooking in the morning, get enough food ready to cover the next few days to put in the cooler.
I've taken two breaks to eat and relax today, watching two stored up episodes of Stargate SG-1, so I'm getting caught up on that right now.
Miss the wife and boy, but they might come back, they and my in-laws couldn't get out of town this morning. They are going to check things out around 8 PM tonight and decide to leave or not.
More to come....
Good Morning
Good Morning, Good Morning, Life.
(Ok, again, my life is not really a Beatles song.)
First day I can sleep late in a month, and I wake up at 7:30 AM.
Shit.
Turn on the news. Evacuating is a joke right now, the traffic is so thick that folks have been driving all night and haven't even left the city.
Went outside to assess which neighbors are still here, and which ones are leaving.
I've come to the conclusion that my neighbors are idiots. Looks like a bunch of them left town and didn't bother to pick up things like their garden hoses, patio furniture, etc. out in the yard. Shit, I'll go collect that shit up later in the day I guess to keep my stuff from getting fucked up in the storm.
Cell phones have been useless since yesterday. The normal land line phones are also not too reliable, they are so flodded that it is difficult to get through, and if you do get through, you might get cut off mid sentance while talking.
Ok, I'm off to collect up my shit around the yard to get ready for this thing. Looks like I might be sitting out a Category 4 storm. Still make a decision tomorrow morning about wether to stay or go.
(Ok, again, my life is not really a Beatles song.)
First day I can sleep late in a month, and I wake up at 7:30 AM.
Shit.
Turn on the news. Evacuating is a joke right now, the traffic is so thick that folks have been driving all night and haven't even left the city.
Went outside to assess which neighbors are still here, and which ones are leaving.
I've come to the conclusion that my neighbors are idiots. Looks like a bunch of them left town and didn't bother to pick up things like their garden hoses, patio furniture, etc. out in the yard. Shit, I'll go collect that shit up later in the day I guess to keep my stuff from getting fucked up in the storm.
Cell phones have been useless since yesterday. The normal land line phones are also not too reliable, they are so flodded that it is difficult to get through, and if you do get through, you might get cut off mid sentance while talking.
Ok, I'm off to collect up my shit around the yard to get ready for this thing. Looks like I might be sitting out a Category 4 storm. Still make a decision tomorrow morning about wether to stay or go.
Wednesday, September 21
Lovely Rita, Hur-i-cane...
Ok, so it's not a Beatles song...
But Rita is causing royal chaos here.
Houston traffic is royally fucked up all over the place headed in any direction but south.
My wife is heading to Lake San Rayburn to hide out at her grandfather's with the boy.
I'm staying here with our Looter Shooter, beer, hot dogs, Spam and such.
Playing some Xbox life with my friends.
Backed up three networks and secured them today. Will probably spend all day Monday or Tuesday restoring things.
Meanwhile, this Rita may have to give up her web site, just like a certain Katrina.
More updates to follow...
But Rita is causing royal chaos here.
Houston traffic is royally fucked up all over the place headed in any direction but south.
My wife is heading to Lake San Rayburn to hide out at her grandfather's with the boy.
I'm staying here with our Looter Shooter, beer, hot dogs, Spam and such.
Playing some Xbox life with my friends.
Backed up three networks and secured them today. Will probably spend all day Monday or Tuesday restoring things.
Meanwhile, this Rita may have to give up her web site, just like a certain Katrina.
More updates to follow...
Tuesday, September 20
Waiting on Rita.
Hurricane Rita is still coming right at us for all practical purposes.
So tomorrow we will be out backing up data and collecting tapes from our customers to keep it safe for when they need to restore after the storm.
I'm working late tongiht on a HDD that tanked it's ass yesterday on a customer's laptop. I'll probably be working late tomorrow night as well to backup customer data.
Some day I will get to back up my own data and get hurricane supplies ready to rumble. Just don't know what day.
So tomorrow we will be out backing up data and collecting tapes from our customers to keep it safe for when they need to restore after the storm.
I'm working late tongiht on a HDD that tanked it's ass yesterday on a customer's laptop. I'll probably be working late tomorrow night as well to backup customer data.
Some day I will get to back up my own data and get hurricane supplies ready to rumble. Just don't know what day.
Monday, September 19
It's coming right at us!
Apparently hurricane Rita is coming right at us here in the Houston area.
I say, bring it on bitch! I don't care if it means no air conditioning for a few days. I've got coolers, a gas grill, a 10x10 canopy and a tent. I could us the time off in the back yard to relax.
Then we will get plenty of billable hours at the office once it is over. Going to get some even before it gets here just on backing up data and picking up tapes from all of our customers.
I say, bring it on bitch! I don't care if it means no air conditioning for a few days. I've got coolers, a gas grill, a 10x10 canopy and a tent. I could us the time off in the back yard to relax.
Then we will get plenty of billable hours at the office once it is over. Going to get some even before it gets here just on backing up data and picking up tapes from all of our customers.
Friday, September 16
Makes you say, Hmmm.......
Ok, I'm in the bustling metropolis of Taft Texas today.
We're removing a VPN and setting up Terminal Services for the customer.
With the VPN they have been using the Houston servers for DNS. Since that is going away, I called their ISP to get the local DNS server addresses.
The guy on the line did not know what they are. He has to call someone and have them call me back. Amazing. Maybe I should move out here, I could be running this town in a week.
We're removing a VPN and setting up Terminal Services for the customer.
With the VPN they have been using the Houston servers for DNS. Since that is going away, I called their ISP to get the local DNS server addresses.
The guy on the line did not know what they are. He has to call someone and have them call me back. Amazing. Maybe I should move out here, I could be running this town in a week.
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