Yesterday was the first day of my new contract. I got to work for 8 a.m. and my security pass wouldn't work. Because the front desk hadn't received any new papers from HR, they had terminated my pass and I wasn't allowed in until my manager could sign me in. My manager came in at 9:15 a.m. and signed me in, only to get up to my cube and see that my other manager was already there! He had gotten in around 8:15 a.m. for a call, and we had somehow not seen each other.
To top it all off my computer access was also terminated, and couldn't be reinstated until today. I went home to "work from home" because I would at least have Internet access and personal e-mail to use. My managers sent me a few releases to work on, but there wasn't much else I could do without my computer and files from work.
This morning I went in for 7:30 a.m. so I could leave early to go get my passport application done. At 9 a.m. on Fridays we have donuts and coffee for half and hour. I wasn't planning on going today because I wanted to catch up on stuff I had missed yesterday, but I decided to go over for 10 minutes to catch up with people and have a donut. We had some nasty weather here in Ottawa today, including hail and gusting winds. A colleague was telling us how the wind tunnel created between our parking garage and the first of the two buildings (which are attached) was so crazy that it blew a metal awning off of a doorway and came crashing down. He also noticed the smell of gas and reported it to the front desk.
No sooner did he finish his story, and I finished my last bite of donut, did the alarm go off. I wanted to rush back over to the other building where my cube is to get my coat, but the doors connecting the two buildings closes and locks automatically when the alarm is activated. A voice came over the loud speaker and told everyone to evacuate to the far side of the building (away from the side near the parking garage) right away. A colleague grabbed some coroporate branded sweaters and a coat for me to wear and we headed outside with our box of Timbits.
A short while later people became coming around to the hundreds of us standing outside saying it was going to be a long time and that we were all being sent home. I had no keys, wallet, phone, coat etc... so someone drove me to my parent's work to get a key for their house and I waited there.
Theo left work early and came to get me and here I sit at the apartment now. I had three tickets to the
Vagina Monologues presentation at the Bronson Centre tonight -- but they are in my wallet at work. My passport application is also in my bag at work, so I guess I won't be going to get that until Monday or Tuesday.
What a crazy way to begin a new contract, and end the week.
I'm very tired and blah now -- and I'm not sure if it's from not sleeping well/getting up early, or if it's from the gas... weird.
Let's hope on Monday I can actually get some work done! For those of you in Ottawa -- please do go see the show -- it's great!
