It happened on the way to my Algebra final exam...

I started studying for my Algebra final around 1pm and worked straight through until a little after 4:30pm. Then I left for campus and arrived about 5 minutes late. Kasey and I walked into the building as usual, got on the elevator...

and then...

I should preface this by letting you know that I hate heights and things that move at heights. I have panic attacks if I'm on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in a traffic jam and can feel it swing. One of my biggest fears also is being stuck in an elevator.

So who gets stuck in the elevator right before her Algebra exam?? Yeah. You guessed it!

I hit the button for the second floor and the elevator went up, but it didn't feel like it went up all the way. I pressed the button to open the door and the door didn't open. Then I pressed the button for the first floor and we started going back down. The elevator stoped again but the doors didn't open. I pressed more buttons.

Then I picked up the emergency phone. The campus Public Safety officer on duty quickly picked up and stayed on the line with me until help arrived. By the time I called him, my legs were beginning to shake because I lose my equilibrium when the elevator moves.

Carol B-C has had to grab me twice at Borders because I get off the elevator and feel like I'm still going down. We figured out that I can't look down when the elevator is moving, but I forgot about that tonight. My legs were Jell-O. I slid down the wall to sit on the floor to talk to the Officer.

Help arrived in under 10 minutes. The officer on the phone was worried about my Service Dog. I laughed and told him "She's fine, but I'm shaking." To add insult to injury, the responding officer said "I hit the button and the door opened right up." I told him I hit every button on the panel (Thank GOD there are only two stories in the Schwartz Building!) and the door would not open. I also told them that the elevator went down another foot about three minutes after I called the safety office, so it was stuck. Engineering was right on Safety's heels and I explained to them what happened.

Kasey and I took the stairs to the second floor. I took that darn exam, though! I also finished both 5-point extra credit problems! All I need to get an A in the class is 75%, but I believe I did much better than that. There were no questions that stumped me, once I got settled in and stopped thinking about my harrowing experience of minutes before.

So tonight I'm packing all my school stuff! Tomorrow I hope to start on my bedroom. I also need to get some packing peanuts so that I can pack my two laptops and my desktop computer monitor. Well, one laptop. Let's be honest here. I can't live without access to a computer! Even if I can't get online, I have games I can play! Yeah, how old am I?

Anyway, Kasey is outside enjoying the frigid weather. Crazy girl! I'm going to check some email and hang out on FaceBook for a little while.

Oh, and just so you don't worry... The No Pets policy at my new apartment building does not apply to Kasey. She is a Service Dog and is protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Forbidding her is like forbidding a wheelchair, because she is a medical necessity. A Service Dog is allowed to go anywhere the general public is allowed to go, including hospitals, doctors' offices, and restaurants. Everyone at the new building loves her. She brings smiles where ever she goes.