Friday, September 23, 2011

On the bucket list... But first a story.

Over the past few days there has been some internal need to review and revise my bucket list. However, that will be for my next post.

Last night was a long one; "Roll Out Friday" as we call it. The maintenance schedule for our main piece of software only allows for downtime on Fridays from 3AM to 6AM. And this was not a typical maintenance release. Three new modules were planned for integration as well as the typical bug fixes.

So, the entirety of this week has been preparation for this little event. Since one of these new modules was mine, by default, I get to help roll it out.

Two nights ago I only had enough time for about 5 hours of sleep, what with bug fixes, testing, administrata, interfacing with users and taking care of some personal things... like baking cookies for my daughter. :-)

Tired... Over tired. Needless to say, four hours of sleep in the last 34 hours does not play well with introspection.

So, I have a lot of stories, do I? OK, here is one of petty theft back in 1998 or so. The statute of limitations on this is likely expired and there is no telling where these people are at this point... So here goes.

A new Star Wars movie had just come out and, as many techie people are, our computer techs and network engineers were fans. Not just fans, but fans with a slightly deviant thread running through them.

A plan was hatched. Several went to the opening of the newest Star Wars movie at a local casino theater where they saw several life-sized cutouts. In their minds, having a Dark Sith Lord watch over them at staff meetings would be comforting... somehow.

With the quiet lack of non-approval from the VP and director (they both were fans as well), several engineers dressed up in matching, official looking attire, drove to the casino, walked in and without a word from security, took the cutouts.

And so, for the remainder of the year we had a life sized Dark Sith Lord in one corner of our meeting room and Darth Vader in another. I remember the first time I saw them. It was about 6AM when I walked into the black dark room and turned on the lights. Interestingly enough this didn't startle me a bit; it had happened before. But, that's another story.


1 comment:

Lady R (Di) said...

Living dangerously... I love it!

Reminds me of the time I swiped a NASCAR/Bud Light garbage can wrapper. The big plastic kind, complete with string and elastic large enough to cover barrel size cans. Our friends had a big Tiki bar set up in there backyard and my friend and I thought this garbage can wrapper would look awesome... at her house!

Later that night, while walking past a large RV that had one of these cans sitting right out in front of it, but no one seemed to be standing around. I told her, "Hold this," handed her my beer and within one smooth motion, I grabbed that wrapper on two sides near the top and just slipped it right off and kept walking... folding it up as small as I could while we walked away, never looking back.

I couldn't help but laugh at myself, while folding this large plastic banner/like wrap, trying to conceal the fact that I'm stealing trash barrel liners. Sheesh! I call it Bud Light bravado!