I am not sure if the proper label would be a meltdown or an implosion, but whatever it was, last night was it. I got a room full of people, well four to be precise, and three others watching, and nothing works. No data to the computer and no display. I was already a touch fatigued after two one-hour spin sessions, a full day at the office, an earlier test session and a 5 mile run. I am in no mood for "issues".
What follows is your basic, garden variety, hair on fire moment. I troubleshoot as best I can, re-boot, re-start, re-configure, and……nada. Zilcherooni. Niente. Wala. Zedo. I can feel the temperature rising and the ongoing consternation is adding kerosene to the fire by the gallon. I am aware of the danger to all parties. If we don't get some water on this PDQ she's gonna blow.
I can feel the muscles in my neck constrict and dial up the tension like a winch. There is nothing I can do. It is beyond my control, out of my area of expertise and several pay grades above me. The only course of action is to apologize to the folks that I have worked hard to assemble and sincerely beg forgiveness for completely wasting their valuable time.
I feel like shit. I can smell hair burning. I try to take a deep breath but oxygen cannot pass the inflamed portal of my throat. My mouth is dry. My jaw hurts about as much as the last time circumstances landed a left cross. My knees are weak, shaking. There is a sour tang of acidic bile bubbling in the pit of my stomach. I grind what teeth I have left into pumice.
I turn off the computer. It plays that annoying and obnoxious arpeggio that has made Bill Gates ten gazillion bucks and has made me play Daffy Duck.
I try to be sensitive and compassionate. Deliver the bad news with tact and diplomacy. Beg for forgiveness and pledge resolution. I try my best to just be nice and human and sincere.
I fail miserably. One would think I'd be used to it by now. I am not.
It's hard to be nice with your hair on fire. We'll return once the smoke clears. Stay tuned.
4 comments:
Wow...that is a major bummer for all involved! Just when we think we have it nailed and under control, something like that brings us back to the realization that there is truly little that we can actually control, and that ultimately GOD is in control of EVERYTHING! Very humbling.
If at first you don't succeed, try , try again!
Like in "to error is human"? Because the problem was all of my doing. And I fixed it. It seems that God doesn't have time for my petty problems (He has bigger things to tend to) but His illustrious counterpart always seems to have time to play. Thanks for your support. Anyway it's ALL BS!!!! Go Team!
Glad you figured it out. God always has time for everyone, but it's nice when you can do the troubleshooting. Lessons in everything! Yay Team All BS!
In my own little way I paid tribute, when all was fixed I said, 'Thank God'. We also converse at mile 24 of every marathon.
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