Today was the health fair at the State Capitol for all state employees. This means that the 1st and 2nd floors and rotundas are lined with tables and vendors. Everything from gyms to diet programs, chiropractors to mattress companies, arbonne to shaklee show up to offer their services and products to us state employees, to achieve a healthier life. And then there is my favorite booth of the day, it is a free, 10 minute massage.
So, this morning I walked into work and ran the gauntlet of booths and vendors without stopping. I got up to my office and talked with the ladies around me about last year's experience and we all decided that after lunch we'd go down for our free massages.
So, 3:30pm comes around and I'm diligently working to get an answer for my boss (no, I'm not joking, I really was working). I hear the ladies on either side of me say "ok girls, lets go", next thing I know they are practically running down the hall. I assumed they were talking about the massages, and just really eager to get down to them. However, I was waiting on an answer from my boss, so I calmly pulled out my compact and reapplied some lip gloss while I was waiting. Right as my boss answers me, an announcement comes over the loud speaker:
"Attention Employees, please disregard the emergency notice just sent to your computers"
I look over at my desktop computer whose screen had gone black, I move the mouse around to clear the screen and see the emergency message: "Please evacuate the building, due to smoke and flames". Well, I laugh because I already know I don't need to evacuate, but never once did it dawn on me that the others from my hall had seen the message before going down to get their massages. I had my answer, so I decided to go and get my massage. I made a quick trip to the ladies room, where I ran into two ladies from the 5th floor. Purses slung over their shoulders they asked "Are you evacuating?" To which I responded: "Oh, didn't you hear? It was a false alarm, they just cancelled it"
Still thinking nothing of this, I proceeded to walk down to the first floor, still determined to get my massage. But alas! they were almost completely packed up! I was so disappointed. I walked back up the stairs to my floor, expecting to see the ladies from my hall, but they still hadn't returned. I checked my phone and saw a missed message from one of the ladies, then I looked out the window and there they were, everyone from my division. By then, they had received the message that this was a false alarm and they could come back to work for the last 30 minutes of the day.
I got a little bit of a "talking-to" when they all got back inside, until they realized that I had no idea we'd been told to evacuate and I didn't know why they were all running down the hall......
So, at the end of the day, I have to ask myself: what have I learned today? Well, I have learned that in the event of a real Capitol emergency, I will still be inside the flaming capitol building, while all my co-workers stand outside, wondering why they can't get ahold of me. The good news is that at least one state employee actually works and even puts work before her own personal safety. And that, my friends, is today's breaking news!
And I never DID get that massage...............
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