First things first a friendly warning: Readers patience is advised! Seemingly I can be "rambling" at times, and today, right nowish, it's one of those times. This is TL; DR material so I will give a boring, short-facts-version of it down at the bottom. Scroll down if you're one of the impatient kind.

Okay - Now srsly! Last month I got that bill (every 6 months) about accounting of service charges.I don't know all that's in there, but the costs for cleaning stuff, maintenance of things, watering system etc is being listed and covered there. Also, ELEVATOR MAINTENTANCE or whatever. The landlord charges me and every other resident with it.

Now today I come back from the seminar, exhausted and shit, and I thought EH WHY NOT USE THE ELEVATOR, INSTEAD OF TAKING THE STAIRS? (which I usually do in 8 out of 10 cases). I told a couple of people here before that I rarely use the elevator really and prefer the stairs (my every day sport). Namsayin? This was one of those "3 times out of 10" occurences)

So I called the elevator and saw it was already on the 2nd storey. I still listened to music, about to take the headphone out of my ear (only have the left side of it, right one broke) while I was waiting for it to come down the doors to open. It arrived on the ground floor.The doors should open, but they didn't. I wondered why the doors wouldn't open even though it was already there. Pushed the button again, doors didn't open. After 6-10 seconds of nothing happening and in the middle of me sighing and making a step towards the left where the stairs are located - the doors open - and I see a korean guy who l guess lives in the house aswell.

Me: *a little confused* "O...hai"
He looked a little confused himself.
*He looks at me, steps out, and bows head a little*
Korean guy: "Hello"
The he quickly moves on outside.

That, was it. I didn't think much of it. The doors did not open immediately but a few seconds later with a short delay, so what?! He got out and I got in. I'm jokingly thinking to myself 'yeah that's what I pay those charges for, so everything always works like it's supposed to, at ANY time....well damn you, science!'

Pushed for the 7th floor, the doors closed, and THEN it began! It started to go up....BUT something did absolutely NOT sound right. Took my headphone out for good to listen in fear. It went up without any noticable trouble like shaking, lagging or whatever - but every half storey or so it reached it sounded like something was stuck/loose and gets dragged up/down with the elevator. something in the elevator shaft. Sounded like it came from the mechanics beneath the elevator floor. Some *CLUNK* *TING* *CLONK* sounds...sounded like shit is NOT OKAY, FOR REAL.

I heard it and was like "FUCK NOOOO; not today thank you kindly?!.... the fuck is that shit?" In order to minimize any further risk on getting stuck, and worst case scenario biting the dust, in a fuckin elevator, I just pushed for the next floor to stop, which was the 6th. I realize those noises and that I had to get out of there NOW, by that time I was on the 5th floor already. Btw. fuck YOU shocking surprise moment, always catching people off guard and shit, robbing them off seconds of their life which could cost them the rest of their lifes, big time fuck YOU eh!

Then I reached the 6th floor - *clink clonk ting* 'ing all the way up there. Doors opened, got out and was happy as shit. Fuckin death trap ...immediately thought I should call the janitor and let him know this needs to be fixed. I would do it after I had eaten....was about to head to the stairs when I saw a man just leaving his apartment after I got out on the 6th floor:

Me: "better not use the elevator, sounds like it's about to break down. Something's wrong, taking unnecessary risks using it etc"

He was a couple of feed away from me across the hallway. He rather quietly muttered back something I didn't understand really. Something about "yeah...always...dirty stinking..."
I think he was talking about the elevator in general and just replied:
"yeah just don't use the elevator man, it's seriously NOT okay, I gotta go now!"

and off I was, taking the stairs that were left to my apartment. keys, *rustling*, door open/shut, taking off my shoes, starting the PC, and then getting a plate and something to drink. Sat down and then unpacked the food I bought on my way home. I was hungry as hell. Didn't have a bite since last evening - so getting stuck or crashing in a god-damn elevator was REALLY not what I needed, even though I had food with me. I prefer eating at my desktop or on the balcony rather than in an elevator, being stuck. Nothing to drink along with the chicken is pretty much NOT cool, it's very dry without anything to drink. Anyway...

I finished my meal,the chicken, and was going to go get the number of the janitor that I have somehwere lying around here. But first, after meal, of course, I lit up my "deserved it" J, and in the same moment I hear a man yelling something in the hallway outside my apartment. So I went to check what's going on through the door spy, lol, and I saw the man I met on the 6th floor, standing in front of the elevator. the doors looked shut but then he was shouting something into the shaft, like the doors were a little crack open on the side or so:

Man: "It doesn't come up. Did you try this emergency button there in the elevator?.........You'll have to wait, have to call someone..."

That was all he said and then he went over to the stairs, I guess to call someone to fix this shit. l had the J burning and didn't feel like peeking out into the elevator shaft and yelling something to the people stuck down there. No I chose to post here about all that instead (: The man would call someone, or those stuck would call the # in the elevator for emergencies etc.. Well, I was about post all this (took some time) and when I was about to create the thread I heard voices in the hallway again. So I went back to the door spy and I saw a korean couple I met in the house before, and one other man, being shouted at by the korean husband. there's only SO MUCH you can make out through a door spy...but he had some uniform and equipment on him that looked like MAINTENANCE GUY to me. and he was.

Apparently the couple had been stuck in there for 20 minutes, the husband was shouting at the maintenance guy, something like:
husband: "yeayeah eh, 20a minutes....nota fuckin good eh"
while his wfie grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back or something, just wanting to go. The maintenance guy said:
"Sorry, but this is a standard procedure. we get the call, we are on the go..." or something like that "..I couldn't be here earlier"

*husband stands away from him a few feed, but waves his hand threatingly and loudly says*
husband:"yea eh buta not 20a minutes....outarage...." his wife keeps on grabbing his arm, like 'let it go now honey, please'
*maintenance guy getting pissed, but stays cool*
maintenance guy:"I did what I could, you're out, nothing happend."
husband:" yea buta 20a MIiiiiiiNUTES.....this isa SHIT!!"
*husband shakes head*
*wife grabs his arm again and then he leaves, waltzes towards the stairs with her*

Stopped looking then. I guess the maintenance guy just went down in the elevator shaft then and did some checks on it etc. I went back to update the thread.

In the end, I guess I could have made sure noone was using the elevator after I had experienced the strange sounds, by hanging out a shield that says DO NOT USE on every floor, all 12. but I had to eat first, god-damn, and I would call the janitor aswell after that. When I was done and about to take action, people were already at it and taking care of things.

Most epic fail about all this is the korean guy who crossed my path down in the lobby. He could have said something. he SHOULD have said something. BUMBACLAT eh! What happened to 'love thy neighbors'? Next time I see him I won't say hello, and I'll give him an evil look...maybe!


TL;DR: almost got stuck in the elevator today, but a korean couple were the lucky ones to actually get stuck, 10 minutes after I was in the elevator or so, and they were trapped in that steal box for 20 minutes apparently. FUCK ELEVATORS!

had unpleasant/strange/funny incidents/encounters in an elevator yourself? tell us about it here, now, or nowhere, never (:

elevator thread - GO!

*elevator thread activated*

for the most part yes. Handicapped people or people in hospitals can't climb stairs... though I do enjoy Escalators and I think they are a fun alternative.

I voted no, but agree with Mal, for certain people they really are important. Personally, I've always felt they were death traps and will take the stairs if at all possible.

Handicapped people aside, I've never gotten stuck on an elevator or seen a stuck elevator in my 26 years, so I'm going to go ahead and say they can stay.

You're my favorite storyteller

I kept saying to myself "this story sucks, when is Henry going to smoke some weed." Lo and behold it happens right near the climax of the story, which made me feel bad for rushing through the first part.

lol'd...

on the subject: The elevator was an inevitable technical achievement I guess, but just because humans tend to create buildings that are ridiculously high. I don't know why....maybe because the fear over a flood or something. why build huge houses with more storeys than one? so it doesn't take away that much space? who really needs a skyscraper to run a business? we could get along without elevators!

Id say elevators are pretty essential for handicapped people + people who work at the top of 50 story buildings

Anyways a pretty good thread. I wasnt disappointed by the long read at all! The "J" and Korean guy talking are high points.

Henry_42 @ 9/7/2012 14:15

lol'd... on the subject: The elevator was an inevitable technical achievement I guess, but just because humans tend to create buildings that are ridiculously high. I don't know why....maybe because the fear over a flood or something. why build huge houses with more storeys than one? so it doesn't take away that much space? who really needs a skyscraper to run a business? we could get along without elevators!

I'd say it's far better to build things tall and skinny than build huge, flat buildings. We take up enough space the way it is!

I didn't actually think your story sucked henry.

I guess it's true that no able bodied person actually needs an elevator.

In fact, as a humble stairway mugger, I'm going to join the crusade to get elevators banned so that my sheep march to me in an ascending line after coming home from bars at night.

yeah Elevators are dangerous, nobody ever got injured falling down a flight of stairs.

I got stuck in an elevator in the empire state building a few years back with a family of Italian tourists, one of whom started screaming in Italian into the intercom. Lasted about 20 minutes. Originally we thought we were on the 18th floor or so, which is pretty :| to be stuck that high. Then the elevator shifted a bit ( pretty terrifying) and the floor number changed to 56th floor.

It wasn't a great experience.

tbh Iceland really doesnt have many high buildings that require elevators. Thinking about it only one spings to mind!

Do you ever gather up the family and go on vacation to the elevator?

I'm sure Durtis does