Pr3++yG33kyTh1ng

CokeRewards progress - 654/850 - With less than 200 points to go, I got a scare Wednesday when the Playstation2 became listed as "Out of Stock" on the CokeRewards website.
Fortunately, it returned to "In Stock" status sometime between my third and fourth complaint emails. Leslea kicked in more points, due largely to awesomeness.

First, if you missed it, The Order of the Stick (link on the right) featured the word "asshat" yesterday. There may have been other words in the comic. Other less awesome words.

In the afternoon I went home to discover that (in what is possibly the most romantic gesture ever in the history of gesturing) Shana had adjusted the Netflix account to have The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness delivered on the same day.
My evening filled with zombie goodness, I settled in to drink Diet Coke and watch.
Who doesn't like zombie-centric splatterfests? That's what I'd like to know.
Whatever one's opinion about low-budget cheesy violence horror comedies, these are pretty much required viewing.
Yesterday I promised the latest work-related trauma story. Here goes:

You may recall that I was shackled with the Microsoft license audit.
As the on-site consultation (turn your head to the left and cough) was ending, it became apparent that our expired Official Microsoft Certified Partner Agreement licenses were actually about 90% of our problem.
I sent an email to my manager suggesting we renew it. It wasn't the first time I'd suggested it, but it was the first time when the alternative was six figures of license fees.
"Make it happen" was the response from his Blackberry.
Here is where it gets awesome:

I don't do purchasing. I'm not officially authorized to spend money. I don't have a corporate card or company account of any kind.
So I put it on my Visa.
My "Disney" Visa, to be specific. With purchase points, I might get tickets to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest for the family. w00+!
I filled out the paperwork, got the proper signatures and should get reimbursed before the bill comes in.
Two days later I get an email that there are two boxes in shipping and receiving for me. Since I never get anything, and suspected this was just customer computer hardware I'd rather not install, I ignored it.
Eventually, the boxes were moved to my desk.
They were addressed to me. And they were from Microsoft.
Upon opening them, I discovered our new licenses and the install media. For everything. And binders, which I began to fill and organize. Some choice bits may have fallen into my laptop bag. I know the "Official Microsoft Partner" plaques did. Those are freaking nice!
In the end, I had a binder full of licenses and six binders full of software. Big binders. Like those CD folders people have in their cars? But bigger.
I also had a banner - brilliant white with "Microsoft Certified Partner" emblazoned across it in blue under two bright brass grommets for wall mounting.
Entirely unable to resist temptation I threw the banner over my back, tied the grommets around my neck, scooped up all seven binders and threw open the Control Center doors shouting,"I am Software Man! I come bearing gifts! Let us no longer live as pirates but as free men! Come out of the darkness, my friends! Join me, Software Man in the light of legitimacy!"

And that is the story of how I dressed up like a superhero and saved the company.

Plans for today include Diet Coke and lots of it.