Camaraderie

There’s a certain brotherhood within the tech universe, that we computer people share.

At several places I worked, like Governors State, or FTD there have been numerous amount of Techs that worked with me, sometimes being the lone IT guy at this company I miss that camaraderie of fellow nerds, and geeks. Not just for the mere fact of having people backing me up when I’m not around, just to have someone there to bounce ideas off of, and to let off steam.

Governors State University was probably the greatest place I ever worked, because I had such awesome people surrounding me. The awesomest thing is I had a hand in shapping their future. There’s alot of Governors State Interns that I helped mold, and went on to great careers in IT.

It was a great learning atmosphere as well, we would set up our own test systems, and play around with them. Push each other when it came to pass certfiications, and then we would let off steam together. We would play games until 5am on the campus network, then go hit Egg and I restaurant for some hazelnut coffee. The memories of the screams of those interns as I crush them in a video game like Starcraft, or Quake still makes me chuckle.

FTD was the same way, a bunch of men and women working for a big company in the trenches together, we would do alot together. Go to bars, and to this one guys house which was nerd haven. We played video games on a projector against a wall. Most of us would play World of Warcraft together, and we would talk about it endlessly. You would think we would get tired of it, no we wouldn’t. We would all play this Tron game at work, and one day an unknown player logs on called “YourFired”, and started destroying all of us, it turned out to be our boss.   I would work Saturdays, and it would be slow in the afternoon, and we would just shoot the shit. Talk about florists, and their stupidity.  One time for a party I brought some Mt.Gay Rum, screaming who wants to reach the top of Mt. Gay, or when my buddy Legger, got so drunk he was ordering Grey Goose, and Vodkas at North Beach.

Like all things, times and places change and I’m stuck here, one lone beastie I be. It’s not wholly a bad thing, but once in awhile I miss when I have a stupid user, there’s no one to turn to, to comment and laugh, or when we want to blow off steam and hit lunch all together. I’m not one to live in the past, but once in a while when things are tough here, I miss those days.

 

5 things that irritate the fuck out of me about summer.

Ah it’s a boring rainy day, Summers here, I thought I would entertain you with the 5 things that irritate the fuck out of me about summer.

1. Bikers – Now don’t get me wrong, some bikers are ok, and I want to maybe get a motorcycle, but dude getting a motorcycle does not make you any tougher, and I’ll tell you thus when I’m shoving your bikes exhaust pipe up your ass.

2. Heat – I hate fucking heat, sun, etc.etc. I think I’m part polar bear, just give me a block of ice to sleep on. As much as I hate it, I just grin and bare it.

3. Assholes that complain about the Heat – Is it Hot? No shit Sherlock.  I don’t need a reminder it’s hot out. Like I was sitting there in the 100 degree weather wondering if that’s truly hot or not. These are the same assholes that complain about the cold in winter.

4.People that try to talk me into doing shit outdoors – I hate fucking camping, swimming, etc…when it’s hotter then the sun. I actually like getting more white as the summer progresses. I don’t like summer, fuck..off, and check again when it’s oh about 65 degrees. Go do your thing, and I’ll enjoy doing my thing, and we’ll meet up at the bar later.

5.  Bugs – I hat those alien looking motherfuckers, especially those mosquitos blood sucking douchebags that they are. All bugs are kill on sight, but some deserve alot more.

2 things I don’t mind.

1. Caribbean Block Party in Tinley Park, IL – One day I let loose, and drink and eat until I get my fill.

2. Girls wearing less – God I love Summer Dresses, such delights under them, and easy access too.

May the Fourth Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day!

Let me drop everything, and work on your problem

Lately I’ve been getting alot of calls from people who want their computer fixed. Now I don’t mind helping people out at all, but my time is limited, and with work being so busy it’s very very limited. It’s the nature of the IT beast, one day your surfing the internet all day, the next your busting your ass working 10 hour days, even having to come in on the weekends. My record is working 27 hours straight to get a lab together for Governors State.

Anywho I do feel bad turning down some people, but I have to be a little judicious as of late, but you know what I think those that should get my help are those that deserve it. For example take the last 4 people that contacted me for computer help this week.

One was a lady whom I have not talk to in years…years, and out of the blue she’s begging me to help her fix her computer, she is a friend of my mothers, and she doesn’t even call my Mom to see how she’s doing on a regular basis. Her kids use to be friends of mine, but they don’t want nothing to do with me anymore, heck their on my facebook, and I don’t even get a “Hi, How are you?”  I know, I know the telephone cord goes both ways, but then again I’m not the one looking for help from them.

Another was this dude who I gave my number to him abotu 6 months ago to look at his sisters computer, he lost my number and a few months ago asked me again for it. Now I didn’t mind then, I wasn’t that busy when he asked me. Then after a couple months he’s calling me now, when I am way busy to help him. Go fly a kite.

Now there is  a busboy, who works very hard, and hooks me up when he can. He is very very appreciative of all I do. He asked me to help, I got him. Also another girl, who invites me to her partys, and who is cool with me, I’m helping her as well.

I guess it’s real hard for me to say no to people, and I feel a little guilty, but am I wrong in only helping people that deserve my help?

It’s nice when someone else notice your work

Now most of my friends don’t know, or don’t care that I indulge my geeky side and write a blog about MMO’s or Massive Multiplayer Online games, such as World of Warcraft. Surely even the most non techie has heard of World of Warcraft somewhere. It’s only got 12 million people playing, more people then some 3rd world countries.

Well when my MMO blog High Latency Life. made Massively list for Blogs to watch in 2011, I was deeply honored, and taken aback.  I consider this a hobby, like any other hobby. It’s nice though to get feedback, and know you’re doing something right.

Tales of a Techie

I worked in this computer industry for some time now, and some things never cease to amaze me from people porn surfing habits on a work computer, to the fact that people will shop online not only on company time, but while I’m standing behind them watching them. I’m going to share a tale of just such adventures with you…

I use to work at a small University, when the Presidents staff told IT to jump, we jumped. So one day the President’s secretary called us and she was having some computer problems. I go there and she explained the problem, and went to lunch. Well I fixed the problem, left a note it was fixed, and what I did to fix it.

I walk to my office on the other side of campus, shortly after I get a phone call from this secretary, and she is screaming at me on the phone. Literally screaming, saying I messed up her computer, it isn’t working, etc…etc.  I told her I would come look at it right away.

I get there, and she starts yelling at me again, and berating me. I sit down, look things over……then I turned on the Monitor. She shut up immediately. I got up, just gave her a look like the stupid bitch that she was, and said, “Seems to be working now, things work better when they are turned on” 

After that she never called me again, and when I walked into the President’s office she was always nice as pie.

How did I get into computers?

Computers are in my blood, it’s my passion if you will. It hasn’t been easy, or straight forward though.

Well when I was little I was given an Atari 2600, and a little game of Adventure. Sure it was a little square moving around with an arrow. But I loved things like the Hobbit, and Dungeons and Dragons. It fed my imagination, as well as games like Combat where I could beat my brother at something. So I fell in love with video games, I would spend my time in arcades, challenging other kids at such games as Street Fighter, and  Mortal Kombat, 

My parents one year asked me what I wanted for my birthday, to my surprise they got it for me. A Commodore 64, My first computer. I got many years of pleasure from that thing. This was the lat 80’s, people didn’t know about Chat Rooms, and Online Games. I was there though, I was in Chat Rooms so much I racked up a 200 dollar phone bill one time, my parents were pissed!. I also pirated games for my friends, and even hacked into McDonalds ordering system once.

In High School, I went to a special school for trades, they had mostly carpenters, and  welders. They also had a class for Computers. I decided that that’s what I wanted. So I would leave half the day go to this school called Sauk Area Career Center, then the rest of the day I would attend my normal High School.  I learned alot in that course, about Mainframes, and programming. I was top of my class there.

When I graduated in 1990, I went right to Moraine Valley Community College, to learn more about Computers. Well at the time they had only Programming courses. I was good at programming so good, I had my work finished months in advanced, and would play video games at Moraines lab. So much so I got yelled at by the computer lab staff. I got bored….I got disillusioned. I didn’t want to be chained to a desk the rest of my life maybe. I don’t know what it was. I quit college to go “Find” myself.

Well I found my way alright into trouble. I had many adventures. In the late 90’s I had enough. I needed to get my life back on track. So I went to Moraine to figure out what I needed to graduate. They said to get my transcripts, and attend there, I needed to pay them off. So I paid my money, and looked at my transcripts, on the bottom it said, “Associates in Science”. I thought it was just my path, what I wanted to get at Moraine, but I asked the lady what does this mean. She looked at me kinda weird. “It means you graduated”….*awkward pause” I replied, “Can I get my diploma?”

So diploma in hand I went to Governors State  University in 1996 to get my Bachelors of Science in Computer Science. While going, there was an opening in the Computer Lab for a person. So I applied and got the job, as I worked there I got in good with the Software Manager of the campus who also ran the Computer Lab, and then he had an opening to help him. After awhile he left for greener pastures, and I tried out for his job. I got the job at Governors State. I was a full-time employee of the State, working on Computers. A dream come true, and while there I got free schooling, so I completed my B.S. in Computer Science…and the rest is history they say.

This career in Computers has not always been easy, I have had some rough patches, and I’m sure I’ll have more. Though I say it has been quite a fun ride, and people seem to need my skills, cause I never lack for people asking me to help them.

I’m a dickotomy

A girl actually called me a dichotomy, I liked that spelling better. I do feel like 2 different people sometimes. On one hand you have this computer nerd, geek, who likes to be alone,  handles business, devout to his family and friends, and on the other hand you have this guy who drinks whiskey by the bottle, make out with a girl in the middle of the bar, and then get into a fight cause some mother fucker stares at him wrong.

One girl once said I had a superhero complex, that when I’m alone, or at home I’m mild mannered Chris Cavelle, and when I’m out in public I’m this over the top River guy. I heard I was over the top by several girls before. I can see why.

The thing that I’m wondering is how this division occurred. I think Bouncing had to do with it. I got the name River when I started bouncing, and I think I kind of walled my inner self up when I bounced, well you get called every name in the book, yea sticks and stones may not hurt me, but I got hit with a metal stool over the head, and every other foreign object in a bar. So maybe I developed this shell to protect the inner me somehow. The core if you will.

Then I think back, and this issue has been with me far longer then River has. In High School I played sports, Football, Wrestling, and I tossed Shotput for Track, but I also went to a special magnet school for Computers. I played on my Commodore 64 computer every chance I got. So here I was this big 3 letter Jock, who was also a computer nerd.

With all these contradictions in my life, I never really felt at ease with any one group. I can hang out with anybody, it’s just I never felt apart of anything. Even with my friends, which don’t get me wrong. I love them to death, and take a bullet for them, so don’t get me wrong. It’s just I feel like an outsider, but then again that’s probably my issues, or fault not theres. I have alot of careing friends that invite me places, and ask me to do things. I just don’t. I think alot of that is alot of my friends are couples, and that my list of single friends is short indeed.  One thing I hate is being the third wheel, my friends would never claim that I am, or that I am intruding on anything. It’s just the way I feel sometimes, and I can’t help that.

But I digress, My whole point is even though I feel like 2 different people, I have to accept that it’s all me. That these are just facets of who I am, and I don’t think I’m the only one. I think alot of us wear different masks in our lives, and that maybe I’m not so different then everybody else.

And In The Darkness Bind Them.

I have a friend, I call her the Geek Princess. I know alot of Geek Girls, but they are all over the internet, or through twitter. So when I found out this girl liked Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars, and BSG (Battle Star Galactica). I was in awe, a in the flesh, life geek girl. Well when she invited me over to play Trivial Pursuit Lord of The Rings edition. I was like hell mother fucking yes.

She made dinner, it was pretty good. two friends that can cook- cha-ching… We then got to the business of playing the game. I gotta say I rocked the first game, I dug deep into my vast knowledge of all things Tolkien, and pulled up some answers I didn’t even know I had.

After the win, we played another game. In the midst of the second game, I fricking spilled a glass of wine, and broke a glass. I felt like a huge douchebag. I haven’t done that in a long…long time. In my defense I was really tired I didn’t sleep well the night before. Anywho she kicked my ass the second game, I was totally impressed. She knew the horses names of the Rohirram. I was like whoa. She didn’t know the big statues names though. Argonath Statues is what we we’re looking for.

It’s nice that I have someone to share that aspect of my life with, I usually hide most of my geeky pursuits from my” in the flesh” friends. It’s not that I’m ashamed, I just know they don’t “get” it. That’s ok.  It was also nice to get to know her better, she’s going through a rough patch, I won’t get into it here. Not my place, but I will say this. It’s a shame some guys have such a good thing, but they fail to see it. It saddens me.

So the series is 1-1, and damn it I can’t have that. It’s like kissing your sister. Bottomline I had a good time letting my Geek hang out, and I hope she had a couple laughs, and had a good time as well.

I’m gonna so bring it next time.

Am I too accessible?

After looking at the pictures of Facebook, I am wondering am I too open, am I too accessible. Would this intimidate a girl, or make me more attractive to them? Someone once called me “Over the Top”   A girl I use to love dearly, hated the “River”, she said I was like a super hero.  One minute mild mannered Chris Cavelle, the next Drunken crazy man River.

I wasn’t always this way. I stayed in the shadow of things, I never did outrageous things, I tried to stay out of any limelight. Speak when spoken too, only the last few years have I been more sociable, more open about things, and more honest to others about my past.

I wonder though is it a hinderance? I don’t know, I do know one thing though. If I have to get a job I got to turn off my Facebook account, those pictures are nuts.