Thursday, July 22, 2004
I don't know why I can't just let these things go.
Yesterday I was at the courthouse in downtown Vancouver. It's lovely, if you've never been - there's a fountain and a steady stream of water across the roof of the provincial court building, so when you're inside the sunlight (when there is any) is refracted by the water.
Anyways, I was there at Small Claims Court - well, really just the counter - and when I came back upstairs on the escalator, the handrail on the left hand side was very warm. Hot, really. And the handle on the right hand side was quite cool. I looked around for some explanation - like maybe the sun was shining on the left one - but there was none. So I thought, maybe there's a mechanical problem.
Now, we are not talking a life and death situation here. Even if it was a mechanical problem in the making - and it probably wasn't - there was no real need to make a fuss about it. But I couldn't let it go. So I approach the only obvious staff member I can see, the security guard behind the main counter, and I tell him that the left handrail on the up escalator is a lot warmer than the right one.
Now, I'm sure they get all kinds of crazies at the courthouse every day, because this guy barely batted an eyelash at me. "Really?" he said. "Perhaps I should make a note of that." Completely straight-faced.
I try to make it clear that I'm not a crazy by letting him know that I'm aware that it's perhaps not the most likely explanation that there's a mechanical problem with the escalator, it's just one potential explanation, and I just felt a responsibility to bring it to someone's attention. Which basically results in a great deal of babbling from me and blank looks from him. I'm sure he was duly impressed with my lack of craziness.
So I left. And got myself an Americano and a scone. And felt much better.
Yesterday I was at the courthouse in downtown Vancouver. It's lovely, if you've never been - there's a fountain and a steady stream of water across the roof of the provincial court building, so when you're inside the sunlight (when there is any) is refracted by the water.
Anyways, I was there at Small Claims Court - well, really just the counter - and when I came back upstairs on the escalator, the handrail on the left hand side was very warm. Hot, really. And the handle on the right hand side was quite cool. I looked around for some explanation - like maybe the sun was shining on the left one - but there was none. So I thought, maybe there's a mechanical problem.
Now, we are not talking a life and death situation here. Even if it was a mechanical problem in the making - and it probably wasn't - there was no real need to make a fuss about it. But I couldn't let it go. So I approach the only obvious staff member I can see, the security guard behind the main counter, and I tell him that the left handrail on the up escalator is a lot warmer than the right one.
Now, I'm sure they get all kinds of crazies at the courthouse every day, because this guy barely batted an eyelash at me. "Really?" he said. "Perhaps I should make a note of that." Completely straight-faced.
I try to make it clear that I'm not a crazy by letting him know that I'm aware that it's perhaps not the most likely explanation that there's a mechanical problem with the escalator, it's just one potential explanation, and I just felt a responsibility to bring it to someone's attention. Which basically results in a great deal of babbling from me and blank looks from him. I'm sure he was duly impressed with my lack of craziness.
So I left. And got myself an Americano and a scone. And felt much better.
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