Saw Something Stupid Today

Miles is away for a few days so I have been coming into the office. Parking is always a problem downtown so I decided to bite the bullet and use the Pownal Street parkade, pay my six dollars a day and avoid trying to figure out when the meter guy is coming around to spread his special brand of cheer.

This isn't a huge parkade with its 4 levels, probably room for about 300 cars. I think its pretty typical in design with the ends being open so the air can blow through, concrete construction throughtout, no decoration or paint. But it does have something that is pretty impressive, a full blown sprinkler system. And I mean a sprinkler system, pipes like you wouldn't believe, they go everywhere and the size of them makes your arse muscles tighten up. Through the centre there are these big 4" to 5" round pipes that go vertically the whole height of the building and then there are two extensions of 4" pipe that run horizontally the length of each floor.. From these, pipes of about 2 " branch out between the concrete beams with sprinkler heads about every 20 feet. There must be miles of the stuff in there.

Makes you feel so safe knowing that in the event that someones car catches fire the concrete won't get burned up. If the system ever goes off, hope you're not at houseparty in Charlottetown taking an emergency dump in their bathroom because there will be no water left to wash away the pile you have left behind.

I have never seen a car on fire, I must have driven a million miles and lots of it in traffic but have never come across smouldering heaps of twisted steel and glass with the tires burnt off them. When I look at this building I somehow think I must be missing something, because I can't envision anyone making a builder install a sprinkler system that would have the capacity to extinguish the Great Chicago fire unless there was a pretty high probability it was going to happen. And if it did happen the fire department is just around the corner, wouldn't they just haul a hose over and put it out.

Last time I checked CONCRETE DOESN"T BURN. I wish I hadn't seen the damn thing now because suddenly I resent paying the six dollars a day when 50% of the cost is in a sprinkler system that will never be used and if it wasn't there they would only charge me three dollars.

I hate bureaucrats and inspectors and regulators they are screwing up the world with their rules and regulations. In the paper the last few days there has been a story about a couple from Illinois who bought a summer home in North Rustico for themselves and there 11 children and grandchildren to use. They leased it over the winter to a family with an expiration date of the lease in April. The people refused to move out, they say the owners shouldn't have the right to use the property for their summer holidays. Apparently issues like this go to IRAC who are the rental enforcers. Guess what, the people are still there, but horror of horrors for them IRAC is going to send them a letter.

Same thing happened in Murray River a few years ago, people stopped paying but decided to keep living in the house.the owners couldn't get them out. It went on for a year or more and when the owners showed up with a truck to move the renters stuff out were told by the RCMP they would be arrested if they tried. The worlds a crazy place!!