A Senior Moment.

[ringway]

My work took me to Birmingham today. A potentially tricky job re-aligning some remote controlled blinds installed by another company.

The job was tiring, but a success.


I headed back home (awful two-lorry smash on the M6 Southbound near Sanbach and I pitied those stuck in the traffic - the motorway is still closed at this moment) and was pleased to be just a few miles from my favourite curry and a hot bath.


Then..

I realised that I'd left an important piece of my equipment on site. I needed the equipment first thing in the morning, so had to go back.

So, tired and another 150, miles to cover, with the added inconvenience of the diversion around the M6 carnage. PAH!


What your best/worst senior moment?

 

[Dieselman]

Mine isn't too bad as I'm not that senior, but my Father left his briefcase at the south coast and returned to the Midlands.
He had to return to collect it and then back again...450 mile round trip having already driven the 225 mile journey that day.

 

[neilz]

Not me, but when my father had dementia he thought I was a doctor and tried to have me examine his throat

 

[neilz]

Ok, one on me, just one - LinkedIn. I saw the page where you can find your friends on LinkedIn, I entered my email address and password to link it to my contact list. I din't know it would send an invite to all hundreds of them! I'm now connected with a few electrical stores, and it even sent an invite to the DHL depot in Lambeth who had emailed me once! That's just a couple of random people I'm connected with...

 

[Mr E]

I was heading into the office one morning - fancied a day of company as opposed to being at home - and on arriving at the car park realised that I hadn't picked up my laptop bag...

Turned round, phoned Mrs E to pick up laptop bag and meet me half-way. Met up, put bag into boot, drove back to office. Get to office, laptop bag empty...

Drive back home (Mrs E has gone out) - no laptop.

Discover laptop in briefcase, which was in the back of the car all the time......

 

[Igurisu]

A few years ago I was working in our French office for a few months. Flying out Monday mornings then back Friday evenings.

One Friday was a particularly busy day and a bit of a rush to get back to CDG in time for my return flight. Got to Leeds/Bradford airport and realised I had left my car key at the Paris office

At the time we didn't have a second car, so had to call my brother, ask him to go to my house to collect the spare key and bring it to me at the airport.

To make matters worse, my Honda at the time had a master key and a slave key. The slave had no remote but worked fine from the key entry and ignition. What I soon found out was that when locked with the remote, the car needed to be unlocked with the remote to de-activate the alarm

I made a 1 hour drive home with the alarm going off every 10 inutes. Even went past a parked police car with the alarm sounding and he never batted an eye.

 

[Chrishazle]

I'm certain I've had a few senior moments........but I can't remember!!




I'll get my coat!

 

[Steve Holland]

Two for me and very recent so waiting for the third to arrive soon then hopefully never again.

Basildon, Essex ....... Drill in hand job finished after a heavy awkward 9 hour day and that question arrives.......

"You couldn't just do this for us while you have the drill in your hand?"

So I did, packed my gear and drove all the way across country to Tony Pandy in South Wales.

Next morning on site, guess where the drill was? Yep where I had done my favour.

Yes I had plenty of other drills but this was the expensive useful one so a new one had to be purchased It was two weeks before I would be back in the area and collect my original drill.

The following week ( thats three weeks after the first) in Vauxhall working at St Mary's Hospital I emptied my pockets for a screw bit and remember placeing my Van keys somewhere between 1 of 10 ward areas 7 lab's and the morgue.....and most with restricted access. Or was it under the seat of the guy who gave me a lift there who denied it was? Where? To this day I'll never know?

My van is Alarmed and locked like Fort Knox so sadly my Son ...God Bless Him! Had to drive down from Manchester with the replacement.

As I said I await the third...!

 

[developer]

My most regular one is to travel from South Birmigham to North Birmingham to one of the houses, only to realise I'd not picked up the keys

 

[TDE1]

My office underwent the installation of new email software, which included a ‘quarantine’ facility. This meant that unsuitable images, language and general content would go straight to The Administrator, and there would be consequences….

After lecturing my staff about appropriate language etc, and how I didn’t want it to my dept to let the side down, I went back to my desk and emailed a colleague asking if she wanted to join me outside for a fag...... BANG! STRAIGHT TO QUARANTINE!
Stupid American software.​

 

[st13phil]

This wasn't me, rather it's a story I picked up on another forum a few years ago, but it rates as probably the best "senior moment" -type story I've ever heard.

Years ago, when I worked for ICL in Manchester, my boss there was a guy called Andy E. Great bloke, but mad as a mercury-gargling hatter. You may find the following story interesting.

After a looonnng, booooring two day meeting, up at the Edinburgh office, he was becoming more and more agitated as he was worried about missing the final south-bound train.

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

Finally, he lost his temper with the people there: He wrapped up the meeting with a unilateral decision; he charged out of the meeting with a briefcase in one hand, and his suitcase in the other.

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

Gasping for breath, he arrived at Waverley Station and then spent 10 minutes rooting around in his briefcase looking for his return ticket. A few minutes before the train was due to depart, he realised that he must have lost the sodding thing. He'd have to buy himself a single to Manchester. Bugger.

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

Red-faced, he found himself queuing behind the proverbial Deaf Old Dear, who proceeded to monopolise the poor sod behind the counter. After she had satisfied herself as to the cost/time/temperature/colour of the train to Falkirk, she then spent five minutes counting and recounting the wrinkled one pound notes she pried from her creaking purse.

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

Shaking with frustration, he finally bought his ticket and ran back onto the platform. He reached the train a microsecond before it was due to pull out. The guard gave him just enough time to board, and then blew his whistle.

Phew.

A very stressed Andy E. finds the only spare seat on the train in the smoking carriage. Does he smoke? Of course he doesn't.

ZZZZzzzzzzz. Cough-cough. ZZZZZzzzz.

A few hours later, he arrives at the Peoples Republic of Manchester. Where is his darling wife who usually picks him up? Not there. These are the days before mobile phones. He waits...

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

Finally, he loses it again. He calls his wife at home. She's still there!

He then 'gently explains' to her that he's had a crap two day meeting, followed by a b****rd journey home. Would it be possible for her to pick him up, as usual, from the ****ing station? Pretty ****ing please?

It's at this point that his wife starts giggling. Andy decides he's not quite ready to see the 'funny side' of all this, but she continues to laugh at him.

After a while, he sees his wife's car coming up the station concourse. As he climbs in, he's outraged to see that she's doubled up with laughter. He's had enough. When he tries shouting at her, she just laughs louder.

Speechless with exasperation, Andy waits for the laughing fit to pass.

It's then that she tells him that he drove his car up to Edinburgh.

 

[artyman]

When we moved house I left the office and drove the opposite way to our former flat, almost the whole way before I realised I didn't live there any more, I was 26 then

 

[Dieselman]

It's then that she tells him that he drove his car up to Edinburgh.

Which then begs the question...Why did he have his suitcase with him instead of it being in the car boot?



Busted..!

 

[MOCAŠ]

Knowing that I'll need to use my credit card tomorrow morning for the first time in years, I took it out of my wallet to check it was still valid - and found it had expired in 2009.

Cue frantic search for the replacement card(s) that they must surely have sent me since then. Two hours later I found the current one under a pile of papers in the study. Phew. Phoned my bank to make sure it was still active, having not used it for so long. All good. So I decided I ought to sign it.

I got through three ballpoint pens, none of which was leaving a mark (even though they all worked fine on paper)... before realising I'd been trying to sign on the magnetic strip.

 

[Mike Walker]

Have just been involved in a 24/7 5 week long shutdown of the Energy from Waste Facility we have been constructing for the last 3.5 years. Left my office the other evening to get my key to lock the office door - always keep it in car so I know exactly where it is - and was carrying various bits and bobs including laptop.

As I was approaching car noticed scrape on front bumper so put laptop on ground next to building to investigate further. Car had been MOT'd at lunchtime so damage was probaly caused there.

Picked up key, returned to office and locked said door, got in car and drove homewards.

Stopped at local M&S to exchange something and noticed...... no laptop!
Turned around and drove back to site to find laptop had walked away....

try explaing that to IT Department. Police said wasn't stolen but lost - doh!

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

You don't work for MI5 do you?.

 

[NW_Merc]

I parked my car in a different car park directly behind my premises and then after I finished work walked to the usual car park I normally leave the car in. My car obviously not there. As I walked closer anxiety started to set in as I thought my car's been stolen, walking back to my office, I then saw it parked in the other car park I left it in that morning.

 

[markjay]

Driving to the office on a weekend to catch-up on some paperwork - only to discover that I left the office keys at home.

 

[Meldrew2]

Spending a day taking photographs only to discover no film in the camera...

 

[oldcro]

Some time ago on a dark winters evening I parked the car on a side street and went shopping. Returned to the car, jumped in (it was not locked) and could not get the key into the ignition, the I noticed things seemed unfamiliar. Jumped out and realised I was in the wrong car, mine was 50 yards further up the road.

Strangely enough the car was a different make to mine and a totally different colour. Luckily the owner did not see me as I sheepishly walked away.