there's a water fountain out in the hall. it's mounted as part of a panel of water-related services (icewater, firehose, etc), in a recess in the wall. i'm about 5'8"; the top of this panel is at about chin-level, and the bottom is waist-high. the actual recess for the water fountain itself is the full height of the panel, about ten or twelve inches wide, and maybe 4 inches deep; there's a tap inside which shoots a stream of cool water toward a back corner of the recess, so that you have to work pretty hard to get a cup (much less your head) inside to get some of the water.
i have a hard time seeing into this water fountain, because the top, at chin-level, acts as a blind. many people here are much taller than i. there are two options for being able to see in as you will a cup: bend over, or bend back. bending over is a bad idea these days, as the hallway has been choked and almost impassable for a few weeks while the site maintenance crew is remodelling. bending over to see into the waterfountain means your butt blocks most of the currently passable channel in the corridor. the remaining option is to leave your lower body tucked in against the wall, leaning your torso back just enough so that, when looking down with your head, you get a view that just clears the blind at the top of the fountain's recess.
i just passed someone in the hall doing exactly this. it looked for all the world like he was taking a leak in the water fountain.
Fri Apr 02 14:55:09 1999