Funny. I was just telling a friend last night how alarm systems make me uncomfortable and what do I do this morning? I set off the office alarm. Ack!
For those of you who aren't dyslexic, you can probably walk up to an keypad on an ATM or a telephone or...I don't know...an alarm system and have confidence that you know what order the digits are supposed to go. You probably never mix up your own phone number and you don't have to make up rhymes to remember your ATM codes.
I never have any trouble remembering my pass codes. Walking into the office this morning, I remembered exactly what all the digits where, but the alarm sounded and what order they were supposed to go in went right out of my pretty little head. I stood at the keypad randomly punching in different combinations with my heart pounding in my ears in tune with the wailing alarm, recalling the fine if the police get sent out for no reason. It's something insane like $10,000. The boss would not be pleased. This did not help me calm down and think straight.
I ended up racing to my desk for the phone number for the security people. "If your alarm is going off now, please press zero... All of our operators are currently busy. Please stay on the line." What!?! You've got to kidding me!
All is well now. I'm sitting at my desk in relative quiet, except for the heart beat still pounding in my ears, trying to ditch the shaky feeling.
I think there will be coffee this morning.
Yes, coffee.