Quick note on badges

Note to self: do not become so infatuated with those snazzy federal employee badges that you try to use them where and when you do not belong.

Last Thursday, after my first full day at work, I went upstairs to sign out. Afterwards, I thought that I had left my umbrella at the desk and tried to go back for it (that silly Pushkin superstition be damned). It was only a minute or two after 6:00 pm but for some reason, my badge wouldn't activate the door so I was locked out. Oh well, I thought, it's not the end of the world. So I went home.

The next morning, the administrative supervisor went to each of the interns in my department and gave us a warning about trying to access our offices after 6 pm. Apparently someone tried to do it the previous night and it didn't work. Even though she knew it was me, she felt the need to ask me if I knew anything about it, very much like when your parents know that you stole a cookie from the jar but just want to give you the chance to confess your crime before they nail you for it. Anyway, straight out of Office Space, people in the office start mentioning this event to me. The after-6:00 badge incident is now my version of the TPS report.

Today was the same thing - another round of "Do you know that you're not supposed to work past 6:00?" I was starting to get annoyed at having to explain my mistake again and again when I discovered exactly why it really was a big deal. Apparently, when unauthorized people try to access an office after official working hours, the Library police are alerted, who then report the incident to department heads and all sorts of people, just to make sure that it was an honest mistake and not an attempted robbery. My forgetfulness got recorded by a police officer, logged into some security note, and stored for future reference, all on my first day at work. I feel ridiculous.

And the worst part? The umbrella was in my purse the entire time.