After I left the power plant and went to work for Dell on August 20, 2001, I wrote letters back to my friends at the plant letting them know how things were going. This is the ninetieth letter I wrote.
12/24/03 – Overtime at Dell
Dear friends at Sooner Plant,
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! — I know it has been a few weeks since I have written, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been thinking (and talking) about you guys every day.
I have been so busy working on the project that I’ve been working on that I haven’t had time to stop and tell you guys how things have been. This is the project that I went to all those schools a few months ago to learn. Dell gave us the date January 15th to have this project completed.
The Kronos company told us that we likely wouldn’t be done until some time next April. — Well. Right now, we are on track to have the project in production on January 12th. — What I’m doing is a lot like what we did to put SAP in place at OG&E.
You have to reconfigure everything and determine all the rules and all to do business. This is just the “Timekeeping” part of it, so it’s not anywhere as near as massive as SAP was, except that I’m the only developer working on it, along with one consultant from Kronos.
So if the project fails, there is only one person to blame, and if the project succeeds, well, then, it must have been because of all that superb training I received long ago while working for the most ingenious Equipment Support Supervisor at Sooner Plant. (And we all know who that is).
Today is a rather quiet day in the office. For one reason, all of I/T has the whole week off for Christmas. So I’m the only one here. — Actually, I’m sitting in a team room in Payroll doing my work. — But today there isn’t even anyone here either. Just the Kronos Consultant and me.
We will work until noon today, and then take off for the rest of the week. — I have to go get the consultant at the front desk here in a few minutes, so this is the only time I had to stop and write to you guys. I wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and to let you know that I have been thinking about all of you. Especially when the north wind is blowing outside, and the temperature drops down into the 30s.
We almost reached freezing the other day. — I feel like I’m on my own little mini-overhaul working on this project, and I have to get done on a certain date, and there isn’t any way around it so I just have to work as much as it takes to get it done.
Well. I better run to the front desk to get the consultant (who’s name is also Kevin, along with the other 269 Kevins that work for Dell). — I hope all of you have a Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!!!
Your friend,
Kevin James Anthony Breazile
______________________
Kevin J. Breazile
Programmer/Analyst III
Dell Inc.
(512) 728-1527
Power Plant Men 