So where have I been? Why haven’t I posted in a couple of days? Well now that’s a story I’d like to tell if you’re willing to read for a bit. It’s been a horrible week (which for me starts on Wednesdays (my Monday technically). The brand new, couple months old, computer decided to crash on me on Thursday. Honestly I get to blame both myself and Microsoft, as explained later.

My weekends are Monday and Tuesday. It’s week four in college at SNHU so I had a project due in each of my two classes: IT140 – Scripting and HIS100 – Perpectives in History due today. As I started to work on my HIS100 assignment, I signed into Windows 10. Side note: I have two operating systems Win10 (which I can’t stand but need for certain purposes) and Ubuntu 20.04 which I almost use exclusively). I use Microsoft Office 365 full version on Win10 instead of the web version because it gives more options. Anywho..I’m going along on my tasks for class when Win10 starts to hang. MS Office is not responding, I try to open Task Manager with no luck. I’m waiting and waiting and waiting. So I decided to check Microsoft Updates.

God dammit Microsoft, now your updating without my knowledge. I read it somewhere but since I use it rarely, I forgot. Couldn’t pause it and it was taking forever. I didn’t have the time to wait, so I shut down the computer. On other occasions, Win10 rolls back the update and reinstalls. Not this time.

When I start my computer, I have a dual boot screen. Instead, I get a message: No Hard Disk found! OMFG are you kidding me right now?

First option

Alright…calm down…I have a Ubuntu Live USB to use (which loads necessary files in the memory). Did that and found that there was a solution to the Linux screen of death (apparently this happens a lot). So I tried various fixes (taking me three hours). No fix.

Second option

Being the computer nerd I said, “F**k this. Just use DBAN (a program to wipe the complete drive clean)! I shuffled around my six USB sticks ‘cus I know I had it. I’ve had it for ages on one and used it when I had problems like this. For some reason, I don’t. Also, I ran into a problem some of the USB sticks wouldn’t read (couldn’t be accessed). OMG…is this going to get any worse?

Third option

Breathe…everything will be okay. You’ve experienced this before and did fine. NOT! I found that Rufus (something I used on Windows to create media installation disks) doesn’t have a Linux version. Looked around for a Linux version and found a few but all fizzled out either not existing or trust worthy right now.

BEEP . . . BEEP . . . BEEP . . . BEEP !!!!

I struck out. There was no other option. Thank goodness I’ve been saving money. First time in my life, I haven’t lived literally paycheck to paycheck. So I had enough funds for an emergency. Well this was a damn emergency. Honestly, I jumped over to Amazon, looked at a couple of computers, didn’t really look at the specs and ordered one for $300. Thankfully Amazon Prime trail started, so two day shipping was free. Ordered, arrived on Saturday.

In the meantime . . .

The same day this all happened, I got a call and email from my SNHU Advisor, “I was just checking in on week four to see how you were doing this term?” Grabbed my tablet . . .it took me a good 30 minutes to sign on to everything for SNHU, email her and my instructors. Later that night, I found out my advisor was going to ask my instructors for an extension. Typically, you can turn assignments in two weeks later with a 10% penalty which in this case would be waived. I was relived to find out the next couple of days both instructors approved the request. But . . . I don’t know how long I have, so I’m assuming I have until next Sunday (end of week 5) to turn all assignments for Week 4 and Week 5. Oi!

Now let’s turn to work ‘cus its been a shit show there too.

First of all, it’s friggin’ cold out. While I could walk to work, I decided if its less than 15°F, I call a taxi cab. Otherwise, I would walk to work. Unfortunately, in my area, taxi cabs are not trustworthy at all. Either you can’t reach ’em late at night or they don’t pick you up. Especially when the windchill is below zero, I get a little nervous and rather take a cab. To my surprise another co-worker has agreed to pick me up if I call him on cold nights I can’t walk to work. So I’m thankful for him to do that for me.

With the cold, the pandemic and other reasons, people call out sick. We go in stages where half the crew calls out sick, while other times the whole crew is at work. Well, we’re in the 1/2 crew stage…it SUCKS! For instance, Friday night, I worked with a lady who refuses to walk in the Diary cooler (where I work all the time now) because of a (supposedly) ‘mold’ problem. That’s another story!! So we go a delivery of eight pallets. I had to down stack all eight pallets by myself while the lady ran carts I prepared for her as best I could. Then she wanted specific carts, specific ways with specific stuff. Oh…hell…no you don’t! Shut her down real quick. Wasn’t sure if we were going to get everything done by the end of the night but we did.

Last night, another gentleman worked with me in Dairy. Six pallets of freight (typical night). For every three boxes I transferred to carts be picked on to put it on a cart. Seriously? He’s a big gentleman and has health problems. Oh hell no…I made him work and I wasn’t sorry about it either. He had to take rest breaks and disappeared several times for longs periods of times. I was not in the mood to deal with the crap, nor was I sympathetic. Why? He’s damn as lazy..period. You stock carts with like boxes on like boxes for maximum capacity? He just throws him on a cart all which ways, no care in the world even when I ask him to properly load the cart. Went in and ear and out the other. So be it. I knew at 11:30pm (an hour and a half in the shift) we we’re going to stock all this freight. On a day with good people – easy with time to spare. I was right – we live a live cart of freight and guess who had to stock it – the team leaders.

I walked out of the door at 6:51 am with my head held high. I understand we have short staff. But management knew darn well what we had going for us early in the night. Did they send any help at the end of shift…nope, “I couldn’t spare anyone” That falls on their heads, no mine. Bitter? Nope. That’s just the way the week as gone.

I warned management on Thursday, I was going to use a PPTO (Protected Person Time Off) day on Sunday (tonight) because of my whole computer fiasco and the need to take a day to concentrate on college. They probably forgot. Don’t care. Not my problem. Thank WM for PPTO!

So my computer is all set up, updated and BACKED UP. Yea…I didn’t back up the last one. This one, I have recovery points, a reinstall disk, live CDs..the whole works just in case I or Microsoft screws me again.

Now it’s time to concentrate on school (after I update this site quickly) for the rest of the day.

Hope ya’ll days have been better than mine.
MK