After I posted Old Age is a Massacre last week, Sue came into my den to remind me that I had left out the best part, or certainly the funniest part of our hospital adventure. Since I had already hit the publish button, I decided not to append the anecdote to the original post but to return to it in a subsequent post. Which is now, one week later.
After my x-rays, the kindly technician took pity on this pair of hapless seniors. He took us into the hall, pointed to the elevator just ahead, and told us to get in and go to the basement whereupon we should walk around in a U before going this way and that.
While the U and this way and that seemed like much to bear in mind, we were quite confident about getting into the elevator and pressing B for basement.
Not so fast, gramps and granny!
What seemed to surely be a simple task turned out to flummox us because there was no B for basement. In point of fact, the whole panel was a confusing array of mysterious buttons. Believe it or not, there were three separate first floors (or L levels) with different designations, which I can't recall now because I am a senior and to be both pitied and excused.
After hmming and hawing, we pressed what seemed to be the most logical button. Wrong! The elevator remained stationary, but the door that we had just entered courteously re-opened as if the beast would be only to pleased to be rid of its hapless occupants.
So, that wasn't the right button. We were down to a 50-50 choice unless the basement could have been one of the above buttons, which didn't seem highly probable.
S'okay . . . we made the next seemingly most logical choice. Once again, the contrary contraption refused to budge. But to keep it lively and keep us guessing, the other door opened, it being one those two-door elevators.
The third push was successful, after which we walked around in a U as we had been told to do, and we resumed our rather lengthy and confusing trek. If memory serves, we had to stop at least one other hospital worker to confirm our direction in the warren in which we were floundering about.
14 comments:
Hahaha! Glad you finally made your way out of the elevator and didn't end up in one of those endless loops in time and space. :-)
Oh dear, what a strange adventure in the hospital...and I've certainly gone astray many times when first going to one or another. I think they put additions onto them, and new waiting rooms, as well as extra hallways ending in "do not enter" places...just for the fun of it. No way blaming your age on the confusion. At least you got to add a new blog post from your adventures in the maze of the hospital.
Are you sure you weren't used as an extra in a Doctor Who episode? It sounds remarkable like the episode I saw yesterday. Although that one took place in the 19th century...
You need post graduate training these days to function in an elevator, with M for Mezzanine, and P1, 2 ,3.....for parking levels, and B for basement (sometimes)....and on and on. I usually take the stairs!
I missed your other post. After reading this one I can only imagine what else went wrong. Let me go back and find the other.
As to my eye color - I used to think they were green because they were when I wore green. I think they have blue and green color so maybe that's hazel?
Been there and done that. Hubby and I in the city a few months ago knew where our car was parked in the bowels of a building, but certainly had trouble with the elevator finding it!! We did both laugh at our confusion.
Lol. I guess the workers get asked a lot of questions.
Why do hospitals make it so impossible to find one's destination? I always get lost in hospitals, especially when there are so few signs and arrows pointing the way.
Well, we seniors may get lost but it turns out to be a great adventure.
It's like that in the Botanical Gardens. Plus, give your ticket to a man behind glass and get another ticket to go back to the elevator and insert the new ticket in a new machine and get a token to get you out of the garage. I let Ruth push the buttons.
Ha! Yes, some of these huge buildings are like mazes!! I have often been confused as to how to get to first floor or the basement, myself, because of the way they are labeled...and that was before I could use being a senior as a fall-back excuse--LOL! ;)
It is the Civic that drives me the nuttiest. They have a Ground and First floor. I had to find the plaster room with a teen in a groin to toe cast once. Chaos ensued.
Oh gosh! This is like me at Tripler Army Hospital. It's a rabbit's warren over there too. I'm glad you finally found the correct way.
Quite a headache!
Post a Comment