Some time ago, we said goodbye to our old Senseo coffee machine and traded up for a fancy coffee maker and milk frother. It’s been a major step forward in the coffee department. These days, I start my mornings with a proper cappuccino instead of black coffee with some milk powder. But the upgrade did present a bit of a problem: what to do with the half-used carton of milk? Our office kitchenette doesn’t have a fridge. We mulled over the options and eventually settled on the simplest solution. Every evening, one of us puts the half-full carton out on the windowsill outside my office, which faces north and stays nice and cool overnight.
Cooling system
But now that spring is finally here, cracks are beginning to show in our makeshift cooling system. Luckily, just this week we got word that our kitchenette – all less than four square metres of it – is getting renovated. And not only will it have a small dishwasher, but it’ll also be fitted with a mini fridge.
Building manager
I’m the building manager (someone’s got to do it) of Lenculenstraat 14, which only houses Observant on the first floor. Our downstairs neighbours from the Faculty of Law moved out on 1 April. As it’s a small building, the job usually requires almost no effort at all. But this month, everything seems to be happening at once. In addition to the kitchenette renovation, we’re getting curtains at the back and extra carpeting in a room at the front, which sits above the gateway to the car park and turns into an icebox in winter. It’s taken some communication and coordination with Facility Services. Still, that’s nothing compared to how busy the building managers are in most of the university’s larger buildings.
Number plate
In a building this small, little goes unnoticed. This morning, I was the first to arrive at just before half past eight. I heard noises coming from the second floor, which has been empty for quite some time. A man came down the stairs and walked straight out to the car park, where he got into a car. Odd. What was he doing here? He was gone before I had a chance to ask. Just to be safe, I jotted down his number plate. I am, after all, the building manager.