Presumably no relation to our Mr. Bus Man, although I did see someone on the freeway last Friday with a BUS MAN license plate.
I need to figure a way to start charging for friends and family tech support.
I work with computers all day long. By extension, I’m believed to be some sort of wizard with the things, so there’s a parade of “I can’t print” and “My computer won’t start” complaints. The problem is that I do security, not technology. Got a problem with inherited permissions or the evils of recycling user IDs? I can help. Can’t get Facebook to work? I’m clueless.
Friend’s problems…
Trouble description: Unable to print
Fault found: Printer not plugged in
Correction: Plugged USB cable into printer
Time consumed, with travel: one hour.
Payment received: “Hey, thanks!”
Family member’s problems…
Trouble description: PC won’t boot
Fault found: PC’s built-in diagnostics indicate motherboard failure
Correction: PC is seven years old. Recommend replacement
Additional consulting: PC needs to run business-critical application with unusual requirements. (Windows XP Pro preferred, Vista Business tolerated, Windows 7 not supported, Intel processors only.) Advised user to check with the software vendor to determine if any specific brands or models are preferred.
Follow-up: Dell PCs are preferred. Found a sweet deal on a quad-core i5 and “XP Pro downgrade” Vostro model that should be a real screamer. Expected delivery is on Thursday. Have cleared calendar on Saturday for software load and config. Time consumed: Over four hours to date, anticipating another day for load and config and file recovery from the failed system’s hard drive.
I really need to work on saying “Sorry, I don’t do Windows. Just Macs and mainframes.”
Guess it depends on how drunk, how debauched, and who’s playing. Back in my single days in the Navy, I had a drunk classmate puke in my trashcan - yeah, that’s the kinda guy I want to spend time with… :rolleyes:
Well, I applied for a refinance - if approved, for a mere $254 a month, I can knock 10 years off my existing mortgage and flip off BoA. Here’s hoping my credit is as excellent as I believe it to be.
Speaking of credit, if I get out my normal time tomorrow, I’m gonna ditty-bop over to the credit union and pay off my car. I only owe about $350 on it, so I may as well get it off my books. Then I can apply its payment to FCD’s car and get that debt gone that much sooner.
And yes, I know I shouldn’t anger the money gods by suggesting that I will die debt-free, because sure-as-shootin’, something will happen to plunge us into the depths of loans. Not that I’m superstitious or anything. But both sets of grandparents had mortgage-free homes, and they’re all dead now! :eek: OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme…
I think I’ll go throw some underwear into the washer. Because I can. And because I’m a wild woman who really knows how to take a day off…
Or this: “Man, that’s a real head-scratcher. Sounds like you need to call the Geek Squad!”
Or is that too mean?
Just to let you know that some of us aren’t computer leeches, I have a coworker who is a real whiz fixing the evil machines. He lives really close to me. I pay him to work on my computers. And I am always grateful when he says “No charge - that was an easy one.”
And while this isn’t exactly a job, I have had people ask me to make special ceramic stuff for them, but they always offer to pay. But if someone assumed I was just doing it for fun, I’d be quick to let them know that it’s not that much fun. And I work cheap… for now…
Well, that was quick. We’ve been approved for the refi, pending receipt of pay stubs and our latest bank account statement. We close on Feb 16 and first payment will be Apr 1.
Wow. I can’t believe how fast and easy that was. Back when I bought my first place, it was almost a week before I found out I was approved. So I guess I’m buying my house from myself!
That sounds like a good idea, GT. I tried COSE and their rates were way too high. I’ll start a thread next time I get on here. Right now I’m supposed to be doing other things and am instead goofing off.
@Gotti I sympathize. I’m in the same boat but am the opposite in knowledge: I know squat about security, but I have a great deal of general knowledge from building to diagnosing and problem solving, and yes, I’ve worked tech support. Obviously this means I like giving tech support. To everyone. For the most trivial of reasons. At any time of the day or night. Free of charge. With fries. I am periodically volunteered by in-laws to fix someone else’s problem, though most often it’s their own problems I’m fixing. My dad? Oh yeah. Sometimes it seems like every other trip out to see me comes with his tower in tow. (I’ve tried setting up VNC on his computer but somehow he always manages to stuff it up).
My dad, love him dearly, is one of those people techs hate talking to because he doesn’t know the proper terminology for most things, and when you ask him questions or ask him to do things, to have to be very, very, very specific about each and every thing you want him to do at each step. You can’t just say “Open the control panel and go to the system applet, and look under Device Manager…” That’s way too broad because he doesn’t remember how to get to the control panel, doesn’t know what an applet is, doesn’t know how to get to device manager when you tell him how to find it (and remind him to double-click it) and so on. Giving my dad tech support is pretty close to the proverbial herding of cats.
My MIL isn’t much better mind you, but the things she does on her computer are much more simplistic. My dad’s all about Microsoft Word and photo retouching and audio restoration.
Morning everyone! ----- well, afternoon really. But I’m back at work so time doesn’t matter.
FCM - we had a couple “designated walkers” - some non-drinkers who basically did some food and ginger-ale. This really was one of the best pub crawls I’ve been on from the “people factor”; just a really nice blend and totally fun and open-minded. Swampy - not really hard at all. Code ain’t my bag but I can copy, paste and edit with the best of them!
Other than the snowballs I would say all are work-safe. The one I took from the pit shows Transvestite Santa’s panties from the rear and below but it actually isn’t that revealing.
I’d just like to know who trashed the green bedroom so badly!! :mad:
OK, yeah, all of us. :smack: The mantra for a while was: “Shove it in the green bedroom.”
But I’m making progress. I’ve got all the wrapping papers and gift bags together in the closet. I have all the totes and carry-on luggage in the other side of the closet. I’m massing all the assorted electronics stuff in a single pile (anyone want a DirecTV box? Or a modem? Or an ancient Gateway computer?) The books are all being piled in one place, and the pictures are all leaned against the same section of wall. My yarn is migrating to the same spot, and out-of-date catalogs are being recycled. I’ve got a box of stuff to go out to the garage, and a bag of crap I’m taking to work to give away.
When the kids get back from their errands, I’m going to recruit them to help me put the piano against the wall rather than in the middle of the room. And when I’ve sorted as much as I can, I’m going to run the vacuum, then shut the door again. Then when **FCD **gets home, I’m dragging him to the closet to remove the items of clothing he’ll never wear again. Like the suit he wore once about 8 years ago. Or the jeans that don’t fit. Or the khakis that I’m not sure why they’re in there. Goodwill should do well. My dream, one day, is to have a futon and some bookshelves in there. For now, my daydream is to be able to walk from the door to the window without risking death from tripping.
Gratz on selling your house, FCM! Gratz on buying your house, FCM! If you get to regale us with tales of woe of how nasty the buyer/seller was to you, I will suggest finding a good therapist pronto, and I don’t mean the massage-and-stretching kind.
Went to see Daybreakers. I found it interesting that it’s an Aussie production but it’s set in the US. I can come up with several reasons why that makes sense, too, starting with things like “if you say ‘FDA’, many people know who those guys are… anybody who isn’t Australian and knows who the Australian equivalent of FDA is, raise your hands! Ok, ok, don’t y’all get tired, sheesh…”
My mother’s got problems remembering what does “click on it” mean…
It’s Monday, Monday, Monday here. I don’t want to be here; I’ve got a pretty sucky attitude right now, and I’m sick of being handed shit that I know nothing about which requires I contact people who don’t want to give me the information I need. Ugh!
At any rate, I’ve scheduled my surgery. It’s next month, on the 19th, so that’ll give me the weekend to recover.
MOOOOOOM that would be drunken grossness and that’s never fun.
gotti no boomboomchickachickabowwow with the bug man. He is kinda cute but waaaaaaaaaay too young for moi. It took all of twenty minutes for him to spray bug death juice or whatever that is and leave. Usually he schedules for the afternoon but called me yesterday askin’ if he could show up at eight this mornin’ since he had several other early appointments out my way. I’m all accommodatin’ like that.
People think I am an expert at all things cellphone. I am too. I always know exactly what to tell 'em. I say, “call your provider.” I do not know why you cannot make/receive a call, send/receive a text, send/receive a picture, send/receive email, access the internet or whatever and I do not care. So There!
Dindin shall be rotisseried chicken with steamed broccili, parsnips and little red baby N.O.T.. What? We happen to like parsnips!
We’re trying to do the same thing at SIL’s house. Her bedroom has four dressers and a hope chest, all stuffed with clothes. There’s a nearly floor to ceiling set of shelves crammed with roughly 150 sweaters, sweatshirts and t-shirts. Clothes hang in not one, not two, but three closets around the house.
Then, I believe she has a change or two of clothes at the office, as well as some stuff at the firehouse so she’s got something non-smoky to wear after a call.
It’s completely insane. The clothes at the firehouse are quite sensible, and the extras at the office in case she needs to look extra-spiffy for a high-value client make sense. But, 150 sweaters and shirts? There are plans to make the local Goodwill very happy soon…
It is weird how the clothes buying process is so different in men and women. Men are like “I need a new shirt. This one fits OK and doesn’t look dorky. Long as I’m here, I need to replace that screwdriver that got lost.” Women seem to be more like “Oh! This will go great with my blue Donna Karan slacks, and this one will be nice with that forest green skirt with the gold threads I got at Macys, and oh! I just HAVE to get this one! I’ll need to pick up a new blouse and shoes to wear it with, but it’s just fantastic!”
At least that’s what it was like for my mother, (Divorcing my father was the best thing she ever did for her wardrobe- she was then able to let things decompress into two closets) and how it is for SIL.
I get home from After Work Coffee to find Asheville’s Finest of the Fahr Variety hanging out around Building One. That would be the same building where someone hit a gas valve last year and caused a leak that also resulted in AFotFV being called out. I’m very, very glad I live in Building Two and I’m seriously thinking about renter’s insurance. I must do a budget this weekend anyway, might as well call up the insurance people about that while I’m at it.
Today my homework is learn how to do a crochet stitch. Then I can make a scarf. I have Plans for my new skill.
