I’ve written an official letter to the program supervisor officially complaining about the sad lack of a usable computer in my cubicle in the school administration building. I’m under the impression that it’s completely out of his hands and that there is nothing I can do. I’m afraid this may be another case like the health insurance. I’ll do all this legwork to make things right (like shmoozing the big donors at the Christmas party) so that I end up helping the people who come here next year instead of helping myself. I mean, it’s something, but it’s… well… non-optimal. I’d kind of like my efforts to help me, too!
It’s a shame, really, because this internship is all kind of excellent. The supervisors, the organization of everything… it’s superb. It’s just that this one little day-to-day detail just isn’t as it should be, and it’s this constant irritant.
Aaron has been kind enough to lend me a laptop he has, but it’s a little bitty one that gets really hot really fast. I have to cart it to and fro. I need a computer that can live there in my office. It’s amazing to me that people expect that I can get by without a computer. My supervisor doesn’t use a computer. I’m not really sure how that works. Never done it. Maybe I’m spoiled, but if that’s the case, then so be it. I don’t think I am. I’m just technologically skilled, and I do better work when I have my whole toolkit available.
I’ve been browsing around online looking at deals on refurbs. I know eBay is an option, too. Gah! These stupid things… somet of them are using Windows 98. HELLO!!!! It’s 2005! Windows 98 is SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!! It just makes me really angry that I’m here, considering dropping a few hundred out of my big $15K for the year on equipment they should have provided for me. I’ll get on, get a real mouse to put there with it, so I don’t kill myself with carpal tunnel on a touchpad, and I’ll keep it locked in my cubicle.
I still won’t be hooked up to the printer or the Internet (it’s all protected somehow so plugging in doesn’t seem to work – plus, every site I’d want to visit is blocked). No, they won’t hook me up to these things. They only support computers they provide. No, they won’t give me any scoring software. Again, that’s only for their computers. But at least if I have a cheap laptop with a decent-sized screen, I’ll be able to have it there to work on… so I can, like, DO MY JOB! At least some of it… not the printing out things I write part. Not the checking my e-mail part. Not the utilizing online resources part. Not the scoring protocols part. But the writing report part… that, I will be able to do. Man, the more I write, the more I realize this still isn’t really a very good option.
Grrr. I get so angry when I think about it. Hey, at least I have a phone now. That’s something.
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