A Description of the Setting

The office is located in a building at the very edge of the campus. Often times when customers call to buy a permit, they complain about the distance, especially if their office is located on the other side of campus. If the weather is warm and sunny, we offer no sympathy. If there is a blizzard in the making, yes, we pause a moment to express our condolences and lament about the inconveniences this may have caused them. “But, really,” we say. “It’s not our fault. We were actually asked to move from the main administrative building so that another lesser known office could obtain the premises.” That was more than ten years ago. To date, no office has moved into the vacated premises.

The building has a very unusual name. I never gave it much thought until a customer wanted to know where the name originated from. I had no idea. And neither does anyone else.

Parking Services is located in the basement. This clearly shows that people hate us! But it’s alright. We are never tempted by the beckoning sunshine during summer days.

Next to our office is Dining Services. Past Dining Services, a set of double doors lead to the kitchens. During the eight hour day, we are often assaulted with the smell of good food. Especially baked bread. And brownies.

The office is divided into two sections, parking management and parking enforcement. The two sections are separated by a common area. The common area consists of a couch, love seat, and a coffee table. The temperature inside the management office is akin to Siberia. The temperature inside the enforcement office is similar to a humid Sahara. We know we will never understand the mechanism behind temperature control, especially not in this building.