Re: you ass

Gee, Mr. Morgan, you beat me to complimenting and thanking you for your words.

If you have stumbled in the effort on the tightrope, I myself have not seen much evidence of it, which is something you should take pride in, considering your expertise.

I have exploded, mostly at work, under most dire conditions of torment.

Such as being in the middle of resolving a bizarre performance dip, with hundreds of lawyers and other wonderful end-clients calling me like the embodiment of human CRON processes on a 5 minute cycle, all 400 of them, and having a programmer (whom to this day, I believe, derives the energy to live, from pointless argument,and starting them, if none are available, like that creature in Star Trek), and says, "How many open cursors can you have in Oracle PRO*C Program, Scott, I bet I know answer and you don't."

In certain states, I believe this is cause for justifiable homicide.

(Oh, this programmer used to be an officer in the KGB. Perhaps that explains it.)

"XXXX, right now, we have problems. Is there a pressing emergency reason for this question right now, or are you just trying to drive my blood pressure to the point I have a CVA and they carry me out of here with a sheet over me??'

'No, was just asking, you are the Oracle expert, was looking at SYBASE, wanted to know if you know answer.'

"XXXX, I think it's over 200 depending on instance parameters; I THINK it might be like 255 but I don't know and right know I damn don't care. Anybody that needs that many, or even a fraction of that many open damn cursors should reconsider their program design. Now get out of here before I kill you; in case you didn't notice, the development server has malaria or another rare disease; or is that why you have the leisure time to torment me? Go back to your childhood hobby of boiling puppies or something and GET OUT, because as God is my witness, I am all set to do the entire planet Earth a favor by sending you back to your Maker right now."

We are all only human. That was inhuman. He knew we had a down system.

My group lived for those rare theatrical instances (er, um, occasions); after being able to address a few hundred people on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, those little chats would carry throughout the floor of the building, generally.

I had caught my boss more than once with his head down on his desk and his chest heaving, trying to laugh hysterically in silence, but the tears gave it away. He was someone you REALLY didn't want to push off the tightrope. Ops accused me of crashing a system, next thing I know this Irish fury barks "GRAB YOUR COAT, we're going across the street!" 'Jim, uh..." and I really think he was going to seriously hurt people. "And the NEXT time you DARE have the sheer audacity to accuse one of MY group of any deliberate or accidental technical mistake ... (bunch of stuff I think I forget because I was going to faint, or was to busy being worried about grabbing him before he did hurt someone)... will be the last. And Scott's been working with UNIX and administering it for more than 10 years, and taught ME. HOW DARE YOU...etc...

Jim is the most infinitely patient and insightfully brilliant people I know.

But anyone can be pushed to fall off the tightrope, at work, or on USENET.

On Usenet, though, people say dreadful and unfair things, and hide like ill-mannered cowards; that does not work so well when someone knows where your office is.

Anyhow, Dan, thanks. I wish I could be a better person than I am, but I am glad that I am not as bad as I could be.

RSH.
"Daniel Morgan" <dmorgan_at_exesolutions.com> wrote in message news:3CCA2FDE.C5AAD8D6_at_exesolutions.com...
> Nuno Souto wrote:
>
> > In article <Wdky8.52184$QC1.3770025_at_bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
> > you said (and I quote):
> >
> > > I am still waiting for a question like:
> > > snip
> >
> > That one deserves framing! Thanks. :)
> >
> > >
> > > I am not condoning chewing innocent people up into pieces and spitting
them
> > > up; but I think nearly everyone must admit there is a differenve
between
> > > "what type of screwdriver should I use on a worn bronze slotted wood
screw",
> > > and, "Can someone explain what wood is, build my house, and paint and
> > > furnish it, do the wiring, the roofing, arrange the permits"?
> >
> > Absolutely. What new people have to realize is that most of the folks
> > who hang around here answering questions have done so for YEARS.
> > Voluntarily. Without even a vague semblance of recognition from Oracle
> > or any other "official" organization or group. In fact, quite the
> > opposite has happened. It's only natural that every once in a while we
> > see a "boiled top". And quite frankly: anyone in the Usenet that hasn't
> > yet developed a thick skin is in for a BIG surprise.
> >
> > > > manner we wish, because we want to. Any time you, or Larry want to
write
> > > me a
> > > > check at my normal billing rate I'll be glad to behave like a
trained
> > > monkey at
> > > > 1-800-SUP-PORT.
> >
> > Precisely.
> >
> > > >
> > > > Until then perhaps people who use the internet will learn a bit of
common
> > > > courtesy. You don't walk into a church and start selling tuperware.
You
> > > don't
> > > > post tests in a forum like this ... you do it at alt.test. And if
your
> > > skin is
> > > > so thin and you are so easily upset by someone saying RTFM to you
that you
> > > have
> > > > to run for your Prozac ... likely you have other problems as well.
> >
> > Hehehe! Took the words off my mouth. Try a sabbatical in one of the
> > soc.culture.* or one of the many *.politics Usenet groups and they'll
> > learn fast to get a thick skin. Then they can come back and not feel
> > offended.
> >
> > > >
> > > > Once again, for the record, I will repeat ... you are correct that
we
> > > could be
> > > > kinder and gentler. And I, for one, will try. I'll put happyface
emoticons
> > > like
> > > > ;-) after all of my sarcastic remarks. And write RTM rather than
RTFM so
> > > as not
> > > > to offend gentler souls.
> >
> > I won't. I reckon RTFM carries the message in a much more efficient and
> > clear manner. Agree with the thingies, though. :-D
> >
> > --
> > Cheers
> > Nuno Souto
> > nsouto_at_optushome.com.au.nospam
>
> I printed it.
>
> And I appreciate the analysis. I do like to walk close to the edge. But I
do try
> not to fall over and hurt other people.
>
> I said I try ... I didn't say I always succeed.
>
> But RSH is correct. Some of these people need to become acquainted with
the term
> "work ethic".
>
> Daniel Morgan
>
Received on Sat Apr 27 2002 - 16:23:43 CDT