It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and Jack is finally enjoying some much-needed relaxation. He’s at the park, coffee in hand, basking in the sunshine, confident that the weekend will be peaceful. But, as any IT professional knows, technology never truly takes a break.
2:00 PM: The “I Didn’t Know You Were Off” Call
Just as Jack leans back to savor a quiet moment, his phone buzzes with a call from none other than Bob from sales. Jack frowns. Isn’t it the weekend?
“Hey, Jack,” Bob says cheerfully, as if it’s a normal workday. “Got a quick question. My Wi-Fi is acting up at home, and I figured you’d know how to fix it.”
“Bob,” Jack replies, trying to keep his voice calm, “it’s Saturday. Can’t this wait until Monday?”
Bob pauses, clearly confused. “But… you know how to fix Wi-Fi, right? It’ll only take a second.”
Jack pinches the bridge of his nose. “Bob, you’re calling me about your home Wi-Fi. Have you tried turning the router off and on again?”
There’s a long silence on the other end. “…Oh. I’ll try that. Thanks, man!”
The line goes dead, and Jack sighs, wondering if Bob even knows what an “off” button looks like.
4:00 PM: The VPN Crisis That Wasn’t
Just when Jack thinks he’s in the clear, his phone rings again. It’s Karen from accounting. This can’t be good.
“Jack! The VPN isn’t working. I’m trying to access the server from home, and I’m getting an error. This is urgent!”
Jack looks around, hoping this is some kind of cosmic joke. “Karen, are you supposed to be working on a Saturday?”
“Well, no, but I thought I’d get ahead on some tasks,” Karen replies, clearly unaware of the irony.
“Karen… the VPN is down for weekend maintenance. Like it is every weekend. You got the email.”
Karen gasps dramatically. “Oh, I must’ve missed that.”
“You missed it every weekend for the last six months,” Jack mutters under his breath. “It’ll be back online by Monday.”
Karen sighs. “I guess I’ll have to relax then.”
“Yes,” Jack says. “That’s exactly what you should do.”
6:30 PM: Steve’s Cat Meme Emergency
Just when Jack’s sure he’s safe for the evening, his phone dings with a message from Steve in marketing. Of course, it’s Steve.
“Hey Jack, I’m trying to download this hilarious video for Monday’s meeting. It’s like 8GB, but my computer says there’s not enough space. What’s up with that? Should I get a new hard drive?”
Jack stares at the message, torn between throwing his phone into the nearest pond or texting back a snarky reply. Instead, he opts for a third, more professional option.
“Steve, delete some of the 15GB of cat videos you’ve downloaded. You don’t need more space—you need less cat content.”
There’s a brief pause before Steve responds. “I dunno, man. These are some pretty high-quality memes. I think I’ll wait for IT to upgrade my computer. 😎”
Jack puts his phone down and quietly contemplates a life of farming—something with no Wi-Fi, no VPNs, and definitely no Steve.
9:00 PM: The Real Emergency
Just as Jack’s drifting off to sleep, his phone rings one last time. It’s Linda, the CEO’s assistant, and she’s panicked.
“Jack! The CEO’s computer won’t turn on, and he has a big presentation on Monday. This is a disaster!”
Now, this is the real deal. Jack jumps out of bed, ready to leap into action. “Okay, okay. What’s the issue?”
“I don’t know. The power button just isn’t working!”
Jack’s mind races. Did the computer short-circuit? Is there a hardware failure? He’s already planning a late-night rescue mission when Linda adds, “Oh wait… never mind. I had the wrong plug.”
Jack freezes. “You… had the wrong plug?”
“Yeah,” Linda says, sounding sheepish. “I was trying to plug it into the paper shredder by mistake. But it’s working now! Crisis averted.”
Jack can feel his sanity slipping away. “Great, Linda. Glad it’s all sorted. Have a great night.”
As he collapses back into bed, Jack makes a mental note to turn his phone off next weekend—because while computers may never rest, neither do the IT problems of the world.