I kept saying to myself "You should take a photo of that" but didn't. Now my work iPad is fixed I don't have a before shot to compare with the new screen shot. Ah well - you have a tremendous imagination so close your eyes and imagine a shattered iPad Mini's screen - yeh, not a great look, is it? Add that to a busted Kindle screen, and a busted power cable and new dents in the MacBook Pro and you're beginning to understand how hard I fell.
Walking on metal flooring in the rain was just asking for trouble really. I slipped; one leg going one way, the other crashing down all my not inconsiderable weight through my left knee - with a skid to finish off. My backpack, full of technical gadgets, hit the metal floor with gravity claiming all my contents:
- shattered iPad screen
- destroyed Kindle screen
- dented MacBook Pro (fared better than first thought)
- ruined computer charger
That's an expensive dropped back pack.
Oh yeh, and my knee was busted too and the new pants I was wearing.
I'm not new to falling over. I am not sure I fall more than the average person, but I do make a big deal about it when I do. Sometimes it's my fault; sometimes it's due to environmental issues; sometimes it's karma.
That escalated quickly
I'm all for being polite to people in the world who are just out there doing their jobs: stop-go workers, window cleaners, policemen directing traffic etc. We're all just trying to get our work done and some of us have to do it in public, with the public, and it's not easy all the time. So I like to be patient, and kind, and polite.
Part of being an old lady is the intolerance of things that used to wash off a duck's back. So when I was ushered to the top of the escalator at Britomart Train Station in Auckland's CBD I was all for following the man in the hi-viz vest's directions. Right up until he told me to "Hurry up!!" and gestured at me in a harried way.
He then planted his hand in the universal signal for me and the small group of us trying to get onto the escalator to STOP. So we did.
Then he said "HURRY UP HURRY UP!!" with sharp shooing hand gestures.
Snap.
That's all it took. "I AM hurrying up!" I answered back firmly, "if you had properly arranged cones, this wouldn't be so confusing!" I said, my voice loud enough for everyone to hear as I started my journey down the escalator. There was another member of the ushering team at the bottom of the escalator who said "Oooo here come's the angry woman!" to which I replied in an increasing volume until my voice FILLED the atrium "I wasn't angry when I got on this escalator BUT I AM NOW!!!"
The man at the bottom of the escalator hid as I came closer and I stomped off to find a Manager. I meant business - I shall broke no rudeness! I found one, I told him how unprofessional and inefficient and down-right rude his people in hi-viz vests were. The manager nodded slowly and apologised and gestured in the direction of my train and I followed his direction and completed my journey to the train, and then to home.
Britomart's revenge
Two days later I was moving my way through Britomart again, on my way to work this time. I felt good. I'd made an effort that morning. I was wearing heeled boots and had my backpack on. Walking through the train station with efficiency and intent as so many other commuters; all speed-walking to our places of work my heel slipped on the highly polished concrete floor.
I went down like a tonne of bricks. Both knees hit the concrete as my hands followed shortly after ward.
There I was, in slight shock and a considerable amount of pain, on hands and knees in the middle of Britomart. The school of commuters fanning out either side of me so as not to miss their stride with only one looking back to see if I was okay. I wasn't sure if I was okay and had to wait a few moments to do a full body check.
As I looked up I saw a number of Britomart staff in hi-viz vests and thought "Typical. Thanks Universe!"
What goes around, comes around as they say.
