This is Tanner and Cookie. They are siblings. From what I understand they are mischievous little jackals who get into all sorts of situations. They are Border Collies and if you don’t know anything about Border Collies, they are in the herding group which means they are incredibly smart, wicked, high energy and SNEAKY. At least these boys are.
I heard that the latest thing they like to do is get into the garbage and eat it.
I am meeting their master Russ for lunch today. I have known Russ for over 10 years now–he’s one of my favorite friends on the planet. I would say when he became parents to these boys we really had some awesome dog talks and I hopefully gave him some good advice that he could pretend to use. He probably humored me to shut me up.
Russ played an integral part in my life when I decided it was time to leave a management position and do some hanging out at the company’s Help Desk. I wanted to get into Information Technology and Russ was managing the Help Desk at the time. There were only 5 admins I think, we were a smaller company then and I remember our interview. It was very laid back.
Russ: So, um…yeah. (No, he wasn’t a Bill Lumburgh). Why do you want to leave a management position to work at a Help Desk?
Pam: So, um…yeah. I want to get into the IT world. I love computers–love troubleshooting–I really think I need a change. (Still too confused to even think about photography full time)
Russ: Okeeeeee. When can you start.
Well, it was something along that nature. Heck, it was 1997 and some significant changes were also happening in my life. After 6 years of commuting from a bedroom community way out in the San Joaquin Valley called Tracy we were tired. While driving with our 2 year old son on 580 (that’s freeway talk) my husband was rear ended while moving, not once, but twice! And the drivers that rear ended him just kept going! So we decided it was time to bite the bullet and move back to the Bay Area where you get less of a house but location location location.
So Russ hired me. I was his model employee. I demonstrated how professional and kick @#$#$ I could be as a Help Desk Admin. He was the most amazing manager. He never talked to me. He was too busy putting out fires and getting stuck on outage calls. We had lots and lots of outages back then. I just reset passwords for the same morons day after day that couldn’t remember what their passwords were. (I am one of those morons today). After about 4 or 5 months something horrible happened. Russ moved on to another position. And then another.
I became mortified by the Help Desk after about 7 months and moved along into other IT positions until 1999 when I became a network engineer. You know my story about that in the about me thread.
I knew Russ much better after he was no longer my serious manager. I found out that he matched me in sense of humor and sarcastic wit. When we talk I laugh like there is no tomorrow because he is so funny. Over the years I can call him, vent, make horrific jokes and he is there on the other end laughing his #$$%$% off. (or at least he’s pretending to make me feel like I am funny).
So, yeah. My journey to where I am today is due to Russ. Part of it. Not all of it. I wouldn’t dare humor him to think he’s the sole reason. He just got me started down the path that led me to where I am today. I like to talk about people that helped me reach my journey of where am I today. I think I will pay for his lunch.
