Day: 15 May 2003

Standards, Standards, Standards

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So today and tomorrow we deal with standards. Our hardware standard, the basis for how we buy and configure our Database Servers has been in place for just over a year. I have been getting complaints about no space, and some speed issues from others. I have called the brains together to get what is required for a standard over the next 12 months. That way I can buy them what they want and then tell them to shut up when they complain about it. Well, not exactly. But we need a blue print for how we do things for the next several months.

Also tomorrow I am meeting with our development people (well some of them anyway) to discuss our build standards for web servers. Same concept as hardware standards, but we talk about how to configure the OS on our web box’s. Once done we will refresh our web servers and set them up fresh.

As I left the office yesterday we had a problem with an apache web box we are using for a small project. turns out that this is considered important to our call center management. Now we need to fix the problem, and then take this applicaiton and make it redundant. We probibly will need to put it on 2 linux machines and place them behind our local directors. A local director is a device that splits the load of a web site amount multiple servers. Cool device.

On another front I have tons of outstanding quotes to get approved. Hardware requests just pile up. What is crazy is most of this stuff is not even related to our new office build. This is just normal office stuff that needs to be taken care of.

I haven’t yet found someone to run our new office’s helpdesk. Most applicants are not from the region. We need someone near by. Also most don’t have the skills. People do not read online job postings. They apply for jobs that don’t meat their qualifications at all. It is just a waste of time for everyone.

We spoke with our Project Manager and team for our phone system build out. The hardware is almost all in. We are sending them some network diagrams and stuff. Then we stage the system. I am excited. This will be awsome if it works out well. I think it will. Brand new systems can be designed without having to factor in old problems. We shall see… In the tunnel now. More later.

Apartment hunting more

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Well after a flurry of posts 2 weeks ago I have been a little slower on the posts recently. I have not had my laptop every day on the train, and I have not always been able to write on every trip. Oh well.

I am sort of apartment hunting (see earlier blog entries). I think I found an apartment that I like. The only problem is that it is vacent now. That means that the land lord wants it filled by july 1. My lease runs out september 1. I would have to pay overlapping rent for 2 months as a worst case. I wanted to look at living in the city (manhattan for all you non NYC people). I looked online last night and could not find a building as nice as mine for my price range. My range is the same 1 beedroom apartment but costing no more than $300 more than what I am looking for in Queens. The dollar value I came up with is about is about what I pay to get to work for a month. The Railroad is expencive. No buildings I saw that had pools, and other conviences that I have at my building were in that price range. Yes, I don’t always goto the pool but I like knowing it is there. I also have used it in the past. The 1 hour commute is not great, but at least I get to sit and do work. 30 minute subway ride I will stand in a crowded subway. That would be bad.

Ok, so those are the facts. I am writting htem out because I want to describe my delema. Also I am trying to make sure I am doing the correct thing. I think I am, but if I have to write a big check no matter how correct I think I am, I will be crazy and second guess myself. That is just the way it is.

The other bad thing is that if I get this apartment and move on July 1, it will come right around when we are building out our new office. You can’t win when planning things like this.