Elevator up

posted by mihow on August 8th, 2002

Today I got to work. When I got into the building, a very new guy who works here was waiting waiting for the elevator. I said hello and waited as well. When we got on the elevator he turns to me and says,
I thought you might hit the up button. You trusted that I had? How did you know I had?
I laughed
I have a thing with people who do that. It annoys me to no end. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, a woman mashed the button 10 times as I stood there, already waiting. I was thinking ‘what the hell do you think I’m doing here, hanging out?’ Even if I had wanted to hit the up button just now, I would have stopped myself from doing so.
He said,
I took a class when I was in college, a psychology class, and we studied why people do this. They actually did tests in the school elevator. The ‘close door’ button didn’t work, like it wasn’t even connected to anything, and most people knew this and most people would hit it anyway. It’s a control thing. People think they have control in at least one part of their life.
I have little control in most areas of my life, but I still stop myself from mashing the elevator up button.
I bet he thinks I’m crazy.

20 Responses to “Elevator up”

  1. Megan Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:13 AM

    I highly doubt he thinks you’re crazy. If anything, it’s better than the normal elevator conversations I have. Example: “Thursday, huh?” “Yeah.”

    Fin.

  2. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:14 AM

    I can honestly say that if he knows all that he won’t think you’re crazy.

    Or I am crazy too, because I have the exact same pet peeve! It’s just so unlogical to hit the up button when there are alredy people waiting! aargh.

  3. mihow Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:22 AM

    I’m not crazy. I know. :)

    I hate to admit this but I think most of the people I work with are sort of either boring or they think I’m some freaky bitchy artsy fartsy girl who won’t ever grow up, so I tend to look down all the time and do my own thing.

    I was impressed he actually composed a sentence and spoke to me and didn’t grunt and have food dangling from his face. so perhaps I was wrong all this time about the sales department. Perhaps i should play nice from now on. Perhaps they’re not all rich white boys from Long Island. :)

  4. freakgirl Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:36 AM

    playing nice is overrated.

  5. tobyjoe Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:43 AM

    i’ve taken to leaning against the button pad so no one can press it.

    you can see how annoyed people are.

    it’s in their eyes. they hate it when i do that.

    to them i give a loving “FUCK YOU, YA NEUROTIC NUT”

  6. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:50 AM

    TOBY! You’re a genius! why didn’t I think of that, let’s start a movement. Man that is hilarious.

    Oh and Mihow, as far as feeling that way around colleagues and just looking down and doing you’re own thing. I’m so there.

    (My colleagues are also rich white kids from long island, weird)

  7. mihow Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:52 AM

    What if they start pressing you? What if they touch you in your pink parts? Then i will have to do this, KICK THEIR NEUROTIC ASSES!! The only button they’ll be pressing when I’m done with them is the morphine drip. Damn Bitches.

  8. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:55 AM

    wow somebody’s on the warpath

  9. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:55 AM

    Im kinda bummed I dont have an elevator anymore

  10. Yuppie Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 05:59 AM

    But what if the person needs to push the up button, and you’re standing there all cool preventing anyone from re-pressing the down button?

    Not that I’ve ever stood there like an idiot assuming the person had pushed the down button and didn’t realize until after she boarded an up elevator that all my waiting was for not.

  11. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:02 AM

    i think you have a more complex elevator system than the rest of us. :-)

  12. Megan Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:09 AM

    Who actually goes down? No one ever goes ‘down.’ ;)

  13. Yuppie Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:26 AM

    Sorry to hear you say that, Megan, but I go down all the time.

  14. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:28 AM

    hmm. I wonder if she saw that one coming.

  15. mihow Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:29 AM

    holy crap, coffee just came out of my nose.

  16. Megan Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:34 AM

    I totally saw that coming, and almost encouraged it. Good job, boys.

  17. Arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:37 AM

    haha. hey I didn’t fall for your trap. the quotation marks clued me in. I guess cynisism doesn’t come across in 7 point arial.

  18. Megan Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:43 AM

    Arjen – Typography dork! ;)

    Yuppie – So, your girlfriend’s gone for a really long time, huh?....

    hee hee.

  19. Yuppie Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:51 AM

    I wasn’t falling into the trap, I used it as an opportunity to advertise certain assests I possess.

    And yes, my girlfriend has been gone for a really long time. She’s back next week, though. For a night. Until she flies back home. And I’m all alone again.

  20. arjen Says:
    August 8th, 2002 at 06:57 AM

    guilty as charged

Sorry, comments are closed for this article.