Elevator. That's what got me started today. I hauled out the iPhone and started making notes. Why would a guy stand with his nose practically to the elevator door, just itching to get through? Who's in that much of a rush? He nearly flattened a woman who was walking across the elevator timing it as the doors would open fully.
On the LRT it's common to see people file out of the car and scrunch along the side of the train, with someone holding the door, as a line of people behind them get out of the middle of the car. Then people file back in again. Everybody knows the drill and cooperates. It works really well. Why don't people do the same thing in the elevator? I watched a guy squeeze on, and then was in the way for every one of many stops along the way. Would he get out for a second to let others out? No. He would try to guess from which side they were coming, from behind him, without looking, and half the time he bumped into the person that was trying to get out.
I always chuckle to myself about how reluctant people are to talk in an elevator. People carrying on a conversation in the lobby will stop as they file into the elevator. I'm not a particularly social guy, but I am unconventional, so I like to say hello, and make eye contact. Just to make them nervous, you understand.
The elevator lobby has 6 elevators, 3 on each side of the hall. I smile every time I see someone get out, head in one direction, then realize they need to go the other way and turn around. Don't these people know where they are going? Do they lose their orientation that easily?
Society is still coming to grips with the finer points involved in equality of genders. Today was a bad day for elevators. I watched a guy take up half the doorway space, holding a door that wasn't trying to close, and gesturing several women to leave. Myself, the first thing I thought was that he was a pervert trying cop a feel as they walked by. My rule for elevators is that the people closest to the door leave first, and keep moving past the vicinity of the door. The people waiting for the elevator arrange themselves so this can happen, since out has to happen before in. If there are only a few people of mixed gender, all roughly equidistant from the door it's fine to let the women go first. Or whoever starts moving first because they're in a hurry. But to hold the door for a woman buried in the pack at the back of the elevator is just stupid.
The only problem with this is that it often leaves me behind people who walk very slowly. Slow walkers, if there is no evidence of some disability, make me nuts. Just strolling along, down the middle of the corridor so nobody can pass them, Grrrrrrr. This is also a problem on escalators. Keep right, people! Some of us like to walk along the escalator.
The other thing today was a woman paying for coffee. Banker's Hall has something called Sunterra Market. Great goodies, pretty good coffee. You'd better know what you want. The line moves pretty briskly. Most people have a 5 dollar bill ready to go, or a couple of twoonies. Not this woman. A coffee, a snack, and her backpack took up most of the space near a till. Then stuff came out of the backpack to take more space on the counter. Then a purse. Stuff out of the purse. Then a wallet out of the purse. Then change, exact effing change, using up pennies, came out of the wallet. Then all the crap packed carefully in reverse order. As the line up got longer, everybody's coffee got colder, and the poor woman at the till was standing there helpless. Nobody could reach past pack-woman to give money to the clerk, until she got her shit together and shambled off. Good thing people in the line up didn't meet her in a dark elevator, or the custodial staff would be cleaning up a mess.
Once home I was right into workout mode. Downstairs for a good core and stretch session. Then a half hour easy spin. At one point I looked at the bike computer and found I was at 120 rpm. Wow! Much of it was above 100 rpm, in an easy gear. Flushing out the legs, since my calves had been a bit tight today. Then some feet up, and and upside down pigeon. Total of 45 minutes core/stretch, and 30 minutes on the bike. Feels good.
Tomorrow morning is back to Renfrew since the kid's swim season is done. Yay! I've missed my buddies there.
LOVED this post!! I made the mistake ONCE of not having my wallet ready when I got in line at Sunterra Market! Vultures in there in the morning! I also get so annoyed when men wait for me to get the elevator first - let's just GO people!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone has ever done a study regarding human behaviour in elevators? Hahahah! You are so right in your observations. And everybody always looks up at the floor numbers....Conversations stop and everyone's eyes focus on those top numbers. It is odd, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI wa in Banff at that awesome fudge place once, and didn't realize there was a line. You had to be there to see it -- it really didn't look like a line I swear! I barged up to the counter and the lady behind it kept ignoring me and asking other people what they wanted. It took me about 5 minutes to finally realize that I had basically cut in line. Eeeeeeep!!
That said, I NEVER EVER pay in exact change unless I am the only person in the line! :) :)
Haha, I can relate to so many of the pet peeves you listed. Particularly slow people... particularly slow people that block passers.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that freaks people out in elevators is if you face the wrong way...
By the way, I've changed my blog name and url. Wondering if you'd mind adding it to you blog roll? http://debtris.blogspot.com/ You can take Deb Shrinks off. :)
You've reminded me of how long it took for me to break myself of the bad habit I'd acquired from running: in hallways, when I'd reach a left turn, I'd cut the tangent to decrease the amount of distance covered (a habit from racing), invariably to walk into someone coming the other way.
ReplyDeleteSometimes bad behaviour can come from innocent beginings!
When I was a grad student, some psychology students wore scary masks on elevators to record people's reactions - or in my case, non-reaction. Nothing surprises me on an elevator (except when one goes out of order and skips the floor I want - then I panic).