Yesterday I started blogging about my recent work struggle that turned into struggles. So if you haven't read that,
check it out here.
Anyway, we left off with the $250 laptop. Friday morning, the office manager, Mary, and I took a mini-field trip down to this computer place and picked up the laptop. It's a few years old, but for $250, it's exactly what we need. We get back to the office and installing Access should be a breeze, right? Wrong. I put the disk in and something pops up and basically says something is wrong with the operating system and it's not 100% compatible with Access. We tried to figure out what was up online but my computer knowledge is uber limited, so Mary calls the computer store back up and tells them they're going to install the program or we want our money back.
Back to the computer store I go. About two hours later, they call and I head back up to the store and pick the laptop back up. Access is installed. It works. I can see the 598 doctor's names in one file and the 250-something in the second file. Things look good. I take it up front to the printer I've used with my Mac without any major hitches and play around in Word trying to insert the doctors' names. Figured that out. Super proud of myself. I figured out how to install the printer online - no problem. Super easy. The laptop battery sucks so I had to plug it in, but that's easy enough. I print the letter and bam, it looks awesome. I am so proud of myself at this point. Nothing could get me down!
Until I tried to print an envelope. This is where many, many problems occur. This printer I'm using a POS. If you look up POS in the dictionary, its picture is there.
That's the POS printer. And it's discontinued according to the HP website I just found that picture on. Anyway, it hates envelopes and apparently began to hate paper, too. I printer an envelope no problem, but guess what. It was upside down. (These envelopes are fancy with the logo and address and everything, so upside down does, in fact, matter.) No problem, I should be able to print another envelope easy, right? Again, I was wrong.
I fought with that printer for at least 2 hours and every damn time it would suck the envelope halfway and then get jammed. I tried printing just a straight up piece of paper and that go jammed, too. Since it was Friday, I gave up. You know how the guys in Office Space treat that copier? that's just the beginning of what I want(ed) to do to that printer.
Monday morning was optional for me, according to my boss. But I was determined to get a printer hooked up to this laptop and print a dang envelope the correct way! I tried two other printers in the office before I decided I had two printers at home from school just sitting in their boxes not getting used. So I went home, grabbed my printer from junior/senior years and hooked it up, installed it online, and BAM! It worked. There's hardly any ink in the cartridges and I have go buy some no ink, but I did it. I installed it, it's sitting on my desk at work, I printed the letter and envelope (the correct way) and I feel super accomplished.
Have you ever had struggles like this at work? Or just in general? Did you feel super accomplished when you got it all worked out?
