In Between

So I just want to write about the three elevators at my work for a bit.

Creepy Modernization
They've been working on 'modernizing' the elevators one by one for the past, oh, forever. So far they've finished one. The only noticeable upgrade is that the elevator can now announce in a 35 year old woman's voice what floor you are currently passing and what direction you are going (up, or down). It's really creepy. I don't know why anyone would ever choose to ride in it, and I think in fact that people don't.

Somehow in the 'modernization' project of the first elevator they managed to wire the two remaining elevators to run together while the third elevator is out of commission. These two remaining elevators face each other exactly and so you can see the doors open on the other side at the same time and see the people file out. And when you push the button to go back down to the lobby, you will wait for a long time before TWO elevators open for you, as if to say "Now wasn't that worth the wait?". No, elevators, it was not.

Shall We Race?
Now, every time I wait for the elevator with a group of people, I hope that I have the guts to take the 'other elevator' and race the rest of the group down to the lobby so that I can jump out and get to lunch first. But that woman's voice is really loud and so creepy that I never want to take the elevator alone, and it seems that everyone else also feels the same. Nobody rides that second, fancy elevator. What a waste of modernization.

Forced Philosophical Statements
Today, the doors opened up to my floor and I damn near ran into someone trying to enter the elevator. Where are his manners! You should wait for people to exit before entering, I was once told. I laughed anyway and said "Hi", and he was a little flurried because the other elevator arrived at the same time mine did, as usual. He didn't know which one to pick and cried, "I always have to choose!" and I laughed, and said something dumb about how yeah it's a race and as I walked away I realized I should have instead responded, in a spooky voice, "There's always a choice". The thought felt profound enough at the time to write about.

Admittedly, I could be selectively picking up these moments and reading into them as part of the choice-related theme my life has been following. More on that another time...