Last Friday, I attended an IBM reunion set up by my old team lead at a local restaurant. It was a reunion of people who had worked at the IBM Education Center and the support staff including those who are still in support now for lab systems for IBM customer education. This included people who had worked there from the mid 90s until the present date. The hardware Education Center was moved to Boulder five years ago and many of the instructors chose to quit or retire rather than move. A few were able to find other jobs at IBM. The rest were out of luck. About 30 people showed up.
In the truth that time heals all wounds a sort of ex-girlfriend of mine who used to despise me was really happy to see me and gave me a big hug. She and her husband ate with me. She was an instructor who didn’t want to move to Boulder and caught on with a project manager gig that she’s still working at. She’s prolly making real good money. Her husband, on the other hand, who was also an instructor wasn’t so lucky and is now working at an auto parts store stocking shelves for slightly higher than minimum wage. All of his kids from his first marriage are grown and she didn’t have any kids so they’re doing fine.
My now retired CDSM© showed up and in proof that ass kissing doesn’t end with retirement, his two retired project manager buttboys sat next to him still kissing up. I rolled over to see my buddy Marco and my sweetheart Deepal and pointed that out. Marco remarked, “Big asshole and the two little assholes.” Marco and I used to sit next to each other at the Wednesday Inquisition Meeting and I used to try to make him laugh by making gestures under the table as editorial comments. We both hated the meeting. WE both hated the CDSM©
Long time readers may remember stories about me and my CDSM© back when I called IBM TCIDNN (The Company I Dare Not Name). We came to despise each other with a passion. My team lead told me the reason he hated me was because every time we butted heads in the end it would turn out that I was always right and he was always wrong. He was really happy when I retired until he remembered why he had hired me over from the hardware group in the first place, software currency. When I left, no one had time for that. Also, the contractor who replaced me couldn’t do in 40 hours what I did in 30. I also did the network, which he didn’t know. He was a shitty manager. A year after I left, he had my team lead take me out to lunch and offer me my job back as a contractor. Nope. A year later, the same thing. Nope. I was able to avoid him until right before I left and we ran into each other. We smiled at each other and shook hands. Asshole!
After almost 13 years it was really nice seeing all of these people again. We’re all a lot grayer but we’re still around and still surviving. I’m hoping my team lead sets up another one of these events in the future. It was a lot of fun.
Didn’t somebody once say that livin’ well is the best revenge? Sounds as though you’re doin’ just fine, livin’ the dream, and CDSM is still livin’ the nightmare. I used to love your stories about TCIDNN.
You’re correct. Living well is the best revenge. I was able to retire with a very good income. I left a lot of money on the table by not coming back as a 40 hour a week contractor (prolly in excess of $90K/yr) but since after retirement I was making over $100K/year I was living very well and didn’t need the aggravation of working for my CDSM again even though I would be working from home and wouldn’t have to see him. If I had come back, I would have only lasted a year before I would have had to quit.
Before I retired, my CDSM got promoted to 2nd line manager. Shortly after I left, he got busted back down to his old job. His wife also divorced him. He had three daughters he had to send to college. He moved across the street from the Education Center so he could walk to work. Shortly after that, they moved the hardware and support staff to another building so he had to drive again. Karma is a bitch!
My dickhead Manager/ Asskisser who f–ked over me got fired from his job shortly after I left then got fired from the new job he went too after just 3 months , then got fired from the second new job & the last I heard of him was he was working at some small company Northwest of Columbus Ohio. Apparently his career took off like a lead boat anchor.
The company I once worked for is one of my best customers since I started my own business back in 1998.
I walked out the front door into forced early retirement courtesy of dickhead on Friday then came in the backdoor on Monday as a certified vendor & still do a great deal of business with them every year. I am what they call a Platinum vendor for Quality & Just in time deliveries.
Dickhead is currently unavailable for comment !
I drive by the Boulder/Niwot IBM building every week or so. My son will be starting his freshman year at Niwot High School next month. Let me know if you ever get out this way or if you want me to hunt anyone down for you!
Odd, it’s been a decade away from FoMoCo, and other than the one true friend acquired, which is like a brother, I have zero fucks to give about any I work around from FoMoCo. Zero.
Must be an older generation thing….
Actually it’s an IBM thing. IBMers are like a brotherhood. I met one of my oldest friends in 1973 when we both started work at IBM.
Actually, it’s a FoMoCo thing as well. It’s just that my field of fucks to give is barren.
Did you know a Brant Rudisill from the Philadelphia Ed Center?
Nope. I only worked at the Atlanta Ed Center and the only places I went to school were Chicago, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and Washington DC. I did go to school in Lexington Kentucky back in 1973 when I first hired on in the Office Products Division. Never went to Philadelphia. I don’t even know what they taught there. All the schools I went to were mainframe and mainframe peripherals. After that I only taught mainframes and after my accident mainframe programming.