an evening interrupted

 We've had problems with getting the building unlocked in a timely fashion. It *mainly* affects me, as I think I'm the only one who teaches an 8 am class, but more than once students either left (thinking there was no class) or were waiting outside the door as I came down the hall a few minutes before 8.

At the same time: some of the construction workers and apparently a custodian have been leaving it unlocked at the end of the day; one day someone came in v. early (I think it was an electrician repairing something?) and surprised a guy who had gone into the building over night (later on, a few things were reported missing).

So it's not cool. 

This morning the building was locked up tight again. I had an important assignment due in my 8 am class and the weather was good, so there was a crowd outside the back door at about 5 minutes of 8. I unlocked the door, and ran and unlocked a couple others I knew students used (none were locked).

I grumbled to myself after class about having to do things technically not my job (yes, they say "other duties as assigned" but this is NOT assigned, this is me doing the job someone else had and failed to do). And I said to myself: you have to remember to lock up at the end of the day because chances are the person whose job it is to monitor the doors won't be by. 

Well, I had other things to remember: exams to send off to be copied, and one to send off for someone with an extra time accommodation, and my asthma meds ran out and I had to get a quick refill and the pharmacy had texted me that I could pick it up, so at 3:30 pm I ran out of there and forgot the doors.

(I also wanted to try to get home to get in a workout; I  couldn't motivate myself to do it this morning). 

Got the meds, did the workout, washed my hair. Was thinking about picking up my knitting, and then I remembered: OH NO the doors.

And I thought about that time when they found the guy in the building, who had apparently been there overnight. And I didn't want that to be on me. And I live closer to the building than (I think) anyone else in the department. I quick e-mailed my chair just on the off chance he was still there, or was looking at his e-mail, and he'd e-mail back saying "oh, I did it" (he has locked up a few times). But I didn't hear back. And then I thought: well, it's kind of campus police's job. But then I thought: no, YOU opened the building, you should be the one to go and check.

 So I sighed, changed back into "outdoor clothes" and drove over. I don't love driving at night (astigmatism) but at least this was in town, even if a couple of the residential areas I have to go through have a lot of mature trees and very little in the way of street or house lights. 

And I finally got there

 Someone had locked up. Maybe it was my chair. Maybe it was the guy whose job it was. I don't really care, it got done and I didn't have to run around in the dark and check OTHER doors then.

But I had wanted to work on the yellow cabled vest (I added a few rounds to it over the weekend) but maybe I just go to bed and read instead. I'm enjoying "A Far Better Thing" and I found that in my set of old Dickens novels I DO have A Tale of Two Cities (the source material). I contemplated briefly trying to read them in parallel but I don't think I have the concentration to keep two similar but different novels separate any more, so maybe I consider reading that AFTER. (As I said: I know the basic story, and ages and ages ago saw the old Ronald Colman movie, shown by a long-ago teacher.)