Waiting Room Watching

Today I arrived at the hospital triage as a patient, not as a nurse (yes, I'm fine - just a little pneumonia) and got to experience the world of the waiting room... what a hoot! I think that someone should do a study on waiting room behavior. People watching at its finest.... I saw:

* the 'where do I sit' dance - women generally choose to sit by women, but only if there are no seats open where they can sit by themselves; old men sit by other old men, even if there are lots of open seats. Old people sit so they can see the door to the emerg department. Middle aged people sit as far away from the old folk as possible, except when they have kids - then they sit by the alert elderly.

* old man who thought that because he turned his head, none of us could see him pick his nose

* middle aged man who made a point of moaning and sighing whenever a staff member was in sight, but who sat quietly when they were gone

*Skanky mid 30's woman who could not sit still. Could. not. sit. still. I started counting after about 15 minutes and was at 48 times getting out of her chair before I got called in

* youngish man with three children under 10 - are they actually your kids? Because you totally don't have a clue.... It really isn't a great idea to let the twoish year old kid play between the doors - those open by a sensor and go straight out to the driveway... you know... where cars are driving? and the fourish year old? Definitely shouldn't be racing the 8ish year old *over* the chairs in the waiting room (and banging into nosepicker and guy with the cane)

* wife of healthy looking guy with the cane who complained constantly to her husband about how unfair it was that people who could walk without a problem were getting in ahead of him. Constantly. For the entire time I was in the waiting room. Constantly. It was so unfair. So. Unfair. They could walk. Why would they go first. Why?

* elderly gentleman with the kindest smile and most contagious laugh who dramatically improved the mood in the waiting room - excellent counterbalance to the complaining lady. Thanks.

*me. Hacking constantly. Funny, no-one chose to sit by me!