“Do not use,” warns the green tape sealing my toilet seat in the icehouse bathroom. Lifting the seat reveals an admonition masquerading as a question: “Did you miss the 1st warning?” The first warning is construction site protocol, an effort to forestall bathroom use during finish construction while [hopefully] maintaining the bathroom in pristine condition. (Your mileage may vary.) And the 2nd warning? That’s quintessential Pam!
As a construction project nears the finish line more and more of these job site messages pop up. Day-to-day reminders that construction is winding down and extra attention should be given little details that might well have been overlooked months prior.
A big green X across the toilet seat in Rosslyn’s icehouse bathroom left little to interpretation. Stop. Do not open. Etc. But a simple “Do not use” completed the 1st warning. No ambiguity. No confusion.
As the beneficiary of this courtesy, I figured it would be reasonable for me skip the 1st warning to “test drive” my new commode. So I carefully peeled back the edges of the green X tape which had prevented opening of the toilet seat lid. When I lifted the lid, I was surprised to find a 2nd warning.
“Did you miss the 1st warning?”
It surprised me. And it made me chuckle. Classic Pam! I could perfectly imagine her thought process, and her certainty that upon seeing the 1st warning somebody would attempt a stealthy bypass. Busted!
And the culprit? Me.
Now that I’ve finished most of the lingering tasks on my punchlist, begun unpacking boxes of books and notebooks, and finally moved into my long anticipated workspace, it seems like the right time to remove Pam’s 1st snd 2nd warning messages. A symbolic step forward. An act of possession. Seizing the throne!
Tomorrow Sue and Sara will undertake post-construction housekeeping. And a new chapter will begin. For now, humble thanks to Pam for preserving my new throne in pristine condition.
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