Frustration

What can really drive me mad is the following issue. I will drive 45 miles one way. My organization pays me close to the national average for mileage. I get to the school and set up. I have to call a third party to work with me because they installed the IP telephones at the school and I have to make my configuration work along side of his.

This guy has a three hour window. That is all he can give me because he is busy, too.

There are delays getting the first school done (as always). He and I finally have success with the first school and I tell him I will call him within the hour. That will give me time to drive to the second school, set up my equipment, install the fiber switch and configure the switch.

I get to the other school. In my haste, I promptly forget the switch in the trunk of my car and have to walk back outside to get it. I get to the wiring closet. Locked.

I sit all my heavy equipment down and go to the office. Up 3 flights of stairs. The secretary is not at all pleased to see me.

The first words out of her mouth "You aren't going to take us down, are you!? I don't have my IEP's done!" As far as I know they were supposed to be finished last week, but that is not my concern.

I told her I have to take them down, I only have a certain amount of time. (They were notified the day before that I was coming). She looks completely disgusted with me. I tell her the wiring closet is locked and I need in there.

She snaps back "The janitor is the only one who has the key and he is at lunch!"

Sigh.

There is another lady in the office. She is the speech therapist and she uses that room from time to time for her therapy. She said "I have a key to that room." 

I follow her downstairs (ignoring the icy glare from the secretary) and the nice speech therapist lets me into the room.

I set up my equipment. By this time the clock is running out. It is stifling hot in there. I pull the laptop out (It takes no less than 18 minutes to boot). I get the fiber switch out of the box (there is no room in this tiny little closet and there is no light where I need it.)

I look for the screws to mount the brackets and cannot find them. Exasperated, I dump everything out of my satchel onto a table. Tangled cables, screw drivers, ink pens, screws, papers, two quarters and a nickel come flying out and scatter all over the tiny room.

The speech therapist beats a  hasty retreat out. I don't blame her.

Sweat is pouring off of my head and into my face. My glasses become steamed and foggy. The sweat literally drips onto the equipment. Is it menopause? Is it frustration? Is it too hot? All three, I don't know!

I do not have the physical force to get the switch into the wiring rack. Years of the rack sitting in this tiny closet causes the sides to bow somewhat. There is dirt everywhere. And no light.

The tech lady finally comes into the room. I complain about the light and the rack. She asks if I want her to turn on the lice lamp. For some bizarre reason schools seem to always store their lice lamps in the closet where I work.

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I can only imagine how hot this magnified lamp will make me and I tell her no thanks.

She did come in handy to force the rack wider apart. She used her leg and foot to push one side. She said it was a yoga move! It worked like a charm! YAY!

I got the switch into the rack. I sat down at my laptop which had finally boot up and wiping the sweat off my forehead, and as fast as I could began to configure the switch.

I called the third party company. I have to use my own cell phone because the one that work has issued to us is flimsy, cheap and totally useless out in the field as far as getting a signal is concerned.

I made it in time. We worked together and got that school switched over to fiber and afterwards, more relaxed now I began picking all the pieces and parts that had flown out of my satchel.

I was so worried that I would have to drive back out to the school another day causing the taxpayers so much more money because of a secretary with a burr up her ass.  That is about fifty dollars for each drive out there. Plus my lunch and the fact that I would be absent from the office or another school that might need me on that day. It just gets old after a while.

What really burns me is that this fiber was supposed to be installed in the summer and we could work in the schools (albeit it would be hot) on our time without the schools being in session. But, no. The company that installs the fiber (for who knows what reason - I will never know) could not get their act together or they just put us on the back burner and drug their feet.

One school is still waiting on the company that installs the fiber to get a permit that will allow them to pull the fiber across the Interstate. I know this entails getting a crew out there to stop traffic and direct it around them while they work. Both side of the Interstate. Good grief! The order was placed in March. You think they could have arranged this stuff by now.

Sometimes my biggest obstacle is getting co-operation from the school staff. Most of the time I am very pleasant, bright and cheery. I charm the pants off of them. Sometimes I have a black cloud over my head and sparks are shooting out of my eyes.

My back hurts.