Return to office

Today, December 31, the last day of 2019, I return to my office to work.  This is the first time that I can return to my office to work since November 11, when our campus was occupied by protesters and besieged by the police.  

The original lock to my door was broken.  Our facility management people installed a temporary lock for now, until the lock can be replaced properly.  It is ugly and inconvenient - I don’t have the key to the temporary lock; hence I have to call the security guard to come to unlock it for me.  But at least my office is secure now.  

Even though the lock was broken, my office was essentially un-disturbed.  At first, I couldn’t find a non-functional laptop computer, which I left in a bag in a chair by the window at the far end of my office.  I thought it was stolen.  That was puzzling.  Why didn’t the thief take other things on my desk or bookshelves: hard disk drives, big monitor, chocolates, …  The laptop was in a bag behind my desk, while so much was just laying around in the open.  

Later the broken-down laptop was found in another room on the same floor.  So really nothing was taken, as far as I can tell.  It reinforces our impression that the protestors were mainly looking for a place to rest and eat.   They were not intending to steal or break anything.  My two apples sitting in the refrigerator in the pantry were also untouched. 

As for me, I am grateful that I can return to work more or less normally.  To celebrate, I bought chocolate for everyone in the office who came in today.  They seem happy. 

I also designed a new hip for my skinny dinosaur I made earlier from dried palm leaves.   Now she can stand again.  (I will explain the skinny dinosaur later.) 

Then I came home to have a quiet dinner with my wife.  I am glad my 2019 ends on a high note.