I have the surreal feeling that I am a character in a television series. I have decided the frustrating thing about this feeling is that I cannot tell if the series is a drama or a comedy.
So last Friday was a strange day. The fire marshal visited our building. He condemned several offices (no surprise), said that there was far too much junk stored on our research floor, and noted that our largest classroom had more chairs than was allowed by the fire code. A full report was to be provided so we could take the necessary remedial steps.
That was Friday.
This morning, Monday, I am walking toward the building thinking about the mysteries of life (see my last post describing the door to no where) when I encounter the scene I decided to capture with my cell phone.
“This is probably not good”, I said to myself.
But look at the arrangement. Such a neat display. Everything in perfect rows and even color coded. Maybe someone decided to hold class outside. The odds were not great, but it was still a possibility. I think folks in the humanities and education are more likely to take their classes outside and sit in the grass. Look the chairs are arranged as if in an amphitheater – that is more like the Psychology I know and love.
Nope, my gut reaction was correct. It was trouble. Buildings and grounds had decided to act immediately on the fire marshal’s concern and bring the lecture hall up (or down in this case) to specs. If the sign on the back of the door said maximum occupancy was 75, then 75 chairs it would be.
Count the number of chairs removed. The custodian claimed it was 27. I am assuming the extra students in the moderate sized classes we convene in this room were supposed to sit on the floor or maybe Building and Grounds assumed class attendance would be down at this time of the semester and we could get by with fewer seats.
A few phone calls and we reached detente. They can take the chairs eventually, but we can provide places to sit for two more weeks. We will watch closely so that no one lights the carpet, the only item in the classroom that might burn, on fire.
See what I mean about strange events. How could anyone make something like this up?