07 June, 2006

Pachyderm in the pipes?

That's what we residents of Lower Cubeville have been treated to since about Thursday of last week, when the ductwork above us began thumping (all. day. long.) like it had something large and claustrophobic in it. Something that wanted out.

Or maybe tennis shoes in a dryer.

Starting yesterday, the maintenance guys began gathering. Walkie-talkies blaring unintelligibly, tool belts and trousers riding low (too low), they held a colloquium on the matter.

"SURE IS MAKIN' A RACKET," one shouted over the radio/badge of honor on his hip.

"YEP," another clarified.

"I THINK I KNOW WHAT IT IS," said a third, "BUT Y'ALL WON'T LIKE IT."

"WHAT?" asked the second.

"I SAID 'I THINK I KNOW WHA—'"

"NO," interrupted the third. "I MEAN 'WHAT IS IT?'"

"OH!"

...

"SO WHAT IS IT?"

"WELL," said the third, "I THINK THERE'S SOMETHIN' THUMPIN' IN THE DUCTWORK."

That was yesterday. Today, I feel like Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day.

These caricatures characters must be paid by the hour. I'm pretty sure if I had a stepladder and a length of 2x4, I could have propped the section of duct that's flexing by now.

And there would be peace in Lower Cubeville.

4 comments:

Tink said...

What in the world? I've never heard of something like that. The thumping pipe work that is, not the shotty maintenance people :). Keep us posted.

Gwynne said...

You can't just leave us hanging like that...what in the world is in those pipes??

Foo said...

I don't know for sure, Gwynne. From what I was able to glean from a couple days' worth of maintenance guy brainstorming, filled with not-appropriate-for-the-office language, the "sumbitch's got somethin' loose an' floppin' around up there." To me, that sounds like the ductwork was flexing, just like I said from the start.

Gwynne said...

Sounds like fish to me.

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