Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I think I'm getting too old for this kind of thing...

I'm not working as quickly as I usually do today, I did a major stupidity yesterday. About a half hour before I was due to go home (and I was the only one in the office) an employee came in chatting on his cell phone with my boss. The employee had left his badge in the security office and he was pretty desperate to get it back but everyone had gone home for the day. My boss asked me to try to get in there and retrieve it for him if I could.

I got into the outer office okay, but inside there were several cubicles (two with locking doors) for the security folks. The cubicle walls are about 7 feet high is all, not nearly all the way to the ceiling. I stepped onto a chair and my head was over the top and I could see the badge clearly. So I scooted a table over, but that still wasn't enough to get over the wall, so I scooted over a wheeled contraption that the security folks use for their coat rack, which has a shelf at the top. The guy who lost his badge held this steady while I climbed onto it. Then I swung my leg over, and he's thinking to himself, "Wow, she's pretty good," after which he heard a big WHUMP as I fell to the ground on the other side. Ouch.

But not to worry, I was able to slow my descent by sliding my face against the inner wall of the cubicle, which was thoughtfully lined with some sort of sandpaper-textured burlap. Since I'd had the air knocked out of me (landed on my chest) I wasn't able to get up for a few moments as he desperately cried, "Are you okay?" while he's thinking, "I can't get in there to see if she's alive, the door is still locked!" Anyway, I finally pushed myself into a sitting position and unlocked the door, then I struggled to my feet, went over to the desk, picked up his badge and handed it to him. Then I sat down for a few moments to get my breath back, while he's anxiously asking, "Do you want me to get you a cold cloth?" By this time I was feeling much better, so I said no and we put back all the furniture. He mumbled something about hoping there were no security cameras that caught it. Amen to that.

Anyway, when I got home I looked at where my arm was hurting and there is a lovely bruise there so I wore long sleeves today. I also looked at my knees and they're a beautiful shade of blue and purple as well. Plus I've got another big bruise on my left calf. And when I took off my makeup last night I noticed I have a bruise across the bridge of my nose as well. :::sigh:::  And this morning when I woke up I was incredibly sore. 

I'm obviously not as athletic as I am in my imagination, because that turned out so much better in my head than it did in reality.  But I have to say that for a security office, it wasn't that hard to get in and I take a sort of perverse satisfaction in that. 



8 comments:

Sarah said...

I'm glad you're ok and i hope you get over the soreness soon!

Frik said...

I'm really glad you're ok.

The upside is that it makes a good Mission-Impossible-esque story (even if the execution was a little off) :)

I disagree about the video though, I think it would make a nice consolation prize :D

TheWizard said...

Nice bruises!! Bet they're gone before the wedding!

Scooter said...

I hope you feel better okay, but I got to say- I'm a bit proud to hear this story

Berserk said...

Hilarious!

Would it be rude of me to point out that it would have been a lot less painful (and probably a lot easier) to jimmy the door?

Susie said...

Sarah, I ended up going to the doctor yesterday because of workman's comp issues, just to make sure I was actually okay. Even though he said I'd feel worse for the next few days, I feel much better today. Frik, I guess I have to agree about having that video. I could always have entered it in the "America's Funniest Home Videos" contest. Wizard, nice bruises indeed. I have eye shadow this color and it's one of my favorites. Scooter, if I've made you proud my work is done. Berserk, glad to amuse. Wish I could have heard you laughing, I love your laugh. Jimmy'ing the door would have caused permanent damage, right?

Love you all.

Mom

TheWizard said...

How did the wall you slid down fare?

Berserk said...

I guess I'm better at jimmying doors than you are, Mom. :)

If the door is cheap (like, for example, a cubicle door) then it probably won't be damaged in the process.

Also, climbing over cubicle walls is not done without risk of permanent damage.