frank

the other day i blogged about a guy at work i called frank.  well, frank is doing quite well.

on tuesday i had a meeting with my advisor over lunch.  instead of the usual 1/2 hour lunch, i had to take a full hour off.  in order to get this cleared with my boss, i told her i'd work an extra half hour.  (makes sense.)  she was down, i was able to go to my meeting, and everyone was happy.

well.  all day tuesday we had been recording a module for an upcoming webinar series we are producing about road safety.  the entire day i was stuck in my office-turned-studio with one of my co-workers putting together the first part of the webinar.

usually i work from 7:30 - 4:00.  i've noticed that this is the same schedule everyone else has.  that being said, all of the "higher up" people (i.e. the professors and researchers with phds) tend to leave early.  after all, what's gonna happen if they take off at 3:30...they'll get fired?  yeah, right.

usually i'm one of the last ones in the office.  it never fails, but our main secretary will come to my office at about 3:55 and say, "well ahmed, you're the last one here.  just make sure you turn off the lights and lock the doors before you head out."

so, anyway, i wrapped up recording the webinar at about 4:15.  i had borrowed the recording equipment from a different department, so i had to return all of it.  i packed it up and started walking to the other department.  as i walked down the hall from my office, i noticed that frank was still in his office busy typing away on some obviously important research paper.

me:  "you're still here?"
frank: "yeah dude.  i'm 'focused'."
me: "ok..."
frank: "is anyone else here?"
me: "nope, i'm the last one."

as soon as i said "nope" frank double-clicked something on his laptop, and all of a sudden this hardcore gangster rap music just came blaring out of the stereo speakers in his office.

i just started laughing because at first i thought he was just trying to be funny.  but then he started rapping and knew every single word to the song.  and then he started flashing gang signs and making the "i'm-shooting-you-with-a-gun" gesture.  i guess he's pretty hardcore.

anyway, i went out of our department and returned all of the recording equipment to the rural transit center.  when i came back to our institute, i realized that the main door was shut.  i went to open it, but it was locked and all of the lights were turned off.  i technically was still supposed to be on the clock for another 15 minutes, so i hadn't grabbed any of my stuff to leave for the day.  i peered through the window and noticed that one light was still on....frank: he was still in his office.

his office is maybe about 15 feet from the main door.  so i knocked a couple of times.  and then i started banging on the door.

but soon i realized: he was STILL blasting his gangster rap and couldn't hear my desperate pleas to be let in.  his music was so loud that i was able to hear it through the door.  so as soon as one song faded out, i just really started banging on the door to let him know that i was locked in.

it worked because he came to let me in.

me:  "dude, i was out there for like 10 minutes.  i was knocking like crazy!"
frank: "oh yeah, i must have been listening to music.  why didn't you just give me a call to let you in?"
me: "well, i don't have your number."
frank: "haha, let me give it to you."
me, pulling out my cell phone: "alright give me a second....what's your number?"
frank: "it's" (his voice changes to a "hardcore" one) "1-900-SUCK-MY-DICK!!!!!"

needless to say, by the time i finally got back into the office it was about 4:30, so i just took off.

good times.