It’s hard to describe being a writer to those who aren’t writers. And yet, having an artist for a mother, I think other artistic types understand. Even if you aren’t practicing your craft, it’s always there like software running in the background. There are odd moments when your vision shifts and things appear different.

For instance, last Monday when I was downtown for training classes I was focused on what I needed to accomplish for the day job then I started to study the different types of architecture that was downtown. From Art Deco to post-modernism and some funky honey-comb style that was probably a big hit in the ’80s.

It was about then that my perspective switched. As I entered the 22 story building with the class, I started looking for routes in and out. The guards scattered throughout the lobby would go first (standard SOP in all action horror flicks, a shame since they were nice).

Keycards granted folks access to certain floors and others were accessible only at specific times. How easy were they to override? And were these key readers inside the stairwells, too? Could you take the elevator to an open floor, then enter the stairwell and make your way to one of the closed floors? And did those same rules  apply during an emergency such as a fire alarm or power outage? As I studied the emergency exit map, I began to think of other scenarios but then my phone buzzed and I had to get to class.

Ah, well, there’s always next time.