There I go again, forgetting to post until Monday. This week's fun antics include getting a school's network up just in time, right down to the very minute class was due to start. But my fun didn't end there, since right after that, I hauled out a MASSIVE server that I realized only after the fact weighed probably over a hundred pounds. Thankfully, my car was pulled up right close so I didn't have to carry it very far... but then I made a rookie mistake by trying to leave a door ajar with my shoe, but instead just locked my shoe inside the school and myself out in the cold with that heavy server. One sprint over the icy sidewalks all the way to the other side of the school later, (and one mildly awkward encounter at the front desk), that problem was solved.
Other than that, it's been a good week. I got a secondhand Dell PowerEdge server, and boy oh boy is running ESXi on that thing fun! But the best part of this week was undoubtedly getting together with cousins, some who I hadn't seen in a good moment, and just having a really fun time!
But this week's title comes to you courtesy of going-the-extra-mile-maintainance. I live in an apartment complex- it's not very townhouse like, nor is it a very large set of complexes, but it's a nice home, with all the expectations you'd expect when living in a quieter city but on the border of the next-door rougher city. But back to my point, as the fact stands that I live in an apartment, and considering we pay what currently constitutes a really affordable and reasonable rent rate, I don't find it in myself to complain often when little issues arise here and there, such as a light bulb going out. And so it was for some months, now. A light went off in the stairs in the building across from us. A light went out under the doorway of the same building, One of our building lights went out. And a few here and there. For some time, now, it's just been the kind of thing I notice, but count as non-priority. But it got to the point last week that I finally decided to replace some lights, since things were a little more noticeably dark at night. I was quite surprised, after replacing all those lights, to see what a difference it made.
It reminded me of the time when I was just beginning learning networking. I kept my first server in my office on my desk, next to my laptop, and it worked out well. But a few years later, when I finally considered moving a few things in my office, I moved the server to another place, where the whir of its fans were much less present. (that's a funny story if ever you have chance to ask). But when I finally moved it out, I was alarmed at the difference. In fact, I still recall thinking to myself, "oh my gosh, I can think! Is this thoughts I'm experiencing?"
If nothing else, it goes to show that although these two examples weren't outright evils, they were very subtle shades of obscurity that crept in very unnoticeably, and began to cloud thinking and darken vision. Are there similar small but oddly now problematic things that have crept their way into your life? (I know I certainly have mine).
So, happy end of a cold January. Onward we go into more wintry months here, soon (though it never seems soon enough) to bring on spring!