Dealing with idiots.

I'm sick of idiots... unfortunately, I am one.

I got an email today. Here's the entirety of it: "What happened to the winSCP Server?? I can't log on!!!" (Yeah. now you know why I get short with people on emails. I get stuff like this all the time.

I hate when someone at work tells me they can't get to "The" FTP server or "The" Web logon or "The" Links site. I manage about 70 of the first two, and I don't know what you're talking about on the third. Why can't they give more information instead of expecting me to read their minds?

So, I send an email back explaining that there are several servers, and to which is she referring?

"The winSCP server that I upload product information to!"

I ignore the fact that winSCP is a client, not a server, and try again to get more information. After about 3 more emails, I finally learn which server she needs access to. I reply:

"Sorry, we had to move that site. Nobody told me you needed access. You need to log in to [address] and use the same username and password."

She replies with "What's the hostname?"

"I just gave you the hostname. It's [address]."

"What is the username and password?"

...

Seriously, what?? Could she be that dumb? At this point, I tell the story to Joel via IM and we discuss how at least she'll survive the zombie apocalypse.

I send her the login credentials again and she replies that it keeps saying 'access denied'. I look it over, then try to log in myself.

>.<

I gave her the wrong address. I'm really, really glad I was polite in the emails while thinking she was a complete dolt, because I'm the idiot.

The Office

Today I was chatting with my boss and our facilities manager, when my boss said, pointing to me, "He's our 'Dwight'".

I was taken aback and was slightly offended. He said "Think about it... Knowledgeable, surly, weapons...." (No I don't have weapons hidden around the office, nor do I bring any in)

I said if anything, I was closer to Andy. (For some reason, this is slightly less insulting to me, even though Andy is an idiot) A Cappella geek, bad with women, temper problems. I'm much more likely to put my fist through a wall than to mace some guy who's attacking someone else.

What do you think? Where do I fit? Do any of you have "The Office" characters at work?

Legal Advice

I went to Draper City Court today to contest my speeding ticket. I got there during lunch, and the lady there took my citation, made a copy, then said, "OK, you have until October 30 to pay..." I told her "Actually, I'd like to plead 'not guilty'." "I was just about to suggest that... the fine is pretty steep because of the construction zone."

Now, far be it from me to judge such things, but is it OK for someone who works at the courthouse to suggest pleading not guilty? I figure that kind of thing might be frowned upon.

Anxious

I'm having a strange issue here. I've decided to fight my speeding ticket, and the way I see it, there are three possible outcomes:
1) The cop doesn't show up and I'm off the hook.
2) The cop does show up, my arguments make sense, and I get a reduced fine.
3) The cop shows up, but nobody listens to me, and I pay the full fine.

I've already started adjusting my budget to deal with the worst-case scenario, but I'm feeling super-anxious about it. I don't know why. It's there in the back of my head all the time, and my over-active guilt reflex is going crazy. I've got my plan in place, so why can't I quit thinking about it?

Road Rage

So, how many times has this happened to you? You're driving on the freeway, and there's someone in front of you you'd like to pass. You signal a lane change, and he happens to do it at the same time. You both dart back to your original position.

Now you're back where you started. You change lanes again, and this time do it quickly to avoid the confusion, and you pass.

Well, I got pulled over this morning for exactly that. I had to speed up to pass the guy, and as soon as I was past, I slowed back down to the limit.

All the cop said he saw was me swerving in and out of the lane I was in. Then, because the first "lane change" (us both moving) happened while we were passing the "end construction zone" sign, he decided the whole thing counted as being in a construction zone, and cited me for 76 in a 55. (76 is how fast I sped up to pass the guy... seeing as how traffic was flowing at 73 or so, I don't think I was out of line)

I was very polite and didn't talk back, I explained why the multiple lane changes (he didn't see the other guy signal), but I think the part where I screwed up was where he asked if I thought that was safe. I hesitated, then said, "Well, there was nobody in the other lane, I checked that nobody else was around.." then he asked for my license and registration. I can't help but feel that he would have given me a warning if I had said something like "No. It was stupid."

I'm thinking I'll fight it. I looked up Draper City ordinance, they don't offer traffic school, and it's going to be about a $600 ticket because of the "construction zone" that we weren't in.