Operation Sample Return

This post and all others have been moved to this sites new home on www.peterneill.eu

There are some situations that are so simple that nothing could possibly go wrong. Many would think the following situation is such. Many are wrong.

The year was 1998 and I was just about to start a new job with a financial services company in Dublin, Ireland. One of the perks of this new job was excellent health cover. Those of you whom follow this blog, will know that such 'perks' are a necessity for yours truly. In order to avail of this health cover all new staff members were subjected to a very vigorous medical examination, where no stone was left unturned, if you catch my drift……

The examination was to take place in the doctors office on the top floor of an old georgian building in Dublin. On my entrance to the building I was coincidentally greeted by the doctor and brought straight upstairs, skipping the usual reception registration process.

Surprisingly there were no surprises during the examination itself. Looking back on it, it seems like the situation itself was luring me into a false sense of confidence, confidence that this was all going to go off without a hitch.

After the examination itself was over, and after I had regained my respectability I was handled a sample jar and asked to go to the bathroom and produce a urine sample. This seemed like a simple task, and it was. I went to the bathroom, very readily provided an ample sample (no rhyme intended). I had been requested to drop off the sample at reception on my way out of the building. So with this in mind, I descended the stairs to make my way down three levels to the ground floor. Now this was a building that had offices for several companies apart from the doctor I was visiting, this is a fact I now wish I had paid more attention to.
Once I got to the ground floor and set about looking for the reception desk. Still not having realised that several companies were in this building and not having had to register on the way in, I went straight for the first reception desk I saw, straight through the door in front of me after I descended the stairs.

Upon entry to the office I went to the desk, at which a young woman aged about 25 was sitting. I immediately, and quite awkwardly placed my clear jar of urine down on the desk in front of her and said "this is for you I believe – my name is Peter Neill". I immediately saw a look of confusion on her face, she then picked up the jar and started to scrutinise it. Not too impressed I was about to step back and leave when she started to open the jar to have a sniff. I immediately copped on that she did not realise what it was, and I yelled "Don't, its my urine!!!". The girl promptly screamed, slammed the cap back on the jar, banged it onto the table and ran to the sink in the kitchenette to wash her hands.
After a few seconds she returned and angrily asked me "Why are you giving me your wee, thats disgusting?!"

I replied "The doctor told me to give you my sample on the way out!"

Her reply, one that left me stunned was :

" This is a solicitors office!!! The doctors reception is across the hall! "