Just Another Manic Monday

I negotiate my way through a mob of commuters as I step off the ctrain. Descending the platform, I discover that there are now two different people trying to shove a useless free daily paper in my face. I respect that they are just doing their job, I just wish it didn't involve suddenly jetting their paper-laden arm out horizontally in front of me like a gate at a parking garage so that I'm forced to modify my direction to avoid contact. It makes me want to do several things, but reading the paper isn't one of them.

I cut through the lobby of the Hyatt on my way to work. I do this every morning, because it makes me feel like I'm on vacation. I like so many aspects of it. Approaching the front door, the cute doorman smiles and says hello. He's been growing his hair out; I approve. He knows I don't want assistance with the door, but he always gestures a willingness to help me anyway. On the other side of the door, the curly haired concierge guy, who is a little too metrosexual to be hetrosexual, gives me the familiar 'hello nod'. He's been a fixture at the hotel for at least as long as I've worked at KERN - going on seven years.

This is my morning routine, but today is a little different. I can hear a BEEENG BEEENG BEEENG sound through my earphones and realize that the firealarm is sounding. To drown out the distraction, I turn up the volume on my ipod to the point that my ears tingle, just a bit. I appear to be no more concerned by this glaring signal of danger than anyone else that I pass. The collective calm gives me comfort. I continue to walk through the lobby at my 'vacation pace'.

In a split second of clarity, it occurs to me how dangerous this is. I don't consider myself to be particularly perceptive, but I also try to pick up on imporant signals. I hope that my immunity to fire alarms is not a good proxy for my immunity to other important signals.