Moose and Ink

Ever since I was a teenager, there have been three bands I’ve wanted to see in concert – The Beach Boys, R.E.M., and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

America’s Band

The Beach Boys

Yeah, go ahead and laugh but the Beach Boys are awesome.  For a kid growing up in the Midwest, the boys from California brought the ocean to my doorstep.  Even today I can’t listen to them without feeling summer.  It’s all light hearted, fun, and actual instruments and music.  Call me old fashioned.

Of course, it’s pretty hard to see a band that started in the 60s, almost fifteen years before I was born.  Then in August of ’93, the Beach Boys did a show in Moline, IL as one of the ‘Concert for the Heartland’ flood relief concerts.  My brother and I and a friend got to go.  We were probably the youngest people there but we didn’t care.  All the classics, a few new, and all around, a great night.

I Feel Fine

R.E.M.

I think R.E.M. was the first ‘alternative’ rock band that I ever heard.  Our friend, Nathan, turned us onto it and I immediately found myself liking the band.  Chalk it up to the teenage angst years but even afterwards, their music was great.  It grew up with me and you can’t not like that.  When they broke up in 2011, I marked the occasion with post entitled ‘The World Is Not Ending …”

In the summer of 1995, I and a friend drove up to the Target Center in Minneapolis.  We had seats that were behind the stage but the way the concert was setup, we had a near-perfect view and only about 20 rows back.  It was, without a doubt, one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

…

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

‘Running Down a Dream’, ‘Free Falling’, ‘Learning to Fly’, ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’.

It’s kind of hard to pick which of Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s songs is my favorite.  It goes with the mood, the season.  Running Down a Dream was our anthem in High School cross country.  I constantly played ‘Free Falling’ and whenever it came on MTV (back in the day when they actually played music videos), I made sure to sit my ass down and watch it.  I can’t tell you why I like the music and I think that’s what I like best about it.  It feels right.  There’s something for every day, every mood.  I can’t really ever get tired of listening to it.

I always promised myself I’d go see him in concert but as the years dragged on, the chances dwindled.  A few of years ago he was playing in Minneapolis but it fell on a big weekend here at the college and I couldn’t take the time off.  When R.E.M. broke up, I began to realize that so to, someday, would Petty retire and I might never get the chance to see the concert.

Until last week, that is.

That’s when Steph came into the office and said, “Hey, did you want to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for your birthday?”  To which I replied, “Uh … duh.”  And thus she said, “Okay.  Tickets bought.   June 29th, 2013 at the Target Center.”  After a few moments of disbelief, I squealed like a little girl.

Yes, I’m in happy-ville.

Life has been busy.   What’s changed since the last posting?

The search to replace me at my job continues and it’s getting really close to the end.  Maybe in a few weeks we’ll have a replacement and life will suddenly become normal.  In the meantime, I’m working two jobs while not being at either one fully.   I covered that in the last post so no need to rehash it.

Steph is gone a lot.  In April, she’ll be gone three out of four weeks.  We’re both enjoying it as much as you might think. She’s home for the next two weeks and appropriately, I took a day off to spend it with her.  We got much accomplished around the house and just enjoyed each other’s presence cuz sometimes you just need to do that.

To keep me occupied, I was able to order the parts and build a brand new computer.  Quad Core, 8GB RAM, Solid State Drive,ultra graphics card – the works.  It’s a beast.  The shiny keeps me entertained.

Winter refuses to leave, no matter how much we beg, plead, and try to bribe it.  On the plus side, I’ve been able to get out for runs once or twice a week which helps my mood immensely.

My dentist (aka, the Spawn of Satan) has informed me that I need to have my wisdom teeth taken out.  This will happen sometime in the next year, probably in January or February after we arrange for some flex spending.  Again, totally thrilled.

Writing is still … stuck.  I kinda figured out something that is helping but the writer’s block is still there.  I honestly don’t think it’ll go away until work calms down and my brain has a chance to re-org itself.  That can’t come soon enough.  I miss writing immensely.

That’s all I got.  Here’s a picture of a dog that didn’t like being woken up to have his picture taken.

Ever hear the phrase ‘Let sleeping dogs lie?’ It’s cuz they look like this when they wake up.

I started my new job on Friday and the first task before me …

Some cleaning required.

A bit of a mess, one might say.  Unseen are the cabinets to the left which were equally disastrous.  In cleaning up, we uncovered 29 Macbooks in various states of repair (one of my jobs is to go through and find out exactly what state they are in), four iMacs, cables, adapters, and over 100 Windows 95 CDs among other things.  Why, I have no idea.   When I finally managed to clear the desk, I found a second layer underneath including dozens of Post-It notes with important information written on them.  That all went into a folder which I then had to put into a couple of spreadsheets.

Needless to say, it’s been a bit of work.  Still, I think it’s paid off plus I got a great view.

Sparkly. Definitely very sparkly.

Farwell Hall and beyond that, the college’s windmill (very hard to see in this light).

So things are trending upwards but not without a few hitches.  The task of switching jobs is proving a bit more daunting than I thought.  In the morning, I have to be of the Help Desk mindset.  In the afternoon it’s learning my new duties.  But due to the way things are right now, I can’t get completely out of the Help Desk mindset as I’m often called upon to do things over there.  So there are times I’m not sure which direction I’m being pulled.

I’ll figure it out.  Eventually.  In the meantime, I’ll just go with what I got.

Next Friday is the official start date of my new job.  I get a new office with a window and new duties abound.

While I’m looking forward to it, I’m also a realist and know that it’s not going to be an easy or clean switch.  The college is notorious for taking its time to hire new staff so there’s a possibility it’ll be summer before someone is hired to replace me.  Hoping that isn’t the case but we’ll see.  In the meantime, I’ll be doing half-days at the old job and half days at the new one.  So there’s a lot of hard work yet ahead.

That said, just the mere prospect has alleviated some of the stress that has been bearing down on me.  The thought of writing has once again crept into my mind.  If you glance over to the right, you’ll see a progress bar.  As I type this, it’s at 17%.  Except that to drop to zero in the next couple of days.  One of the few benefits of being pulled away from writing these past 5-6 months is that I’ve gotten detached from the story.  I was able to identify a bunch of flaws and I think I’ve got some fixes.  So I decided to start over with a new draft and see what comes of it.

Hard work ahead?  Yes.  But it’s kinda nice to be eager once again.

Is it safe to come out yet?

So I can finally say it – I have a new job.

Or I will on March 1st, actually.   That’s the day that I will step down as Technology Help Desk Lead and leave the Library to walk across campus to my new position as Workstation Support Communications Administrator.  Basically, I’m going to be the guy who fixes computers and writes all the fancy word stuff.

I’ve been at the Help Desk for ten years.  It’s been fun, exciting, and I get to work with some awesome students.  But it’s also been stressful.  The past couple of years have been extremely so and to be honest, there wasn’t any sign of it slowing down.  Steph and I had even talked about me just walking away and it wasn’t idle chat.

Then things fell into place – an opening in the department, a few tweaks and changes, and suddenly there was a spot.  I get to do somethings I love (write and technology) and I get to stay at the college, which I really do enjoy.  If there is anything I will miss, it’s going to be working with the students every day.  They are very cool and beyond as well.

Still, I’m happy and looking forward to it.

I’ll leave you with the e-mail I sent to my staff announcing the change:

Since you’re bound to hear it sooner or later …

Spring 2013 will be my last semester with the Technology Help Desk.

After ten years, it was time for a change. As it happened, things came together and made it apparent this was the right time. Throughout this semester, I will be drawing back on my duties and stepping down as Technology Help Desk Lead.

And then walking over to Main into my new position as Workstation Support Communications Administrator. Think of it as the guy who fixes computers and also writes all that fancy word stuff.

While I’ll be working mostly with Workstation Support, rest assured, I’m going to be around. I have no intention of abandoning the Help Desk and plan to be involved in things like Summer Registration, Move-In Weekend, and Fall/J-Term Training (as much as you’ll all have me).

In the coming weeks/months, LIS will be considering the position I’m leaving as it relates to the Help Desk and LIS. If you have any thoughts on the process, I’d be interested in hearing them. My door is open so stop on in. However things turn out, though, I know the Help Desk is in good hands and will continue to be a great place for students to work.

I can say with complete honesty that I’ve never had so much fun as I’ve had while working with the HD Staff. Even when you’re driving me insane. There’s been about 300 students that have passed through the Help Desk in my time here and I still count most of them as my friends. And even after I leave the Help Desk, my door will always be open.

Just don’t burn the place down. Even if it is Main.

Especially if it’s Main. Seriously … all my stuff is gonna be there.

Thanks for some great years.