That light at the end of the tunnel . . .

The Corporate Overlords announced a new on-line feature that allows employees to adjust their direct deposit, change their W2 tax forms and view their pay stubs. So, having the new feature we decided to take a look. Imagine my horror when I discovered that I only worked two days last week.

OK, so I had actually worked a full 40 hour week. I then dutifully filled out the timesheet and submitted my time for said 40 hours. And somewhere between the submission and the printing of the checks the 40 changed to a 16.5. Some people were lucky and got credited for having worked 80 hours but more hit by an oncoming freight train and shorted like I was.

How do they fuck this up. This is an automated system where I enter the number and someone at HR looks at that number and says "OK". The system prints the checks from there. No math involved in figuring out the hours. I work 40 hours. I enter 40 hours. They approve 40 hours. The system prints 16.5. Where the hell did that number come from?

It's nice to see that my PTO balance is now included on the check so, after a pile of math because they didn't include cumulative hours worked for the year, I was able to determine that they did adjust for the 8 hours of PTO they shafted me for before Christmas. I've only been asking about that for three months.

It gets me thinking about if I get this job I want at The School, what will happen to that PTO? About 50 hours of it. I am entitled to be paid for it. Will I get a check? When I give my two weeks notice they better have that answer pretty damn quick or I will simply submit a week of PTO and leave a week early. I'll be damned if I'm going to let 50 hours of compensation just evaporate.

I hope I'm not counting my weasels before they've popped but I really want this other Help Desk job.

It was me.

I had my interview at The School and I think it went exceptionally well. A few highpoints:

There were some 450 applications of which I am one of 4 or 5 that are being interviewed.

When the Manager took the position, the Help Desk was somewhat directionless. She has been moving towards a more customer service oriented operation which fits perfectly with my Help Desk philosophy.

She knows someone I know from another department and described him as "our best customer."

The Senior Consultant worked with my brother in-law.

The wife of the UNIX Engineering Manager works with my wife in a different department of The School.

All these connections were discovered after I made the "Final Four" on the strengths of my qualifications. These personal connections can only help to seal the deal.

The Purchasing Director recognized the Illuminiti tie-tack I was wearing. One of the Consultants also recognized it.

When the Senior Consultant was doing the first pass through the hundreds of applications, he saw that I had earned my Eagle Award in the Boy Scouts and on that alone flagged my resume for further attention. When I had been reworking my resume, my wife wondered if it was important and suggested I leave it out because it was from over 20 years ago. I insisted on including it and that decision has paid off.

The Network Manager had a sheet of networking questions. Things like "What is the difference between a switch and a router" and "What is IP?" I didn't do so well because, and I warned him about this in advance, I have worked with networks but have been out of practice. When I didn't answer the way he seemed to want he recited from memory answers that sounded right out of a textbook. Clearly, he was not focusing on the Help Desk philosophy. He also didn't seem too pleased with my lack of Linux experience.

It was immediately after that that I spoke with the Senior Consultant. "Did he ask you the 20 questions?" Apparently that sheet is a standard procedure of his and the Senior Consultant didn't seem too concerned (or impressed). As to Linux, the other Consultant in that interview said that he was hired with zero Linux experience but he learned it pretty quick.

The UNIX Manager also had the same sort of opinion of my lack of Linux experience and said that it is pretty much like Windows except that things are named differently and do things differently. That might not sound encouraging but, as with all OS systems, knowing that there is an analog makes it merely a matter of time to learn the nuances. He gave me a disk with a Knoppix version of Linux. This is a version that runs from the CD so it doesn't need to be installed, and also accesses the disk read-only so you can really work and navigate with the disk you have without risk. An excellent learning tool.

Almost everyone asked the standard question about why I wanted to leave my current position. I said that there were no opportunities for advancement, that I had gone about as far as I could and that I had not gotten a raise in three years. The Company had made a financial blunder back then and the employees were made to pay for it with a salary freeze. "That sucks!" the Help Desk Manager said.

"Yes. Yes, it does."

She said that they were going to interview 2 or maybe 3 other people this week. They would get people together to hammer out a decision on Monday and I should be hearing one way or the other after that. Probably Wednesday. When she first talked about how the process would go, it seemd like I would be brought in for another interview with the Department Manager. But at the end of the day it sounded more like that meeting would be more of a formality than a decision-making interview. Perhaps it was only an impression brought on by my good mood but I think that I really, really fit well into her idea of what she wants for the Help Desk. Whenever she spoke about her plans, I wanted to raise my hand and say, "Yea, that me."

Back on Track

A complete mystery.

The person at The School sent me an e-mail last Wednesday and I never received it. I sent her an e-mail on Thursday and she didn't receive that. Thankfully the voicemail I left today at her home number got through and so I'm back on for my interview tomorrow.

Or should I say interviews. I'm going to be meeting with various people in the department and other staff people over several hours. This is the typical "second interview" stuff that makes the final decision.

Anticipation

I haven't made any blog postings for a while. I've learned that if I wait until I get home to try to write about my day I simply don't do it. So, to combat this, I've opened up a Word document at work so that I can blog when the mood strikes me and then e-mail the text home to do the blog when I return home. It's not a great solution but it's better than nothing.

A coworker who sits next to me, the one who discovered that our employer had not been paying city taxes, has gotten another shock. He has apparently been the victim of identity theft and someone has been taking money from his checking account. He contacted Corporate HR to stop direct deposit from putting more money into the violated account. HR didn't do that. In fact, the local HR Rep said she had faxed the request out weeks ago but Corporate HR says they never saw it. Then, HR said they would overnight him a check to replace the one they had mistakenly deposited in the suspended account. When he received the overnight envelope it only contained an advice stub. Not an actual cashable check.

My own issues not only don't have a resolution but I have received no response whatsoever. It's been 4 weeks since I told them that my local taxes were being paid to the wrong municipality. It's been 6 weeks since I told them that they have never paid my city occupation tax. And it's been 3 months since they double-charged me for a day of PTO before Christmas.

I'm supposed to have a job interview tomorrow but I have not gotten a call or email from the person at The School confirming the details of exactly where and when. I sent a few reminder e-mails and left some voice mails but still no response. It's making me very nervous. I want very badly to be out of the place I am currently at.

Red shifting in place.

When I got home yesterday, there was a message on the answering machine. A job that I've been looking for and sent my resume in for several months ago looks like it may begin to pan out.

Now, at this point I will continue my policy of not identifying my employer by referring to this possible future employer as "The School."

I was very happy and my mood was pretty high all day, even though fate conspired to bring me down. The button on my pants popped off. The battery in my watch is going and I lost an hour somewhere. Someone greased the door handles on my car while it sat in the parking area. The new timecard procedures for my Corporate Overlords is a pain.

But, I got a call from The School and after a short discussion with the person there I am tentatively scheduled for a full interview in a week and a half.

I hate to get my hopes up but I can already feel myself getting ready to go.

Occupied

Occasionally when I get into work, the oversize restroom stall that I use to change from my biking gear to my work clothes is occupied. I'm pretty sure it's the same guy each time because I can hear him in there turning the pages of his newspaper. So, instead of having the privacy of changing my clothes in a stall I have to change in front of the sinks. And I am able to undress, change, pack up and leave while he's still in there reading his newspaper.

I've never figured out what it is about sitting on the toilet and reading. Am I unusual in spending only the time necessary to take care of biological issues?

And another piece of restroom etiquette that I do not understand is people talking on their cell phones. Who in their right mind wants to talk to someone while sitting on the toilet? And who would want to hear someone talking while sitting on the toilet.

"Hey, Tom. How's it going? . . . . That's great. What I'm calling about is. . . er. . . hold on a sec. . . Ennnnnnnuggghhh *ploosh*. . . OK, where was I?"

Come on, guys. That is just so wrong.

Eggs!

I've been watching the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy webcam of the Gulf Building Peregrine Falcon nest. I've known the pair have been back in the area and have been around the nesting box and have been looking forward to the real deal. Watching yesterday I saw what I assumed to be the female sitting on the "nest" all day. (The falcon nest is little more than a depression in the gravel of the nesting box).

Today, she decided to leave the nest revealing at least three reddish-brown brown eggs.

It turns out, I've been looking at an old website. The new one had updates that said that the first egg was laid on the 10th, the second on the 13th and the third earlier was earlier today.

More falcons = fewer pigeons.

Blocked and Logged

I wanted to sign on and blog about The Bank blocking access to Questionable Content, one of my favorite webcomics, only to find that they also blocked Blogger.com as well. From now on I'll have to save up these thoughts for when I get home. It kind of takes away some of the spontaneity of the blogs and takes away something that would otherwise fill the occasional downtimes.

I guess I'll have to start playing Nanaca-crash!!

Twice Shy

I was scheduled for a "Career Development Meeting" today and was completely forgotten. There is some managerial stuff going on as the Site Manager is moving on to "other opportunities" and someone else is being moved up temporarily. The Help Desk is also hiring some new agents.

So, my meeting was completely forgotten. For the second time. I was
supposed to have one of these meetings a month ago and they completely blew me off for that one as well.

But it's not like anything ever came of these meetings. The call them "Career Development Meetings" but, in fact they do nothing to develop my career. They just go over typical job performance things. Talk times, availability, all the normal day-to-day stuff. There are no more opportunities for career development here shot of going somewhere else. The use of the term "career development" is HR newspeak.

Can you hear me now?

Two weeks ago, I let my employer know that the city's occupation tax had not been taken out of my paycheck ever. Today, the HR Rep came to me on Corporate's behalf asking me to check the first paystub of the year to confirm that it hadn't been taken out.

First; don't they have these records?

Second; didn't you hear me when I said that the occupation tax had NEVER been taken out of my paycheck? Not this year. Not last year. Not in 2003, 2002, 2001 or in 2000. What part of NEVER did you not understand? Are you even listening to the words that are coming out of my mouth? For every problem I have, I seem to have to explain it in detail two or three times before they seem to do anything about it. I'm speaking English here. I'm saying the same thing each time. Do you think I'm making this stuff up? Don't you believe me?

And I think I may have mentioned this before but whenever one of these issues come up, or any issue for that matter, when I explain it to the HR Representative, she gets a very distinctive expression. I don't know what she's really thinking but her face always seems to say, "How could you even think that there's a problem?" Her expression is so vacuous it's amazing she doesn't actually become transparent.

At first, I found this vapidity somewhat amusing but I've really grown tired of it. Especially because I have to explain myself again and again and noone seems to take these issues seriously.

Another Taxing Discovery

I really should have been paying more attention to these things but I've just noticed that since the begining of the year, my local boro taxes have been going to the wrong boro.

With the purchase of The Company by The Corporate Overlords, there has been a gradual transfer of responsibilites. The 2nd paycheck of the year signaled the conversion to the payroll of The Corporate Overlords. Also, for some completely inexplicavble reason, they started paying my local boro taxes to the boro I lived in 6 years ago.

How the hell did they pull that off?

Mine. Mine. Mine.

I paid MongoHosting their ransom on Friday and checking today found that they had indeed transfered ownership of the Domain. It is now mine. Now, if I can hold out until May when the domain expires, I'll be able to make myself the technical contact. Then, I'll be able to change IP addresses whenever I want. I won't have to deal with MongoHosting at all should I want to change my hosting. I'll just log on to Network Solutions and do it. Of course that means I'll loose out on some of the two years of hosting I've paid MongoHosting for but some losses are worth it.

Bigger Pipe

I got an email response from MongoHosting concerning my bandwidth.

. . . you have a yearly paid account that was activated before we took over the company . . . the limits you you have on your account are the ones originally set for you.

Yea?

And?

Their response was completely useless. No options. No suggestions. What does it mean mean? Am I just going to have to wait until the end of the month when my allocation re-sets? I was about to pay for two years of hosting; would that entitle me to the 5 Gig of bandwidth that everyone else is getting for the same money? Since my "yearly paid account" doesn't expire till may, will I be locked into the 500 Meg bandwidth until then?

So, I had to write back and ask all those questions about what can be done about this. . . again.

On the plus side I learned that their admin, while lacking any sort of proactive thoughts, does actually work during the week.

Later in the afternoon, I noticed that the website was working again. I checked the bandwidth meter and it looked like they had upped the bandwidth to 5 Gig. When I got home I found the e-mail from the admin saying that she had spoken to the owner and he had upped the limit.

Now all I have to do is pay their ransom to get ownership of my domain.

Did I mention screaming incoherently?

Therapy

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Bandwidth Exceeded

Today I got a message that the site I am having so much trouble with at MongoHosting has exceeded its bandwidth. It's completely shut down!

So, I access the control panel and begin really researching what's been going on. Normally, the bandwidth usage is 60 or 70 Meg. But over the past few months it has been climbing until it topped out at over 500 Meg. Now I know for a fact that the people I know who visit the site have not increased their activity eight times.

The key was the bulletin board. I set up a bulletin board hoping that we could migrate away from the YahooGroup we have been using. The bulletin board had only 4 members, two of which were me, and there was hardly any messages. Just a few welcoms from me and a question or two.

Yet the web logs show that 80% of the all the traffic that comes through the domain is to the bulletin board. I can only conclude that bots are attempting to farm the board for e-mail addresses to SPAM or back doors so that they can break in an SPAM the board itself.

But here's the real kick in the head. According to the MongoHosting website, what I'm paying should get me 5 Gig of bandwidth. I shouldn't be topping out at just 500 Meg. Did they lower my bandwidth allocation? I hadn't been paying attention so I didn't notice. Honestly, I don't think they did but I have no way of finding out because, as my experience with the domain name extortion has shown me, their admin only seems to work on Saturdays.

So, my website is down until at least then.

The English language does not have curse words sufficient to express my frustration at this whole situation and I have resorted to simply
screaming inarticulately.

One of the things I'm considering is buying another domain, probably the .net version of the .org I already have, and setting up hosting with someone reputable. On the other hand, all the search engines are pointing to the original site and by the time they start re-directing people to the new location I will have solved this issue.

[Insert more screaming here!]

The deal accepted

I finally received an e-mail from MongoHosting with my requested "contract" wherein they agree to give me my domain as a "gift" in exchange for two years payment for hosting. The fact that I've only ever received e-mail from their support on Saturday leads me to the conclusion that they only work one day a week. As if my confidence in them could get any lower.

Also in the email was the suggestion that when I make the payment they will transfer the domain immediately. At least, that's how I'm interpreting it. I still intend to keep hosting with them because they are so damn cheap but, once I own the domain, should they service start down a slippery slop I will cut my losses and take my hosting somewhere else.

Get Busted

My e-mail to MongoHosting accepting their blackmain demands of 2 years of hosting paid in advance to obtain my domain has gone unanswered. Could it be that my simple request to have an itimized invoice of this transaction is too much of a paper trail for them? I'm sure the e-mail they sent would be enough for any court to accept an implied contract.

Well, someone from Bulk Register had replied to my e-mail with a phone number so that I could talk to them directly about their client. I had been putting off calling because it had looked like my negotiations with MongoHosting were advancing but now that they had stalled again, I was ready to see them burn.

Except that the number the Bulk Register customer support person gave me was incorrect. It took me to Alabanza, Inc who is apparently a sister company of Bulk Register. Thankfully, a customer support person there was able to give me the correct phone number.

Speaking with someone there provided me with the following scenerio: If the WhoIs information is incorrect then Bulk Register will attempt to contact the Registrant. If there is no reply after a certain period of time (and it is apparently often the case that they don't), the domain registry is canceled.

I gave them all the details for the inconsistancies in the WhoIs entries. I have gone to Network Solutions and put my domain on backorder so as soon as it is canceled (if it is canceled) and becomes available, I will be able to purchase it immediately. I will need to have in place an alternative hosting solution that I can impliment at a moments notice so the website will be down for only a short period of time.

In the meantime, I have resent my e-mail to MongoHosting and continue to be without a response.

Product Review: Performance Transformer Jacket

I've been riding my bike in the cold utilizing a leather jacket as an outer layer. While it is windproof and keeps me fairly warm, it is rather heavy. And Pittsburgh weather being what it is, it can warm up another 20 degrees by the afternoon, at which point I must wear the coat and sweat it out.

So, I began looking for what they call a "shell." Much of the Windstopper and Gore-Tex products were outside my budget but the Performance Gore Windstopper Shell looked like just the thing. Except that they didn't have it in my size.

The Performance Transformer Jacket was my backup choice.

I happen to be in the area between a Large and Extra Large. It depends on the clothing cut and manufacturer as to what specific size I fall into. The size Large that I ordered was too small so I sent it back and got the XL. Out of the package, even that seemed sized oddly. It seemed long in the arms and tight about the chest and neck. Are all bicyclists bone-thin monkey boys? I can understand the bicyclist's posture calling for slightly longer arms and I also happen to have trouble finding clothes with arms of the proper length but this jacket even seemed to go beyond that. Well, there are velcro cuffs to keep the sleeves above the wrist. And wearing a fleece underneath only makes it seem tighter. With the fleece collar up I couldn't zip the Transformer's collar all the way up. Apparently bicyclists are pencil-necks as well.

I like the sleeves. I have another jacket that has sleeves that zip off. The problem is that you cannot get them off without taking off the jacket. The Transformer's sleeves are one piece, the two sleeves connected across the back with zippers at the fronts of the shoulders. You could take off the sleeves without taking off the rest of the jacket. It's also lightweight and compressable so it could be stuffed into a pack or saddlebag.

This morning the temperature was 30 degrees with light winds and snow flurries so it would be a good change to put the claimed "wind resistant, water resistant" to the test. Initially, I was disappointed. It seemed that the breeze of riding cut through the material fairly easily. But after about a mile and a half, my body began to build up a layer of warmth and the shell seemed to hold it in. A T-shirt, a fleece and the shell are more than enough for 30 degree temperatures. The water resistance has yet to be put to the test. Too bad I didn't get it the day before yesterday as it rained yesterday afternoon during my ride home.

I'll grade the Performance Transformer Jacket a "B".

ur website

I received an e-mail today concerning my website wherein this writer ripped into everything. He hates my writing. He hated my costuming, He hated my crafts. He hatted my hobies. He poured huge amounts of venom into my work, his favorite adjective being "gay" and favorite epithet being "faggot."

It sad, really. I know that some of the things I have done have brought emotional responses but this is clearly the work of a pathetic, little man who's only way of inflating his own self worth is to tear down the work of others.

I was tempted to send back an e-mail; "Seek professional help." but I knew it would be wasted and only invite more attacks, like antagonizing the school bully. In the end, I didn't even bother saving the message.

Compromise

I finally received a response from MongoHosting to my statements that I never intended to withdraw my hosting, just that I had wanted the domain and that $150 was far too much for this.

I understand your point , However you have to understand that we have no guarantee that you would continue your hosting with us. After I transfered the domain to you you could move the same day.

So, they just admitted that they were trying to blackmail me. I had only paid for one year. There was no guarantee or even an implicit contract that I would continue after that. Only the power of an established domain name. They were right, however, after being shown just what kind of scum they are, I would have jumped ship as soon as I had ownership of the domain.

"But I would be willing to come to a compromise :- If you pay 2 yrs hosting in advance ($50) I will transfer the domain to you."

Actually, a very reasonable compromise. I'm actually surprised. MongoHosting claimed they had renewed my domain when, in fact, they had not. If I refused to pay their ransom I could have simply allowed the hosting and domain registration to run out. Sure, they would suspend the account when I didn't pay but once the expiration date for the domain came around it would become available and I would snatch it up and be on-line again.

It would have been a risky route because if they re-registered the domain out of spite, I would have no way short of legal action to get it back.

But it would be risky for them, too. They would loose the $150 they wanted from me in the first place and they would loose any future charges they could incur from my continued hosting. Perhaps they realized that if they pushed for $150 they would get either nothing or a court summons.

So, the compromise works for both of us. I am not charged any more than if I merely continued my hosting and they get to keep me as a customer for two years.

I'm going to accept their offer. I still do not trust them any further than I could throw them and will ask that they send me an itemized invoice.