23 July 2009

Random WTF-ness related to my new building

Random WTF comments/moments:
  • To the lady in the green skirt who walked into the building "with" me this morning: If you are going to elbow past me (almost knocking me over) to get in the front door of the building first, please do not turn around and smile at me afterwards. It doesn't make it any better, and I won't smile back.

  • Why do the toilets in the new bathrooms douse my behind more effectively than the sink faucets wet my hands? The toilet flush and the sink faucets are automatic. The toilet inevitably flushes at least once while I am sitting on it, and not infrequently twice after I'm done. This is saving water? The faucet sensor is pointed in a direction that must change everyday and makes no sense anyway. I put the soap on my hand then stand there waving my hands under the faucet (feeling like a moron), trying to get the water to turn on. Not infrequently it catches sight of my hands and turns on just as I am moving my hands to a new spot, so it turns right off. Grrrr.

  • To the driver of the giant SUV with Virginia FOP tags -- just because you are a member of the Fraternal Order of Police does not mean that it is okay for you to park in a handicapped spot. Why yes, all those dirty looks were meant for you.

  • To the people who designed the building -- are you color-blind? My floor is the "green floor". They chose a reasonably nice set of greens, ranging from a dark olive to an unobtrusive lime. But why would you think those colors go with tan and brown speckled carpeting, hmmm? While I suspect you chose the carpet to minimize dirt showing, it still looks weird. And whose idea was the orange floor? Perhaps orange for an entire floor (with that same brown speckled carpeting, mind you) was a bit much...

  • And to the people who run the building: if you think that we will refrain from playing Hollywood Squares or Tic-Tac-Toe in our inner atrium office windows, then you're smoking something...

  • Why is it that I am not allowed to bring my little digital camera into the building, but I can bring in my cell phone which has a built-in camera? Why? Because I am not on "the camera list", that's why. That literally makes no sense.
But regardless of all of the whining and whinging above -- the building structure overall is great. It feels completely weird to work in a state-of-the-art space which is light and somewhat airy and is a nice combination of future and past (e.g., modern clean lines alongside exposed brick). Even the phone system is cool, although the story about my first incoming phone call is for another day...

5 comments:

Jeri said...

I'd really like to know if there's some sort of special technique for putting a paper toilet seat cover on a toilet with an automatic flush sensor. ;)

In spite of the somewhat odd bits and pieces, it sounds lovely!

vince said...

The pushy broad (yes, that's what she was) was giving you the "I win" smile, not an "I'm sorry" smile.

In Minnesota, parking in a handicapped parking spot w/o the appropriate permit is a $278 fine the first time. No exception. I call when I see this happen, oh yes I do.

I'm fortunate in that almost all the automatic toilets I've used have worked correctly.

Glad you are pretty much happy with your new building.

neurondoc said...

Well, I parked my car in that spot today -- karma?

Jeri -- I have no idea how to do that, because I think those paper shields make you feel like you're doing something, but I doubt they actually prevent spread of disease...

Vince -- I didn't get that sense. But I tend to think nicely of people.

It is a remarkably stupidly designed door, to be honest. It is large and heavy and handicapped accessible. You know, one of those doors that you push the big silvery wheelchair button, and then it opens. But when you try and use it like a regular door, it is nigh upon impossible to pull open. And these doors open out, which would be fine, but the push button is placed so that one has to back up or be hit by the right-hand door. She pushed by me as I was backing away from the door.

Nathan said...

Ah! The camera list.

I can't tell you how often I show up to scout some building that prohibits cameras and have this conversation with security:

Security: You're not allowed in the building with a camera.

Me: I'll be happy to wait for Mr. "X" to come down and get me. The camera is the entire purpose of me being here.

Security: But you're not allowed to enter the building with a camera.

Me: Mr. "X" will explain it to you.

Security: You're supposed to be going up to Mr. "X's" office. He's not coming down and you can't enter the building with a camera. You can take it back to your car if you like.

Me: I took the subway; I don't have a car.

Security: I'm very sorry to hear that, but you still can't enter the building with a camera.

Me: Can you get Mr. "X" on the phone?

I explain the situation to Mr. "X" who asks to speak to Mr. Security. I can only hear Mr. Security's side of the conversation.

Security: Well, I'm only following procedure. He's prohibited from entering the building with a camera...Yeah...Uh Huh. OK. (To me): He'll be down in a moment.

When he arrives, the "discussion" will invariably continue and end like this:

Mr. "X": I realize that you don't work for me, but your boss does. Let him in the damned building.

D'oh!

ntsc said...

I could understand why I couldn't take a camera into the code room of the American Paris Embassy, but why would anyone care in an office building?