Q: When a driver approaches an intersection at which the power to the signal lights is out, the proper behavior is to:
A) Act as if the signal lights never existed in the first place, and continue through without regard for other vehicles.
B) Immediately stop and become frozen with fear, knuckles white from the crushing grip on the steering wheel.
C) Treat the intersection as though it were a four-way stop.A fairly large area around my place of employment lost power yesterday (that I was testing a theoretical multi-phasic step-up transformer at the time is purely coincidental, I’m quite sure ...), and as I looked out my window down at the busy intersection below, I saw far more of the first two behaviors than the third. I was quite amazed that there were no accidents. Disappointed, of course, morbid ghoul that I am, but amazed nonetheless.
That’s not to say that I don’t get thoroughly confused when something in the societal infrastructure in which we exist goes awry. In fact, yesterday, as I stood observing the chaos below, I exclaimed quite loudly “Jesus fucking CHRIST! Look at these fucking DOUCHEBAGS!” before realizing that the lack of electricity did not render the 10 or so coworkers/superiors within earshot deaf to my vocalizations.
I meet with Human Resources this afternoon.
The power was off for around 10 minutes when the Director came around saying that he’d heard from Idaho Power that we could expect up to a 2-hour outage, and that people should go ahead and leave for the day. Having no real desire to experience anything resembling the insanity of Pamplona, nor even, for that matter, Ketchum, I calmly sat at my desk, removed my big-boy shoes and put on my Chucks, secured my vodka in the locking desk drawer, and ...
... let out a heavy “fffffuuuuuu ...” as the lights came back on just as I grabbed my jacket.
The other idiots (who, just minutes before, had shared my smug sense of superiority in allowing the masses to crush each other like Who fans upon the Director’s pronouncement) and I looked at each other with sad resignation and trudged back to our desks. Damn it.
Maybe Monday I’ll experiment with the fire alarm.
4 comments:
cruel electricity... oh to have been born in the dark ages
DAMN! There was a fire drill at BSU yesterday. Some maintenance-y guy came outside to say, "come in in 3 minutes" and the collective groan of disappointment was heard round the world.
Niamh - I remember when Mr. Edison first lit up Menlo Park with his new-fangled "flameless torch." Those really were simpler times.
Sarah - I'm a little surprised that you were still there when the maintenance guy came out. I hope we've both learned our lesson.
yea!!!
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