What a Monday!
Posted on July 3, 2007
Filed Under Australia - The land down under |
I had a great start to my week yesterday. After having a relatively sleepless night because a certain puppy felt the need to go toilet at 2am and then decided that a wander around the backyard was in order, I rushed through my morning routine in a bit of haze, barely even getting a sip of my coffee.
After a weekend of torrential rain and wind, the roads were full of broken tree limbs and driving was a bit like doing an obstacle course…until I reached the freeway that is. For all you Canadians out there, Australians respond to rain in Perth the way Torontonians respond to snow. Badly. Of course, I’ve never seen it rain as hard as it does here and visibility is very limited but even after the rain, traffic is still slowed to a crawl, which on the freeway means I sat on the Mitchell car park for over 40 minutes.
After finally arriving in the city, the car park I use daily was almost full, forcing me to park on the 9th level. I, of course, head for the lift to go down to street level. after about 10 seconds in the lift, my stomach flies into my throat and a very nasty grating noise fills the air as we plummet about 5 floors. Myself and the two women in there with me laugh nervously as the free fall ends and we slow to a halt.
Somewhere between the second and third floors.
After trying fruitlessly to open the doors or get the elevator going again, we decide to ring the alarm for help. About five minutes later we get a reply.
“A mechanic is on his way. It’ll be about half and hour.”
“!!???!!”
So we sit, making little jokes about the movie Speed and wishing we all had a coffee. (I’m really hanging out for a coffee now…remember, I only got a sip at home.) I call Brian and my boss to advise them of my situation and they both laugh at me… great.
Over 30 minutes later, the lift drops really quickly the last two floors and the doors open and start to close again really quickly. We throw ourselves in the way to keep them open and climb over the foot or so gap between the floor of the lift and the ground.
Off to work I go. Upon arrival I get waylaid by “A” who is in a rush to leave and needs me to take care of some stuff for her, before I finally get to the kitchen to make my coffee. I turn the water on and…nothing.
The water has been shut off as the people working on the office upstairs have caused damage to a valve or something. ARGHHHHHHHHHH!
“N” (my boss) suggests that if I were brave enough, I could go across the street to DOME and get us both a coffee and a muffin there. (Remember, still raining and blowing a gale.)
My desperate need for caffeine overrides my common sense and I agree, borrowing A’s Mercedes umbrella as I had forgotten mine. Her pride and joy apparently.
On exiting the building, I promptly open said umbrella which immediately flips itself backwards in the wind. *sigh* A kind passer-by helped me to right it thank goodness because the lack of caffeine in my bloodstream and the events of the morning are making me feel kind of woozy and a little like sitting down and crying.
I did get the coffee and a blueberry danish (for the blood sugar, you know) and thankfully, the rest of the day passed pretty much uneventfully with the exception of driving home in a hurricane (OK, but it FELT like one.)
On the bright side… it was payday. 
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4 Responses to “What a Monday!”
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What an ordeal!
Oh wow, what a day!! That would have been so freaky in the elevator, especially it sort of freefalling!!
So that job is still going welll then? Is it in the middle of the city?
p.s. well done Chelsea on the trumpet solo!!!
What a terrible Monday. I hope the rest of your week was good.
Hope the job is going well. We need to catch up soon.
I could meet you in the city one day. A nice sunny day of course!
I just had to check the date to make sure it wasn’t Friday the 13th!