Arriving at Work

vocabulary & phrases

TGIF – “thank goodness it’s Friday”; a phrase used on Fridays to show that one is happy that the weekend is coming

parking lot – a paved area near a building where cars can be parked

security gate – a metal bar or door that stops cars and people from entering an area unless they have permission

key card – a small, rectangular piece of plastic for identification that electronically tells a machine whether the person should be allowed to do something

parking structure – a concrete building with many floors for cars to park on

parking spot – a place for one car to be parked, usually marked with painted white or yellow lines

parking permit – a piece of paper or plastic that gives a person permission to park his or her car in a specific area

windshield – the glass window in the front of a car that lets the driver see where the car is going

to lock up – to lock the door on one’s car or home; to close the locks on the doors to one’s car or home so that other people cannot get in without a key

badge – a piece of identification, usually with a photograph, that shows that a person works at a specific organization or business

I woke up this morning and thought, “TGIF!” I have been looking forward to the weekend and all I need to do is to get through one more day of work.
I drive to work and pull into the parking lot next to my office building. I stop at the security gate. I put my key card into the card reader and the security arm goes up. I drive into the parking structure and find a parking spot. I make sure that my parking permit is showing in the windshield and I lock up. I get my briefcase out of the back seat and walk toward the building. It’s a short walk and I’m there in no time.
When I get there, I take out my badge and put it around my neck before I go through the main entrance of the building. Employees are supposed to wear their badges at all times at work so that the security guards know that we belong there. One day last week, I forgot my badge at home and I had to get a visitor’s pass for the day. My coworker made fun of me all day. He kept asking me if he could get me some coffee and when I was leaving. What a joker!