Wednesday 23 July 2008

Our father who art in PANIC

I seem to have neglected to mention that the Arts Tower in Sheffield has a paternoster. I had seen it last year, but assumed the doors had been taken off for maintenance.

The woman who walked in in front of me on Monday got straight on it, but I baulked and watched it for a while before trying it. It's very like having an old funfair ride in the building. Other students have been happy to wait for the one other working lift to avoid the paternoster, but I use it every chance I get. It's still vaguely terrifying.

Especially yesterday, when we were on our way to a lecture theatre below ground. Now, I had planned to find out what happened when the paternoster reached the bottom of the building by putting a piece of paper on the floor of a car and watching to see if it came up again... for all I know the cars flip over. But I was so busy talking to one of the other students (who would go on it) that neither of us thought of it until we passed a dimly lit sign on the side of the lower ground floor, stating that the lift would now be going up.

Cue panic.

We were simply shunted to the right, and indeed started to go up. It's very disconcerting when you have concrete all around. But I suppose it had to be safe, or Health and Safety would have ripped it out of the building long ago.

Needless to say, I will continue to use it as often as possible while I'm here. But now, off to try to do some printing, which I was dreaming about last night. The halls have the hardest beds I can remember sleeping in. I have got a cheap rate on a hotel for the exams in September, now just need flights and train...

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