Shaking up the Labs....In a Tunnel

In the day that was not today and was not before-yesterday, but sort've suspended in-between; all hell broke loose at work.

Remember how yesterday, it was super hot at work? The whole day, people kept coming in to check the A/C and such. And so, after hours of people going in and out, i thought nothing of a guy going upstairs (although i could not see him).

I thought it was a guy from the team. When he finally came down poking around here, we both startled one another. His first question was 'intay laish ga3da ib hel 7ar' and i said 'na6ra ta9lee7 il takyeef... basshir, gidartaw it9al7oona?' He looks at me and smiles. Asks if i know who he is. I say no. He tells me his name, and i register it as the 2nd guy in command from the NCCAL. He knew who i was.

And just as i hear one of the girls upstairs calling my name, he cocks his head to the side and tells me he was up there checking the situation out. The one room that was locked contained her. He asks me if she was sleeping. I feign ignorance and tell him she must've been praying..

From that point on, i start to see him do things that i havn't seen another man at the KNM do: take charge. Suddenly, a throng of people come in and practically stand at attention. He points, prods, asks questions, embarrasses people, put people in their place, boss them around. And i like it.

Now my boss is here, trying to calm him. The manager's secretary is here, trying to make him understand. The technicians/supervisors/electricians are here, explaining how they told the other person to take care of the problem. He takes a minute in asking questions. Gets answers. Gives orders. It was fascinating to see him solve problems that have taken a month to get done.

He asks questions like 'why is this lab a kitchen?'
And, 'why is this other lab a sitting area?'
The whole time, of course, i'm in the background smiling. I'm glad there's someone here to shake these people up.

He keeps asking questions and, when he directs them to me, i say, 'ana oo bu a7med qisimna ta7at. ma agdar a3alliq 3an mukan mu mukani'. He wants to go down, then, to check on our space. Let's just say that he didn't find anything to comment on in our little area. Our tables are free. The downstairs lab is not a kitchen. There are no rooms with sleeping employees in them.

And so they came. And they left. A/C fixed. Gaping hole in ceiling, fixed. The only issue i brought up (those damn aminals), fixed. Everything is clean and nice and yay.

And now, 2 and a half hours into the next day, the 'new' re-shuffling of the two departments in this building was announced. The labs will be empty (they at least had desks for the girls to pass out in). The upstairs will be sterile. The downstairs will house the chemistry girls (four of them. 3 useless.) And i will be lost in the mix.

I'm trying to find the farthest place from the inevitable noise that will come from the chemistry department moving down. I've already marked my tables for work. Now i just need to find me someplace to sit.

It's a double-edged sword, him coming. Yeah, he shook up the whole system, but he also made the chemistry girls come down.

Excuse me while i go find a spot that isn't infested and isn't too gross. Hopefully, it will contain a chair, a table, a power outlet, and a phone line. Becuase let's not kid ourselves, okay.. The only time i actually have any work to do is when i'm on-site.

The words 'KNM' and 'Work' are like double-negatives. There are six "chemists" (loosely used). Two conservators. And one department head who, since the time i've been here, only came yesterday to see our place.

Good times....


In other news!!!!
Flipping through AnNahar Newspaper (like AlJarida, but maroon), i learned of this exciting news: افتتاح نفق القطامي ,
*which is courtesy of AlQabas. Funny, no?
So far, i've seen a cousin's video clip of her driving throught it with a friend. I shall make the trip myself soon. Becuase yes, it's that exciting. S'long derby race track...


Until then....