The disaster that is a Windows update

On Monday, after I was done work at 4 pm, I had a Windows update on my work laptop that was pending and had it installed. I left my laptop on for another hour before I turned it off for the day.

I started my workday on Tuesday just after 7 am. I woke up too early. In a way, it was good.

I booted up my work laptop. I could not get Microsoft Teams to launch. I needed it to train the new hire. Rebooting and relaunching Teams did not work. I absolutely dislike whenever there's a Windows update. Ideally, it should work. When it's bad, it's incredibly bad.

At 8 am, I started training the new hire. I noticed that no matter what site I was trying to access, I had to enter my username and password, and my credentials could not be authenticated. I then saw a Windows message saying to lock my screen. I did it. Guess what? I was completely locked out of my laptop. Great.

At work, there's a self-serve password reset. I tried it and couldn't connect to the server. Lovely.

I then called the IT helpdesk. The folks there suck. The woman I spoke to said that she couldn't unlock my account and had to pass it over to her colleague. He would call me back. I asked at what number. At my Teams phone number. Um, no. I have Teams on my locked laptop. You can't automatically assume that the phone number on record is accurate. I gave her my cell phone.

I tried logging in after fifteen minutes. Success! I was able to log into my laptop and train. Sadly, I lost an hour of productivity.

The male helpdesk guy called me half an hour after I had logged in. Such a crazy delay! Apparently, since this Windows update happened, many folks have been calling the helpdesk for assistance.

Such a horrible update!

Being the interviewer and interviewee

I have so much to say, but I'm tired. I'll get around to these posts soon.

I have an interview to conduct at 08:00 today. The candidate is in India. Chances are that the next person hired on the team will require my training this person early in the morning. Luckily, I am able to span it across two weeks, so I'd be training three to four hours each workday.

The other night, I had a thirty-minute discussion with a recruiter. It went well. I am not looking for a job. Rather, this person found my resume and wants to find a position within the company that suits me. It's interesting.

I'll be working on updating my resume shortly.

Update from my friend with cancer

On Saturday, I received an update from my friend who is battling leukemia. She has finished her treatments at a clinic in Houston. It's a clinical trial.

She is now staying at an Airbnb. She is a high risk to travel during this pandemic, as she has had a liver transplant. As a result, she's not flying home and will likely continue her stay in Houston for a bit.

I hope that her treatments are effective. She has to do a biopsy next to find out. I hope that there is good news.

Update on my debt reduction and fizzy drinks

Being in a pandemic for months has been unnerving and uncertain. One positive that I have mentioned in the past is that I'm not shopping all that much, other than for essentials (groceries and medication), and the odd need (computer eyeglasses).

Because I haven't been commuting to work, I have saved time, money, and aggravation. With money, I have saved so much that I have been putting that money towards my emergency fund and retirement savings (it's called a Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP in Canada), and paying off my debt.

For a few years now, I didn't have an emergency fund. Either my paycheque was that fund or I'd have to dip into my RRSP. I was not proud of doing the latter, but it did help. I am so pleased that I have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses at long last. I hope that I don't have to dip into my RRSP again.

I have been building up my RRSP. I have regular monthly payments that I contribute to my own plan. I also have a certain amount put into my RRSP plan with my employer. I have contributing a bit more, which makes me feel good.

I have also been paying my credit cards in larger amounts. I'm extremely happy. Progress is good.

Even though I haven't been shopping that often, I decided to treat myself by buying a Sodastream machine. It basically makes tap water fizzy.

Why? Well, I drink tea and diet pop. With the latter, it's time to reduce the number of cans and bottles that contain pop. Instead, I can make my own carbonated drinks and reuse bottles.

I pick up my Sodastream machine later on today. I am looking forward to figuring out my new hobby!

Early start and a new modem to come

Yesterday, my workday started before 7 am. It's nice wrapping up work early. In my case, I ended up working a bit more because only one person was in a spreadsheet that I needed to update. It's much easier to update dropdown menus when there aren't a ton of users in the same shared file.

I do have an update on my Internet issues. Naturally, a test was done before 6 am and the signal was fine according to my Internet service provider. Of course, it was! I had rebooted my modem before I went to bed and I expect the signal to be strong when I'm not fully using my wifi!

Anyway, I am getting a new modem shipped to me this week for free. That's good news. This modem has two wifi bands. We'll see how things work out. I'm optimistic.

Eye update and relaxes after decluttering

On Friday, I visited my ophthalmologist. I haven't seen him for five months, which is a good sign.

I called earlier in the week to find out whether my appointment was still on. In a pandemic, sitting in a waiting room to get an injection in my eye is not the ideal situation. The woman at the clinic speaking to me over the phone indicated that safety precautions were top priority.

I asked about seating in the waiting room. Each row has four seats. I told her that I didn't feel comfortable if someone sat next to me. She said that they have measures to space people out. She also said that only patients who needed injections or were emergencies were being accepted. I felt better and went with it.

I was asked to wear a mask when I dropped by the clinic. I let her know that I didn't have one (I have since ordered one, which came in the mail after my appointment), and used a scarf instead. It worked well.

Sure enough, staff were great making sure that everything was sanitized. My regular diagnostic tests were streamlined down to my right eye, which had the issue.

My ophthalmologist was in good spirits. He said that he'd evaluate my eye in another five months and will likely stop injections. So, it is possible that last Friday was my last injection, which I am grateful.

I am fortunate that my blood vessel burst hasn't recurred. I bounced back nicely and my eyesight is practically back to what is used to be.

Switching gears a bit, I have been reorganizing my bedroom and decluttering. It's therapeutic. I feel relaxed and accomplished.

Great weekend and job application

I've had a great weekend. On Sunday, I hung out with three friends over dinner. It was great catching up with everyone. I rarely go out on Sundays.

I worked on my resume and applied for a part-time teaching job. Here's hoping that I am considered.

The weekend is over. Bummer.

Mac mini update and new iPod touch

I cringe whenever my old Mac mini has a software update. The update is happening right now. Either it goes smoothly or I lose two days trying to get it to boot up.

I'm not ready to get a new one. I have a MacBook Air that is getting on in years, but works a lot faster than my MacBook Air. I don't need to shell out for a new one. They aren't cheap!

I went ahead and got myself an iPod touch. I have been doing so well with paying off my debt this year. I thought that it would be a nice gift for me that I know will last for years. I need a bit of joy.

I'm writing this post on my phone. The software update is expected to take another forty minutes. Here's hoping that all goes well.

Debt and donations

Here's a quick update on getting rid of my debt. I am optimistic these days.

Last year, I paid off three credit cards. I managed to nab a debt consolidation loan, which has helped me reduce my monthly payments while saving interest costs in the long run. I have also been tracking my credit score more closely. I got my latest results today. My credit score has improved. I'm pleased.

I spent some time on Thursday going through my closet, trying on clothes, and getting rid of those that I do not care to wear anymore. Although I have a long way to go as far as sorting goes, I managed to fill up two bags of clothes. I will be donating them later on today.

My process of sorting clothes may be different. It works for me. I try it on. I determine whether I love it. If it doesn't fit, it automatically gets put in my donation pile. Otherwise, the item stays.

It's nice to declutter, both financially and closet-wise.

My Mac mini update and more

I thought that I would check in and say hi. So, hi!

The good news is that the technician at my local Apple store's Genius Bar got my Mac mini up and running on Wednesday. I am blogging again using it.

Unfortunately, the fix required wiping out my Mac mini's hard drive contents and reinstalling the new El Capitan operating system. Of course, things are never smooth after such a restoration. Now, my photos do not sync with my iPhone. Ah, the joys of technology!

It has been a rough week at work. My manager suffered an eye injury. He has lost vision in his left eye. I don't know at this stage whether the vision loss is temporary or permanent, but I am hoping that it is the former. Our team at work is pooling our money for a get-better-soon gift for him. We had thought of flowers, but his particular hospital wing does not allow them. So, I will probably need to resort to chocolates and a get-well balloon when I place the order on behalf of the team. It's the thought that counts the most.

I hope to place the order tomorrow and go see him on the weekend. It makes you appreciate people you work with under such conditions. I hope that he is on the mend.

My guy is currently in Montreal. I had hoped to join him, but we have an intern who started with the company on Monday. I have been training her. She's a good person. Needless to say, this week has been both draining and challenging.

My guy decided to drive to Montreal for his business trip, similar to what I had done back in April. I asked him if he could buy some bagels for me, as they are simply yummy. He didn't hesitate. He told me that they would be my souvenir. He's sweet, as usual.

So, my posts still won't be all that regular until I troubleshoot some minor issues. Wish me luck!

A brief note that I'm on vacation this week

Hello, everyone! This post is a short note to say that I am on vacation.

I am in New Orleans (I got here on Saturday) and am enjoying my stay so far. It is insanely humid here, which is why I decided to hibernate a bit earlier tonight in my hotel room.

I spent today in the French Quarter and French Market. I also managed to do a three-hour bus tour, shop, and quickly visit the food court of the outlet mall that is a short walk from the hotel.

Thanks to everyone's comments to my previous post. I have had issues logging into my Google account. I couldn't yesterday, but managed to right now.

I hope to at least keep in touch a couple of times this week. There are plenty of stories to tell!

Take care,
Cutiebootie

I'm alive

Wow, it has been quite some time since I've posted anything here. I'm back to continue what I wanted to do over a year ago.

I'll be discussing my thoughts on spanking, what sparked my spanking interest, and how this spanko is doing these days.

So, let the reading begin... enjoy!