(03:39:30 PM) Norman VanDunk: Hey Michael, what time are you leaving for NJ3? I have the pizza coming at hopefully 6:30. Hopefully you can chow down before you bounce.
(03:39:45 PM) Me: probably 7-7:30
(03:39:56 PM) Me: I'm not worried about it if I miss out. I'm on a diet anyway :P
(03:40:48 PM) Norman VanDunk: As am I, but free food doesn't count towards dieting.
(03:40:56 PM) Me: haha... point taken
(03:41:06 PM) Me: Im sure I'll have time for a little slice of heaven
(03:41:31 PM) Norman VanDunk: Good deal, tear it up
(03:41:34 PM) Me: Raza (is it taboo to say that guy's name now? ) used to get it for later.
(03:41:41 PM) Me: I think 6:30 is a better time
(03:42:26 PM) Norman VanDunk: LOL... like Voldemort
(03:42:43 PM) Norman VanDunk: Yea, its about half way through our shift, no need to be starving
(03:42:52 PM) Me: Forgive my bluntness, but Voldemort would have made a better boss than Raza >_<
(03:43:34 PM) Norman VanDunk: Unfortunately, I've heard the same all around. Very sad to hear people had to go through that, but happy that it was dealt with properly
(03:43:45 PM) Me: Twas a long time coming.
(03:44:01 PM) Me: He started here at the exact same time I did.
(03:44:12 PM) Me: and from day one I knew he was gonna be a weird one.
(03:44:46 PM) Me: Then he goes as asks me if I'd be willing to help him hack his ex-wife's Gmail account.
(03:44:52 PM) Norman VanDunk: I haven't asked too much about him, how long ago was that?
(03:45:01 PM) Norman VanDunk: Oh wow, that is NO GOOD
(03:45:01 PM) Me: Then I was just like... No... I do not think so, my friend.
(03:45:28 PM) Norman VanDunk: I don't blame you, that is crazy
(03:45:43 PM) Me: I started here in August of 2013
(03:45:55 PM) Me: I think he started roughly a week after me.
(03:46:10 PM) Me: At the time Zach Kenton was still first shift manager and Brian was 2nd.
(03:46:28 PM) Me: Zach moves up, brian moved to days, and they hired Raza.
(03:46:53 PM) Norman VanDunk: Got ya, I wasn't sure how that went down.
(03:47:23 PM) Norman VanDunk: I saw a lot of his RED!!!!!! emails, made me cringe something fierce
(03:47:38 PM) Me: then a year or so of a fairly hostile 2nd shift environment ensued.
(03:48:54 PM) Norman VanDunk: Absolutely no reason for that. Management does not require an ridiculous iron fist. Those that do require that to get things done, are weak managers.
(03:49:08 PM) Norman VanDunk: a not an*
(03:49:15 PM) Me: This guy supposedly used to work for DARPA as a Noc lead
(03:49:29 PM) Me: Im just like... yeah OK.
(03:51:00 PM) Norman VanDunk: Oh wow... LOL
(03:52:34 PM) Norman VanDunk: I would have just busted out laughing, and appologized thereafter
(03:52:42 PM) Me: haha
(03:53:00 PM) Me: Well there was a time when I was still the FNG as well... and I just kinda took his nonsense in stride.
(03:53:27 PM) Me: I knew he was an awful manager, but I kept my mouth shut for the most part
(03:53:42 PM) Me: eventually I stopped keeping quiet and started complaining to Zach, almost daily.
(03:54:51 PM) Norman VanDunk: Thats good man, never just take that. Whats the old saying, employees leave their manager, not the company.
(05:21:39 PM) Me: I think it go to a point where Zach was hearing complaints from us daily and he was more or less powerless to do anything about it.
(05:21:51 PM) Me: Correct me if I'm wrong,. your direct report is Eric Sheedy yes?
(05:22:37 PM) Norman VanDunk: Hmmm... that might be why we report to Brian now.
(05:22:46 PM) Me: aha
(05:22:51 PM) Me: new structure...
(05:23:34 PM) Norman VanDunk: It will work better than just all of us reporting to Eric. Eric has enough things on his plate and it keeps better order.
(05:23:48 PM) Me: Yeah I'm pretty sure Raza reported to Sheedy directly... and as far as Sheedy was concerned, Raza kept the radars clear and he really didn't care how it was done.
(05:23:59 PM) Me: THat does sound better.
(05:24:45 PM) Norman VanDunk: Possibly, but he had Brian's back all the way so maybe something changed
(05:25:24 PM) Me: Well, from what I had heard, the higher ups got wind of some of Raza's actual BS.
(05:25:36 PM) Me: and thats what finally set in motion his exit.
(05:25:59 PM) Me: I suppose its all Gossip at this point.
(05:26:23 PM) Norman VanDunk: Thats great to know. I've been in plenty of environments where nothing is ever done and people just suffer and/or leave.
(05:27:01 PM) Me: Yeah... Raza's nonsense drove some people to quit. Unix team lost a good guy on 2nd shift who just couldn't take it anymore.
(05:27:24 PM) Me: I was almost to that point myself...
(05:28:03 PM) Me: and I can't speak directly for them, but a lot of the veterans on the team were getting fed up as well.
(05:29:07 PM) Me: ANywho... Ancient history now. Back to wallowing in sorrow over the woes of my clients.
(05:30:16 PM) Norman VanDunk: Oh wow, I didn't know the exact extent of his damage. I saw the issues as soon as I started and knew this would be our downfall if it wasn't corrected asap.
(05:30:46 PM) Me: Back in the spring , early summer was when it was at its worst I think.
(05:33:12 PM) Norman VanDunk: I guess he couldn't handle the change to hotter weather
(05:36:47 PM) Norman VanDunk: I actually watched how he was communicating with people, so I reserved the right to dislike him and send hate his way lol
(05:37:15 PM) Me: Who knows... Even if his managerial style was different, he was still a relatively non-technical person.
(05:37:48 PM) Me: THat alone created problems because he would waste a lot of people's time trying to route tickets where they didn't belong.
(05:38:06 PM) Me: a lot of that stemmed from the fact he didn't read what he was trying to hand off first.
(05:39:24 PM) Norman VanDunk: Yea, I'm not the most technical person, but with prior knowledge and a little digging its not rocket science to figure out
(05:39:35 PM) Me: Bingo.
(05:40:31 PM) Me: I can't tell you how many times Raza would ask me " is this for unix? Is this for windows?" etc.
(05:41:04 PM) Me: I'm just sitting here like "You'd asking me to do your job for you... sweet... do I get your salary too?"
(05:41:07 PM) Me: you're*
(05:42:56 PM) Norman VanDunk: LOL... yea even when I don't know, there is cmdb, im, cm, km, etc. to help out. I exhaust every possibility in IPcenter and beyond before I ask someone.
(05:43:21 PM) Me: I actually said that to him once
(05:43:24 PM) Me: he just laughed it off
(05:44:21 PM) Norman VanDunk: LOL... he should be the poster child for failblog.org
(05:44:39 PM) Me: HA

(05:44:42 PM) Me: I like that
(05:44:43 PM) Norman VanDunk: I normally don't hate like that, but I've seen enough to spew it out
(05:44:46 PM) Norman VanDunk: lol