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Today, while I was at work, Racque called over the intercom, "Bev, we have an emergency" and pulled the fire alarm. Smoke was pouring out of a heating duct. If I'd only heard the alarm, I might not have ushered everyone out. But as it was, I was waving my arms and telling people; "you have to go now, this is real, you have to go." Some people were quite reluctant, disbelieving that anything bad was actually happening. I had to go up to them, worried myself, that I might get trapped in a fire, because I didn't know anything yet. Still, I got everyone out, along with the other booksellers and we marched out the front, a hazy smoke filling the first floor and drifting up to the other floors.
It turned out that a worker had welded a pipe to an air-conditioning line. So, I guess his company gets to pay for the fire truck that pulled up. And I'm sorry, but the customers were so fucking stupid. They could see the smoke pouring out and yet would ask if they could go back in and shop. ONe man showed up with his daughters and asked, very testily, "I suppose this means there's no storytime today?" Yes, stupid, unless you would like your little girls to choke on possibly toxic fumes...
And then there was the lady with the green purse who was outraged that it was all taking so long (15-20 minutes, tops). The kicker was the asshole who tried to drive between the fire truck and the curb to get into the garage next door to us. And was irate when stopped. Hello! Fire engine, flashing lights, do these things mean nothing?
In an unrelated topic, my cab driver, Peter, told me something that I'd never known. He's from Africa (I already knew that from the French accent! LOL) and he said that when I called to ask for a ride, he was eating. As an American, my first response was to apologize. But he said no, it is a good thing to call people when they are eating. It's like a positive omen or something. And people are expected to share their food and be effusive about pressing that food on the visiting person.
Growing up, it was almost always something people apologized about, when someone would show up during a mealtime. My sister in law actually sent my husband and me away for an hour, until they finished, even thought we were expected over.
It's a cultural difference that is rather shocking to me. I think because I picture the average African as being short on food and yet here, as Peter says, it's a cultural norm to share that food, even if there isn't much of it. And here, in America, where we have so much more, it's considered rude to arrive during a family's mealtime. Kind of makes a person think, you know?
It turned out that a worker had welded a pipe to an air-conditioning line. So, I guess his company gets to pay for the fire truck that pulled up. And I'm sorry, but the customers were so fucking stupid. They could see the smoke pouring out and yet would ask if they could go back in and shop. ONe man showed up with his daughters and asked, very testily, "I suppose this means there's no storytime today?" Yes, stupid, unless you would like your little girls to choke on possibly toxic fumes...
And then there was the lady with the green purse who was outraged that it was all taking so long (15-20 minutes, tops). The kicker was the asshole who tried to drive between the fire truck and the curb to get into the garage next door to us. And was irate when stopped. Hello! Fire engine, flashing lights, do these things mean nothing?
In an unrelated topic, my cab driver, Peter, told me something that I'd never known. He's from Africa (I already knew that from the French accent! LOL) and he said that when I called to ask for a ride, he was eating. As an American, my first response was to apologize. But he said no, it is a good thing to call people when they are eating. It's like a positive omen or something. And people are expected to share their food and be effusive about pressing that food on the visiting person.
Growing up, it was almost always something people apologized about, when someone would show up during a mealtime. My sister in law actually sent my husband and me away for an hour, until they finished, even thought we were expected over.
It's a cultural difference that is rather shocking to me. I think because I picture the average African as being short on food and yet here, as Peter says, it's a cultural norm to share that food, even if there isn't much of it. And here, in America, where we have so much more, it's considered rude to arrive during a family's mealtime. Kind of makes a person think, you know?
