Work
One of the cool things about my job is that I actually get paid to break into things. Most of the time its desk or file cabinet drawers that the people lost the key for and I'm usually able to pick the lock with a bent paper clip, a small screw-driver and a little bit of time. Other times it is a larger item (safety cabinet, control box, etc.) and can be a bit more involved, requiring a bit of prying or perhaps even drilling the lock out. About 95% of the time no damage is done to the item, the other 5% is when I have to drill the lock out or heavily pry the item which can damage the paint and bend the metal.
The polite way to say "breaking into" in the maintenance field is "(to) gain access to", my favorite "gaining access" story involved the 5/3 bank that used to be in the Union. Late one payday Friday, I got a call in the maintenance shop, it was the branch manager freaking out because there was a long line of people waiting to cash their paychecks and they couldn't get into the cash compartment of their safe. I grabbed a bunch of tools (I hate having to come back for more stuff, so I tend to grab everything I imagine I could need) which included a sledge hammer, multible prybars and other misc. stuff. It was very amusing walking past the long line of people waiting in the hallway outside the bank with a huge hammer and prybars, it seemed everyone in line was looking at me and thinking, "there's no way he's going into the bank..." I began smiling and started an "off-to-work-we-go" walk and even softly whistled a few bars. When I turned to go into the bank I heard a few laughs from behind me. Gaining access to the money compartment was easy, the outer safe door was open, the issue was that the money compartment door was somehow pushed past its lock-plate and the plate was keeping the door from opening. While it was a quick fix, it involved hammering the plate back into the sidewall, I'm sure the people waiting in line were amused by the loud banging noises, opening the door then properly shaping the lock-plate back into place (more hammering). Of course the whole time I was being watched by the branch manager, wouldn't have expected anything else, and while I usually got a little thank you gift from the other vendors in the Union when I helped them as such (free food or a free pop at the store there), I knew that wasn't really a possibility at the bank (though a 20 or two would have been nice), but it was reward enough to get to say I broke into a safe and see the people's very amused faces as I exited the bank, that and knowing that people were able to cash their paychecks again.
It is also amusing dealing with people who think a lock is an insurmountable barrier keeping them from what they need, they seem perplexed by my attitude that a lock is a minor obstacle at best. It is also great to see their reactions when I do open a lock, first it is usually joy, they are able to get what they need, but then they usually pause and introspect for a second, thinking, "if he can pick the lock on my assistant's desk so easily, what's from stopping him from doing that to my desk?!" then a noticably uncomfortable thanks. The only thing that bothers me about doing this stuff is when people want to look over your shoulder, it seems to take me at least twice as long to pick a lock when I have spectators, sometimes I tell them they can't watch me pick if for security reasons, that usually works.
The polite way to say "breaking into" in the maintenance field is "(to) gain access to", my favorite "gaining access" story involved the 5/3 bank that used to be in the Union. Late one payday Friday, I got a call in the maintenance shop, it was the branch manager freaking out because there was a long line of people waiting to cash their paychecks and they couldn't get into the cash compartment of their safe. I grabbed a bunch of tools (I hate having to come back for more stuff, so I tend to grab everything I imagine I could need) which included a sledge hammer, multible prybars and other misc. stuff. It was very amusing walking past the long line of people waiting in the hallway outside the bank with a huge hammer and prybars, it seemed everyone in line was looking at me and thinking, "there's no way he's going into the bank..." I began smiling and started an "off-to-work-we-go" walk and even softly whistled a few bars. When I turned to go into the bank I heard a few laughs from behind me. Gaining access to the money compartment was easy, the outer safe door was open, the issue was that the money compartment door was somehow pushed past its lock-plate and the plate was keeping the door from opening. While it was a quick fix, it involved hammering the plate back into the sidewall, I'm sure the people waiting in line were amused by the loud banging noises, opening the door then properly shaping the lock-plate back into place (more hammering). Of course the whole time I was being watched by the branch manager, wouldn't have expected anything else, and while I usually got a little thank you gift from the other vendors in the Union when I helped them as such (free food or a free pop at the store there), I knew that wasn't really a possibility at the bank (though a 20 or two would have been nice), but it was reward enough to get to say I broke into a safe and see the people's very amused faces as I exited the bank, that and knowing that people were able to cash their paychecks again.
It is also amusing dealing with people who think a lock is an insurmountable barrier keeping them from what they need, they seem perplexed by my attitude that a lock is a minor obstacle at best. It is also great to see their reactions when I do open a lock, first it is usually joy, they are able to get what they need, but then they usually pause and introspect for a second, thinking, "if he can pick the lock on my assistant's desk so easily, what's from stopping him from doing that to my desk?!" then a noticably uncomfortable thanks. The only thing that bothers me about doing this stuff is when people want to look over your shoulder, it seems to take me at least twice as long to pick a lock when I have spectators, sometimes I tell them they can't watch me pick if for security reasons, that usually works.