Dear Diary,
I'm still in the grip of the Cold, and reality still feels a bit blurry.
Yesterday I might possibly have managed to pass the virus on to strangers myself. (Hopefully neither they nor I will ever know.)
When stepping into the lift to go down to the laundry room in the basement, instead of taking me straight down there, the lift (very confusingly) took me UP to the 3rd floor - where I was joined by a youngish couple whom I can't recall ever having seen before. Presumably living here, though, as they weren't dressed to go outdoors. Their destination was the basement as well. (The ride down only takes half a minute, which did not really allow for more conversation than to establish that fact.)
Down there, our ways parted. The couple disappeared down the corridor towards some storage space. I had the laundry room to myself; and over the next 2-3 hours also managed to go up/down in the lift on my own a few more times without interference... Until finally I was going back up with my last bag of dry clothes...
When the lift came down, and the door opened, it was empty of people - but its floor covered with Stuff. I could also hear voices from the entrance floor above. Obviously someone was in the process of moving things (perhaps also themselves?) either in or out of the building.
Not yet having walked the whole set of stairs up to my flat since before my knee accident, I really did not want my first attempt to be with the extra burden of a heavy bag - and who knows, maybe even encountering other people carrying things or furniture as well...
On the other hand: Stepping into a lift half full of someone else's stuff didn't seem like a super idea either. So I didn't. But left the lift go back up without me.
There's a door to the stairwell next to the lift. I opened that; and caught sight of a couple of people handling more "stuff" up at the entrance. One of them was (I think) the same man who had been in the lift with me when I first went down. Luckily it seemed they were moving things out of the lift rather than into it. I called their attention; and soon the man said that the lift had been emptied now so that I could use it.
Looking out of my window when I got back up to my flat, there was no removal van parked outside, though. Only an ordinary car. Not having known for quite a while now who lives in one of the flats upstairs, I'm still not sure if anyone was really moving out (or in). Perhaps they were just having a bit of a clearout.
It did strike me that it was the 31st of the month, though. So note to self for the future: Avoid booking laundry room on the last (or first) day (or weekend) of the month...
I am surprised they don't have a freight elevator. Surely they have one for furniture and beds and such.. something else I have never thought about, having never lived in an apartment building. glad you got it all done and back home safely and without having to use the stairs. yesterday we had our first day of window on the world life, I watched for an hour as 3 FPL Power trucks, with big buckets and 5 men replacing power lines. They gave an interesting hour, that is how much I do now.. watching people out the window
ReplyDeleteSandra, this is a three-storey building from the 1940s with three separate entrances and originally no lifts at all. Later renovated with one lift per entrance, each serving six apartments + going down to the basement. Big enough for several people, or most kinds of furniture. If someone is moving in or out one may expect people using both lift and stairs, though - depending on how many are helping...
DeleteOnly some of the old 3-storey buildings in this area have had lifts installed at all.
Where I lived before there were none. Access to lift was the main reason I moved here 18 years ago. And on the whole there's been very little trouble with it all these years. It's rare that I even have to share the short ride with someone else! Yesterday was just "one of those days"... ;)
That sort of moving in - or out - sounds very labour-intensive and time-consuming.Needs must when the devil drives!
ReplyDeleteJanice, is there a way of moving house that is NOT labour-intensive and time-consuming??? Of course it depends on how many possessions you have, but in my experience, moving is always rather a mess. In this case I'm not even sure if anyone was actually moving in/out at all. It was just what jumped first to mind for me when seeing the floor in the lift full of various unidentifiable "stuff".
DeleteI do hope you're feeling better soon, and can go up and down to your apartment without more interferences! Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I assure you that these kinds of "interferences" are normally very rare! ;)
DeleteA mystery about what was going on. I agree you should avoid these dates for doing laundry. I'm glad you are at least feeling well enough to do laundry.
ReplyDeleteIt felt oddly symbolic: even when the lift was empty of people, it was still crowded with the quiet evidence of other lives intersecting mine in that slightly fevered, half-blurred way the day seemed determined to unfold
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