Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

[cheesy]

Not counting weekends and vacation, 45 days.

Just learned that Al has taken over as sales dude for Puerto Rico. I may volunteer to be his Uber driver before the end of June because I’m the only guy in the outfit that can drive like the locals and not get lost.

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Not counting weekends and vacation, 45 days.

Just learned that Al has taken over as sales dude for Puerto Rico. I may volunteer to be his Uber driver before the end of June because I’m the only guy in the outfit that can drive like the locals and not get lost.

I spent time in San Juan. I get it!

[cheesy]

Well, Jason and I were called on the carpet yesterday for, and I quote, "Cussing on a conference call." And we were getting our talking to over another conference call.

Jason and I were working on getting a smarter than us piece of equipment up and running while trying to get it remotely connected to some computer wiz's in Italy.

First problem was that the customer has 'misplaced' the very expensive laptop that is paired with the equipment. Italians say no problem, they can connect through Jason's phone and hotspot. Then have Jason type in the commands into hard wired laptop to get this thing running.

Next problems are that the vehicle this thing is mounted to is on rail, so it's too tall for Jason to work the laptop and the sun is over our shoulders. Jason scrounges some pallets to stand on and I stand on a ladder while draping a jacket above him so he can see the screens.

After about 40 minutes of trying to remotely connect via Jason's phone and hotspot with no luck, the wizards want us to connect through machines' modem. First thing out of my mouth was, "Why the hell didn't you tell us there was a modem on this damn thing a half hour ago?" I get, "We thought
you knew." I've never seen this thing before but I let it slide.

After another 10 minutes of dicking with the modem with no luck, they ask us to check the sim card. "There's a sim card?" We find a dead T-mobile sim card in the modem. The wizards ask Jason to replace the card with the one from his hotspot. Jason tries to fit his AT&T card into the T-moblie holder...and drops the sim card. It ends up under the hard wired laptops storage slot. This is when the swearing started. It was an absolute PITA to retrieve the sim card. Jason couldn't fit his hand in the slot and I could just fit mine in there. Throw in the fact that I had to crawl all over the GNA Jungle Gym that was built in Beaufort in order to make myself fit where I could even access that slot, so yes, I was swearing a blue streak.

I manage to get the sim card and get it into the modem. After another 30 minutes of trying to get computers talking to each other with no luck, we threw in the towel and agreed to try to have the customer locate the missing laptop and have the customer provide a new sim card for the modem.

After Jason hangs up, Harold and Al call Jason and tell us that Jason MUST mute his phone when not speaking with the Italians. Jason is on speaker so I asked Harold why he was even on the conference call with the Italians when he's shown no interest in this machine since we got paid for it. He said something terse but I was past listening and walked away.

After Jason and I got ready to leave, Jason said Harold wanted me to call him. I texted Harold that he knows my number and he knows how to dial a phone.

Harold calls me and he's roaring. Basically saying if I want to get fired, that he can make it happen. I replied that he could do his best but I can make this minute my last with GNA. He was silent for a couple of seconds and came asking if I was willing to give up that $5K bonus and I said yes, I would. He then asked, in a mellower tone, why I'd walk away that much money. I told him that in 50 years of working, I've never received a bonus, so I won't miss something I never had. I finished up with that I have always valued integrity over dollar signs, something you aren't familiar with and hung up.

Gotta get on flight so, to be continued...

[cheesy]

...not two minutes later, Harold calls Jason. Harold wants to know who pissed in my Cheerios. Jason, who I've taught well, says, "Oh, I don't know. You're my top suspect. You do know he's sitting right next to me in the truck and he can hear this conversation."

I tell Jason to hand me the phone and I told Harold he blew the entire episode out of proportion, the Italians were probably laughing their asses off hearing me grunt, groan, and swear(I've worked with Italians before. They yell and swear at each other all the time), and that he should worry less about the image us field guys portray and worry more about product quality. He hung up on me at 'product quality'.

After working with Harold the past 25 years, having him hang up on me means I won the argument. He doesn't have a good comeback.

Fast forward to this morning. I get an email from Harold asking if I heard anything from our Mexican reps about training on the new equipment that was shipped there and would I be available to go to Mexico in a couple of weeks with Matt. No mention of yesterdays dust up. I wrote back, "I hadn't heard anything from Jesus but I'd call him. And sure, I'll go with Matt. I could use some new stamps in my passport and some good food."

This trip to Mexico with Matt should be interesting. Matt has hardly ever been out of New Jersey, let alone out of the US.

[TominMO]

Two long posts! So much drama.....

I'll bet Mrs. Cheesy (the Cheesette?) doesn't let you read Dilbert because it's bad for your blood pressure.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by TominMO

Two long posts! So much drama.....

I'll bet Mrs. Cheesy (the Cheesette?) doesn't let you read Dilbert because it's bad for your blood pressure.

I get a good laugh from Dilbert. Al looks like the 'pointy haired boss'. I had Scott Adams book, 'The Dilbert Principle' on my office book shelf and several pertinent Dilbert strips stuck to my office door.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

I get a good laugh from Dilbert. Al looks like the 'pointy haired boss'. I had Scott Adams book, 'The Dilbert Principle' on my office book shelf and several pertinent Dilbert strips stuck to my office door.

I have heard that you can tell how well an office is run by the number of Dilbert cartoons are in people's cubicles. Inverse correlation of course.

[Emerikol]

Just remember: To err is human; to blame someone else shows management potential!

[cheesy]

It's half assed stuff like this that really frosts me. The top portion of the pic is a $5K Encoder. The middle and bottom of the pic is the drive shaft that comes with the Encoder and the hi rail truck the shaft is mounted to. The very center shows the drive pin at an angle.


The pin is not only at an angle, the hole is also drilled off center. This classy bit of work was done at Beaufort because the shaft needed to be modified. The shaft needed to be modified because one nitwit in engineering read the wrong drawing. Obviously, none of the under qualified QC people we hired bothered to inspect the modified shaft and spot an error that would have been visible to Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

I sent the above pic to everyone responsible for it in Beaufort, and a few across the pond, with a non-subtle report about their abilities and production standards. Funny thing is, I've yet to get a response. Either apologizing for their screw up; very doubtful. Or telling me that I'm mean, they're butt hurt, I should apologize to them, and they complained to France about me. Again. That's more like it.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Obviously, none of the under qualified QC people we hired bothered to inspect the modified shaft and spot an error that would have been visible to Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

Send in pics of Mr. Charles and Mr. Wonder to the QC leader. You might get a monetary reward for the referrals if they are hired.

[minimac]

^They would probably do a better job!

[cheesy]

Working in Mexico next week. Cancun to be exact. I tells ya, it's a dirty thankless job but someone has to do it.

Not too sure the new guy will get there with me. Still hasn't received his Passport.

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Working in Mexico next week. Cancun to be exact. I tells ya, it's a dirty thankless job but someone has to do it.

Not too sure the new guy will get there with me. Still hasn't received his Passport.

My passport is ready to go! When do we leave?

[wheelbender6]

Save me a seat, muchachos!

[cheesy]

I'm starting to wonder if Matt actually applied for his passport. He does have a bad habit of procrastinating and has had a talking to about it. He supposedly applied for it 13 weeks ago and was told by Harold that he didn't need to have it expedited. Now he's jumping through hoops to get it by today. I'm starting to think it may be just me and the Dos Amigos in Cancun next week

The above is why I am a firm believer in "You snooze, you lose." Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.