Argh. Had a rough night last night. I was at a friend’s birthday party and I could tell I was tired because the party kept going out of focus for me. I’d come to and realize that people were directly addressing me. I was so out of it. Can’t tell what it was; combination of a hangover, the heat and failing my run? I only had two beers which normally wouldn’t be enough to knock me out but, then, since losing all that weight I’m a pushover. Honestly, though, I felt spacy even before I started drinking.
At any rate, when I went home I came through downtown and stopped at my office. The building is secure but I have a keycode to get in. I signed in at the security desk even though there wasn’t a security guard present. I wanted to use some software I have at work to map out some routes for running. I was there for less than a half-hour. Swapped some text messages with a friend who was bored and actually working late that Saturday night. Finished up what I needed to do and went back down to the lobby.
And nearly broke the glass doors trying to get out. There’s a sensor that is supposed to unlock the door for people leaving. I tried the door several times but all the door would do is clank menacingly. It felt physically locked, which was more than annoying. I couldn’t fathom it. Why was it locked? Was it just stuck? If it was, I still couldn’t unstick it. I tried the big red “Open Door” button in the vestibule but the door still wouldn’t open. No alarm went off, though.
I considered looking for the security guard but wasn’t sure there even was one. It was nearly 11:30 PM on a Saturday night. I’d stopped by my office on a weekend before but never this late, so I didn’t know if this was normal. Tired as I was, all I could think about was sleep now. I decided to go upstairs and wait a bit, then come down again and see if a guard showed up. Maybe he was on a break?
When I got back to my desk I must have nodded off. I woke up around 3:40 AM, my contacts dried into little plastic slivers in my eyes, back cramped from slumping over in my chair, mouth tasting like something scraped off my sandals, legs and arms cold from the air conditioning.
Once I got downstairs, I looked at the sign-in sheet. There were at least two other people in the building other than me. Maybe I could find them if I can’t get out? I tried the door and it still felt locked. Fuck! I was so mad. I considered calling someone to come down and trying to enter my keycode in the door, but I couldn’t think of anyone who would answer the phone at 4 AM in the morning. I got so pissed I pushed the door again, hard, my discomfort and pain turning to anger. Voila! The door unstuck and opened. Dammit! Was it just stuck this whole time? Or had someone unlocked it since I was last down here?
I’ll never know.
One more choice to make: expensive taxi ride home? waiting three-plus hours for bus service to resume? or a two hour walk? Being in good physical shape and cheap, I opted for the walk. Dawn was breaking before I reached my neighborhood. I wandered past an encampment of homeless folk, startled at least two huge raccoons and was passed by a cheery morning bicyclist. Heard probably every crow in the inner south east cawing at the sunrise. Wandered in and out of consciousness as I zone out on the walk home. Did a lot of thinking and made notes that I can’t decipher now… all in all an interesting morning.
When I got home I fell in the general direction of my bed and didn’t wake up until after 11 AM. Which means I missed a late-morning date for coffee This posting is my public apology to her. I hate flaking out, even when it’s me that’s doing it.