The Saga of the Door Lock
I've been having problems with my door (to my room, which is in a student hall). Specifically, the lock is a yale-type automatic latch, which meant I kept locking myself out when going to the loo/kitchen/mirror. This costs £25 if outside office hours (which it always is, since I'm in the lab during them). So I've been pestering, with little to no joy from the accomodation office.
Today I went to make dinner, locking the door on my way out. I returned, put the key in the lock, whereupon it felt like it was unlocking, then changed its mind and decided that spinning round and round would be much more fun.
Bugger. (Or words to that effect).
So, a quick potter downstairs to reappraise myself with the security services number, borrow a phone from a neighbour, and wait half an hour for the nice men in fluorescent jackets. Luckily, I had the foresight to take my book to the kitchen to read while dinner was cooking, so I read another couple of chapters in the fresh air.
The security men (who were very nice) agreed with my appraisal that the barrel was bust and that it was probably a job for a locksmith. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything without the caretaker, so we rang his doorbell. Since he didn't answer, we made the logical deduction that he wasn't in, although he was bizarrely answering his phone when rung by their control room. They didn't seem very impressed with this. He came up and declared that WD40 was required. We swapped despairing looks behind his back while WD40 failed to magically cause the lock to put itself back together, and the watched as he forced the door. I think the security guys were quite disappointed at this - they had proper door-kicking boots on, and were obviously itching to use them.
So now I have to wait for a locksmith to turn up tomorrow. I can wedge the door from the inside overnight, so the only problem is that I can't leave until he comes, and that I'll have to leave it ajar to go to the loo - but there are two layers of intact security to "outside", so I should be fairly safe. I was going to be at a meeting in London tomorrow, but I shall probably have to teleconference it unless the locksmith is really prompt (which is highly unlikely).
On the upside, I will get a proper lock...
Today I went to make dinner, locking the door on my way out. I returned, put the key in the lock, whereupon it felt like it was unlocking, then changed its mind and decided that spinning round and round would be much more fun.
Bugger. (Or words to that effect).
So, a quick potter downstairs to reappraise myself with the security services number, borrow a phone from a neighbour, and wait half an hour for the nice men in fluorescent jackets. Luckily, I had the foresight to take my book to the kitchen to read while dinner was cooking, so I read another couple of chapters in the fresh air.
The security men (who were very nice) agreed with my appraisal that the barrel was bust and that it was probably a job for a locksmith. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything without the caretaker, so we rang his doorbell. Since he didn't answer, we made the logical deduction that he wasn't in, although he was bizarrely answering his phone when rung by their control room. They didn't seem very impressed with this. He came up and declared that WD40 was required. We swapped despairing looks behind his back while WD40 failed to magically cause the lock to put itself back together, and the watched as he forced the door. I think the security guys were quite disappointed at this - they had proper door-kicking boots on, and were obviously itching to use them.
So now I have to wait for a locksmith to turn up tomorrow. I can wedge the door from the inside overnight, so the only problem is that I can't leave until he comes, and that I'll have to leave it ajar to go to the loo - but there are two layers of intact security to "outside", so I should be fairly safe. I was going to be at a meeting in London tomorrow, but I shall probably have to teleconference it unless the locksmith is really prompt (which is highly unlikely).
On the upside, I will get a proper lock...