Adam Siegel: “I want to get this necklace off. But my hands are sweating and cramping.”

Engineering co-op Adam Siegel accompanied Matt Hoying on a fieldwalk and happened across a discarded “gold” costume necklace in the gutter that he couldn’t pass up. Adam slid the necklace over his head but struggled to open the tiny clasp to take it off on the way back to the office. Despite Matt generously sharing the car’s A/C, after ten hand-cramping minutes of sweaty struggle, Adam was close to giving up on the imitation jewelry’s removal.

Apparently, having cramped, tired, and/or sweaty hands is common at Choice One. Indeed, swinging a sledgehammer is sometimes hard on the hands for new employees. Or remember the time Brittany ran Kaye’s head into the wall thanks to failing fingers? Sometimes we even work to avoid using our hands–so much so that going hands-free is desirable, especially when it comes to a “long” walk down the Sidney office’s 11-cartwheel long corridor.

In the end, Adam triumphantly freed himself from the chain’s grip (although he eventually put it back on to parade his “treasure” around the office). Thanks to Adam, we’ve learned that our fieldwalks can turn into treasure hunts, just like our office corridor walks can turn into cartwheels. And with this latest find, our collection of memorable moments just gained another gem—this time, a shiny, “gold” one.