Insanely Awe-dical

We had a dilemma at work. We had deployed our application to a server for testing and it had been working properly. We decided to get another server prepared for one of our potential clients. We had set up the box and put in all of the groundwork and it was ready. We installed the application and opened it up in our browser and saw the login screen and were happy.

Except, when I login, the page refreshes and presents me with the login screen again. The page is supposed to refresh and grant me entry to the application. This is actually handled by a cookie - the page first determines user has no cookie and displays login screen. When user logs in, it creates a cookie and the page then sees the cookie on refresh, and grants user entry.

We had run into this issue in IE7, but not in Firefox - very odd. At the end of the day (really almost 2 days), Mike discovered the server was on Mountain Time, but had the current time in Pacific Time. The result was the cookie was being created, but for "one hour ago." Therefore the cookie was expired, and rejected by IE. IE renders the page as if it has no cookie - resulting in the login screen once again. Simply adjusting the time fixed the issue.

Labels: at the office

So I'm at the office.  I walk into the door I always walk into and I hear these noises.  It sounds like sort of random tapping on a door.  I look around and apparently there are sounds coming from around the door - the door right by my desk.  It almost sounds like Snatch or Bailey pawing or tail wagging against the door. 

Normally I'd freak out for a second, then chill out.  But the sound is still there 1 hour after arriving.  And while I'm working, all I can think about is - dammit someone let Snatch/Bailey in or give them a snack or something so they chill out. 

Labels: at the office, neurotic

At work, we are working on a list of items that we want to rearrange. We have added Up and Down arrows next to the list, and upon clicking on up or down, our code moves the selected item up or down. Often, we had a user add an item to this list, which brings it to the bottom. They intended it to be on the top, so they click on the up arrow rapidly to bring the item to the top of the list.

The effect is a sort staggered move - the clicking isn't responsive for every click. Only by clicking slowly, do we see the correct behavior.

Today, Mike realized the problem - we were responding to the "Click Event" and it was behaving properly, but we were not responding the the "Double-Click Event" If you click twice quickly, the Click Event registers for the first one, and the Double-Click Event registers for the following one. The result - one click we respond to, and one click that has no code to react to it. Mike coded in the "Double-Click Event" to mirror the effect of teh "Click Event" and voila! A responsive up and down arrow images that move up and down the list quickly.

Labels: at the office

I just adjusted my pants and I heard a rip. Correct that - two rips (by the knee).

Sent the following text to Kate: "Geez I was adjusting my pants and they just ripped. Both legs by the knee now have a sexy tear. This looks unprofessional."

What did I do next? What any man would do - use Scotch Tape and tape 'em up. I'm not going home during lunch, and I don't have any business meetings - just gotta get through the day.

Labels: at the office

My fly was down. How long was it down? It was the first time I went to the bathroom today. I probably never even zipped it up this morning. I bet there are magnets in the floor in the bathroom - they just pull down zippers and embarrass men at the urinals.

This is the sad part of my morning. Back to work.

Labels: at the office, neurotic

I get a little angry when I see my gross pay next to my net pay. I suppose it's almost AMERICAN to complain about taxes and how much the government gouges my bi-weekly check (moment of neurotic clarity: that's once every two weeks, not twice a week. I totally agree with Sheldon from Big Bang Theory - the term bi-weekly is ambiguous). I'm just doing my duty as a loyal/faithful citizen of this glorious country.

However, I suppose I should be happy that my taxes "only" take away 20% of my check, and not much more. I suppose a bit of dutiful math can help someone reading this determine what my salary IS, but that person has to be very curious, nosey, and decent at math (or google). Of course, there's the whole x-factor of how much I contribute to my 401(k), my medical/dental insurance, and my flexible spending account, which all comes out before taxes. That should effectively throw off any math that anyone reading this may or may not be capable of doing with or without the help of google. At the best, someone can come up with some range that includes my salary, all of which makes this incredibly moot.

Labels: at the office, neurotic

Sometimes at the end of the day, the bathroom lights get turned off. It's not on some timer - there's a classic light switch in there, flipped to the off position. It seems like the perfect time for me to get murdered by the guy hiding in the dark. I flip the lights and it's usually fine though.

On a side note, we have those paper towel dispensers that have motion sensors. Sometimes when I'm in there by myself, I hear some the motion sensors click and some paper towel dispense. I suppose in movies that would be when an attacker is sneaking up on the protagonist, but something unsuspected (the motion sensor) tips off the hero in time to defend himself. I'm sure I'll be fine, but I need to remember to be alert next time that happens.

Labels: at the office, neurotic

One thing I've learned about professional life is there is a Friday culture. A constant throughout the week is the desire for the week to be over, no matter who or what you do. People don't necessarily hate their jobs - just prefer the times away from the job. Who doesn't?

The point is that Friday tends to have it's own sort of of culture. I even feel it on Thursdays - the excitement that Friday is just around the corner. Friday signs the end of the week, and thus the beginning of the weekend - the time where you can have fun and GSD (get shit done). When you are at your job, and you think "If I could do anything now, what would I be doing?" - that is what you do over the weekend. That's when you listen to music, sit on the couch, eat dinner, take a nap, run errands, cook, clean the kitchen, enjoy a movie, sleep early, or stay out late. I feel like sleeping early during the week sucks - it's like what precious time I have between work ends and work starts again has been "wasted" on sleep.

Either way, Friday culture is all the more prominent on a Friday before a 3-day weekend. Thursday becomes Friday when people take Friday off, and it's sort of amazing how the office becomes a lot more tolerable and enjoyable.

Enjoy your three day weekend! I'll leave you with these words from Greenskeepers. The song is called Vagabond, and it's the song from the Grand Theft Auto 4 commercial:

"If the truth be told, I'm in love with this city and I'm out of control, I'm out of control, But I live in this city and I'm out of control, I'm out of control.
But I live in this city and I'm out of control."

Labels: at the office

I've used the phrases "task item" and "progress report" today. I went to a meeting where we said something along the lines of "adjust this version, and push that to the next release." I am sending a report to somebody who reports to someone else. Yes, I work in an office, and that is what happens in an office. The only sounds I hear at the moment is the hum of a copier machine, the rattling keys of surrounding laptops/keyboards, someone mumbling about email and support, while well-dressed people discuss at a nearby conference room.

Labels: at the office

So I went to the bathroom after lunch only only to realize the my fly was already down. Panic swept in as I thought about how long my fly was down. At the longest, it was since the last time I had gone to the bathroom, hours earlier.

Luckily, I wear large shirts and keep them untucked. The front flaps of my shirt prevent the world from getting a glimpse of my patterned drawers. I'm not sure if this is a happy or a sad moment, but amusing enough for me to post, so it can't be that bad.

Labels: at the office

Today's sad moment is brought to you by Konami's coffee system. 

There are two ways for me to get coffee at the office: the single-cup auto-brewer, which dispenses a single cup of black goodness, and the traditional pump thermos.  The thermos is normally not available, so I decide to get a pump from it to fire up my system today.  I depress the pump to a half cup before it starts sputtering. 

Yes, the thermos is empty.  Yes, my cup is half-full.  Yes, my only other source of coffee is auto-brewer that will dispense one full cup - exactly 1/2 cup more than my current cup can accomodate.

I sadly add cream and sugar (half the amount) to my half cup of coffee.  Yay Mondays.

Labels: at the office, neurotic