August 26, 2002: Can you spare a bit of change?
After a bout of bordom, Arie decided that she had enough dirty laundry to warrent an excursion to the 4th floor laundry place!! Actually, she didn't even think of it until her roomie Cassie invited her to come with her becasue there was a little group going to do their laundry.
So, Arie told Cassie she'd meet her down there, and went about gathering up her stuff in the hopes of a fun time doing laundry, but just in case brought one of her most favorite books of all time ("Wit'ch Fire" by JAmes clemens). So, she dragged everything to the 4th foor, only to realize she didn't know which wing had the laundry place. Taking a wild guess, she headed off towards the odd-room wing, and was rewarded with an empty laundry place!!
Oddly, Cassie wasn't anywhere around. Arie decided it was ok to do laundry by herseld: more time to enjoy her great book! But, ALAS! It wasn't to be...for when she tried to start the machine she realized she had only a twenty!!
As she peered about the room, she realized that there was nowhere to change her horrid dollar bill, and not only did she need to change that, but she also needed to get quarters!! So, in the hopes no one would come and steal her stuff, she put everything on the table and went in search of the elusive change!!
stoping at a few random people's dorm, she inquired about change...finding to her surprise that not a single body could help her in her time of need. So, with an exasperated sigh, she traveled down to the QRT Desk (Quick Response Time), and asked for change, to find there was none to be had. She then pleaded with the innocent bystanders in the lobby, but to no avail...
After another 15 minutes of searching the campus, she decided to make one last-ditch effort for change in the lobby...and with success! A person had two tens! With this renewal of hope, Arie now had only to find change for a ten...a much easier number to accomidate by far.
It wasn't until another 10 minutes later that her efforts were finally rewarded, and another bystander gave her a five and five ones. With a cry of triumph she now had only to get quarters, and then she realized there was a quarter machine in the lobby! Triumph was hers...almost.
For now she had to get the bloody machines to actually WORK! :)
August 25, 2002: The Forbidden Doors
After the key incident the day before, Arie had been vary wary of her keys, hopeing that another incident like it wouldn't occur to HER since Cassie never seemed to be in the dorm. After a long day of being totally lost in West Portal, and walking around like an idiot for 3 1/2 hours with a bag of stuff from Rite Aid, Arie was very much looking forward to a warm shower and getting rid of all the freeze dried sweat.
Now, normally Arie brings pj's or something to change into and wear after her shower so she doesn't have to go across the entire building in a towel, but there had really had not been anyone about in the halls, so she thought she it would be safe enough this once to run down the hall in a towel.
Everything so far had gone according to plan, and Arie was soon in clean luxury. After showering, she wrapped herself up in a nice, fuzzy towel and gathered up all her belongings. She exited the bathroom to run right into a group of about 5, 6 people who gave her very interesting looks.
Looking down the hall, Arie realized just about everyone and their friend was there!! Sucking in her breathe, she walked all the way to room 688 in her green fuzzy towel, ignoring all the interesting looks she was getting. It wasn't until she was at her door that she realized she had left her keys in the bathroom!!! Well, no use standing in the hallway ina towel until her roomate came back, so she walked back to the bathroom...
Only then realizing she couldn't get INTO the bathroom without her keys!! Looking around, the poor, wet, cold, and towel-clad Arie realized there weren't any girls on this side of the dorm at the moment, and the guys didn't have keys to the girl's bathroom.
Uttering a round oath, Arie clammered her way back over to her room in the hopes that Cassie was around. Realizeing she would have to travel the halls of floor 6 for her roomie, she siged. What a horrid thing: to be locked out of your dorm room soaking wet in a towel, and your only hope of survival a roomate whose whereabout were unknown!!
Then a thought struck her!! Maybe Cassie was with Daina or Siri!! She skittered further down the hall to room 628, and was happy to see all three sitting and chatting with the group of people outside the door!
Poking her head into the room, Arie pleaded for Cassie's room key. It wasn't until after a little search that it was concluded Cassie's keys were in the room, too!! As this new horror began to don on the poor, unsuspecting, wet, and towel-clad Arie, they were back at 628 where the RA was. Siri realized the plight of the poor college student and proffited Arie her keys to get into the bathroom to get into 688 to get out of the towel and into real clothing!
Arie was so greatful that words couldn't accuratley express her gratitude, and she began the track back across the building to the bathroom, when Cassie offered to run down and get her keys for her. As Arie was patiently waiting ourside her door, and ignoring all the quizzical looks she'd been receiving, a group of other-floorers passed her!! THE HORROR! After a chit-chat with them, and a couple of "being-laughed-ats" later, Cassie came back with the gold: the keys to 688! Arie Grabbed them, and with a hurried "thanks" immediatly ran into the saftey of her room and changed from the fuzzy towel into glow-in-the-dark pajama bottoms and her tyedye shirt, only to sit back at her computer and happily put finger to key and continue with her website in happy, un-towel-clad-and-locked-out-bliss!
August 24, 2002: The Broken Key
It was a quiet night-everything was going very well, and nothing out-of-the-ordinary had occurred...until now! Arie was settle in front of her computer screen avidly adding to her little corner of cyber space when a rattling at the door occured! At first Arie didn't realize anything was wrong until she heard a snap, and someone outside the door uttered a frustrated exclamation!
"Cassie? That you?" spoke Arie, to which the reply was a garble of mutterings, and a knocking at the door. Arie swiftly crossed the small expanse that passed as her room and opened the door to find her roomate, Cassie, with a peculier expression upon her face. About to ask what happened, she was cut off when Cassie held up her key...or what was left of it!!
Apparently, Cassie's key had broken in half IN the lock of the door!!!
Flabergasted, rie started to laugh with Cassie as she went back to her desk and computer. Cassie then proceeded down the hall to the RA's room to see if she couldn't get it fixed.
When the next set of knocking occured, it was Cassie and the 6th floor's RA, looking at the lock. After a few shared amusements and plans, the three set about trying to un-lodge the stuck piece of key from the lock in the hopes that perheps they wouldn't have to take the entire thing out.
All three gasped in amazement when Cassie, tweezers in hand, managed to pry the jammed piece of metal from the lock! Uttery a cry of triumph, Cassie was given a new room key that supposedly wont break, and the occupants of dorm 688 were at a temporary peace.