The cost of being stupid...
I bet no one knew there was an actual price list for acts of stupidity, but apparently there was enough of a need here in Prague where locks were concerned to create one and yesterday my Supreme Act of Stupidity cost 1840 czk (or $116.45 USD).
Heading out with Logan to pick up Alex from school, which is a daily routine that is so rote I could do it in my sleep, I somehow managed to leave my keys in the lock while pushing the stroller out into to hallway. Normally I would not even push him out until I had grabbed my keys out of the interior lock and placed them in the exterior lock but yesterday the routine hit a snag of the four-legged variety.
Apparently the enticement of a new area to explore outweighed the usual aversion Dominic and Erika have to Logan's stroller and they kept trying to escape when I would open the door. So I pushed Logan out as fast as I could and was only trying to close the door enough to contain the kittens, as I knew I had not grabbed my keys yet and I wanted to run back in for my backpack.
Well, as I was closing the door Logan let out an ear-piercing scream and I turned to see what could have possibly happened to him...realizing too late that I had moved my foot out of the door frame and turning back just in time to see Dominic rubbing against the door - which gave it the final push it needed to close all the way.
So now we were not only locked out of the flat but once we left the building we would not be able to get back in. So I sent Ben a text message and due to his meeting schedule I would now have to go downtown with the kids to pick up his set of keys. We went and picked up Alex and I told her of our new plan of heading down to Daddy's office. She wanted to go home because we were supposed to bake brownies and was not happy with what I had done. After a huge sigh and calling me silly, she resigned herself to the fact that this was not a choice I was giving her but our only option of getting into our home...maybe even in time to still make those brownies. We hopped on a tram and headed down to Narodni Trida. When we got off the tram, the first thing Alex saw was a display of slipper socks at Bankrot. Brownie visions left her mind as she spied two pairs of these that she simply had to have. I told her we could stop there on the way back from getting the keys and we were able to move on.
As we approached the office I had a terrible thought. Even with a key in hand, would I be able to open the door with my keys hanging on the other side? I had no idea if Ben's key would push mine out or if my key would block access. Ben came down with his keys and I mentioned this to him. Hmmm - this just might be the case but the only way to know for sure was to get home and try getting in. So, off we went back the way we came with a quick stop at Bankrot where Alex picked out her slipper socks and patiently waited her turn in line. The clerk thought she was adorable and was much impressed with Alex's math skills - she knew she needed change (I had not said this) so held out her hand - and even more so with her use of Czech during the transaction (she said Please, Thank You, and Goodbye all at the appropriate times). The time was now 5:45pm and I thought, perhaps if this works we can still bake those brownies.
Getting off the tram and walking toward our building, we ran into our temporary neighbors who are here for a month. After I explained to them what I had done, they graciously invited us to their flat in case Ben's key did not work. My fears were indeed confirmed when I tried to put his key in and it would only go 90% of the way in. A quick text to Ben and we were traipsing down one flight to take Bob, Gayle, & Linda up on their offer. They gladly watched the kids while I ran upstairs over and over again with numerous 'tools' we would come up with to try knocking my key out of the lock. This was of course interspersed with messages and calls from Ben asking if I had any success and letting me know that he had called Tomas at the management company. Tomas was in the hospital yet he still managed to track down a coworker, Pavel, to assist us. Pavel, in turn, managed to get a hold of a locksmith who could be here in 30-60 minutes to let us in. Time check: 6:30pm
With Ben's dreams of going to Poker dashed, he called me and said he was on his way and should he grab drinks for the kids. After 25 minutes we left our friends to begin our wait for the locksmith and as we were walking down the stairs, Ben arrived and called me to come let him in the building. Apparently he had stopped at the McDonalds nearest work and grabbed the kids some food and started dolling out the Chicken McNuggets. Moments later, a car pulled up and I guessed correctly that it was the locksmith. We all headed back upstairs, the kids hungrily consuming (3) nuggets a piece in the space of 3 minutes, and we ready to watch what we are sure will be an intricate job.
In less than 1 minute the locksmith had opened our door...without using any keys. The only one who had actually witnessed what he did was Alex who thought it was "pretty neat that a long metal thing and a hammer" could get the door open. Ben and the kids went inside and I dealt with the bill. I was told that we had a really 'super' door and that it was of high security. Really? So a junk door would have been opened in under 10 seconds with a string and a paper clip a la MacGyver? I am not sure how happy either of us were that it only took this professional fewer than 60 seconds to get in without using Ben's key to open the door however we can only hope that when locked, the 8 metal rods that move into the frame would cause more of an issue. Time Check: 7:35pm. Brownies were now completely and without question not going to happen unless I made them myself and that would be defeating the point of time with Alex... Thankfully, she had forgotten all about them as she happily ate her French Fries and watched 'Night at the Museum'.
So there you have it folks. The next time you lock yourself out of your flat, home, or auto...or have assistance from a four-legged friend...just go to www.goldkey.cz and find the matching rate to your level of stupidity :)
Heading out with Logan to pick up Alex from school, which is a daily routine that is so rote I could do it in my sleep, I somehow managed to leave my keys in the lock while pushing the stroller out into to hallway. Normally I would not even push him out until I had grabbed my keys out of the interior lock and placed them in the exterior lock but yesterday the routine hit a snag of the four-legged variety.
Apparently the enticement of a new area to explore outweighed the usual aversion Dominic and Erika have to Logan's stroller and they kept trying to escape when I would open the door. So I pushed Logan out as fast as I could and was only trying to close the door enough to contain the kittens, as I knew I had not grabbed my keys yet and I wanted to run back in for my backpack.
Well, as I was closing the door Logan let out an ear-piercing scream and I turned to see what could have possibly happened to him...realizing too late that I had moved my foot out of the door frame and turning back just in time to see Dominic rubbing against the door - which gave it the final push it needed to close all the way.
So now we were not only locked out of the flat but once we left the building we would not be able to get back in. So I sent Ben a text message and due to his meeting schedule I would now have to go downtown with the kids to pick up his set of keys. We went and picked up Alex and I told her of our new plan of heading down to Daddy's office. She wanted to go home because we were supposed to bake brownies and was not happy with what I had done. After a huge sigh and calling me silly, she resigned herself to the fact that this was not a choice I was giving her but our only option of getting into our home...maybe even in time to still make those brownies. We hopped on a tram and headed down to Narodni Trida. When we got off the tram, the first thing Alex saw was a display of slipper socks at Bankrot. Brownie visions left her mind as she spied two pairs of these that she simply had to have. I told her we could stop there on the way back from getting the keys and we were able to move on.
As we approached the office I had a terrible thought. Even with a key in hand, would I be able to open the door with my keys hanging on the other side? I had no idea if Ben's key would push mine out or if my key would block access. Ben came down with his keys and I mentioned this to him. Hmmm - this just might be the case but the only way to know for sure was to get home and try getting in. So, off we went back the way we came with a quick stop at Bankrot where Alex picked out her slipper socks and patiently waited her turn in line. The clerk thought she was adorable and was much impressed with Alex's math skills - she knew she needed change (I had not said this) so held out her hand - and even more so with her use of Czech during the transaction (she said Please, Thank You, and Goodbye all at the appropriate times). The time was now 5:45pm and I thought, perhaps if this works we can still bake those brownies.
Getting off the tram and walking toward our building, we ran into our temporary neighbors who are here for a month. After I explained to them what I had done, they graciously invited us to their flat in case Ben's key did not work. My fears were indeed confirmed when I tried to put his key in and it would only go 90% of the way in. A quick text to Ben and we were traipsing down one flight to take Bob, Gayle, & Linda up on their offer. They gladly watched the kids while I ran upstairs over and over again with numerous 'tools' we would come up with to try knocking my key out of the lock. This was of course interspersed with messages and calls from Ben asking if I had any success and letting me know that he had called Tomas at the management company. Tomas was in the hospital yet he still managed to track down a coworker, Pavel, to assist us. Pavel, in turn, managed to get a hold of a locksmith who could be here in 30-60 minutes to let us in. Time check: 6:30pm
With Ben's dreams of going to Poker dashed, he called me and said he was on his way and should he grab drinks for the kids. After 25 minutes we left our friends to begin our wait for the locksmith and as we were walking down the stairs, Ben arrived and called me to come let him in the building. Apparently he had stopped at the McDonalds nearest work and grabbed the kids some food and started dolling out the Chicken McNuggets. Moments later, a car pulled up and I guessed correctly that it was the locksmith. We all headed back upstairs, the kids hungrily consuming (3) nuggets a piece in the space of 3 minutes, and we ready to watch what we are sure will be an intricate job.
In less than 1 minute the locksmith had opened our door...without using any keys. The only one who had actually witnessed what he did was Alex who thought it was "pretty neat that a long metal thing and a hammer" could get the door open. Ben and the kids went inside and I dealt with the bill. I was told that we had a really 'super' door and that it was of high security. Really? So a junk door would have been opened in under 10 seconds with a string and a paper clip a la MacGyver? I am not sure how happy either of us were that it only took this professional fewer than 60 seconds to get in without using Ben's key to open the door however we can only hope that when locked, the 8 metal rods that move into the frame would cause more of an issue. Time Check: 7:35pm. Brownies were now completely and without question not going to happen unless I made them myself and that would be defeating the point of time with Alex... Thankfully, she had forgotten all about them as she happily ate her French Fries and watched 'Night at the Museum'.
So there you have it folks. The next time you lock yourself out of your flat, home, or auto...or have assistance from a four-legged friend...just go to www.goldkey.cz and find the matching rate to your level of stupidity :)
posted by Pam at
4:04 AM
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