Come On Brown!

Why is it when I’m in a hurry, or have a scheduled plan to my day the rest of the world seems to be using a different day planner? I’ve been waiting all morning, and now into the afternoon for UPS to show up. They are making a pick up and apparently I need to be here in order for them to do that. The last time I arranged for this they showed up early in the morning, and I was free to carry on my day. Simple! Everyone was happy!

Not today though! Not today! Today I have a list as long as my arm of things I need to do. One of them is soon going to require me to be in three places at one time if they don’t hurry up, because though I’ve had plenty of time to twiddle my thumbs, I haven’t been able to figure out how to accomplish the impossible! Since we have yet to perfect Star Trek, “beaming” technology I have about two more hours before I’m going to be in the world of “Now What?”

banner-1240822__180

I am keenly aware that the universe does not revolve around me. People have things to do and places to go. They have their own day planners and their own lists, all equally as important as my own, but I just need to cross two things off of mine today to put my hands over my head and shout, “Yes!” Is that too much to ask? Come on Brown, how about you show up at my door in the next few minutes? Please?

I Can Hear The Sirens! Hurry!

safe-913452_960_720We had one hour to break into the safe and find our way out of the bank before the cops got there! One hour and the clock was ticking!

The four of us were in this together. Mariah, Dusty, and Kim were my partners in crime. It was a family affair. Dusty found the key that allowed us to turn on the lights, Mariah grabbed the bag on the desk. We would need everything inside it to pull this off, but how to get in? It was locked and the clues were as hidden as the way out!

Opening drawers, looking in books, scrolling through a rolodex, stepping back to get the big picture, and then leaning in to see the details! The harder we tried the more elusive our goal became. We were talking over one another, bumping into each other, and all the while, “Tick, tick, tick!” The blood pressure was rising! Our hearts were pounding! The sirens! Again with those sirens! We’re going to get caught!

We decoded a clue and Mariah broke into the bag! We found another, then Dusty was into the desk! “Oh no! Another locked box!” More searching and even more clues that didn’t make sense! Trial and error, resulting in more failure as the clock continued to remind us we were nearly out of time.

We were throwing solved riddles on the desk, tossing open boxes on the floor, piecing together what we needed to get the money and get out! Mariah looked at the clock, and as she noticed that not much time remained something happened! She became laser focused! She saw nothing, heard nothing! Her only goal was to solve the riddle and get us out of there before it was too late! She was shouting numbers to Dusty, thinking, and trying again if it didn’t work. She was zeroed in, singularly goal oriented. Dusty became her hands. She was now obviously the brains of the operation! Our job? Clarify when needed and then stay out of her way!

Through one locked door, into the elevator, but which way?  “No!!! Not another locked door!”Hurry! We’re running out of time! The sirens, they’re getting closer!”

We got it! We’re in the vault! We grab the money and the gold! This is great! But the way out is locked! Where is the key? The clue lay in the money itself, but we needed the black light to read it! I had forgotten I was carrying the flashlight around in my pocket. I was needed! Kim arranged the bills. I illuminated them. Mariah figured out we needed to go back to the office to set things in motion, but how?  That’s where Dusty came in. He understood. We were a team! I glanced at the clock. Quick now! Back to the vault, search the lockers, and find the key to the door!

We were out with 3 minutes to spare! Our hearts were pounding and we were laughing, giddy with success! We had foiled the escape room! Escape rooms are popping up around the country, with many different scenarios. Apparently pitting your wit against an imaginary foe and a clock is quite popular. I want to go back and try our luck with the Egyptian tomb. It sounds intriguing, with shades of Indiana Jones.  It’s fun, harder than you think!

12983250_946366811825_3134496720654491673_o