hurt feelings, and ewwww...

[Victoria J]

It's been a relatively quiet day today, at least inside the building.

I've twice today accompanied a coworker on her cigarette break. I don't smoke but I like an occasional 5 minute break

Our advice centre is located in a building made from three houses knocked together in the middle of a terraced row (mostly shops downstairs and flats upstairs except for us). The buildings huge and confusing - we have sole use of some of it and share other bits with other community organisations and small businesses. We have our own front door with our sign and bell etc. which lets in to our waiting room, then 2 shop fronts down there's the communal door for the building which we use as the "back" door.

That's we're we stand when coworker M goes out to smoke.

Ewww...

The first time was in the morning.

We're standing outside talking about work, and gossip, and the nice bright sunshine (it's cold but there's proper daylight !) and nothing much. I'm looking down the street and there's this old guy who seems to be looking at us a bit strangely. Next time I look he's weaving towards us.

I'm quite relieved when he walks past us - and doesn't either crazy-accost us, or try and get advice.

But then a couple of meters further he stops, and I'm not really paying attention until I realise there's all this yellow liquid gushing, and then that he's peeing on our building !

The "wall" he peed up is actually 1 way mirror glass - luckily the people in that office were'nt looking out. They'd have had a lovely view.

I had to explain to my colleague what had made me jaw drop as I was looking the other way. Then we wondered if we should have challenged him but he was so obviously not all there.

I don't know if it was cleared up. The buildings cleaner Eva bumped into us when we were still looking shocked and may have gone out to throw down some water - but we wouldn't have asked her to. (She's wonderful but a bit crazed. She's 70+, once beat me up thoroughly at Wii boxing at another coworkers house, and had to be prevented from going onto the roof to clean it. The other day I went into a corridor and caught her mopping the ceilings ).

Hurt Feelings

In the afternoon I was standing out there with M, the smoker, and D, another non-smoker looking for a quick break.

We're minding our own business when someone goes up and looks at the advice centre doors and instead of knocking comes down to hassle us.

However I know this guy. I saw him at the end of last week and arranged for him to see a housing solicitor for an urgent appointment yesterday. Unfortunately he has problems with his memory, unfortunately he missed his appointment...

So he comes up and starts telling us he has a 3 o'clock appointment today, and I start trying to explain he doesn't. And he goes on and on explaining to me about this appointment being booked etc. , and I keep explaining about talking to the solicitor yesterday when he didn't turn up...

We talked to him about rearranging the appointment, and I explained that considering his health problems no one was going to be upset about him missing the one appointment we'd just do our best to sort it out. And that's true - but I am upset he couldn't even remember I was the one who booked him the appointment. And I'm pretty annoyed he got all self-righteous about how he couldn't be expected to know when the appointment was because we hadn't sent him a letter. It's true we hadn't - I put it in his hand personally before he left the building.

It's so nice to know you make an impression on people.

Victoria J

[wagegoth]

The other day I went into a corridor and caught her mopping the ceilings ).

Uh *raising hand* I really need my kitchen ceiling cleaned.

[Victoria J]

Uh *raising hand* I really need my kitchen ceiling cleaned.

She was standing on the stairs mopping with a mop at least 2 foot taller than herself. Mopping a ceiling so shabby you really can't tell whether it's dirty.

I'm not necessarily against the mopping of ceilings it's just she needs to be held back before she hurts herself.

As mentioned above she kept insisting on going out on the roof to clean it. The roof is flat - and there has been a problem with leaves blocking the guttering. However you can only get out by climbing through windows, and the sight of her out there brushing up leaves and climbing in with huge bags of rubbish terrified us all. Now someone from building maintenance checks for the leaves.

She's also been seen on her hands and knees picking up dirt because it's "less hassle" than using the vacuum cleaner. Individual bits of dirt...

She keeps the place pretty clean. The toilets are always spotless. She can't do so much with shabby carpet and walls that need painting. But she is over 70 and we rather like her and are all trying to make sure she doesn't kill herself. She's also about 5 foot tall which makes all the climing and carrying that bit more dangerous for her.

Oh - and she takes out all (4 ? 5 ?) big industrial wheelie bins every week and won't let us help.

She doesn't clean our bit of the building (and sadly refused when offered the work because she hasn't got the time for the extra work) but when the child of a client was horribly sick and we asked to borrow some of her cleaning supplies she insisted on doing the clean up. ANd the day I accidentally set of a fire extinguisher (not my fault, the fault of the idiot who had placed it so that when I opened a door the door hit the trigger) she'd cleaned up all the foam while I was still trying to find someone and explain what had happened (leading to a TA-DA, and this is the amazing mess I made everywhere....where'd it go moment).

Don't let my belief that she is generally insane and needs stopping stop you from mopping a ceilings that really needs it

Victoria J

[PepperElf]

that and.... i hope she wasn't right under her mop...
cos you don't want dirty ceiling hitting you in the face