What are YOU doing here?

[MsMary]

Definitely a non-morning person, myself. I would hate going in by 0600. I didn't love being in by 0700 when I worked the day shift as a staff nurse.

I don't have to be at work till noon tomorrow. Though going in at 8 or 9 is more normal for me. I'm going in late tomorrow cause I have to teach a class tomorrow night.

[michaelm]

It depends on where I have worked. When I worked in an investments group for a bank people were mostly there by 7am, but when I moved into other groups at the bank, people would get in much later, often around 9am.

I now work for a cable company and I get here at 8am but am mostly alone until around 9am.

[peter]

I did a job as an overnight security guard in a Mercedes garage once. Weird Job; every one thinks it's easy money - all you have to do is stay awake all night and once an hour walk roun d the premises. First of, staying awake all night is fine if you do it by choice, but night after night - on your own - even tv and radio gets hard to follow. Then there's the night thing. At 3 am in the morning the world's a different [and weirder place], especially if you are out in the country as I was. Buildings and shadows that during the day are benign, at night take on a different feel. And if you hear a noise......... Where the rest of us can lock the door and seal it away, the security guard has to take a deep breath, pick up his torch - and get out amongst it. Like I say - weird.

[Friend of mine had the job of guarding the big old Victorian Hospital in our town after it relocated to new premises. He had no lights [exept in his room in the basement] and every time he heard a noise [and they were always like footfalls on the floor above his head] he had to patroll the long wards, with old steel-frame beds still in situ (all four stories of them) with his GSD and torch. He said the dog used to go ballistic on the end of the lead in the pitch dark wards and swore blind that the hair used to stand up on the back of his head! He did it for two weeks and then went into his employers office and threw his keys on the desk swearing that if they wanted to go and guard the building they could go and do it, but no way was he ever going back in the place!]

[Orlion]

What am I doing here? Mostly bragging. John Scalzi came to a library close by to where I'm at and I got to listen to a reading.

[michaelm]

I did a job as an overnight security guard in a Mercedes garage once. Weird Job; every one thinks it's easy money - all you have to do is stay awake all night and once an hour walk roun d the premises. First of, staying awake all night is fine if you do it by choice, but night after night - on your own - even tv and radio gets hard to follow. Then there's the night thing. At 3 am in the morning the world's a different [and weirder place], especially if you are out in the country as I was. Buildings and shadows that during the day are benign, at night take on a different feel. And if you hear a noise......... Where the rest of us can lock the door and seal it away, the security guard has to take a deep breath, pick up his torch - and get out amongst it. Like I say - weird.

[Friend of mine had the job of guarding the big old Victorian Hospital in our town after it relocated to new premises. He had no lights [exept in his room in the basement] and every time he heard a noise [and they were always like footfalls on the floor above his head] he had to patroll the long wards, with old steel-frame beds still in situ (all four stories of them) with his GSD and torch. He said the dog used to go ballistic on the end of the lead in the pitch dark wards and swore blind that the hair used to stand up on the back of his head! He did it for two weeks and then went into his employers office and threw his keys on the desk swearing that if they wanted to go and guard the building they could go and do it, but no way was he ever going back in the place!]

Reminds me of a bus driver I talked to in Australia. He drove buses across the desert which involved everyone camping out a couple of nights on the way. Most of the time he had a full bus, but he said that occasionally he would drive an empty bus back to where he was based.

Now bear in mind that this is a guy over 6 feet tall and in good physical condition who knows the desert well and camped out alone many times before. One night he stopped in the middle of nowhere and laid out his swag (a canvas outer bag that rolls up with a sleeping bag inside) and got ready to sleep for the night. Anyway, he heard this low moaning sound, so scanned the area to see what it was, thinking it was a dingo. He didn't see a dingo, but he could see these two red eyes blink open every time he heard the moaning. First thing he told himself was that he was tired and seeing things, but as he looked it happened a few more times. He tried hard to convince himself it was nothing, but eventually got all his stuff and got in the bus and locked the doors to sleep on the floor.

When the sun came up he got out and looked around. After a while he heard the moaning again, but when he looked towards where the eyes were he could see nothing. Now that it was light he decided to go over, so he got a machete from the bus and went over. When he got to where he thought it was he saw the remains of a campfire. He felt it and it was still warm - maybe the 'eyes' were some embers in the camp fire still burning, but he didn't know why he heard moaning when he saw them. At that point there was a gust of wind and he heard the moaning again then realized what it was - there was a rock formation nearby that had a narrow gap between it, and when the wind blew it made the noise. Essentially, the 'moaning' and the 'eyes' happened at the same time because the wind caused both of them.

He called himself a "bloody idiot" and got on with his day.

[peter]

good tale!

[aliantha]

Great story, michaelm.

And Orlion:

Erm...what am I doing here.... Avoiding giving Mr. Wommy his nightly treats, apparently. Seems to be his opinion, anyhow.

[Orlion]

Treats are very important to cats! Quick gets incredibly excited when I open the drawer I keep the treats in.

[Avatar]

Stop talking about cats. I had 4 hours sleep last night.

--A

[sgt.null]

about to get in bed.

[peter]

Treats are very important to cats! Quick gets incredibly excited when I open the drawer I keep the treats in.

My previous cat [who died a few years ago] was called Quickie, or Quick for short. He was a little grey chap who we loved dearly!

[sgt.null]

laundry day.

[Sorus]

Stop talking about cats. I had 4 hours sleep last night.

--A

What, do we need to start a Cat Talk thread? How's your problem child doing?

[sgt.null]

supposed to be napping...

[Avatar]

What, do we need to start a Cat Talk thread? How's your problem child doing?

Deemed sufficiently fit to be released. And despite my fears that should would hate us and disappear never to be seen again, she has visited at least daily since her release, which lets us keep an eye on her and get a couple more antibiotics down her. I think all will be well.

--A

[peter]

Getting tablets into cats is a nightmare Av; next time tell the vets you want a long-acting injection instead of daily tablets. Some of the injections will slow release for up to a week and save a great deal of hassle as well as ensuring the 'juice' can do it's stuff properly.

[Sorus]

When my eldest had all her dental work done they put a sort of patch on her leg that lasted a few days and I didn't have to give her any meds. I do swear by Pill Pockets though - used dozens of them over the years and had a cat spit a pill back out exactly once.

[Avatar]

Getting tablets into cats is a nightmare Av; next time tell the vets you want a long-acting injection instead of daily tablets. Some of the injections will slow release for up to a week and save a great deal of hassle as well as ensuring the 'juice' can do it's stuff properly.

I do usually, and she had the injection. The infection was so bad they gave me tablets too and said if I could get them into her to do so.

No worries though, I crush them and mix them into raw sausage meat and she eats it with gusto. Didn't see her this morning, but it's not unheard of so...

--A

[balon!]

No worries though, I crush them and mix them into raw sausage meat and she eats it with gusto.

That's how I take my meds too.

[Sorus]

Ew.

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