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All good things eventually come to an end

By maxwell edison ·
Tags: Off Topic
Why? I do not know.

Over the past ten years, I've been a little bit of Norm, Sam, Cliff, Frasier, Coach, Woody, and the unsuspecting patron who just happened through the door looking for a cold beer.

Some of you will get it, others will not.

Which are you?

Cheers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6HI1pjfHlc&NR=1

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Enjoy the break!

by Jellimonsta In reply to All good things eventuall ...

But hurry back! :)

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In defense of Maxwell.....

by CG IT In reply to All good things eventuall ...

Many of the real old timers on TR will remember that TR used to be where you could get help from other IT Pros on what one is seeing in their daily admin and maintenance of company networks be it Novell, Windows, Unix, Sun, Oracle, blah blah.... when we were migrating from Windows NT, deploying Active Directory, intergrating Novell into Active Directory networks, trying to get databases to work, and how to keep the whole shebang running.

That's not the case anymore.

While there was always the banter among members, the jokes and jabs, when you needed some info on problems you encountered with your company's network be it that Novell box, Sun Box, Microsoft box, you could ask here and someone probably has run across the problem.

Over the last decade, IT functions became specialized. The jack-of-all-trades computer and network guys became almost extinct. The specialists took over taking care of the network. Those specialist, they don't come here. They write their own blogs, have their own web sites.

Heck, just about every question on the TR Q&A today can be easily answered with a quick google of the problem and most often has nothing to do with the day to day operation of a company's computer network, their telecommunications [VoIP ] network, datacenters, and the software that runs on em.

While I don't say adios like Maxwell did, I don't come here very often anymore either...Why? combination of things but mostly because there isn't a whole lot of relevent information here to what I'm doing administering, maintaining, the company's network.

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Life and the challenge of technology

by Tigger_Two In reply to In defense of Maxwell.... ...

(((hugs))) CG. I get you.

Something that I see many of us struggling with is the reality that we are still relatively young and yet are either being made redundant or are simply kicked to the curb in an industry that we have literally sacrificed much for. Some gave up marriages and children and huge chunks of life, believing that there would be time later. Then we got laid off, RIFTed, downsized and right-sized. We told ourselves that we were skilled, employable and relevant while dealing with the day to day heartbreak of competing for jobs that weren't exactly plentiful against younger, less skilled, and cheaper candidates. Maybe they couldn't do what we could. Business didn't care.

What broke my husband's heart wasn't terminal cancer. It was going nose to nose with the reality that he was replaceable and expendable. Maybe the new guy couldn't do what he did or have his breadth of knowledge. Business didn't care. In that way, the cancer was almost a gift. It gave us a way of saying, "You CAN'T look for work/get a job. You must deal with this cancer thing." He was excused from having to confront, day after day, the reality that he wasn't NEEDED by business any longer. It only cost his life.

I'm going through that now. Day after day of recognizing that I really have nothing to offer today's employer. I'm old, my skill set is tired- regardless of how many classes I take in the newer technologies- and I am irrelevant. I'm a generalist in an industry that really only wants to employ specialists. My most recent work experience only qualifies me to care for the terminally ill... except that I no longer have the license to do so. I come here in the hope that I might still have something to bring to the table, might be able to contribute to the conversation. I won't call it desperation... but it sure feels like it.

I quit coming here for technical assistance long ago. I came here because I made friends here. Because I could have conversations with people about things that mattered to me. Because I felt like I belonged. It was home. You all were family. I was accepted.

The recent changes do, to some extent, take that away. I can't find a list of off topic discussions any more. Since those were the discussions that I truly enjoyed, it no longer feels like the site wants to offer me anything. My approach to that has been to try to facilitate the relaunch to the extent that I can so that I can push to have the parts that I want reinstated. Other people will choose different approaches.

All any of us really want is to feel relevant, needed, valued, appreciated. We got that sense- even when we were fighting bitterly over evolution, JD's divorce, global warming and politics. This was a place where we could connect with like-minded others, debate, discuss, and feel GOOD. Whether it was a discussion about Mickster's earwigs, teasing DMambo about his blush, or chatting about flashlights with NB, we felt like we were a part of something. Family, community- something. Maybe it was just a sense of belonging.

I get Max. I mean that I completely understand where he is coming from. I guess I just feel like I have invested too much and have too few options to walk away.

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Who said I was leaving?

by maxwell edison In reply to All good things eventuall ...

All I said was, All good things eventually come to an end

On the other hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FI0BwUXTxQ

Some of you will get it, others will not.

Which are you? I'm listening!

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Hmm...

by Tigger_Two In reply to Who said I was leaving?

Do something different. If it's wrong, do something else.

I think I misunderstood.

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Well had to watch the video but yeah

by CG IT In reply to Hmm...

Tigger...I think you got it right... well, least I said my piece even if Maxwell isn't going anywhere....

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As seen in my rather verbose reply

by Tigger_Two In reply to Well had to watch the vid ...

I don't know that I perceived an actual departure as much as walking away at least figuratively from something that identified him.

Been there. Oh boy have I! But then, so have we all.

I personally was glad to read your reply to Max. It helped me to connect with some thoughts that have been lurking in the shadows of my mind, just ever so slightly out of reach. I owe you one.

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The skeptic in me makes me ask a question

by maxwell edison In reply to As seen in my rather verb ...

Are you really the Tigger that we've come to know, or are you yet another one of the numerous Tigger imposters? There have been quite a few, you know.

And in addition to posting the answer here, would you mind sending it to my email address that the real Tigger would know?

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I'm the same old TiggerTwo

by Tigger_Two In reply to The skeptic in me makes m ...

I just sent an email to your internet email account. That is the address that I have stored in this computer. I had another one but not on this machine.

Something that *might* validate my identity...

Last time you were in my state, you were headed for the Boundary Waters in far northern Minnesota. Had to go right past my house to get there, but time wasn't on our side and we never did manage to meet up for that beer. Last time I was in your state, I was on my way to my mother's funeral and again, time wasn't on our side. That was a couple of years ago.

The numerous impostors are probably partially the reason that I had such a difficult time getting this close to my old user name.

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Okay, I'm convinced

by maxwell edison In reply to I'm the same old TiggerTw ...

Between that and the email you sent to Maxwell's address, I'm convinced. Your recollection on my other email address was pretty darn close - but it's the first initial, not the first name.

Glad you're doing well.

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