Two Mondays in a row

Today was the second Monday of my week.

Last Friday I was asked to make a few changes to our purchasing system. So I made them and then tested them and implemented them on Monday morning before anyone else got there. There were no problems with the purchasing system, but other things went all kooky. The leave system that I wrote five years ago and has been humming along started being grouchy. While that was going on, the people we moved into our office building last week were barraging us with phone calls and emails about things that weren't working. It was just small, annoying fire after small, annoying fire. Nothing too big or too complicated, just so many of them.

Then, I left work early to go to PCA to install some new server software that they have purchase to manage the school. Prior to the software, there was no centralized school management system in place. The install went OK, but went late. One of the teachers there got the "about:search page" hijacker...DOH!!!!

Today, though, I come in and my email is chock full of error messages from the purchasing system. It was crashing with regularity and the wierd thing was that I had not touched the part that was broken (or so I thought). So, I recovered from a backup (yes, I always make a backup of my source code prior to revising it) and started over making the requesting changes. Amid me trying to work, I get a call from the state teleconfernceing center because the a very high-ranking official wants to use our video conferenceing room for a video conference and we have not been on the state system before and they want to test it. Needless to say, there were problems that had to be resolved. Then, my boss brings me a fax from one our colleges who got a memo from the Governor's office about a centralized email system for the state that I had no idea was going out or was being talked about. Meanwhile, my users are clamoring for the purchasing system to be back up...my boss is clamoring for me to deal with two of his projects...I have the teleconfence people clamoring to get a successful test done...and I have to roll-out a new web-based Time and Leave Sytem by April 1.

Let's just say...I pulled out a few more hairs today. However, all's well that ends well, right? I found and corrected my purchasing system problem (kinda - I was able to implement all the changes but one and get it all back working). One of the changes had unintended consequences (duh! it brought the system down) and I will investigate it more fully before implementing a solution for it. I got the centralized email handled. I got the video conference stuff working. I will jump in early tomorrow and get the two things my boss needs off my desk and then spend the afternoon coding away with the door shut and the phone forwarded...if our email server doesn't crash! That is the only thing that could make Wednesday a third Monday.