Sure enough, at 9:02 a.m. the next day the missing truck rolled up in front of our new data center, fully loaded with my network equipment and sporting a brand-new driver and crew. Apparently the original guys had decided they'd already put in a full day's work before the truck arrived to move my network. When I told the driver they'd have to unload, he drove the truck back to the company parking lot and went home for the night. When driver and crew showed up for work early Saturday morning, their employer fired them on the spot.

Meanwhile, there I stood, downing coffee and donuts with a small army of consultants that I was paying off-hour rates while the equipment was off-loaded. Thanks to my planning, the system was back online by noon Saturday. Whew!

Lesson learned? If you want to watch a truck disappear before your eyes, it's probably safer -- and certainly cheaper -- to buy a ticket to see a magician in Vegas.