My last impressions of my job

I have come to accept my weaknesses; most of them are internal, based on my introverted nature. Yes, my friends, I am an introvert. A social one but an introvert, nonetheless.  I am a classic INFJ I operate with intuition as my 1^st line of defense. Yes, I am a person that believes that facts are much more truthful than feelings. However, it is the way I sense the world outside. 

 For that reason, I found myself dissatisfied in the position I am shortly leaving. I love what I do love it to the point that I am planning the next 15-20 years of my career. With life expectancy, the only determining factor. Or, more accurately, I plan on burning out instead of rusting out. here is the issue

In my present situation, I am dependent on individuals that, in many cases, I cannot see or contact for the performance of my systems. I find that "troubling" here is a clear example. I was placed "in charge" of a system for a departing employee. He told me on Thursday that I would be getting training on how it worked. He departed by very next Monday. And the system failed on Tuesday. I fond myself in a severe AZZ chewing session with the CIO and all the members of the team that supported that system. What we found was that security protocols were changed, and the ports ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_(computer_networking) were changed so that the system could no longer communicate with my server.  The location where that control took place was in San Diego.

Additionally, the internal wireless network was not communicating with the infusion pumps in the hospital wards( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infusion_pump). These receive updates from the formulary stored on my server. At the same time, the server was scheduled for an upgrade to windows 2016r2 and the client's upgrades to windows 10. I submitted data for the quote in April of this year that the contract has yet to compete  

 Additionally, we had no maintenance agreement with the vendor, a fact I discovered after receiving a reprimand for the problems listed above concerning that reprimand the individual instead of using straight forward language would use nuanced insult and sarcasm to get their point across. This grates against my personality and professional style. It turned a job that would be exciting to one of dread of even being present on a day to day basis. Upon receipt of said reprimand, I changed instead of being this person that cared deeply. I split myself in two. The 1^st person would help the customer base in any way possible, going out of my way to assist them any way I could. The 2^nd guy did his job, and when hit by a roadblock, not a technical one, but a faceless human problem, I would shut down and move on to a problem I could fix.  Not giving a second thought to the initial problem (but kept a note noting where we last left off) I would like to insert this point. When questioned on any issue that I had on any system, It felt just like an interrogation, having to prove my discoveries and contentions. I do not interrogate well. I am tempted to give my name rank and service number. If someone is looking for a reason to place blame, just let me know ill accept as at point I no longer cared. The last monkey on my back was an upgrade from a Windows 2008R2 server to a windows 2016 server. That issue had so many moving parts. It looked more like the difference between an abacus and an enigma machine. The good news is that the vendor was incredibly supportive of that system from the day it started. They helped me to understand a system that no significant documentation was available throughout my time there. I set a goal for myself to have that system running before my departure as I have submitted my retirement from civil service. I had begun to doubt my knowledge and proficiency of those things that I knew that I knew. (Our team, which included my mentor, the person that told me what I needed to do to become an IT technician 23 years earlier) We worked together. We got the system operational, but wait another problem arose; this problem would not have been evident without the covin19 situation. Since we are working from home, I can touch feel and operate the server system and the software remotely. But the average user could not.

I could because of my group membership as an administrator.  Once again, that process is controlled in another city and state, of San Antonio, TX. Even with that, it encompasses two different sections that are in San Antonio, TX. The Ports and protocol section and the firewall office. Remember those ports in the wiki listed above. Note (You can have a total of 65,535 TCP Ports and another 65,535 UDP ports. When a program on your computer sends or receives data over the Internet, it sends that data to an  IP address and a specific port on the remote computer, and receives the data on a usually random port on its own compute).

When the New server came online, that line of communication failed, which meant if the user's butt was not sitting in the office physically at the hospital, that user was "straight out of luck" unless a workaround was available. Luckily, one was available. We have a web interface that can operate within our network that interface. However, it had to be configured on a case by case basis. Now that game was being played in an area that I was fully capable of helping in. Using Microsoft Teams, I was able to walk people through the process of getting them online.  Bout that port firewall thing. We have sent out network configuration to that office using our internal work order system. To date, it's still not fixed I can make an inquiry as to the status which I do biweekly we will see what comes of that. I contend that the old server had an IP, and the new server had an IP  switch them, and there you go, or since I in my position can access the server over the VPN, then modify the joe user accounts just enough to be able to access the server. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network

I am embarking on a new adventure at a new hospital.  I'm nervously excited at the prospect.  I was told that whatever the area that I choose, I could be the resident expert in that area, as I will receive the information and the training necessary to accomplish it.
At this point, I would like to express my gratitude for all the assistance I received in my section. My guys helped me navigate the spaghetti bowl of system interconnection, and were ready with a kind word and a laugh I will miss them and their camaraderie. 

I look forward to that change and, if correct, a breath of fresh air after being in the service of the U.S Government for over 38 years.

Part of my family

We all have a family, some natural, and some acquired over time. My Extensive family has more—acquired members than natural ones.   This is a story about one of these and how the current malaise is pressuring them. (and how I'm not too fond of it) 

This story begins with the loss of my mother suddenly due to a heart attack.  I was utterly dependent on my parents for counsel.  All this was good when I was 12, but I was now 25 and had no clue how to do anything on my own. I was living in Orange County, California, and recently separated from my 1st wife.

I was working in a factory that produced dumb terminals for mainframe computers. I, in my current state of loss, took time to think.  My Father Eugene O Crawford 1908-1975 spoke to me from the depts of my memories. (he still does) "Son, if you do not have a job or know what to do, The US Military is a place you can find your way."  So, I went to a recruiter and initially wanted to join the Marines. It was October/November 1980, and I thought, "if you do this, you will be running jumping shooting and, in the mix, until you are 46 years old. Nope, that wasn't happening. I was not going into the navy (water) or the Army.

So, it was to the AF recruiter.  With that complete, I returned to work. A couple of days later, I was called into the office; I was laid off.  My enlistment was not to begin until April 1981., as this was October/November. I was directly looking homelessness in the face. I had to move out of my apartment that I shared with a couple of Jamaican brothers (literally. Jamaican brothers), and I was out on the street. Just then, I was talking to a friend. He offered me a room which was reasonable until my enlistment date came up between my severance pay and the temp jobs, I took over that time I was set.  He had to talk to his folks first, but he said it would be cool. Well, it was cool with them. I moved into the room and met the family. The Dad was Aerospace Engineer and the Mom, a nurse, my family grew by four more souls. They are members of my family in the status of Brothers from other mothers and sisters from other misters.  I attended church with them, as I have never been to a Presbyterian church before not bad at all just different. During the family discussions that I was invited to participate. The advice and warnings that I received from the Dad came back to me numerous times in my 20 years of military service. Every last one of them turned out to be true.  This Phrase that was impressed upon me saved my bacon more than once in those 20 years.  "Sir, I have no legitimate excuse for my actions and am ready to accept the responsibility for those actions."    When I said that, it was the last shot, the buzzer-beater that would keep being from being reprimanded or arrested. It could turn a reprimand to a counseling session.   This was to be used a one time (per assignment), it was that important.  I was not an angel, but I knew how to talk to my superiors in a language that they preferred.  I learned this from Dad from the Mom. I learned patience and compassion; I should say I was exposed to patience and compassion as it would take a long time (over 40 years) to become my default position. It was their way, as I was not the only person that they helped like that over the decades. I consider myself fortunate to have met them and to have them in my life.  I wrote this essay to let them and the entire world that this particular black life mattered to them.  Knowing that this world is going down the tubes and there is a rising pressure to apologize for something you have never participated in do not yield to it one inch.  This is the 2020 remix of the Spanish inquisition that started in 1492. and ended in 1834, according to the wiki. There are some interesting parallels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition