Miss Information is annoyed by a winter storm
Ok. So Friday it snowed. A lot. Miss Information was working the late shift and things were well and truly out of control when she got to work around noon. For one thing the library parking lot was never ploughed. The maintenance guys are obviously busy on days like this and although the library is one of the largest in this part of town, it was not made a priority. Miss Information understands. Most of the patrons live within walking distance. On the other hand, about 75% of staff drives. Many of them drive tiny-little-easily-stuck-in-the-snow-able cars. Miss Information has been considering trading in for one of them but she does so enjoy her ground clearance.The library almost never closes for something as wimpy as a little snow, but amazingly the decision was made. Then the fun started. The parking lot was now impassable and those little tiny cars didn't stand a chance. Miss Information was one of the last to leave because she had helped lock up the building. She also loaded her ice scraper to a colleague. Not to be impolite, but GET YOURSELF A DAMN ICE SCRAPER! You know who you are.
So, in the end Miss Information, one of the muscley male librarians and two managers stayed behind to help dig out their remaining colleague. As they were shovelling, pushing, shovelling, pushing, a car turned into the parking lot. The more senior of the managers tried valiantly to stop the inevitable. The customer (who comes to the library during a blizzard?) was upset. What do you mean the library's closed? Her son had to work tonight at (name of big retail chain). A big retail chain which, by the way, SELLS ICE SCRAPERS. Someone who shall remain nameless might want to check that out.
The manager was extremely, and quite beyond the call of duty, patient and the patron reluctantly agreed to go away. Sadly, instead of reversing out of the parking lot, which would have worked, the customer, in a superb moment of stupidity came forward. Although now two cars were well and truly stuck, Miss Information really appreciated the poetic justice at work.
Unfortunately, the new car was now blocking the exit. The senior manager offered the excellent pushing and shovelling services of the library staff. The customer, however, insisted that she was fine, that her front wheel drive would save her. Ummm...no...she was wrong about that. She was completely stuck. After watching her struggle for awhile and over her vigorous objections, the staff just ignored her and started pushing. After getting her out, they returned to their colleague, who really needs to invest in a car with better traction that isn't quite so close to the ground. Also a damn ice scraper. They're cheap for god's sake.
3 Comments:
Do warn the poor ice-scrapper-less person to be sure to pic one up before s/he's stuck at home without one. Because the only other thing that really works is a coffee cup, but that'll leave permanent scratches on his/her glass.
I'm right there with you on the car choice, Miss. I'm constantly astounded by those who urge me to trade in for one of those tiny-little-easily-stuck-in-the-snow-able cars.
Living in a place where we have a little thing called Winter, I, too, am quite smitten with my ground clearance... AND require my car to have a decent amount of oomph (that mystical combination of horsepower and durability) with which to bull through fairly large amounts of snow on side streets and the like. This is a good thing, as I like to be able to maybe DRIVE someplace rather than getting stuck before I exit my driveway, and sometimes Spring arrives long before the snow plows get to us regular folk.
"But our tiny-little-easily-stuck-in-the-snow-able cars save us, oh, SO much every year on gas, you simply must get one as well!" my acquaintances squeal giddily (those who know me, know better LOL).
Yeah, I just BET their cars are real fuel-savers... it sometimes seems that, for well-nigh an entire season, one requires elbow grease behind the car at least as often as gas for the engine in order to drive anywhere :-D.
Fencing Librarian completely understands the snow-thing. She also has a "woman in charge" who only lives two minutes from the library and espouses the belief that if she can get there, so can everyone else--regardless of whether they live two minutes away or two hours! Do we not understand the life-and-death situation resulting from not having a video to watch on a snowy afternoon? Hmmmm. I thought that was reserved for hospitals, but still. . .
Anyway, Fencing Librarian's favorite snowy day activity is answering the library's phone to field the number one snowy day question: "Are you open?" It takes all of the Fencing Librarian's effort to refrain from informing the patron that the library is indeed closed, she is just answering the phone because she was in here robbing the joint and wanted some peace and quiet. This is after all a library!
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