Friday, January 23, 2009

I work in a windowed Fort Knox

So I just got back from my first day of training to work as a Crisis Interventionist for the University of Oklahoma's Psychology Services Division (or something like that). And while the training was fun (though long at about 5 hours straight), it was a little interesting the first 15 minutes or so. The topic the first FIFTEEN minutes of training? Getting into the building. Seriously. It was VERY SUPER HIGHLY severely stressed that staff members are SWORN not to disclose the location of this building or any of the codes to get into it. It's crazy secretive. To get TO the building, we had to be given directions straight from the coordinator. Google maps DOESN'T HAVE DIRECTIONS TO THIS BUILDING. And the squares in "Satellite" mode when you try to zoom in on the location are mysteriously "unavailable at this zoom level," even though they're available elsewhere on OU's campus. The address that you would type into Google Maps actually takes you to the security station of OU's Research Annex. 

But anyway, so you turn onto the road, right? And you're going along and see NOTHING. There's a sign and then two small buildings that don't really seem all that malevolent. But here's where the directions from the coordinator come in. Now, granted, I can't really give you much detail because they might be watching me right now, but basically, to get to this place, you go past the point where you think the road drops off, around this sharp corner (in fact, the directions explicitly stated "veer left" ... NO LIE), and you come across this nondescript building with panels of dark windows IN THE MIDDLE OF A THICK GROVE OF TREES. The doors, thankfully, are propped open so we can get in, but as we work our way through the labyrinth that is this building I shouldn't be talking about, there's a codelock on EVERY SINGLE FLIPPIN' door. There was even one on the BRIEFING ROOM (seriously, it was called the "Briefing room") we're being trained in! Like seriously, just to get into the ROOM that I'll be working in, there is a card access swipe, a codelock, and a key. The doors to the building are made of bullet resistant glass, and there's also a codelock on those. I'm pretty sure I have to submit like an iris scan and insta-urinalysis each time too (okay, /that/ part wasn't true)

But the part that's really crazyweird? We were instructed that, on our approach AND our departure from the facility, we are to notify building authorities and security personnel by phone and identify ourselves. I assume it's so they can disarm the supersecret poison dart cannons hidden in the trees around the parking lots, though the reason we were given was so the security guards and staff members wouldn't be "surprised when we showed up and do something crazy." 

=/   <--note worried-for-life face

Sheesh!

5 comments:

  1. "this building I shouldn't be talking about"

    OPSEC Violation. You just lost your security clearance. You have two directions too many. I found it.

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  2. PS I didnt' see any dart cannons in the trees, so you're good to go. Careful of the monkeys, though. :)

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  3. and those are flying monkeys Dorothy. And Aunt Laurie just endangered her families security clearance by trying to find it (shame on you)

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  4. I can't help it! You try living with a husband who says, in all seriousness, "I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you" when you ask him how his day went!! :) It makes you crazy with curiosity trying to find stuff out.

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  5. What are you doing working in a super secret crazy building? Aren't you afraid they will discover you really belong there? And then what? We have to shoot all the hidden monkeys to rescue you?
    Grandma T

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