Business trips in the IT field...

[JB73]

Are not all that they are cracked up to be

Just had to share my last 2 weeks hehehehe:

Starting Jan 22 I flew to Michigan to work with the head of IT at our sister company on the implementation of an new ERP system (see link if you are unfamiliar with the term). I was there for the rest of the week then flew home Saturday the 26th. I flew back to save some hotel fees, and the whole flight round trip was only $160 so it was fiscally smart. I left Sunday the 27th to drive back there (6 hour drive). Part of the reason for this was to have a vehicle I could bring back a $6000 printer, and $2000 router, another is from MI the 2 of us were to fly out to Atlanta, GA to get up to Dalton, GA for the "go live" of this software in a branch of our companies Jan 30.

So we spend the 28th and 29th getting ready, and on the 30th a blizzard hits Grand rapids, MI. Flights canceled. He and I are set on separate flights / carriers, but get pushed on to the same BS coach flight. I booked through Midwest Airlines (all business class) for a cheap and comfortable flight.

So here we are intending to arrive in ATL before noon, and we finally arrive after a transfer and 3 hour layover in Detroilet we got into ATL after 5 PM, with a 2 hour drive ahead of us in ATL rush hour.

We finally get to the job site some time after 7 PM local time, and spend a few hours getting acquainted with and explaining everything to the people down here.

The next 48 hours are a blur. Thursday we were on site 9 AM after chasing down some hard drives at Walmart, some labels at Office Depot, and some other miscellaneous items. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner on site, finally heading back to the hotel some time around 11:30 PM. Friday on site 8:30 AM as we were a bit tired from the 6:50 AM FIRE ALARM at the hotel going off from some prettythanghole burning his waffle at the continental breakfast in the lobby. Oh yeah I forgot to mention once back at the hotel we spent about 2 hours remote working on some Exchange email issues.

So here we are 3:30 AM finally back at the hotel, and I am still remote in working on some DNS problems between our new domain we set up in 4 hours today we successfully set up a new domain controller, active directory, group policy, print server, and everything related (including finding 1 measly floppy disk to put the SATA raid drivers on for an M$ Small business server clean install), all for a measly 9 PC's at a remote location so they could communicate with our new domains up north, and use our terminal servers to run the said ERP software.

We have a 2 hour drive ahead, and fly out of ATL around noon local time. We still have to check out of the hotel to get receipts, turn in the rental Chrysler Crossfire (after finding a gas station near the airport to top off the tank), get through the security at the busiest airport in north America, and hopefully fly out with out delays to an area of the country that in the last 12 hours has has 8-10 inches of snow.


All this for a SALARY less than many new cars cost.




Oh yeah once I arrive back in Grand Rapids, MI I still have a 6 hour drive in a loaned from the boss Prius back to WI lugging our printer and router.

Pray for me please

Sorry for the wall-o-text, I can't sleep and had to share LOL.

[Trell]

Sounds like the standard IT trip to me  

[SOB]

You're not doing any real work, so quit whining and enjoy the ride.  They'd probably pay you overtime if you worked more than 8 hours in a day digging ditches somewhere, but then, well, you'd be digging ditches.  

[Donzo]

Just out of curiosity JB....which ERP package?

[Boroda]

Originally posted by Donzo
Just out of curiosity JB....which ERP package?

True nerd forum.

[Fulmar]

Originally posted by JB73
(including finding 1 measly floppy disk to put the SATA raid drivers on for an M$ Small business server clean install)
 

I love the advantages of raid arrays...but man, loading drivers via a floppy is the pits.  I scavenge floppy drive because they're so unreliable.  Much hate for floppies.

[Donzo]

Originally posted by Boroda
True nerd forum.

Technically it would be a "true nerd thread" since conversation like this does not not represent the entire BBS (which encompasses the other "forums").

[Vulcan]

sigh... sitting in the airport now, waiting for my flight, back from a business conference on waiheke island (nz),  nearly dying in a jihad jeep doing some 'team bulding exercises', watching my group manager get raving drunk, strip down to his boxers, molest half the female staff, try to shag a couple of them (thankfully failed due to his habits being known and two staff assigned to emergency tactical response duties).

Tommorrow all we be forgotten.

[JB73]

Originally posted by Donzo
Just out of curiosity JB....which ERP package?

Truckmate from http://www.tmwsystems.com/

It may seem easy be we are migrating from a relic SCO Unix based system custom made for us by 1 guy... so all the girls in the offices are used to data entry 1 way and 1 way only.


Talk about freaking Icing on the cake... (just for you Vulcan)

Flight out of ATL today was late. I literally sprinted to my connecting flight here in Milwaukee, they had started boarding, sat down, only to be told the flight is canceled because of snow in Grand Rapids

they book me on a 4:35, now I have to kill 3.5 hours in an airport 30 minutes from my home and own bed. did I say:

THAT flight gets held because of overbooking and over weight, they tell us they won't start boarding until they get volunteers to stay in Milwaukee and fly out tomorrow. By now I am so pissed there is nothing stopping me from getting to Grand Rapids to my bosses car (which I left some luggage including the keys to my apartment in), and getting a beer or 12; even if I have to run out there in the non-snow, beat up the second of 2 WOMEN pilots I had today, and fly the ******* plane there myself. ******* women, what good are they other than serving me $6 bloody marys while I ogle their legs?


Oh yeah, remember the guy with me on the different flight? he flew out of Detroilet 5 minutes after my flight was "canceled because of snow" and landed to dry tarmac in Grand Rapids.

I still have to get the Cisco router and $6000 printer loaded up in the car and drive it back to Milwaukee for use Monday morning.

If you ask: why not spend the night in Milwaukee and fly out the next day, what the hell would I do? stay in a hotel in my home town, not have a car to go do stuff, and have to get up at 6 am to get back to the airport? hells nos.


So here I am in a Days Inn in Grand Rapids, Obviously not enough prayed for me




2 Good things came out of it all. See my reply to this thread for 1:
http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=223955



And 2 I got to WAIL on this (don't ever rent a Chrysler Crossfire from Budget in Atlanta, GA, is anyone is like me.... )




That is one seriously fun and underrated sports car. yes the views suck, blind spots every where, clutch is horrid, ergonomics all shot to hell, but I did 2 flat donuts on dry pavement, held it in first, kept full control and burned the F out of dodge from the parking lot, and I haven't owned a stick car for 15 years. I will say the torque curve is hosed, don't even try and let it our quick in second gear, you will put the passenger's coffee ALL over their coat, shirt, and lap even through that little hole in the lid MUHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[JB73]

Oh yeah I forgot to give the pics on the way to the airport that fated Wednesday January 30: