The weather was not good at Palmyra today. It was cloudy the entire day with occasional rain. The small boats made a run to the island taking people who wanted to participate in the barbecue hosted by the science group on the island. I didn’t go and changed my mind at the last minute because I was feeling a bit under the weather (no pun intended). I think I may have a cold coming my way and I took a little nap after quitting time.
Plus I was involved with restoring the security server to automate distribution of Windows and anti-virus software updates. I have the tools in front of me to computerize the entire process to where it SHOULD be done automatically instead of manually. More efficient to allow me to concentrate further on systems operations and evolve with technologies used and forthcoming. I see more Linux based science data acquisition coming here. I had one scientist tell me that he would have brought out a Linux based program instead of Windows if he knew about my Linux machine I keep here. The Linux machine is planned for expansion when I return in June.
Getting the security server up to par is one of the big three projects I want to complete before I turn the ship over to my relief at the end of the month. The other project cured itself. I have no idea on how it was done. The errors that I was trying to correct disappeared and it shows at 100% compliance. I wonder if it was related to the mystery, creepiness or strange occurrences about this island I wrote about in yesterday’s blog. Those errors were tied to that server for nearly a year and it disappeared. I am sure there is an explanation that doesn’t involve the supernatural. On a second thought, let me pull out my Ouija board and ask how the server was fixed.
I’ll go ahead and sign off the work order and leave it at that. An old time engineer told me years ago that if it is working, don’t fix it, try to make it work better if it isn’t obsolete or analyze why it is working. However, when you work for Uncle Sam there is always someone who thinks they have with a better idea fixing something that is not broke, they are called political appointees.
Tomorrow starts another weekend and in three weeks I will spend weekend at home. I told “L” tonight that it feels like it is starting to crawl. She wanted me to promise her no more long tours. I agree but I cannot guarantee it will not occur again. I think she forgot the primary reason I accepted the offer to sail the Ka’imimoana to Western Samoa and this long tour. I will have to remind her that it involved a 15 year old boy who we did not want to leave the impression we abandoned him, her son as well as her returning home for a visit with “I” in June is the other reasons for this tour as well as it is my duty and my job.
In addition her friendless cousin has been pestering her about all the good things she receives for free from her “best friend” (probably the only friend) in Pago Pago. Yet she confides in “L” of their financial woes. I told “L” you get to go back to Western Samoa this summer with “I.” Her cousin is always trying to one up “L” and it’s been like that ever since she arrived in the US. Her cousin is a genuine pain in the ass!
This is a short blog and tomorrow is another day full of work of nearly all IT issues. I still remember the CIO (Chief Information Officer) telling us in Seattle last winter that we only spend 25% of our time on IT work. I think CIO in this case is short form Clueless Isn’t Optional, especially when you get as high as he did and not know the details of my tasks. Bring back the old days when you had to know my job to be a boss!
I bid you goodnight from Palmyra Atoll.
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