Computer Frustrations

Last week, we got a message from our admin assistant reminding us that we need to do our time sheets. It used to be that HR would email everyone their time sheet. Then you'd print it out and sign it, and the chair would sign, and then it would move into the labrinth over in the fort.

Then things got frustrating. First, they switched computer systems or something. And that means that if you're late with your time sheet, there's nastiness down the line. (We're also threatened with losing one of the benefits associated with our sick leave, which makes things even more frustrating. Thanks, Gov.)

Now, instead of getting the thing emailed to us, we get reminded to go find it in the system and print it out, and then on it goes.

So, last week, I went to print it out as I was supposed to. But I couldn't find it in the system, even though I've found it before. So I asked a colleague, and she couldn't find it, either. Then I asked our admin assistant, who's usually really good at stuff, and she couldn't find it.

So I called the help line. The help line worker was pleasant enough, but couldn't quite imagine how I could not find what I was supposed to find. So she did the thing where she can see my computer screen on her screen. (I love that, and am also a bit freaked out by it.) And she was surprised to find that I wasn't just crazy. So she put in a "ticket" to get it fixed and said I would have to go over to our HR office and talk to them, too, since there's some change on my thingy, but she couldn't tell what the change was.

After nearly an hour on the line with her, I went over to the HR folks, and talked to them, and no, they couldn't figure out what change had been made, but there was one. And then the thing worked, so I printed the form out and put it in my jacket pocket (since it was cold). And went home, thinking I'd go in and sign it and such on Friday. But I didn't.

Today, I remembered that I hadn't signed it, and since it's warm, I don't have the jacket, so I don't have the print out to sign. I went to my office (after spending two hours with the computer folks on campus getting my new computer set up with the campus stuff) to print it out. I went through the three or four clicks to get to my thing, and hit print, and then closed the thing and decided to look at my email, where I saw a message from our admin assistant letting us know that our copier (which is what my campus computer "prints to") is on the fritz, so we have to print to another computer.

I opened the thing up to print again, and it's gone. Yep, I'm back to where I was last week, except even more frustrated.

I hate computer stuff when it won't work.

(I just went to try to print out a blank form and then figure out the dates so I could fill it in, and now my form is back. Now I'm going to try to print it.)