Where I go

As you know, I work in a basement.  The building I'm in has a badge-reader to get into the side doors, but once you're in the stairwell, you need a key to get into any of the floors.  Even the basement.  Once in the basement, you have to go down a long, dark, dust-bunny hallway with exposed pipes near the ceiling.  It really is a Freddy Kruger movie set cliche'.  Toward the end of the hall, there's a door to the right with a big red sign saying something to the effect of "DO NOT BLOCK..." blah blah blah.  There's an industrial-sized linen cart blocking that door.  Further down the hall, also on the right, are some lockers.  Much to my imagination's delight, there is a hanger with a navy blue towel on it hanging off one of the lockers.  Straight ahead is the door to civilization.  No need for a key here.  Going through that door leads you to a little area where the world's slowest elevator opens to the basement.  If the next door is closed, you'll need a key to get into the actual, livable basement area.  Usually, it's propped open, though.  Directly through the door to the left is where I work.  It's a key-code door, which is also usually propped open during business hours.  Inside, 3 of the walls have tables set up against them with 9 computers on them and 9 chairs pulled up in front.  You'd think that means 3 chairs per wall, but really it means 4-2-3.  I'm on the 2 wall, which is amazing because I was the last one hired.

Outside our room is a modern-art style room, which has recently been decorated to look like it was done in the early 70s.  Which is to say there's one orange wall, with modernish furniture (you know...the kind with no arm rests, and a backrest on only 1/2 of the love seat, which also has a small circular table coming up out of it).  There are also Jackson Pollock prints up here and there.  Past that room and to the left are the restrooms, and 2 individual shower rooms.  I laughed at those when I first started.  They are off a dark corner of the basement and kind of creeped me out.  But it certainly explains the navy blue towel.

Today, when I went to get my second cup of coffee, the break area smelled like my grandpa from Canada.  Not exactly old spice, but similar, and definitely clean-smelling.  It helped to get my day started off on a good footing.