So besides snuggies, I have another pet peeve.
Motion detector lights.
I’m not a cat. I can’t see that well when it’s dark, and I especially cannot work on documents when I have no source of light in my office. My only window is a poster of the view of the Manhattan Skyline from the East River. Therefore, if I don’t have artificial light, I’m screwed.
You know I wish I had the power to create my own light. Nothing sounds more exciting to me than this idea. I get to do it in my stories, so why couldn’t I do it in real life?
Ah, yes, the magic of fiction.
Let me share with you a little memory. One day I was asked to supervise the review of evidence in a warehouse located not very far from work. I at first rejoiced at the idea of going on a field trip. I love to be out of the office for a day, especially when I don’t have to return to the office after I’m done.
For eight hours my schedule was set. I had my sandwich, my bottle of water, my phone charger and my Kindle. Nothing could go wrong… Or so I thought.
The warehouse was equipped with motion detector lights on every floor. Anywhere someone went, the light would turn on. After a few minutes of inactivity, it would turn off.
The team pulled a table in the hallway and started reviewing the evidence. I sat down on a stool and began reading a book.
Five minutes passed.
Sudden darkness.
“Can you watch the light, please?” someone from the team said to me.
I nodded.
Wait. Unless someone moved, the light would eventually go off.
No way I’d walk a marathon for the rest of the day. NO WAY.
It took me a few tries to finally position my stool right under the motion sensor, and every time the light would turn off, I’d raise my arm and it would turn immediately back on.
Over eight hours, minus a one hour break, so seven hours total, I raised my arm more than eighty times. The effort wasn’t the problem, but try to picture me sitting perfectly still on a stool while reading a book and waving my arm at regular intervals like a robot.
And, I get to do that in my office too, because… I don’t move when I work.
Eureka! What could prevent the light from turning off?
A flying monkey. 
A clown on a unicycle.
A flying monkey on top of a clown on a unicycle.
A bunch of stray cats in heat. 
A five year old.
Well, I need something that can hold ten hours without fading. I don’t think any of the above mentioned ideas can resist that long without a break.
Help George Lucas, I need R2D2! 
Who else is great at building robots?
Steven Spielberg. Ridley Scott. James Cameron.
Okay, the motion detector light issue will be solved as soon as I write to these guys.
And as a cherry on top, that robot could do my work too…
Great.
The Manicheans 
When I was a teacher we had these at most of the schools. I just sent 2nd graders running down the hallway to turn on the lights. Noisy…but effective.
Yeah good trick. I’m telling you i should hide a few of those in my pocket every morning.
I know just what you mean about the motion sensors. I sometimes work in an room
with them, and I pull on a lectern to turn them back on. Aggravating.