what a week

I am still recovering from the three-day project; sore muscles mostly.

The first day was long - 11 hours, 15 machines and six printers - and marked by delays, missing hardware and poor instructions. We learned a few things that day, but Day 2 took us to school.

It was supposed to be only 4 machines. We got those done within the minimum 4 hours for which we would be paid. But they called us back a few hours later, because the store staff had found more equipment that we hadn't known about: four wireless printers for repricing stock out on the floor. We spent four hours trying to get them to work and ended up sending them back, leaving everybody upset. Tech support was not up to par that day either. They had us wandering around the adjoining big-box store with the wireless equipment in a shopping cart, trying to connect to the network. It was embarrassing.

Day 3: A long day expected, 15 machines and 6 printers again. Everything we had learned over the previous days came to bear, and we finished after only 7 hours. Four out of six of the new printers worked, but they aren't compatible with the old ones on a mixed network. We sent back the two bad ones and left the old printers online. Tech support was much better and we left everybody happy.

So, next weekend I'll get a decent check for a change. Good thing, too; Lisa has started working the phones and needs a working computer. Her mom lent us $300 a couple of weeks ago to buy a new laptop because her old one had become too unreliable to use for work. My check will cover that with enough left over for some bills. This is three weeks in a row that I have had paying work.