A little disoriented: Take 2.

I was invited to a meeting on 38 today.

I spend a lot of time going back and forth between 9 and 28 and usually allow a good solid 10 minutes for that commute because it's a bit like try to across town in Manhattan but more complicated. I've never been to 38 but it was an important meeting so I gave myself a solid 20.

I arrive at 38 and am told to go to 37 and then walk up the staircase to 38. Which doesn't really make sense because I'm already on 38 but I this building doesn't make sense so I make my way to 37 via the stairwell because I'm not actually sure if you can get from 38 to 37 because of the whole even odd thing.

I'm in the stairwell and go to open the door to 37. Which is locked. But wait! I have my badge. But apparently my badge does not give me access to 37. So I go back up to 38. My badge got me to the 38 floor via elevator but not via stairwell.

If you're following you've realized that I am locked in the stairwell. And 20 minutes is almost up. This is an extremely disconcerting feeling but fortunately I have my iPhone. Unfortunately there's only 10% battery and I wonder if this is how people in jail who are only allowed to make one call feel.

I txt message my co-workers but am not hopeful I'll get rescued as the meeting has already started and I doubt they are looking at their phones and even if they were I'm not integral enough to this meeting to send anyone out of the room to retrieve me.

I walk back up to 38 just in case the door changed it's mind about me and notice an intercom. Hooray! I press the button, speak into it. What I get back is about as audible as a McDonalds drive through. I state my case and wonder if it sounds the same to them. And even if we could understand each other if my badge doesn't give me access perhaps security won't either (presuming that is who is on the other end of the line).

I consider using my remaining iPhone battery to play "Words With Friends" because getting to this meeting is starting to feel like a lost cause and I would very much welcome a distraction from the fact that I'm trapped in the stairwell of a very big building on a very high floor and to say nothing of missing a meeting I had very much wanted to attend.

I hear someone in the distance and am not sure if I should be frightened or relieved. Maybe the stairwell is like a deserted island and we'll start our own little colony. Lost: Columbus. I figure whoever this person is had to come from somewhere and hope I will be led to the rabbit hole out of here. Or that this person will have a more powerful badge than I do. Turns out this person came from 1 or 2. This is his cardio. Stairs. If I weren't wearing high heels and a sweater set I might consider this an option, especially beause it's down 38 flights of stairs.

In the end, I only had to walk down three flights of stairs to get out of the stairwell and the elevator system eventually did get me to 38. About 20 minutes late and a little disoriented.

Sigh.