Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
Education

Journal sielwolf's Journal: The PHLUCK complications 7

Journal by sielwolf

I assume now we are all familiar with the exemplary teaching I'm exposed to. But tomorrow it was finally going to happen: we would finally do our 48 hour presentation and it would be over. Barring complications.

Now let's play a little game. What is the worst possible thing that could happen to complicate this?

Our presentation files disappearing? Hmmm. The department does hourly and daily backups so that isn't likely?

Disease? Injury? Again no. I'd be in "pain"... but then I'd avoid the presentation all together.

How about this. How about stranding someone off of campus for over 48 hours by having the fucking fuel injector give up the ghost!

Yes! I was driving onto campus today when I started getting thrown back and forth against my seatbelt. The RPMs on my car were jumping up and down a few hundred. WTF? I pulled over, stopped the car, and then attempted to restart it. *vvvvvVRRROOOOMMMMMMMmmmmmm hack sputter!* The engine wasn't maintaining an even flow and I continually had to give it gas. It was idling too low. Shit!!!

(Un)luckily I was able to limp my car to the employee parking lot. I headed directly for the CS offices. Fuck going to class. I not only had my Seminar presentation tomorrow but I had lab to TA today. So I called Saturn. And a few things became apparent as I scheduled a fix.

  1. I was going to need a tow truck. No fucking way would I tempt fate by driving out on the road. Luckily I have AAA but
  2. I couldn't go with them since I needed to hit my lab. So I'd need a ride back but
  3. after my lab I would need to get back to my apartment. Which is fine but then how do I get back on campus?
  4. And then I'm in the Engineering Building... which has no actual street address.
  5. complicate that with the fact that you need a keycard to get into the parking lot. How the hell would the tow truck get my car? I needed to be here. But I couldn't miss lab.

"Maybe I can get someone to cover my lab!" our hero thought. And I jetted down to my TA advisor's office. I told him my situation and-

he gave me that look. You know, the "and you want me to do... what about this?" look. I (or SOMEONE) needed to cover the lab he told me. Blank stares. Send an email to all the TAs he said. This when there is less than 3 hours to my lab. (Now I must bring up the fact that he actually runs one of the labs [to do quality control]). "Sielwolf. The labs must be covered." I know.

As I write his email I go over my plan:

  1. Call Saturn. Tell them that my car will be coming over on a Tow truck.
  2. Call AAA. Have them tow over my car.
  3. Meet the tow truck.
  4. Hopefully I don't miss my lab.

  5. After the lab find some way of getting back to my apartment

  6. And find some way to get back. In the worst case, email my Seminar presentation partner that he might have to go it alone

I know no way in hell is anyone going to pick up my lab. But I have a plan. And it seems pretty reasonable.

Of course, this is where the fun begins. As I'm talking to both Saturn and AAA I realize that I don't have a number where they can reach me. Saturn needs it so they can get my OK to do the work (otherwise time just wastes away as they wait for my OK). AAA needs a number so in case the tow truck misses me. I put them on hold and ask the receptionist.

Blank stares. "I might not even be around," she said. Of course it is just after noon. I doubt she is getting off at 1pm. "Sorry," I tell Saturn/AAA "I'm without a phone." Luckily Saturn OK's a no-approval upper limit (500 bucks. If it costs more than that I'm lucky to be alive). AAA assures me that the tow truck should find my no-street address'd ass "within the next 30 minutes." I go and wait outside.

55 minutes later I finally see a tow truck (boy... I had a real winner of a JE planned when it seemed like the dude wasn't going to show. I was also planning on calling back AAA and using the technical term "cocksucker"). I was able to get him to my car and out by 1:55pm.

"Shit!" I thought "I still have 5 minutes of class left!" So I go over to my OS class and meet my buddies. They josh me about not showing up for the second straight time (the first, remember, was because I skipped to work on my 48 hour Seminar presentation). I explained what happened to them. Response: chuckles.

I then remember one of them has a car... and is in my Seminar as well. "Hey, guy. What are you doing for the next three hours?"

In the end I was able to swing this deal: my buddy hung around for three hours as I did my lab and then drove me to Saturn (they hadn't touched my car yet) and drove me to my apartment (where I am now). He then agreed to pick me up tomorrow for the Seminar (and my presentation). Outside of skipping class and an indeterminant amount of money... I'm where I was this morning (before all this nonsense happened).

What Sielwolf Learned Today
At the very beginning of Maus Art Spiegelmann (as a young boy) complained to his father about the ribbing he was getting from his friends. His Dad replied "Those aren't friends. Lock them in a room together for a month and you will see who your friends are." That's what I kept thinking of today. When things are good everybody is free with the generosity. When things are bad... that's when you realize who your friends are.

Like my situation with my advisor. The tone was that of "Whoa! I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole! You're on your own!" My situation was unimportant... at least compared to the Class. But there was no offer in trying to ease the former and help the latter. When I was talking to him I kept thinking "You know... I should have just gotten stuck out on the road and then what the fuck woud he do?" The fact that I had the consideration to continue onto campus and inform him... and then just getting nothing in return...

Of course the secretary is there to help us. Well correction: she is there to help the full-time staff and us (if there is time). She has bureaucratic things to worry about. Personal issues are not part and parcell of her job.

I'm now reminded of Schindler's List. "You know the meaning of gratitude. To you its not just a word." I'm not a child. I understand that I shouldn't expect the best of all people. Too often we expect everything of everyone else while nothing should be asked of us. As if we should be the only Selfish Man in the world of Altruists.

But today proved to me the tangible line where action stops and word starts. A few weeks ago my TA advisor admitted to us that the students this semester were very happy with the quality of TAing they were getting and it was showing in the quality of their work. He was "grateful" for this.

Yet he wasn't there when I had a favor to ask of him. It was a Hard Life Decision. Hell it wasn't even that. There were a half-dozen little things he could have done that would have had little impact on his life. But it is one of those things you do with no possibility of returns. And he bulked. Compare that to my buddy who not only hung around on campus for three hours, but drove me home and will pick me up tomorrow.

Everything is Golden Words. Every theoretical case is backed up with passionate talk. Every reward is a handshake and a pat on the back. Yet when you go begging, that is the real test. You are surprised by how many locked doors you find.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

The PHLUCK complications More

The PHLUCK complications

Comments Filter:

Slashdot Top Deals

It's not an optical illusion, it just looks like one. -- Phil White

Close