crackberries anonymous
Ok, so I'm on the phone, waiting for the tier 2 help tech from nextel to tell me why my blackberry doesn't work.
I just got it today. It's a replacement for the one I got last week, and returned last week because the battery didn't work.
And what I'm thinking, while I wait, is "Why am I making such an effort?"
See, all this thing is going to do is give me 24x7 access to my email, the Nextel, push-to-talk access to my co-workers. Fencing axiom comes to mind here (say it with me Phil) "If you can reach them, then they can reach you."
I mean, there's a distinct Toy Factor going on here. But I already work too many hours. The last thing I need is to be constantly glancing at the thing in my car's dashboard as I'm driving home too late at night to see if there's a new message. It's not like I have the opportunity to just stop on the Fairfax County Parkway to read an email message. Although it's a good thing that someone else will start paying for business calls on my cell.
See, about a year ago, I made a mistake. I told all the trainers on my team that were getting ready to depart for Korea what my cell number was. I told them "Yes, you can call my cell. I will answer. Mind that you are in Korea, so I may not be polite when I answer. But I will answer, and I will help." Not that any of them did. But the important part was that I broke that distinction between work and home.
I had joined, at least mentally, the world of 24x7 support. And so when a couple of weeks ago all hell broke loose on a training job and I wasn't able to keep up with the emails flying between Ft Campbell, Ft Benning, Ft Eustis, and the cubes down the hall because I was in the umteenth meeting of the day, I had to volunteer.
I succumbed to the growing suspicion that I needed a Crackberry. So I asked for one, and because the person on call for all training related help desk issues. Yeah me.
I don't think I want to be a work-a-holic. I mean, I know the tendency is there. And Anny is too, so it's not like it's a real problem at home... But it is, because part of me is not happy about everything revolving around work. I'm not pleased when I feel guilty about not putting hours in on the weekend. I don't like that the last thing I do each night is check my work calendar to see what ungodly hour I have to be at to make the first meeting the next day.
I just got it today. It's a replacement for the one I got last week, and returned last week because the battery didn't work.
And what I'm thinking, while I wait, is "Why am I making such an effort?"
See, all this thing is going to do is give me 24x7 access to my email, the Nextel, push-to-talk access to my co-workers. Fencing axiom comes to mind here (say it with me Phil) "If you can reach them, then they can reach you."
I mean, there's a distinct Toy Factor going on here. But I already work too many hours. The last thing I need is to be constantly glancing at the thing in my car's dashboard as I'm driving home too late at night to see if there's a new message. It's not like I have the opportunity to just stop on the Fairfax County Parkway to read an email message. Although it's a good thing that someone else will start paying for business calls on my cell.
See, about a year ago, I made a mistake. I told all the trainers on my team that were getting ready to depart for Korea what my cell number was. I told them "Yes, you can call my cell. I will answer. Mind that you are in Korea, so I may not be polite when I answer. But I will answer, and I will help." Not that any of them did. But the important part was that I broke that distinction between work and home.
I had joined, at least mentally, the world of 24x7 support. And so when a couple of weeks ago all hell broke loose on a training job and I wasn't able to keep up with the emails flying between Ft Campbell, Ft Benning, Ft Eustis, and the cubes down the hall because I was in the umteenth meeting of the day, I had to volunteer.
I succumbed to the growing suspicion that I needed a Crackberry. So I asked for one, and because the person on call for all training related help desk issues. Yeah me.
I don't think I want to be a work-a-holic. I mean, I know the tendency is there. And Anny is too, so it's not like it's a real problem at home... But it is, because part of me is not happy about everything revolving around work. I'm not pleased when I feel guilty about not putting hours in on the weekend. I don't like that the last thing I do each night is check my work calendar to see what ungodly hour I have to be at to make the first meeting the next day.