Boss: “X piece of software needs to be updated on terminal server”
Me: “I’ve never troubleshooted or even used that software before”
Boss: “Ring programmer there and he’ll tell you what the story is”
Me: Hangs up & sighs loudly knowing full well it’s the start of yet another one of those conversations.
Me: “Eh, boss there said some software needs updating on terminal server. He doesn’t know if the version is up to date or not. User in other office cant login.”
Programmer: “Ah that was updated already. User in other office knows how to login but got error message and didn’t tell me what it was”
Me: “Ok, so I’ll talk to boss and see what the story is”
Me: Hangs up again, redials boss and places head in hands
Me: “Programmer said software is already up to date, user knows how to login but didn’t let programmer know what error message was”
Boss: “Ah, login to user account and try to login”
Me: Logs into server fine but encounters completely nondescript error message
Me: “Error message appeared” (reads error message over the phone)
Boss: “Hmm, don’t know what that is. Talk to programmer”
Me: Hangs up, looks for suicide pill in top drawer. It’s gone.
Me: “Error message appearing here” (reads error message)
Programmer: “Ah, setting is wrong. Change it and try again”
Me: Changes setting, tries, fails. Changes again, works now.
Me: “That seemed to work”
Programmer: “Grand, see ya!”
Me: Hangs up and redials boss
Me: “Changing a setting seemed to do it”
Boss: “Good, ring user in other office and explain how to login correctly”
Me: “But I’ve never used or troubleshooted this. When user asks a question I won’t know the answer”
Boss: “That’s ok. When user asks you a question, come back to me or programmer”
Me: “… ehh.. So I’m just relaying messages between you, programmer and user?”
Boss: “You’ll be fine”
Me: Starts to wonder what life is all about while dialing users extension..
Boss and Programmer are no more than 20 feet apart, separated only by a partition wall. Where’d I put that CV?
God help me…
Before the fourth birthday of this blog rolls around next month, I thought I’d revisit an old project. A little over 2 years ago, I first launched Glassey Alley. It was to become a daily photoblog, an extension to this place. When technical problems arose, it quickly ran aground and thus, the end of glassey alley.
Version 2 is back with a vengeance, less ambitious than it’s predecessor but back all the same. I’m going to take a temporary hiatus from this blog and concentrate on glassey alley, so keep an eye over there and I’ll be much obliged if you’ll all once again update your blogrolls with the link of the new site. Oh and don’t forget to subscribe. Every subscriber or comment poster will receive one portion of good will.
So once again (and finally)… www.glasseyalley.com
Another from Rocky Bay, this time practically right out of the camera. Slight boost in contrast, bit of sharpening and send to flickr. Nice to see that Claire finally buckled under the immense pressure and bought herself a 5D. Bad thing about that is, now she’ll be making the rest of us look even more like rank amateurs (as per usual).
The studying for the third module of the CCNA continues. Exams this Wednesday and Thursday. Good God how glad I’ll be once this course is over!
Water running towards the sea and cutting into the sand along the way. The ever wonderful yet little visited Rocky Bay in Cork. Went down the other day during the golden hour and felt immediately inspired. Such amazing light. All you’re going to be getting over the next week or so are Rocky Bay shots! 
Having returned from a short stint in the land of mystery, ghouls and ghosties (most people call it Edinburgh), I’m playing catch up again. Photos to process, college stuff to gain some sort of an understanding of and exams to do in a couple of weeks. It was a nice break, but damned if I don’t need another holiday right away to make up for the stress of being back. Good to be back to my comfy bed, big TV and the familiarity of good old routine. Photos in the next couple of days…
Published at March 24, 2008
in Art.
The above photo contains all the words needed for this one so it’s only left for me to add that it’s well worth getting to this in Kinsale on Thursday if you’re free. The couple of photos I’ve posted here don’t do justice to seeing the pieces in person.
So, this Thursday (27th March) from 6-8pm in Gallery ICA (that’s between the Trident and Actons hotel or next to the Yacht club in Kinsale). While you’re down there, buy 5 or 6 of my prints too! Cheers.
It all started some years ago when I converted a Drag Star into cash, then after a long drive to Templemore and a short conversation with the unreasonably grumpy owner, I turned cash back into bike. It was the bike I’d been after for some time as what I wanted to do more than anything was load it up and head to warmer climes.
After what seemed like an eternity, that eventually came around when myself and herself hopped on the bike and took it to warmest of warm France via drizzly England. 2500 or so miles later and we were back where we started; Rosslare. So after that, it sat covered in the garage waiting for it’s next excursion. At that stage I’d found a job that offered a company vehicle. Bad news for the bike really. I didn’t fully realise it back then but it wasn’t long before the tax expired, the insurance expired and getting it back on the road seemed less and less likely.
So it sat in the garage under a canvas cover. I still had notions of getting back out on it for the summer but that dream went flat at the same time as the bikes battery. Wheeled out every so often for a wash and polish and once or twice when someone came to look at it. I mistakenly thought it’d be an easy bike to sell because it was rare. In fact, it’s probably the only one in Ireland. (That is, the only limited edition model). In reality though, all this made it harder to sell. I went through some unpleasant telephone conversations with dealers. Self styled motorbike guru’s who each assured me they knew the market backwards. Some offered to ‘do me a favour’ by taking the bike off my hands for significantly less than I asked for. No thanks.
It was listed on various advertising websites for ages and I’d get the odd phone call or email regarding it. Then, a very decisive bike owner from Wexford visited me yesterday and converted bike back into cash. I’ll miss it and I very much doubt I’ll be bikeless for very long but for now at least, it’s as if I’m missing part of the family. The only consolation is that with the cash raised from it’s sale, I can now be debt free for the first time in about 7 years. Well, apart from the mortgage… that doesn’t really count though as we’ll be paying that off for the next thirty years!
Spent a most enjoyable couple of hours around the Lough last weekend with herself, Donncha, Donal, Katie, Kevin and Will just about made it! I haven’t taken any photos at the lough in.. well, probably years now. It’s a great spot for Christmas Day to walk off the dinner and test out all that new camera gear one gets for Christmas.
One could quite literally spend hours crouched at the side of the lake with a telephoto lens and a bag of bread bits. Throw a chunk of bread, point the lens and attempt to catch seagulls killing each-other for a nibble. The entertainment knows no limits. Now, I’m off to toast the end of an era. More on that tomorrow evening.
Perhaps not the most PC title, but quite fitting. The ‘nuthouse’ is a semi-abandoned asylum on the northside of Cork city in the Sundays Well area. I say semi-abandoned in that three quarters of the (possibly longest in Ireland) building has been converted into apartments. The last quarter sits unused, almost completely gutted and looking devoid of any life or future development plans. It’s almost as if it’s been left alone for some reason.
Now I’m not saying it’s haunted or anything, but given it’s past use and tales of what went on in there in decades gone by, I personally wouldn’t live in one of the apartments if it was offered with a free car and a cheque for €300k. Maybe that makes me superstitious. Or cautious. Or at least I was cautious enough (this time at least) not to try and enter the building via the ridiculously flimsy looking ‘bridge’ (pictured below) that someone had installed in haste. Didn’t really fancy the 20+ foot drop to the glass & various debris littered below.
It’s both a massively interesting building and a bloody massive building. If you’ve walked in the Lee fields or along the Carrigrohane road, you’ll no doubt have looked to your right over the river and gazed at the ornate grey building half way up the hill.
Having said all of the above, if someone offered me a guided tour of both the abandoned and lived in portions of the building, I wouldn’t refuse.. Anyone?
More on flickr.
Yikes. Only a week late. As above, these are a few of the photos from the Blog Awards. After the formal winners photos and the official work is over, the drinking begins and the mad session of taking photos of anything that moves begins.
I’ll take full credit for this one before it gets used & abused elsewhere. I did this, send all your royalties cheques and kind words to the provided address.. (It’s possibly partly inspired by a recent re-watching of “Sin City”)
‘Blue Steel’, an incredible reconstruction of the film “Zoolander”.
She loves me really.. I’m 99.9% sure of it.. Claire & Matt in the background.
Y’know what? I just couldn’t be bothered copying and pasting anymore. There’s a whole load more photos and this time, you’ve got a choice of where to view them. You can either flickrise yourself or visit the pixie. I’m off to bed. The perils of going to the pub early on a Saturday night.