Wearying day at work today. Just installing software on heaps of PCs, boring and repetitve. Enter Licence key, hit "I agree" then "Suivant" and "Suivant" and so on . . .
We need better procedures and some day I'll dust off my old BPI green belt and do some real work, for now I am just the PC guy. Whatever, I just turned 57 , what do I know ? Getting ready to knock off, I'm crossing the school yard in front of the assembly hall and suddenly a torrent of people began to emerge, all in fine fettle. It seems that while I was slaving away in empty classrooms, parents and students were at a big enjoyable bash with the school management including my boss, and I never got invited !
Oh wtf, I did not feel left out, in any case I'm off home. Except I see that everybody is trying to squeeze out of one half of the double door. And worse, lots of folk are lingering at the doorway doing the cheek kissing ceremony, creating a choke point. Pandemonium reigns as others are trying to leave and, encountering a log jam begin the usual push from behind in the French detestation of queues or even having to wait for a moment.
Being only a simple PC guy, and Irish to boot, I think in a very basic and practical fashion to go over and open the second leaf of the doorway, suddenly releasing a flood of pent up exiters who then practically bowled over the kissers. No real danger to anybody, but it was fun to see. However there is no facility to block the door open, I have to hold it. I'm ready to do that for a few moments until the flow of happy parents, students and staff subside then I can get out of Dodge and get my train home. But the flow is very strong, and I'm getting fed up after about 5 minutes have passed.
Like a harbour wall, I have formed the lee for groups of kissers to kiss in a sort of shelter behind me and my door. Okie Dokie, they're out of the way unimpeding the flow of people still streaming from the hall, but I'm getting restless, I have done my part and train time is looming.
Then this lady arrives straight towards me. You could say she looked benign, or in a worse frame of mind, Bovine, all 5' of her. With a simple sort of smile stuck to her face, she had spied somebody she wanted to kiss on both cheeks (!) and she was single minded in her mission to go do it. But I am in her way. Above the general hubub I try to explain that I need to hold the door open. Nothing doing she wants me out of the way and starts to push me. OK granny I say to my ever attentive self, it's all yours. I let go of the door, she reflexively has to catch it, and as I walk away and look back, she's stuck there holding said door, doing goldfish sort of facial movements wondering, no doubt, how she will get to kiss her friends while the hordes stream past her.
I hate the term "sheeple", but I rather think I saw it for real today.
People in crowds piss me off.
Kev