{machine room, Post Office exercises, RV-7 plans}

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So I ended up spending all day yesterday, and a bit of overtime, working at the Exodus data center on one of our clients’ machines. All three of their severs (two production, one staging) went down within a few hours of each other late last week, cause still unknown (because evidence may have been trashed by the people that tried to fix it.) At least it’s back up and running, and I’ve hardened the machines as well as I know how. Next step: analyzing further to see what really happened…

This morning I went to the post office to pick up a package (the RV-7 preview plans, read on) and the office was closed. Now, the Nakano post office is supposed to be open 24 hours. So I was a bit upset — until I realized it was 8:55, 5 minutes before the “full service” counter opens. I looked through the curtain, and saw what I had previously only heard of: Japanese company morning exercises. But the post office ones were especially fun. They did some arm and leg stretches as a warm-up. Then, they made movements in unison, chanting things like “Greetings” (irasyaimase) “Just a minute” (sho sho omachi o kudasai) and “Thank you very much” (arigato gozaimashita). They looked like marionettes, and I was especialy amused with the vim & vigor with which they all said “I’ve found your package!” :P

In any case, they opened 5 minutes later and let me get my preview plans, which are sitting quite happily next to me (in their cheap-ass 3-ring binder. Japanese binders are SO much better made, but that’s a rant for another day…) All the stares I got from jealous salarymen on the train this morning made up for carrying the heavy thing (along with my laptop) to work :P

4 thoughts on “{machine room, Post Office exercises, RV-7 plans}”

  1. good story! ^_^

    hehe i can’t help but giggle at the thought of japanese postal workers jazzercising :)

  2. i’ve never seen a japanese 3 ring binder.

    i feel so deprived!
    maybe i’ll have to go back to see one :-)

  3. wow, the japanese post office is the antithesis to stl postal services. i’ve had some of the folks at the counter scowl and then ask, “yeah?” i’m just waiting for one of them to say, “you tawkin’ ta me?”

    ups = evil

  4. Imagining “Tron”-style programs on the exercise, yelling:

    “Operation not permitted!”
    “No such file or directory!”
    “No such process!”
    “Interrupted system call!”

    …

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