[clue-talk] What I like and don't like about the N800

[Nate Duehr]

dennisjperkins at comcast.net wrote:

>> It's a business trip.  Replace the customer's systems on St. Thomas
>> and St. Croix.  Not much time to relax, altho both islands have (or
>> had) a couple of excellent, gourment-style restaurants.

Saw your note after the good-natured ribbing from Dan about it being 
power plants.  Telco Central Offices are just as "exotic", and usually 
colder than a witch's tit inside, too.

Well, maybe not as cold lately -- telcos are saving money by turning up 
the thermostats.  I've even seen 80F in one... which even they admitted 
was too hot... but quite a surprise since I came dressed for the usual 
polar-bear love-fest of a five day stint in a CO.

Layers are key, of course... it's like climbing beautiful mountains in 
the chilly air... well, except that there is no beauty and no mountains.

(Going for the Jack Handey writing style today... is it working?  Heh.)

So I understand how you feel.  Join the tech corps, travel the world, 
see ladder racks and 19" cabinets the world over!  Whooo baby!  Travel 
ain't all it's cracked up to be.  But it's more interesting than some 
jobs, in many ways.  I kinda miss it.

But back to ribbing you... my last major trip was to a Central Office in 
New Jersey, just north of Newark.  Not a nice island.

(Thank God it wasn't Camden!)

So... not only did all I see was the inside of a 40 year old CO building 
(and have a couple of nice dinners -- like your experience), but I also 
got to play the "name that stain" game using the hotel carpeting... and 
enjoy the lovely smells present in that particular section of "The 
Garden State" any time I went outside.

The CO was built at the bottom of a river bed (smart...), and the 
basement had flooded so many times they'd abandoned it completely other 
than the loading dock and elevator shaft.

If I never go back to New Jersey in my life, I think it'll be too soon.

And I'm not listening to those of you who say there ARE nice parts of 
New Jersey, somewhere.  That area is so bad, you can't get it out of 
your head.  :-)

Nate