Up and down we go

I go up and down everyday on our building’s elevator. While this may seem as a mundane task, it has given me the unique opportunity to observe urban high-rise behavior. Whether you call it common courtesy or elevator etiquette, as I would like to call it, there are some people who just don’t get it. Like crossing a street and looking both ways. Take the process of entering an elevator; most people know that you are supposed to wait for the people inside to get out first before entering. But, what really irks me is when you do actually wait and then the people inside decide to get out! You end up feeling like an idiot because the guy inside moves so slowly. I call these guys the “delayed responders.” On another note, there are also those whom I’d like to call the “door shutters.” Blame it on being shy or having a ”Paxil” moment, these people purposely press on the “close door” button - knowing full well that somebody is approaching the elevator. This has happened to me so many times, but I always cherish the moment when I see their facial expression whenever I manage to catch the elevator before the doors close. Next, we have the “dumb fingers.” These people accidentally press on the wrong button, but don’t tell you that they have pressed up instead of down. Here, you end up just waiting for someone to enter without any kind of courteous response. Lastly, we have the “dead trees” – these people are the biggest idiots of elevator etiquette. You walk into the elevator and they don’t move aside so all of you can fit inside the elevator without breathing into each other’s faces!