Push to Get Out
Last week, I visited the Semel Institute at UCLA. The location of my lab was seven stories up, so of course I jumped into the first available elevator.
Bad decision.
The doors of the metal box closed behind me, and I was greeted with the following message:
Yes, that is sharpie. The elevator did not ascend. I was stuck, and despite the comforting message, pushing the button did absolutely nothing. The door remained closed.
At first, I found the situation rather humorous. I immediately took out my phone and snapped the above picture and gave myself a mental pat on the back for the accomplishment of capturing the moment for me to enjoy later.
My blasé contentment quickly turned to worry when I realized I was still trapped inside the elevator. I didn’t exactly panic, but I did frantically run through all my available options for escape. Should I press the emergency button? Call for help? Pound on the door until somebody comes to my rescue?
Luckily, I then noticed an ever-so-slight gap between the door and the frame…just barely enough for me to squeeze a couple fingers through. I pulled once, then again a little harder, and the door slowly slid open. A doctor in a lab coat was standing outside the elevators and gave me a strange look. “That elevator is broken, I think,” I garbled nervously, a little pink with embarrassment.
I walked outside for some quick fresh air before returning to try another one of the 5 remaining elevators. The subsequent experience from floor C to B to A to 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 was notably less eventful.
My new research position has already proven to be an adventure, even before ever stepping foot into the lab.
Tags: elevator, research, semel
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October 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Scary!! :0