I will disclaimer this one and say that I do not know the full details but it goes something like this. As we could find no problem on our side, we contact our provider. From the provider we find out that our account is closed - WTF???? - and that appearently the numbers were going to be moved to another provider. With that the hunt begins with the main questions being why, when and how was this accomplished.

The story was relayed to us (hell desk) something like this: Someone talked to the office admin about a different service provider (not sure if this was a "someone had connections" thing or what). Office admin checked it out and appearently was quoted a price better then what we were paying (who knows if the services were equivalent or not) but the office admin saw the chance to save some money - hey no real problem here right; EXCEPT, the office admin never bothered to check with anyone else (specifically IT or upper management) to find out what was involved in changing over phone service.

So office admin goes ahead and signs up for the new service and goes to the current provider to cancel. Hence comes the morn of the change and with only the office admin to know better no one in the office can make a call and no one in the office is receiving any calls. If I recall correctly, it was down for a couple days as we worked to get service restored with the correct provider.

P.S. No the office admin did NOT lose their job - WTF???? - but at least there was a big honking policy change about who had to be notified and who had final approval of such changes.

This isn't my story, but the fiancee's. He works for a auto service place. There are three people who will be dismissed at the end of the year evaluation period for seriously farking up someone's expensive car. They just couldn't get rid of them, since that would leave them massively short staffed. These guys know they're leaving, and in short, are flaming assholes.

The fiancee has a low stupidity tolerance in the first place. He personally believes that a mental LARTing should also come with a physical LARTing in case of massive stupidity. I'm the pacifist in the family.

Anyhoo, one of the asswipes has taken an apparent dislike to the fiancee and decided Friday that he was going to bug him all day, and yell at him for everything he did. This also involved cursing at him in Spanish, where he thought the other half would not understand. He does. The fiancee tells him all day to leave him alone, and finally tells him that if he's gonna insult him, just do it in English and get it over with.

This does not stop the asshole. My fiancee is standing at a LCD touch screen, trying to enter some data when the idiot comes up behind him and starts the same stuff. My fiancee looks at him, and with two fingers, presses the screen so hard, it shatters. These screens are built to take abuse.

The manager looks at the asshole, and my fiancee, and all he can say to asshole is "Dude, that could have been your head." Asshole has no-call-no-showed for three days. Fiancee still has his job.

I think the SF are just wating to pounce on me.

Totally off topic, and again I apologise to Hawk (second time this year I've done this - whoops) but just wanted to let you know that I'm up and about after the operation (those of you grossed out by anything to do with female plumbing please don't ask for details) but am still signed of work, full of stitches and painkillers.

Thanks to all for the messages of good wishes - I hope you all had a better new year than I (doped up on morphine and making no sense at all)!

So, I go in this morning for the first real physical I've had in over 5 years (the exams by the Dr. Mengele trainees at the BOP don't count). Amazingly enough, my blood pressure is fine (128/79). The kicker, though? I'm supposed to back off caffeine and sugar.
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{Falls over laughing hysterically.......}

Let me get this straight... I work in Tech Support, dealing with morons all fucking day; I don't smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs; and you want me to give up the only two remaining vices available to me??????????????????????????

Yeah. Right. And I'm going to win the Nobel Peace Prize for my work in starfish education, too.

Back off caffeine and sugar, my ass....

OF COURSE they got it for Christmas, and are finally starting back to school so they need it to work now. NOT one of the university students, but a university "professor" (and I use the term loosely).

UP: "But it worked at /someone else's house/, so I got the IT guys out here and they couldn't get it to work so they said it must be YOUR cable modem"

News flash cowboy. YOUR offbrand cable modem, that you bought yourself, off of ebay or something. AND I happen to know that your "IT guys" are college kids working part-time in the computer department as go-fers. Get upset if you want. But if you want me to come out and fix it, you WILL pay a whopping fee.