Condition of Release, 2/5

Sam's fanfiction archive has moved. The story formerly found here may now be found at:

http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/143149.html

Thank you for your patience!

(no subject)

The problem with working in an operations and facilities position within an office is that people expect you to know everything. The problem with being good at your job is that people get angry when you don't know everything.

My purview is this office. I know it top to bottom and inside out, I know where everything is (once I badgered the location of the supply cupboard out of an admin) and while I'm not capable of procuring anything an employee might need, I can walk them through procuring it for themselves. I know how many chairs we have (seriously, it went into the Big Book). If I had a criminal mind, there's no end to the mischief I could achieve.

Here are things I cannot do: give people directions to our building, our building's parking garage, or a nearby parking garage I've never been to. You know why? I don't drive. And it's not my job. If you are driving to work, it is YOUR JOB to know how to get here, and if you don't know, it's YOUR JOB to go to Google Maps and find the hell out before you are on Lake Shore Drive coming here. I DON'T DRIVE. I CANNOT DIRECT YOU. My directions would be, "Park at the nearest El stop and ride the train".

Don't snipe at me! It's seven forty-five on a Tuesday, you're lucky I answered the damn phone!

Anyway. HEY HAVE SOME FANFIC.

Condition of Release, Part 2 of 5.

(no subject)

Here is a tip, my children, from me to you:

If the place where you are is ever on fire, leave that place.

(this icon: never more apt!)

This is something I learned consciously as the Safety Captain, though I would hope that prior to my training I would have had the good sense to do it anyway.

My El stop from work to home is the Grand stop on the Red Line, which is underground. I went down to the platform as usual and walked to the southern end of it, because the first and last train cars are always the emptiest and the first car on the Red Line is usually pretty full. And I noticed the air was...cloudy.

At first I thought, well, nobody else is worried, it must just be brake smoke from the last train, or possibly dust. I mean there were people just standing there in a cloud of smoke. But I looked down the tunnel and saw train headlamps, and between me and the train headlamps was live flame. The track was on fire.

No matter how many inconveniences you are facing -- three flights up to the surface, catching a cab, paying the cab fare home -- if you are in a subway tunnel and it is ON FIRE, YOU SHOULD LEAVE. I know the train is right there, but between you and the train is FIRE, and you are basically in a long unventilated room with only two exits, both of them stairways, which are notoriously dangerous in a mass panic situation.

So I looked around at the people just standing there in the smoke, watching the security guards try to figure out what to do about THE FIRE DID I MENTION FIRE, and I thought, no. Really, no. And I left and caught a cab home.

Seriously. If Flame, Then Leave. No inconvenience is worth your life.

(no subject)

And then I fell asleep and slept through NCIS. SADFACE.

On the other hand, all the comments on my BY THE WAY THE EL CAUGHT ON FIRE post inspired some truly wicked Gmail Adbar links. I have uncovered the most badass college degree ever: FIRE SCIENCE.

"So, what's your major?"
"FIRE."