Labor Week

Labor Day is a day off for most people. The following week is therefore shorter and most people heartily look forward to the break in their hectic schedules. For Labor Day 2008, I was no exception. What I didn't know was that the rest of the week would definitely make up for the labor "lost" on Monday.

Tuesday morning dawned bright with the promise of a wonderful day. However, by 8:30, they day had clouded over and I was inundated with a storm of phone calls and paper work. All day long I battled the elements, and at times it looked as if my chair was caught in a whirlwind. The end of the day finally arrived, and I was able to leave with my work finished for the day and my desk cleaned and waiting for a new day.

Wednesday morning arrived and quickly went downhill. I tried to open a document only to discover that it wouldn't open. Upon contacting the IT department for a little support, it was discovered that my computer was infected with the virus that had been plaguing the campus for a few weeks. I was immediately instructed to unplug the cable from the port and that the PC guru would come for my computer shortly. True to his word, he arrived not long after the call and whisked my computer away for the exorcism. Now I was computer-less. For the rest of the day, I was forced to rely on my phone for orders or wait till someone else wasn't using their computer and sneak in to accomplish a few quick orders. It was a challenge I was able to successfully negotiate. Later in the day, I was given a new computer because the other one was outdated. I rejoiced because I was ready to finish the day and having my own computer would make it easier. Alas, it was not meant to end easily. When they gave me the new one, one program I had on there for doing most of my work wouldn't function. I called technical support again. The guy was new and didn't know how to fix my problem. He ended up having someone else talk him though it. Unfortunately, they turned the program into something that was not what I required. I decided to finish the day with what I had and leave.

Thursday morning started off with the leftover problem from Wednesday. I spent the first two hours of the day with a partially handicapped computer on the phone trying to get it working properly. After all was said and done, the reason for the the failure was a low connection speed! That was it!! Once it was connected at the correct speed, I was in business. For the rest of the day, I had to play "catch-up". However, the day ended nicely.

Friday was the day when Tropical Storm Hanna came knocking. The morning was spent calling the stores to let them know the trucks would leave early. The rest of the day was normal until after lunch. When the early cut-off for special orders arrived, we still had people calling in trying to order parts. Don't you just love how people do that? "Yeah, I know there's a cut-off, but I really need this part. Can't you just bend the rules for me???" Not on my watch! I just love customer service! :-)

Today was a nice break from the short week! I was able to attend a few hours of the International Festival in Raleigh. I just love trying new food!!! I was able to eat Ukrainian varenyky (potato dumplings), Swedish meatballs, Turkish baklava and coffee (strong!), French crépe, and Nepalese momo (turkey dumplings). I wanted to try more from the other cuisines, but didn't have enough time nor belly room. All of the food was fantastic! We also saw different cultural items and several dances. The most raucous were the Iranians and Palestinians. Who knew they could bring down the house? For a moment, I thought I was at an American rock concert! I enjoyed all of the dancing except for the Argentine tango. The couples lacked the passion and fire that I know the dance to have. All in all, a very enjoyable evening.

Have a blessed day!