Hello Birmingham
I’m back in the ‘Ham for the weekend to wrap up a two-and-a-half year project at work. It should be a busy weekend.
This weekend will be the final step in upgrading the Human Resources information system and HR usually goes all out to accommodate people who work extra hours and to show them they are appreciated. There will probably be a couple of tables in the back of the department loaded with snacks and beverages. The last time I was up here they had brought in a giant Bluebell ice cream freezer stocked with frozen goodies. And when lunch and dinner roll around they send out for even more food. There will be cots and air mattresses in some of the larger cubicles so the tech people monitoring the upgrade can catch a nap now and then. I may need to lie down after all the eating.
The tech team (my team) will work most of the day tomorrow. Then HR staff will come in Sunday to test the system. And on Monday we go live to the whole company.
There will no doubt be a big celebration in the main conference center Monday afternoon, and bonus checks will hopefully be handed out. I think my teammates and I find this particularly amusing. We’ll appreciate the bonus and the party of course, but it will seem premature to us. Without even having the system up for a full day, we’ll be declaring, “mission accomplished.”
I think most tech people are naturally pessimistic about their work because they understand just how much could go wrong. I can guarantee that at least one member of my team will have to leave the celebration early to deal with some upgrade-related problem that has cropped up since the party started.
Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to wrapping up this project, and spending a little time with my teammates who I never get to see. And hopefully, a nice, fat bonus.
