Welcome to the Twilight Zone...

The Computers

Yesterday was a day of ups and downs. My bad day at work started the night before with a couple of e-mails (there are good reasons not to check work mail from home, but some of us are just too obsessive to leave it be). I won't get into details about that--suffice it to say, the night lead into the day and I was not a pleasant person, as Djinn, patient saint that he is, found out.

There is one thing that happened at work that I will talk about, though. First, a little background:

1. The computers at work all have a security software on them called DeepFreeze.
2. DeepFreeze, while helpful in preventing viruses, spyware, and general clutter on the machines, basically locks down the computer so that any changes are forgotten on a reboot, and DeepFreeze restores the computer to a default image or restore point.

So, tell me then, what do you think will happen when a virus attaches itself to the DeepFreeze executable file? This was what I came to work to discover--eleven computers with the same virus or "malicious code," as our virus scan software calls it, in the DeepFreeze start up file. Our virus scan software oh-so-helpfully renamed the file. This incidentally has caused the DeepFreeze icon, which usually shows up in the taskbar and is the key to opening DF for any changes you want to make on a workstation, to disappear. However, the computers are still "frozen," so I can't uninstall and then reinstall DeepFreeze. You have to unlock the machine to do that.

While I do have a remote admin program on my machine for DeepFreeze, it isn't set up for me to be able to remotely connect to any of our workstations. However, I can probably connect to some workstations in another building, but oddly enough, that's not very fucking helpful.

Aside from just knowing there's a virus on the machines, there don't seem to be any other ill effects from the "malicious code." Still, eleven out of fourteen machines have this problem. Not a pleasant morning.

PowerPoint

Then, that night (6:00 pm, precisely), I have to teach a class about using PowerPoint effectively. Forget the fact that I'm not even sure that's possible with PowerPoint. I still have to teach it. But, after a hell of a down, I get a hell of an up--the class, while lasting until 7:30, goes very well. The students are attentive, asking great questions, and interested in what I'm saying. We have some interesting discussion, and everyone comes away excited.

Mountain Road and the Dog

And, naturally, after an up, here's a down (cue Twilight Zone music)--I'm cat sitting for an out of town friend, and after I left work, I forgot that I would have to go check on her cats. So I get across town, remember, and head back after grabbing some dinner. While driving up an incredibly windy road in the dark with a mountain on one side and a drop on the other, I see an animal dart into the road in front of me. I hit the breaks, and don't hit the animal, which at first I think is a fox. But no--it's someone's pet dog, a little yellow-orange terrier, complete with collar and leash dragging behind him running up the mountain road in front of me, terrified. What can I do but continue driving behind this sprinting dog?? I lean out the window a couple of times to call to the dog to no avail, hoping he'll slow down, stop maybe, let me help him. However, I see lights in the oncoming lane of traffic, coming from around a bend in the road. I honk frantically, the dog is in the other lane of traffic, and the dog moves as the car slows to come around the bend. Twice, I honk at oncoming traffic so they will know there is something to watch out for and not hit this little, frightened dog.

The dog keeps sprinting up this curving mountain road, running as fast as his little legs will move, and then he turns left... into the same neighborhood I'm going to. Odd. And so, naturally, I follow him. And then he turns onto another road to the left, which leads into a construction zone for a new house in the neighborhood. And the dog disappears. He's gone off into the woods, and I'm stuck on a narrow dirt road with piles of construction materials, dirt, and machinery for heavy lifting. Briefly, I consider getting out to look for the little guy, and then I remember that I'm not a complete idiot. So I follow the road to the new house they're building, get my car turned around in the driveway, and head back out, continuing on my way to my friend's house.

The Cats

Once inside, I turn on a light or two and call for the cats. One of the cats isn't my biggest fan, so I don't expect to see her. But the other, a 2o+ pound black behemoth of a cat, is extremely friendly and usually greets me at the door. He's nowhere to be found.

I walk upstairs, and one halfway up the stairs, I hear a faint meowing. Searching around, calling the cat's name, I find him--locked in a closet. The other cat is under the bed--not unusual for when I visit--but how did the other one get locked in the closet?? I presume it was my friend's housekeeper--but I don't really know for sure. Anyways, slightly baffled, I head downstairs and go to feed the cat his treat. He gets wet food as a special treat while both cats always have access to dry food. After I feed him, I notice that two windows are open. I freeze. The screens are still on the windows, they are only open about five inches each, and the blinds are pulled up, too. Nothing looks damaged or missing to my eyes. Electronics are in place. I've checked on the cats, the house seems fine too. I leave.

You think I'm done? Oh, no. Not yet.

The Car

While driving down the mountain, I hear weird noises from my car. A fluttering or flapping sound. I eventually attribute this to the air conditioner, which I turn off, and keep going. This is just too much at this point. I go home. Exit the Twilight Zone.