...Ezboard...work...neopets...more work... lots more work... if you don't like work rants (and it's a mild controlled rant... more of a whine, really, but you could classify it as rant-like), you might not want to read this, but I've tried to break it up with other stuff...

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It's amazing the things people talk about, and the ways they bond over something like an outage of an online community. There's a distinct group of 6 or 7 of us that were trading emails fast and furious each time the downtime was extended. There were quite a few IM windows that popped up on my screen. I approved at least 25 new members of the Yahoo group that I mentioned earlier.

I think some new friendships were made yesterday throughout the TWBB'ers. Or some that were already there were strengthened. Rare flowers bloom amid adversity - if you could really call the board downtime an adverse situation, but I suspect that there were some who were very uncomfortable or rattled over the almost 24 hour absence of the board.

I know there were - I have the email messages to prove it.

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Despite Ezboard's insistence that the network would be down until 6 am today, I found it back up around 5:15 pm last night. But there are still a few things that are buggy - I can't get to my control center (where I keep all my favorite boards bookmarked). The network is very very slow. I can't get to the help boards to find out what kept them offline - although I fully expect a message in my ez-inbox sometime today. Wonder who made the main boxes go boom...?

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Got issues with the ex-boss again, and I don't think he even knows it.

Yesterday I found out, because I happened to be in the right place at the right time, that there's a large BBQ going on at the new building today. All of production is going (obviously), I have no idea about CS, and a separate email was sent to the management staff.

I got no such email alerting me to this.

Two people have told me I should just crash. One says I should make sure that the ex-boss sees me there to enlighten him of his obvious oversight. Honestly, I'd rather not be there because I don't think it was an obvious oversight. I think it may have been a deliberate snub. I was a useful individual who was on his team, and I left it. Despite attempting to leave on good terms, history has shown with other individuals who've moved into new positions that he is very fickle and I am most likely viewed as a traitor.

A traitor, however, who is very useful if he (or his team) needs something in the data realm. Sad part is, they ignore almost anything I say to them, and I end up repeating myself until I get rather frustrated and loud...

...and I think that's his goal - get me frustrated and loud, and then complain (or slap me down in front of his team) about an ego complex that's out of control, or state that I refuse to help them.

Neither of which is true.

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Neopets.
Wheel of Monotony.
Click-click-click-click-click.
Shoot the creator of it.
Now. It's evil.

Don't even try it folks... you don't even get the prize it's supposed to give you. You get nothing. That's all OVER the Neoboards. I lodged my NeoComplaint about it, but I suspect that they'll ignore it for a week like they usually do.

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Speaking of data needs, the ex-boss called a meeting with me last week to go over data inconsistencies and sources. He reminded me of all the issues that his team has.

What issues? Apparently there's been emails that I was never copied on about all sorts of data issues. So, I asked him to make sure either those emails are forwarded to me for my review, or a list of issues is sent to me so that I can address them at the meeting.

The meeting was supposed to be two days ago, but no one sent me anything by the morning of the meeting, so I emailed him and asked if it were still on because clearly there are no issues. The meeting is rescheduled for tomorrow, and the issues I got are.... special.

One manager wants to know where things are in a spreadsheet that's 100 lines long *and* wants links to all those specific lines of data. Personally, I think he's a flaming moron who should be shot. He's also turning into a direct clone of the ex-boss.

Another manager actually has some valid questions - she's good, but I think we're going to lose her. If anyone else is going to leave that team, she's going to be the first to go, I suspect. Sad, because she's really good.

A third manager has asked me about something that has the hairs standing up on the back of my neck because she should have been taking care of this data for at least a month now, and she's asking how to trace old data back. You can't. The monitor only keeps it for a week. I'm sure, if I dare go review it, I'll find that I'll probably have to rebuild it. This is probably some twisted way to get it off her desk and back onto mine.

Honestly, I could address all of these concerns in emails back to them, but the ex-boss wants to have a meeting. He's probably got his own questions, and I refuse to be blindsighted by anything he throws at me, which is why I'm going to stop by his office today and ask if *HE* has any questions for me to address...

...and then I'll address the issues that I see with some of the questions that his folks are posing. I'll also be playing stupid about the BBQ if he brings it up, which I suspect he will because he likes to talk about things he puts together all by himself.

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In the middle of the EzBoard outage, I decided that I'm going to re-do this blog template. With what I don't know yet, but I may try and design my own. Yes, I must have cracked slightly during the outage, you don't have to tell me that. I still do have a good grasp on the obvious.

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Honestly, I really like these people on my old team, I don't want that to be misconstrued, but I don't think that they *ever* liked or respected me when I was part of the team.

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Back to the 50 worst songs ever...

How come Christopher Cross' 'Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)' (also known as the Moon and New York City song) didn't make the list? Someone please justify to me why Jackson Browne's 'Lawyers in Love' didn't make the list either.

I heard both of these songs in the last half hour on Netscape radio and they really deserve a spot on the list.

Speaking of Netscape radio - since when is 'Werewolves of London' a one hit wonder? I can name LOTS of songs that Warren Zevon put out that were very successful, 'Lawyers, Guns and Money' and 'Excitable Boy' among them. Those folks at Netscape have lost their minds - especially by making the free NetScape Radio player shut off after exactly two hours. Don't they know that they're losing listeners....

... heck, I've already moved over to Virgin Radio Classic Rock (excellent stuff on that channel, folks... and unlimited listening time)...

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*sigh* I'm sorry for the rants folks, but there's just been too much going on lately, and I really can't take this anymore. I can't go to HR, however, because that's just the way the ex-boss is and they can't do anything about him because they don't see eye to eye with him. I can't go to the current boss - he knows that the ex-boss is a problem, I'm sure of it. But some of us on his team are wondering why he hasn't done anything about the guy. I can't go to anyone trusted or influential on the old team - I think they're all becoming clones of the ex-boss (slowly but surely) and they're getting out of control as a team.

Someone pointed out to me that they started going downhill after I left the team. We don't know if there's a direct correlation, or if it's just coincidence, but either way it's not a good situation from any angle. I'm just glad I'm not part of it anymore.

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Hopefully I'll be back to good insightful topics in the coming week... I've got a few good ones drafted, I just need to polish and shine them. See you tomorrow.