Sub Ubi

Five or six weeks ago, the Estates department changed the lock on the outer door to our office suite. This was good, because our lock was mostly broken. It was bad, because we had to check keys in and out of the reception desk in the building foyer.

In the three weeks I was traveling, presenting at conferences in the name of the University of Kent, they changed that lock again. There were no keys for this lock in the reception area (that I or the member of Campus Security could find), and as a result, I was unable to get into my office today.

This was unfortunate, as I really needed to take a call from the USA in my office.

I did plan ahead; I spoke with Campus Security on Friday, and we agreed we’d get in this morning in advance of my phone call. Despite our best efforts, the Estates department won this round, and I have (most likely) missed the call I very much wanted to take. This inconvenienced many people six time zones away, and I am very sorry for that. Had I known getting into my own office would be impossible, I would have made other plans well in advance.

Ultimately, this is my fault. But sometimes, you assume you’ll be able to get into your own office, and the locks won’t have changed in the three weeks you were away.

Still note: My email addresses are in flux, and if you’re trying to reach me, use the information on the Contact page (link to left) to reach me.

Update 20070410: I spent the hour from 1PM to 2PM wondering if the timezones lineup was wrong, and wether or not I had missed the interview because of stupid things like email address and lock changes. Fortunately, my email got through, and the call went off just fine. It was good for a laugh… as really, how often do you go out doing your job, spreading the word about the work you’re doing, only to find your email address deleted and your locks changed? Usually, that requires something along the lines of a felony. In my case, it was just dumb luck.

And, yes, the email thing was partially my fault, in some convoluted way. But it still didn’t need to be deleted without warning.

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