Not So Famous…

Living in California is definitely interesting. Not a whole lot of places like California, really.  This is not to say that I ENJOY living here…that would be stretching the truth in ways I’m not really prepared to do.  But there are a lot of things in good ol’ Cali that are unique to this Left Coast state.

I work in IT…you can find jobs like that anywhere, of course.  Computers are taking over our lives to an extent that only the most visionary saw coming a few decades ago. However, in my job, I must support offices in diverse locations.  Not that many of you know where this stuff is, but I’m based out of Newman, and yet I’ve got offices in Stockton, Hollister, and Sonora, among others.  Stockton is a medium town, somewhat bigger than Modesto, but far smaller than L.A.  Sonora is definitely a small mountain town. Another diverse location is the Hayward office…hence my title.

Those of you who have never driven in Bay Area traffic really should experience it sometime.  It’s not something you’ll enjoy, but you will commiserate.  Perhaps some of you who have not experienced Road Rage for yourselves will understand what all the news stories are about when you drive rush traffic in the Bay Area.  Go to San Jose….or Lord forbid, San Francisco. 

Those of you who think you can just remain patient, and nuts to everyone who thinks they need to turn into a raving maniac when driving the Altamont pass have probably never driven it at peak hours.  In order to stay alive on these freeways, you have to drive like you want to get somewhere…you need to be a little posessed, I think.  The reason for this is not because you can’t use the roads between Modesto and San Francisco without going stark raving mad, but because the people around you are going to inevitably do incredibly stupid things, and you will nearly die several times before getting to where you’re going.

Try going under the speed limit and then see how many people nearly touch your bumper before passing you at extremely high velocities.  Nascar drivers would clench their cheeks a bit if they saw someone coming up on them as fast as some of these people are going! Try passing a semi at the speed limit, using your blinker, and merging at what most people would consider a safe speed.  The dude behind you who feels like driving 95 miles per hour in a 70 zone is his right, and anyone in his way can just go to hell. (Oh, and if you’ve forgotten how to get there, he’ll be happy to send you on your way if you happen to get in his way!)  Man, that guy won’t notice what you’re doing.  You could have 75% of your car in the lane to your left, with your blinker on, and he’d still claim he never saw you.  The scary thing is that he’s probably telling the truth!!!

Anyway, I was driving into work this morning, planning out my Friday when I get the dreaded call from the Hayward Office.

“Chris, it’s Tina in Hayward.”  I got a little sinking feeling in my stomach. “My computer won’t turn on.  It says something about config\system is corrupt or does not exist.” Sinking feeling confirmed.

“Ok, Tina.  I’m going to get to the main office here in a few minutes.  I’m going to confirm the solution to this problem, and then I’ll probably be…” (shudder) “…heading into Hayward to take care of this for you.  I’ll call you when I get in so you know when to expect me.”

WOOT!  I was hoping to spend my entire day in the Bay Area.  My only hope is that I get on the road by 1pm.  I’ve fixed her computer and am now running Windows updates.  The clock is ticking, and muc hlike Cinderella, I’ve got a deadline.  You don’t even want to see what I turn into when the clock strikes 1pm, and I’m not on the road yet….

…A shaky mess.  :)

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