Concrete

The off season at the hotel I work at is pretty quiet, so we generally do maintenance things we couldn't do during summertime once the number of guests drops. This season is no exception, so we have been sprucing things up around the property. One thing we're finishing up right now is an upgrade to the carport by the front desk, gussying it up with pressed and stained concrete. It looks like terracotta tile which fits the motif, so in that respect it's pretty neat.

Projects like this, however, bring out some interesting behavior in people. Notably, their lack of situational awareness shines through like a big beacon of stupid.

The old carport was first removed, and then new concrete was poured in sections over a couple days, so there was a big, gaping hole by one of the doors to the front desk for awhile. The area was surrounded by orange cones and caution tape to prevent people from walking through the wet concrete or into the big ditch full of rebar. While it did block off one of the entrances to the front desk, there were a couple others that were just as obvious that guests could use to enter the building. Most people avoided the taped off areas, but there were, of course, exceptions.

One night five different guests ignored the big, obvious hole surrounded by bright, obvious cones and caution tape, then read the bold, obvious sign on the door reading "PLEASE USE OTHER ENTRANCE" and used it anyway. They had to duck under the tape and drag their luggage through the dirt to get to the door, apparently oblivious to how not-quite-normal doing that was. When I asked if they could use the other entrances they gave confused looks, as if navigating through construction debris was a normal feature hotels have, then give an illuminated, "Oh!" when they figured out that, no, that's not a normal feature hotels have.

This week, staining the concrete began with a similar setup as before; orange cones, caution tape, and a sign on the door advising people to use an alternative entrance. However, with how many people ignored those things last time, I decided to take it a step further and added multiple signs reading 'PLEASE USE ENTRANCE AT THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING" with arrows leading the way. One guests laughed and commented on how excessive it all seemed, but I told him I wanted to be thorough. It may not be wet concrete or an open pit, but it's a rust colored stain that could ruin a pair of shoes or luggage at least, and it still needs to dry, so I'd rather people stay off it.

I saw one guest earlier, however, duck under the caution tape and around the orange cones, traipse lazily along the wet orange liquid covering the concrete, look at the sign on the door, yell to her travel companion, "IT SAYS TO USE THE FRONT ENTRANCE! YOU GOTTA GO AROUND TO THE FRONT!" before ducking under the caution tape again and going to the front entrance. After checking her in she asked if she could exit through the door blocked by a table with the sign reading "PLEASE USE OTHER DOOR" set on it. I told her no and apologized. What I apologized for I do not know.

It isn't to say that I'm the most observant person; there have been plenty of times in my life where I've missed freeway exits, tried going into stores with their "CLOSED" signs up, and walked around with my fly down. However, there are certain things I encounter on a regular basis at work, from people not knowing how to open doors to people assuming there's a road that goes over Mt. Whitney and through Sequoia National Park all the way to Fresno despite it not being on any map in existence, that make me wonder how they survive into adulthood and into old age.

I guess what I'm getting at is this: Pay attention so you don't hurt yourself or break something. Too many people have hurt my brain and broken my spirit these last couple weeks thanks to ignoring the obvious. Don't ignore road cones. Don't walk on wet concrete. Don't be like that.