32 Going on 18
I felt like a freshman yesterday. First, I went to a career fair and found myself amidst a most impressive crop of aggressive, sharply-dressed seniors. Sparkling resumes in hand, they shmoozed with ease; meanwhile, I fumbled through my recycled folder for the photocopies of my dog-eared resume.
I left the fair and headed to one of the main buildings on campus to make some personal copies with a swipe card my wife had from her grad school days. I asked the guy at the security desk where I could find a copier and he said, "Room 316 on the third floor." I actually asked him, "And what floor am I on now?" Politely, and without a hint of sarcasm, he replied: "You're on the ground floor."
Without his directions to the elevator, I don't think I could’ve found it. And yet, when I took it to the third floor, Room 316 was nowhere to be found. I decided to try a receptionist area; they look helpful, I thought to myself. The woman said, "Try Room 310." I retraced my steps to the general vicinity and saw that Room 310 was the offices one of the school's publications. The room next to it, though, looked promising. "Room 312," I proclaimed out loud, as if to tell myself, the woman at the receptionist desk, and the security guard.
I walked in and found the copier, relieved that my ordeal was almost over. I only had about ten copies to make, anyway. I swiped the card and it showed 24 cents on it. At seven cents a copy, I didn't get very far.
After three copies, I went back to the woman at the receptionist desk with my new problem. She told me to go to the Reprographic. I had never heard of such a place. I asked, "In this building?" She nodded, and said "ground floor." Ground floor -- I know where that is, I thought to myself, but I have no idea where on the ground floor the Reprographic is.
I took the elevator back down to the ground floor, wandered around, found another security desk, and asked the guy there where the Reprographic was. He pointed me in the right direction. I found the Reprographic. There was a guy behind the counter and told him I needed to add some money to my swipe card. He asked for my school ID card. I was puzzled but handed it to them. This is a lot of scrutiny for just wanting to add a few coins to my swipe card. He said it was a dollar minimum and that it would be added to my student bill. I said I preferred to just give him a few coins. He said he thought I was asking for print-outs, not copies. "No, we don't do that." When I asked where I could do that, he said he didn't know.
Seven copies short, I gave up the chase and went on with my day, feeling very much like a tiny little freshman on the big bad campus. But tomorrow's a new day.
I left the fair and headed to one of the main buildings on campus to make some personal copies with a swipe card my wife had from her grad school days. I asked the guy at the security desk where I could find a copier and he said, "Room 316 on the third floor." I actually asked him, "And what floor am I on now?" Politely, and without a hint of sarcasm, he replied: "You're on the ground floor."
Without his directions to the elevator, I don't think I could’ve found it. And yet, when I took it to the third floor, Room 316 was nowhere to be found. I decided to try a receptionist area; they look helpful, I thought to myself. The woman said, "Try Room 310." I retraced my steps to the general vicinity and saw that Room 310 was the offices one of the school's publications. The room next to it, though, looked promising. "Room 312," I proclaimed out loud, as if to tell myself, the woman at the receptionist desk, and the security guard.
I walked in and found the copier, relieved that my ordeal was almost over. I only had about ten copies to make, anyway. I swiped the card and it showed 24 cents on it. At seven cents a copy, I didn't get very far.
After three copies, I went back to the woman at the receptionist desk with my new problem. She told me to go to the Reprographic. I had never heard of such a place. I asked, "In this building?" She nodded, and said "ground floor." Ground floor -- I know where that is, I thought to myself, but I have no idea where on the ground floor the Reprographic is.
I took the elevator back down to the ground floor, wandered around, found another security desk, and asked the guy there where the Reprographic was. He pointed me in the right direction. I found the Reprographic. There was a guy behind the counter and told him I needed to add some money to my swipe card. He asked for my school ID card. I was puzzled but handed it to them. This is a lot of scrutiny for just wanting to add a few coins to my swipe card. He said it was a dollar minimum and that it would be added to my student bill. I said I preferred to just give him a few coins. He said he thought I was asking for print-outs, not copies. "No, we don't do that." When I asked where I could do that, he said he didn't know.
Seven copies short, I gave up the chase and went on with my day, feeling very much like a tiny little freshman on the big bad campus. But tomorrow's a new day.
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