Categories: uncategorized
Date: 09 January 2006 01:46:19
This morning was my first morning of not being in charge at work. I turned up nonetheless to hand over my parking permit and answer any questions from my replacement. The other job was to get keys cut. One copy of my keys for my replacement and one of my boss's keys for me. Five keys. Simple yes? No. It took the following steps:
1. Drive to hardware in suburb A. Pharmacy is in suburb B. Which is located between A and C. Parallel park without putting money in the parking meter.
2. They can only do four of the keys. The other will need a locksmith. Very well. I'm here, might as well do the four.
3. Drive to suburb C where the nearest locksmith is located. Wave to pharmacy on way past. Another parallel park, this time the meter has a 15 minutes free button. Press said button.
4. Go into newsagent to ask where the locksmith is. Proceed down street to locksmith.
5. Oh no! He might have run out of that template... oh it's ok, one left. Phew.
6. Back to the newsagent to buy a keyring. They don't have any.
7. Another shop does have keyrings. They're not for sale. You get one free when you make a donation in their charity tin. Fair enough.
8. Back to the pharmacy. 90 degree park, front to curb. The locksmith key works, the padlock key works, the third key doesn't (the other two I will test on Thursday). GAH. On close examination, the new key appears to be a mirror image of the original. This is probably why it doesn't work.
9. Back to the hardware store in suburb A. Reverse park. Ah yes, it is wrong.... we can't replace it today because we don't have the template... but if you come back later in the week.... get a refund.
10. Let's try a new key place in a shopping centre. Reverse park again. This time I examine the key carefully once it has been cut. It looks a lot skinnier than the original. Point this out to the keycutter. He disagrees. The boss comes over and agrees. He cuts a new one.
11. Back to the pharmacy. Oh gosh, the key doesn't work (this is attempt #3). Yay is starting to get SLIGHTLY annoyed at this point.
12. Set off for shopping centre in suburb A again. Decide to park on the roof this time. This goes swimmingly.
13. Witness two women telling off an old man for groping.
14. Explain problem to the boss at the key place. He asks some diagnostic questions (well it fit in the keyhole? Yes. Does it turn? No) then does some more grinding. I notice that in the 20 minutes since I was last there, the key grinding machine has moved from behind the counter into the shop... why is this?
15. Back to the pharmacy. I ask God to make the key work. He obliges. Maybe I should have done that earlier in the piece...