The totally off-topic thread

[Mal]

I recall something about 'hey computers are fun to tinker with' and it was all downhill from there. I have had many arguments with my brother who doesn't understand the 'on call' part of IT work (over one Christmas he said 'Turn your phone off!' when I stated I couldn't as I was on call he said 'no you just turn it off, problem solved' and a heated argument ensued with him saying 'tell your boss to F off and go away'). Once upon a time IT paid well at least to deal with it.

Yep, unfortunately in IT on-call always exists. I'm no longer at the coal face with on-call, although I make it clear to my team that I'm happy to do it if they don't want it. But the money is reasonable, and I think my area have had something like 4 calls in the last 6 months ... so it's money for nothing.

As team leader / manager, I'm also on-call (escalation purposes), but don't get remunerated for that. Have only had a few calls myself.

About 8 years ago when I was more keen, I was happy to put in overtime. I worked some ridiculous hours some weeks (with paid overtime). There were weeks when I was earning $500-1K in overtime and working until 10 most nights and pretty much all weekend. Those days are well gone though...

 

[Princess Fiona]

Feeling pretty chuffed as I managed to install more memory in my ancient iMac today and can now install Lion and use iCloud

 

[Flashback]

Come back and talk to me when you've done over 36 hours. I did it. Once. I swore I was about to die.

Done that more times than I'd like to admit :-|

I have had many arguments with my brother who doesn't understand the 'on call' part of IT work (over one Christmas he said 'Turn your phone off!' when I stated I couldn't as I was on call he said 'no you just turn it off, problem solved' and a heated argument ensued with him saying 'tell your boss to F off and go away'). Once upon a time IT paid well at least to deal with it.

I'm on call over Christmas / New Year (well, for Escalations anyway. If the Engineer with the phone doesn't need to escalate anything... then I should be sweet) this year, the one downfall of my recent promotion:!:

As team leader / manager, I'm also on-call (escalation purposes), but don't get remunerated for that. Have only had a few calls myself.

About 8 years ago when I was more keen, I was happy to put in overtime. I worked some ridiculous hours some weeks (with paid overtime). There were weeks when I was earning $500-1K in overtime and working until 10 most nights and pretty much all weekend. Those days are well gone though...

Ditto re: Escalation, however we have a small team of escalation engineers so the responsibility is done on a rota basis. Working until 10 most nights and weekends is a little bit too much the norm for me at the moment as well unfortunately, but trying to avoid where possible. I work to live, not live to work (or so I tell myself...). Being a contractor at least and charging for every hour I do, the pay aint bad.

 

[notzac]

The one time I found myself on an on-call roster, work gave me an Optus phone .. bad mistake, seeing as I was in the middle of an Optus black hole as far as coverage was concerned. I enjoyed not getting calls, my manager on the other had really didn't enjoy getting re-escalations because the call never made it to me in the first place.

I've managed to avoid anything like it since (though RIM deserves their own special place in hell for having invented the BlackBerry.. )

 

[rechoboam]

No, old lady, I do not want to look at the dirty soles of your feet in the Admiral's Club, you are welcome to put your shoes or at least socks back on,

 

[thewinchester]

No, old lady, I do not want to look at the dirty soles of your feet in the Admiral's Club, you are welcome to put your shoes or at least socks back on,

*shudder* Sorry, but there's no reasonable or justifiable excuse for being bare foot in public places - specially in enclosed environs like offices, lounges and planes.

 

[Flashback]

*shudder* Sorry, but there's no reasonable or justifiable excuse for being bare foot in public places - specially in enclosed environs like offices, lounges and planes.

What I can't believe is that people go to the toilet in bare feet on planes! Ugh! :shock::shock:

 

[QF WP]

Just begging for a foot infection

 

[cove]

Doesnt widdle on the feet fix foot infections??

 

[QF WP]

Your own perhaps....but depends in what is in others as to whether it will fix or create a problem

 

[Flashback]

Just caught up with nlagalle for a few pints/wines in SOHO.. interesting area at night :shock:

 

[Mal]

Just caught up with nlagalle for a few pints/wines in SOHO.. interesting area at night :shock:

Yeah it can be!

 

[Flashback]

Yeah it can be!

I've been around the area a fair bit to visit clients etc (no, not those kind! ) however there are certain streets I've not been down.. which we stumbled across tonight!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

A woman approaches QF ground staff at BNE Domestic asking "what does delayed due to crewing requirements mean"? Is that a knockon effect of the strike?"

She'd carefully tucked her ID in her jacket pocket in an attempt to disguise the fact she was a journalist however a tiny bit of her ABC lanyard was still visible which kind of gave her away.

Journos are so easy to pick anyway because their questions are more generic about all the flights on a particular day whereas real passengers usually have bags of some kind with them & ask questions about a specific flight.

Passengers don't tend to carry a small microphone tucked into the back of their pants which is visible when they walk away.

Might have a look at Aunty this evening to see if late boarding due to waiting for operating crew from another flight can somehow be turned into "there was absolute chaos at Brisbane Airport today....blah blah blah". :evil:

 

[medhead]

Don't worry about it. Life does a much better job....

Yep, Living is the most dangerous thing you can do....

 

[medhead]

*shudder* Sorry, but there's no reasonable or justifiable excuse for being bare foot in public places - specially in enclosed environs like offices, lounges and planes.

Oh, you need to spend some time in Queensland. I didn't wear shoes to school until year 8 and only then because of having to wear shoes for metal shop and wood shop. SWMBO didn't believe me until I showed her class photos from primary school and at least half the kids had no shoes. It was great as I used to be able to walk over paddocks of prickles and such.

 

[thewinchester]

She'd carefully tucked her ID in her jacket pocket in an attempt to disguise the fact she was a journalist however a tiny bit of her ABC lanyard was still visible which kind of gave her away.

ABC Editorial Policies don't hold that kind of behaviour in high regard.

Not withstanding they know full well that airline staff are prohibited from speaking to the media and that reporters have the right media contacts to ask that question, the ABC's own guidance notes specifically prohibit the use of deception to obtain information when it can be obtained by other means.

I'd frankly be speaking with my supervisor/manager, so they could confer with the Media unit with an eye to filing an conduct complaint with the relevant bureaux chief - but that's only because I hold some parts of the media in such low regard that they need to be taken to task, often.

 

[JohnK]

Life is boring without surprises.

Yep, you guessed it. It is Friday afternoon and my flight is delayed again.

 

[anat0l]

Life is boring without surprises.

Yep, you guessed it. It is Friday afternoon and my flight is delayed again.

That's not surprising :mrgreen:


I'm stuck at uni here trying to draft out a proposal / outline for new work I have to do.

 

[Flashback]

That's not surprising :mrgreen:


I'm stuck at uni here trying to draft out a proposal / outline for new work I have to do.

.... and here I am just starting my work day