Friday, April 11, 2008

By the pricking of my thumbs...

We've all had to go through it - waiting at a test centre for a blood test. Getting out in the frosty morning air, taking a number, waiting, waiting, waiting...

Back when I was severely depressed, I didn't mind this part of my life. I'd sit quietly for hours and never have one thought. However, now that I'm no longer so down, I get frustrated and bored more easily! And waiting with 140 other humans, none of who has had their morning coffee... Well, it's not my favourite thing to do!

And then there's the human factor. Like the well-dress businessman, who stood near a wall. Stood erect, not leaning, eyes focused a little up in the air. "I'm a respected businessman. I'm thinking important things, right now. I'm not looking at anybody."

In fact, apparently NOBODY was looking at anybody! Everyone was trying hard to pretend they weren't there, being bored out of their skulls at waiting for a blood test....

Then there was the front door.

The front door of the CLSC is locked until 9 am. Or supposed to be. There's a sign, very near the front door, telling people to go to the REAR door if the front door is locked.

But the door is an all-glass sliding door. You have to walk away from the door to find the sign. That doesn't seem to happen much. Mostly what happens is, someone very nearly walks into the door, because they are expecting it to open. Then they look up and start waving their arms. Then they put their hands to the glass and peer in. They can see people inside, so they know that somehow these people gained entrance. So they step back and wave their arms again!

One intrepid fellow waved so long that someone got up, went to the door and pushed against the frame. The door ground open, inch by inch, and slammed back closed as soon as the goofball had entered.

Count to ten. Goofball is back, wanting out this time. What does he do? Well, first, he nearly slams into the door. Then he stands back, looks up, proceeds to wave his arms. When none of this works, he cautiously approaches the door frame and, first with one hand, then with two, proceeds to grind the door open, and escapes quickly before the door swishes shut on him.

This sequence is repeated ad nauseum. If I were sick, if I were near the breaking point, I would have started screaming at them. "Read the sign! Go to the back door, numbskulls! Hey! There's another door! This one doesn't unlock for TWO MORE HOURS! If you can't figure your way out of this, GO HOME - a blood test won't help! Trust me!"

Close to 9, the poor building guy comes in to work, and is grabbed by the elbow half a dozen times on his way to the janitor's closet. "The door's stuck." "No, monsieur, it's locked." "Well, people keep opening it and it makes an awful noise." "The door's stuck" "no madame, it's locked...."

OH MY GOD. Is this humanity at it's finest!

God save us all!

No comments: