New Jersey 2005
Wednesday May 18
16:30 Leave Hudson, NH

21:00 Arrive Morris Plains, NJ
    check in to CandlewoodSuites

The room is 20'x16'


21:10 visit honor snack bar in lobby
    can of sprite $0.50
    bag of chips $0.75
21:20 unpack PC and do some work
24:00 sleep
Thursday May 19
04:00
    Wake up
    Why is room temp over 80?
    Why is heater running?
    Examine thermostat: 4 buttons, 2 digit LCD - Display is blank
    press every button several times - no dice.
WWJD?
    call front desk (give them opportunity to serve me during my brief stay)
       "I dunno, try opening a window."
    I'm on first floor (security risk) and there is no breeze.
    Turn on bathroom exhaust fan.
    Lie on bed trying not to aspirate.
05:00
    Should I sleep in tub?
    Should I sleep in car?
    Should I demand another room?
WWASD?
    Examine heater again.
    No controls, just a sign saying "Use the Wall Mounted Control"
    Notice small 3/16" diameter wire on side of heater.
    Follow wire underneath heater.
    It goes behind a carpeted "skirt".
    Tug on skirt.
    Skirt swings out revealing outlet and plug
WWRCD?
    Then I remember the advice Richard is always giving to our users:
       "Unplug it and leave it unplugged"
05:20
    Temp is reasonable again, fall asleep
07:30
    Wake up
08:20
    Depart for Vineland, NJ (3 hour trip, need to be there by 15:00)

10:40
    Get off of turnpike to visit store in Bellmawr, NJ
    Notice other Bellmawr site (Medical Products) which I've never visited.
    Stop in, ask for "Jim Dunlap"
    He's on the road.
    Hear my name being called.
    It's Carl the Plant manager.
    Now he's Carl the Medical Products manager.
    visit.
11:00
    Stop in at Store.
11:00
    Head for Vineland.
11:10
    Notice sign for Deptford Olive Garden.
11:15
    Renew acquaintances at Olive Garden.
11:45
    Head for Vineland
12:10
    Arrive in Vineland

    Survey site.
    There are three analog modems from the BOC days powered up and blinking in the network cabinet.
    Remove the modems and accompanying wall-warts.
    Remove several inches of dust.
    Prepare for 15:00 switch from Frame Relay to DSL.
13:00
    Call Rose at Cisco to say I'm early.
    She says, "Let's do it now"
13:45
    Change-over complete.
13:46
    UPS man delivers a UPS
13:47
    Unplug everything and integrate UPS
14:30
    Done.

15:00
    Head North.
    Drive through Princeton (quite nice)

    Wendy's
19:00
    Back to room
    work until
21:00
    sleep
Friday May, 20
07:00
    Wake up
    Drive to Oakland

07:50
    Arrive in Oakland for 9AM switch over.
    Survey site.
    Set old/new Frame Relay Router on top of pile

08:30
    Call all over creation, finally find someone at corporate to configure the Frame Router.
    Remove old (1970s) Micom "modem".  Should have taken a photo.  1 DB-25 input, 12 DB-25 outputs.
        Modem was on, but had not been used in years.
        Push cables into ceiling.
09:40
    Can't find Frame Input.
09:54  
    Send digital photo to Salem.
10:12
    Send second photo
10:30
    Ken says, "Maybe I plugged it into the switch."
    Sure enough, there it is.
    Plug Frame Input into Frame Router.
10:40
    Cisco says, "Are you sure that's the frame input?"
    poke around electrical room.
    yes that seems right.
10:55
    Cisco says, "MCI seems to have turned off your frame.  They'll probably fix it in 10 - 60 minutes.  We'll call back."
11:00
    Ask Andy for directions to fast food.
11:05
    Burger King
11:20
    Back to Site.  Read in car.
12:20
    Still no sign of land.
12:40
    Call Richard.
    Tell him, "The only reason I'm still here is that when the Frame is turned on, someone has to unplug the DSL.
    I can show Sean how to do that.  I'm supposed to be in Poughkeepsie in 20 minutes and it's a 90 minute drive."
    Richard says, "Fine."
12:45
    Leave.

14:05
    Arrive in Poughkeepsie.
    Message waiting from Rose, "Where are you?"
    Call Rose, ask for an hour.
    Too ugly/dirty for pictures.
    Remove old network.
    Open 6 boxes from CDW to find various gifts from Richard:
        4 jet direct boxes.
        4 parallel printer cables.
        2 7' CAT5 cables.
        2 UPS.
    Begin assembling new network.          
    Looks good.
15:00
    Rose calls and says, "I need to configure the new network by connecting through the old network."
    OOPS!
    I explain that the old network is in a pile.
    Rose says, "I can connect through the Analog Modem you will be installing and connecting to the router."
    I say, "Hey, there's no router here to connect the modem to."
    Rose says, "There should be."
    I say, "I'll get back to you."
    I ask Manager Tracy, "Were there any other packages sent here?  I think I'm looking for a brown package,
        Not a CDW box."
    Tracy says, "No, No, No, No, ........ Yes, several months ago we got...... This."
    I say, "Bingo"
    Unpack router.
    Add to mix.
    Use my Fluke CAT5 tester's RJ11/45 junctions to build a 30' telco cable.
    Connect USRobotics Modem to fax line.
15:30
    Call Rose.
    She dials the fax number and works her magic.
    Computer on front counter can telnet to PA.
    Thank Rose.
15:40
    Tracy says, "My laptop can't see the network."
    No light on switch.
    No light on side of laptop.
    Run 50' line straight from switch to laptop.
    Works fine.
    Plug existing cable into Fluke tester: pairs 2 and 3 have parity errors.
    Call James, "Might old network been lame enough to work with bogus cable."
    James says, "It's likely."
    Good, not my fault.
    Tape good cable to bad, pull through ceiling.
    Old cable was 100', 60' were spare.
    New cable works fine, and actually clips into side of laptop.
16:00
    Set about putting two dot-matrix printers on to network.
    Need 20' and 25' CAT5, only have one 20'.
    Tracy says, "Don't bother going to Staples now, just set it up as if it had a cable and we'll get on Monday."
    The two printer are #30 and #31 on our network.
    The 20' will reach #30.
    Run cable to #30.
    Configure jet-direct box as if it were #31.
    Ping it.
    Fine.
    Disconnect jet-direct box and attach it to printer #31, sans CAT5 cable.
16:20
    Call from Cisco: We're ready to activate Oakland."
    Me: "Call Oakland, ask for Sean."
    Attach new jet-direct box to #30.
    Configure it as #30.
    Ping it.
    Fine.
    Tell Tracy to print to it.
    Nothing.
    OOPS!
    I've got to tell CU about the new IP Addresses.
    This time for sure.
16:50
    Plot course to Broad Brook, CT.

    Write down notes for the road.

    Send email to Broad Brook, "ETA is 19:00"
    Leave for Broad Brook, CT.
17:10
    Phone rings, It's Richard
    I'm in NY, No driving with cellphones
    I put phone in hands-free mode, but my top is down so there's plenty of noise.
    Richard: "Oakland is Down."
    Me: "They should have been switched over 30 minutes ago."
    Richard: "I'll conference them in." ... "Can you hear them?"
    Me: "No."
    Richard: "They say the network isn't working."
    Me: "Did they talk to Sean?"
    Richard: "They say Sean already left for the day."
    Me: "Tell them to disconect the lime yellow cable labelled 'DSL'."
    Richard: "Disconnect the yellow cable."
    ME: "NO!!! The lime yellow cable. The yellow cable is the Frame Relay.
    Richard: "That didn't work."
    Richard: "Oakland, unplug everything and leave it off."
    Richard: "Now plug everything back in."
    Richard: "I can see your printer."
    Me: "Good-bye."
19:00
    Stop at Burger King in East Windsor.
19:20
    Broad Brook.
21:40
    Leave
23:50
    Home.

850 miles.  
Imponderables
While driving through Princeton, I passed http://www.nopworld.com/

What is less useful than a sign which reads: "End 40 Mile Speed"

Why do most toll plazas fail to tell you where the FastLanes are before you get there?
    The MassPike is a notable exception.