Elevatoraphobia

On Sunday afternoon, I left Allen for a 9 hour drive to Mobile, AL to install a soundmasking system. I found out the secret to long drives - audiobooks. I listened to John Grisham's The Testament on the way there and really enjoyed it. So I got there by 10:30 Sunday night, checked into a hotel that my wife Amy booked for me and rested for a while.

I was up at 6 the next morning feeling a little nervous. Not many of you probably know this, but I have elevatoraphobia - a fear of elevators. I tend to mask it quite well at times.

You see, on Sunday afternoon, on the drive down, I called the contractor's superintendent that I was reporting to. He told me to simply meet him on the 20th floor and then I could head up to the 32nd floor where the install would take place. Pale face, numb hands, shortness of breath - that's what came of me for a few minutes. There was no way I could haul my ladder and tools up that many flights of stairs!!

So I got there on Monday, unloaded and headed for the freight elevator. Much to my surprise, the doors to the elevator opened up and there was a man sitting in there on a chair. I then noticed that there were photos on the elevator walls, a calendar, and many other homey touches. The elevator was this man's office!!! Wow, I thought, here I am afraid of a 45 second ride up this elevator, and this elevator attendant does this 8 hours a day! So I put all my stuff on the elevator and the anxiety vanished. This guy knows his elevator, I thought, he practically lives in it!

So that's the key to elevatoraphobia - only ride elevators that have people who live in them.

This is the Mobile, AL skyline. I'm in that building that planes are dodging...near the needle...you might be able to see me waving if you look really close.


View from the front of the RSA building - that sure is a long elevator ride...