Small world

So there I was, sitting at my computer at work, minding my own business, waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around, and BAM...fire alarm goes off. There is a chorus of groans from the cubes around me. It is 4:30 and it is near 103 outside. No one wants to haul their cookies down the stairs to stand outside for the elevators overheating again (As most of the time when the fire alarm goes off it is because the elevators overheated and started to smoke). We are good little workers though and we slump down stairs and into the sweltering parking lot.

Turns out the dumpster had caught on fire. I didn't find out any details on the hows and whys of it, but there was actually a fire for once. At least it mostly justified making us stand outside in the insane heat for 20 minutes. Still doesn't make it any less unpleasant of a way to spend the last half hour of work.

Once back inside I had just enough time to make a post on Facebook about the incident, and pack up to head to the gym. I thought this was the end of the story.

Later that evening...
I turned my laptop on as we were settling in to watch the DVRed episode of Masterchef, and I get an immediate inbox full of responses to my Facebook post. Curious I start reading them. Every one of them is from friends from college noting that another person from our college had made almost the exact same post.

Now this guy is someone I don't really know. I mean he didn't actually go to school while I was in school. I met him plenty of times, and I got really drunk with him several times, and I know he slept on my couch on more than one occasion, but that does not mean I know him. I could probably pick him out of a crowd but I am pretty sure he wouldn't know who the hell I was if I spoke to him.

So yea, I had no idea if he worked for my company or not. I haven't seen him around the building to my knowledge (of course I don't really go many places in my building). So I couldn't answer them one way or another. Though the chances of 2 different DFW offices having a dumpster catch fire at 4:30 in the afternoon are...well actually they are pretty good with the sort of heat we have been having. Still it was unlikely.

I went and checked out this guys Facebook profile and sure enough it looks like my company acquired his company, and we now work for the same company in the same building. Had it not been for the fire I probably never would have known.

I also found out that one of my college friends who had started the inquiry also applied at my company a few months ago. A while back another of my college friends worked for a company our company acquired, and we worked together for a short time.

So it was a strange evening of my world getting just a little smaller.
And all because a dumpster caught fire.