Friday, July 11, 2008

Stuart Little

At work yesterday:

Occurrences before the find:

Tina: I heard T.G. a couple days ago talking to someone in facilities asking who he should tell that he saw a mouse.
Janet: Yesterday I was walking the hallway but I didn't have my glasses on. I thought I saw a mouse running down the grey carpet but then I thought, No, it must just be that I can't see well.
Katie: Do you know why there are so many mouse traps? Guess whose office it was seen in first. Judy's! (our CFO) Ed (facilities manager) kept shaking his head asking why it had to be hers.

After the find:
Tina: Sandra, did you see it?
Sandra: See what?
Tina: The mouse
Sandra: WHERE??
Tina: In the cube across from Janet. When we were leaving the meeting it caught my eye.

I walk around the cubes and stand with 4 other people gawking. On the floor by the wall under the window is a small box with a tiny grey mouse dead on his side.
Wendy: There's another box in Roger's cube. Someone should go check that one to see if one is in there.
Sandra: Seriously? (notices Wendy has her cell phone open) Did you take a picture of it?
Wendy: Uh huh. I'm going to send it to Lucy (Lucy's old cube has the mouse but they moved her to a different building recently)

I go to check Rogers mouse trap but it's empty.

Kathy: There's a MOUSE?! WHERE? (goes to see mouse) OMG someone needs to come take that thing. Who do we call? What is the number to facilities? 9, 1, what? Anyone know? They gotta get that thing out of here.

Sandra: It's a dead mouse Kathy. It's not going to hurt you.
Kathy: I don't care. I can't work in here knowing that it's there. Those things give me the creeps.
Sandra: I'll email facilities. Hang on. I'll email Carlos.


2:13pm "Please send someone up here. We caught a mouse in one of the traps. He’s in Lucy V's OLD cube. It’s freaking some ladies out so he needs to be removed quick".
2:30pm Hi Sandra,
Are you sure you don’t want to keep it as a pet, just kidding. We’ll come to get it.
Carlos


Fire Drill goes off. Everyone has to leave building and stand in 90 degree weather.
I've got an ERT flag on my cube but I was gone the week they did the training. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I head outside with everyone else. Secretly wondering if the mouse is the cause for the drill. Nah. See Wendy talking to Lucy down the steps showing her the picture of the mouse.
Sandra: Lucy, you're supposed to take ALL your belongings.
Lucy: Laughing.

Walk towards the front of the building outside and spot a few ERT friends with orange vests being told by the security manager that they did a good job. They can tell everyone they can go back inside.

Sandra: Where did you guys get your vests?
Katie: From the file cabinet. Where's yours?
Sandra: I don't know where mine is? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do?
Katie: Did you sweep your area?
Sandra: No, I don't even know what my area IS.
Katie: You didn't sweep your area? What if someone is still in there.
Sandra: I wasn't here for the training. Why they put my ERT flag on my cube is a huge mystery.
We all walk back inside. She shows me her file cabinet and tells me I must have one in my area too.
Katie: Go look for it.

I walk back to my cube.


Kathy: The mouse is still here?! I saw someone from facilities over here before we left. Why didn't they take it? They gotta get this thing out of here.
Sandra: The drill happened so they probably left to deal with that. Someone will be up here. Don't worry.

3:01pm email to everyone from facilities manager:
"A motor on one of our rooftop air-conditioning units exploded, starting a fire, which triggered the building alarm. The fire was put out and the all clear signal was given. The fire department has also inspected the roof and given us the all-clear.

Any smoke you may smell is residual and will dissipate in a few minutes.

The air-conditioning unit is currently down, a replacement motor is on its way, and repairs will take 1-2 hours to complete. Until it is repaired, the central finance area will be without air-conditioning.

Even though few people saw or smelled anything, a real threat was present; thanks to everybody for timely evacuating the building and listening to the Emergency Response Team."

Facilities: 2 men show up at my cube Hi Sandra. There's a mouse?
Sandra: pointing to the window The other side by the corner in the box.
Kathy: Over here! Please come take it.

Sandra receives 5 calendar appointments for ERT fire extinguisher and CPR training. Thank goodness.


Life back to normal....

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