I was originally thinking about this last night, but was too busy with homework to post. Maybe if I had that would've been the end of it, or maybe I would have had to write an addendum today.
It started yesterday at school:
I forgot how to open the door. I know that sounds silly, and thinking about it right now, it really is, but that's the truth of it. I have those monstrously large doors at the courtyard to both buildings of my school and I just couldn't get them open.
When I went to work there was a guy who was going to the lab. He stepped over and buzzed and I pushed at the door. Nothing happened. He buzzed again and I pushed, still nothing going on. And again, but this time I tried moving the handle. The fourth time he buzzed, pulled and pushed and we got in.
After work I went next door to turn in the keys. Three times I buzzed and three times I was unable to open the door. Noone else was around to help me, and then I remembered I still had the keys to the building in my bag as I had closed up the school the night before. I finally was able to get in by using the key.
Frustrating. Comical, yes, but definitely frustrating.
When I got home last night the key turned in the lock a few too many times. I just attributed it to my bad door luck and thought nothing more of it till, oh, let's say about 45 minutes ago. I should have been a few hours, though.
It should have hit me about 8 am. When the kid left for school this morning she couldn't get the key to work correctly - she couldn't get it out or get the door unlocked - I don't remember exactly, but it was something. I pulled her key out and used my key to unlock the door - and it worked just fine. She left and was on her merry way.
When she got to school she called me as the door was locked and no one was responding to the buzzer. She didn't quite know what to do (I forgot to mention she was running late at that point, school had already started). During our conversation someone saw her outside and buzzed her in. Great.
Then me - I have class... and so like a good student I was leaving for class in a timely manner when it happened. The lock broke.
I stuck my key in and opened the door and when I went to pull it out it wouldn't let me. I pulled and pulled and finally turned and turned and then it slid out - with the lock fully extended. I tried to use my key to retract the lock so I could close the door, but no dice. That lock wasn't going to move - it wouldn't budge no matter what I did - and I tried both sides of the doors, jiggling it, looked at was I shoving the key in too far, not far enough, too hard, too gently.... I was stuck in my house with a door that wouldn't close.
So I emailed my landlord in the hopes that he'd check his email, see my plight, and come to our rescue, much like he did when we blew the main fuse outside the apartment. And I sat down to wait. I can't leave with my front door wide open. I can't close the door. I wasn't seeing many other options.
And then I heard it - something in the hall. So I ran out to check and there was a man... whose english skills are equivalent to my czech, but with a bit of mime and the obvious visual aids he was able to understand my problem. I thought - I'm saved, I've just somehow triggered some freaky door lock thingy and this guy is czech so he knows how to undo it. I was wrong. I didn't trigger anything. The lock was broken.
And with a sudden change in luck, it turns out the guy I'd cornered was the handyman and he ran downstairs and got the part I needed and switched it out in under 5 minutes.
And I have missed a good portion of class already, so I'm headed over to join in with the break and explain to my instructor what the heck happened. I still don't know what I did, and I really hoping I can remember how to open the doors once I get to school... I'm sort of counting on my luck to change.... something, anything, just get me back in the gods good graces... or I'm going to be stuck inside and outside of a lot of buildings for some time to come.
*************************
Evening update: When I got to school the door was open, but I got jumbled up trying to leave school and buzzing myself out. When I got home I freaked out - the key was not on my ring - but it had jumped to another key ring - I didn't remember moving it, but it was the key that opened the door so I forgot about the freaky moving key... until...
I got a phone call from the kid. I'd run out to the grocery store and she had arrived home and the door would not open! She tried and tried but her key would not open the door! Fortunately I was on my way home, around the corner, so she waited for me and when we arrived back upstairs I opened the door with my key... the freaky key that had changed key rings. Upon closer inspection it is a new key - the lock was changed, not just a piece of the lock, and so tomorrow I have to go make copies so we can both freely access our house.
It started yesterday at school:
I forgot how to open the door. I know that sounds silly, and thinking about it right now, it really is, but that's the truth of it. I have those monstrously large doors at the courtyard to both buildings of my school and I just couldn't get them open.
When I went to work there was a guy who was going to the lab. He stepped over and buzzed and I pushed at the door. Nothing happened. He buzzed again and I pushed, still nothing going on. And again, but this time I tried moving the handle. The fourth time he buzzed, pulled and pushed and we got in.
After work I went next door to turn in the keys. Three times I buzzed and three times I was unable to open the door. Noone else was around to help me, and then I remembered I still had the keys to the building in my bag as I had closed up the school the night before. I finally was able to get in by using the key.
Frustrating. Comical, yes, but definitely frustrating.
When I got home last night the key turned in the lock a few too many times. I just attributed it to my bad door luck and thought nothing more of it till, oh, let's say about 45 minutes ago. I should have been a few hours, though.
It should have hit me about 8 am. When the kid left for school this morning she couldn't get the key to work correctly - she couldn't get it out or get the door unlocked - I don't remember exactly, but it was something. I pulled her key out and used my key to unlock the door - and it worked just fine. She left and was on her merry way.
When she got to school she called me as the door was locked and no one was responding to the buzzer. She didn't quite know what to do (I forgot to mention she was running late at that point, school had already started). During our conversation someone saw her outside and buzzed her in. Great.
Then me - I have class... and so like a good student I was leaving for class in a timely manner when it happened. The lock broke.
I stuck my key in and opened the door and when I went to pull it out it wouldn't let me. I pulled and pulled and finally turned and turned and then it slid out - with the lock fully extended. I tried to use my key to retract the lock so I could close the door, but no dice. That lock wasn't going to move - it wouldn't budge no matter what I did - and I tried both sides of the doors, jiggling it, looked at was I shoving the key in too far, not far enough, too hard, too gently.... I was stuck in my house with a door that wouldn't close.
So I emailed my landlord in the hopes that he'd check his email, see my plight, and come to our rescue, much like he did when we blew the main fuse outside the apartment. And I sat down to wait. I can't leave with my front door wide open. I can't close the door. I wasn't seeing many other options.
And then I heard it - something in the hall. So I ran out to check and there was a man... whose english skills are equivalent to my czech, but with a bit of mime and the obvious visual aids he was able to understand my problem. I thought - I'm saved, I've just somehow triggered some freaky door lock thingy and this guy is czech so he knows how to undo it. I was wrong. I didn't trigger anything. The lock was broken.
And with a sudden change in luck, it turns out the guy I'd cornered was the handyman and he ran downstairs and got the part I needed and switched it out in under 5 minutes.
And I have missed a good portion of class already, so I'm headed over to join in with the break and explain to my instructor what the heck happened. I still don't know what I did, and I really hoping I can remember how to open the doors once I get to school... I'm sort of counting on my luck to change.... something, anything, just get me back in the gods good graces... or I'm going to be stuck inside and outside of a lot of buildings for some time to come.
*************************
Evening update: When I got to school the door was open, but I got jumbled up trying to leave school and buzzing myself out. When I got home I freaked out - the key was not on my ring - but it had jumped to another key ring - I didn't remember moving it, but it was the key that opened the door so I forgot about the freaky moving key... until...
I got a phone call from the kid. I'd run out to the grocery store and she had arrived home and the door would not open! She tried and tried but her key would not open the door! Fortunately I was on my way home, around the corner, so she waited for me and when we arrived back upstairs I opened the door with my key... the freaky key that had changed key rings. Upon closer inspection it is a new key - the lock was changed, not just a piece of the lock, and so tomorrow I have to go make copies so we can both freely access our house.
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