Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Height of Achievement

by NINAD JOG

35. That's the approximate number of floors I climbed today. Twenty of them on my way to the office early in the morning, 12 on the way back to the office while returning from lunch, and 3 to my home.

I took the escalator when I got out of the train at Rosslyn metro station, but I kept walking up the escalator, as I usually do, instead of standing still. I climbed 80 steps, which translates to approx 4 floors. But the height of each escalator step is at least 1.5 times the height of the steps in a building, so I'd say that's approx 6 floors rather than 4.

It's at least 2 stories from the ground level of Rosslyn station to the base of my office building, and 12 floors to my office. That's 6 + 2 + 12 = 20. Climbing the 12 floors to my office is unquestionalbly the most boring, most monotonous part of the exercise - so boring that I almost fell asleep while climbing those stairs this morning!

People ask me why I don't use the elevator in the office building. I do, but only to go down, not up. Maybe I'll use it to go up on my way back from lunch, like I did yesterday.

I plan to climb 20 floors early in the morning for three days of the week. I sound like I've been doing this for quite some time, but it's only the second week. I thought of waiting for two more weeks before boasting, but I'm too vain to wait. As the wag said, "If you're too vain to wait, just make sure that the weight you throw is not in vain."

Not having to drive to work has its benefits, I suppose. So does having an office near the summit of a tower, half way up a hillock.

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