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Post by Prometheus on Nov 4, 2022 20:14:32 GMT
And I can't sleep. It's not due to any anxiety on my part. I'm not "worried about the future" in any way. It's because the building's heat is coming on and the banging of the pipes is keeping me awake.
Why are they doing this at 4 AM and not some less intrusive time?
Being able to inconvenience others is almost certainly part of the Chinese decision-making flowchart... a part that must have a "yes" answer in order to avoid being stuck in a loop.
This falls right in line with the "hard-working" notion as living and working under adverse conditions gives you a little more "glory," doesn't it?
I'm sure I'll be tired enough to fall back to sleep soon enough, but if not, I have a two-hour break at lunchtime. I can nap then.
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Post by ant-mac on Nov 6, 2022 7:09:42 GMT
And I can't sleep. It's not due to any anxiety on my part. I'm not "worried about the future" in any way. It's because the building's heat is coming on and the banging of the pipes is keeping me awake.
Why are they doing this at 4 AM and not some less intrusive time?
Being able to inconvenience others is almost certainly part of the Chinese decision-making flowchart... a part that must have a "yes" answer in order to avoid being stuck in a loop.
This falls right in line with the "hard-working" notion as living and working under adverse conditions gives you a little more "glory," doesn't it?
I'm sure I'll be tired enough to fall back to sleep soon enough, but if not, I have a two-hour break at lunchtime. I can nap then.
It sounds like you live in a rundown Russian apartment building in the middle Winter in the middle of a Cold War espionage novel. I've read a lot of those...  |
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Post by Prometheus on Nov 6, 2022 7:28:51 GMT
And I can't sleep. It's not due to any anxiety on my part. I'm not "worried about the future" in any way. It's because the building's heat is coming on and the banging of the pipes is keeping me awake.
Why are they doing this at 4 AM and not some less intrusive time?
Being able to inconvenience others is almost certainly part of the Chinese decision-making flowchart... a part that must have a "yes" answer in order to avoid being stuck in a loop.
This falls right in line with the "hard-working" notion as living and working under adverse conditions gives you a little more "glory," doesn't it?
I'm sure I'll be tired enough to fall back to sleep soon enough, but if not, I have a two-hour break at lunchtime. I can nap then.
It sounds like you live in a rundown Russian apartment building in the middle Winter in the middle of a Cold War espionage novel. I've read a lot of those... This is a semi-luxury apartment complex.
If I were living in an old Russian building - of which there are many in this burg - I'd be more understanding.
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Post by ant-mac on Nov 6, 2022 9:10:23 GMT
It sounds like you live in a rundown Russian apartment building in the middle Winter in the middle of a Cold War espionage novel. I've read a lot of those... This is a semi-luxury apartment complex.
If I were living in an old Russian building - of which there are many in this burg - I'd be more understanding.
1. Oh, so those noisily banging heating pipes are the latest in Chinese mod cons, are they? 2. You should move... you sound like you're missing out on some great Soviet era vibes...  PS - Don't forget your identity papers.  |
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Post by Prometheus on Nov 6, 2022 11:38:43 GMT
This is a semi-luxury apartment complex.
If I were living in an old Russian building - of which there are many in this burg - I'd be more understanding.
1. Oh, so those noisily banging heating pipes are the latest in Chinese mod cons, are they? 2. You should move... you sound like you're missing out on some great Soviet era vibes... PS - Don't forget your identity papers. I remember when I first got here, I was working in a building touted as being one of the most up to date buildings in the whole province. Then one day there was a power outage in the city and we found that the Chinese had cut corners by not installing emergency lighting in the stairwells and by not installing "auto-drops" to send elevators safely to the first floor in case of emergency.
Lots of broken bones in the stairwells and people in elevators having to exit through roof hatches then cross I-beams to ventilation hatches. Did I mention the building is 50 stories tall and the firefighters didn't bring safety harnesses for anyone but themselves?
I was lucky. I was at lunch outside the building when the power went out.
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Post by ant-mac on Nov 6, 2022 12:08:35 GMT
1. Oh, so those noisily banging heating pipes are the latest in Chinese mod cons, are they? 2. You should move... you sound like you're missing out on some great Soviet era vibes... PS - Don't forget your identity papers. I remember when I first got here, I was working in a building touted as being one of the most up to date buildings in the whole province. Then one day there was a power outage in the city and we found that the Chinese had cut corners by not installing emergency lighting in the stairwells and by not installing "auto-drops" to send elevators safely to the first floor in case of emergency.
Lots of broken bones in the stairwells and people in elevators having to exit through roof hatches then cross I-beams to ventilation hatches. Did I mention the building is 50 stories tall and the firefighters didn't bring safety harnesses for anyone but themselves?
I was lucky. I was at lunch outside the building when the power went out.
So you missed out on having a DIE HARD adventure as well? Damn, you've missed out on all the fun... |
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Post by Prometheus on Nov 6, 2022 22:43:50 GMT
I remember when I first got here, I was working in a building touted as being one of the most up to date buildings in the whole province. Then one day there was a power outage in the city and we found that the Chinese had cut corners by not installing emergency lighting in the stairwells and by not installing "auto-drops" to send elevators safely to the first floor in case of emergency.
Lots of broken bones in the stairwells and people in elevators having to exit through roof hatches then cross I-beams to ventilation hatches. Did I mention the building is 50 stories tall and the firefighters didn't bring safety harnesses for anyone but themselves?
I was lucky. I was at lunch outside the building when the power went out.
So you missed out on having a DIE HARD adventure as well? Damn, you've missed out on all the fun... A couple guys I worked with back then had it. They were not amused by shinnying across an I-beam (22 stories up) towards a firefighter who had no intention of getting any closer to them from his place of relative safety than an arm's length. |
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Post by ant-mac on Nov 7, 2022 2:24:05 GMT
So you missed out on having a DIE HARD adventure as well? Damn, you've missed out on all the fun... A couple guys I worked with back then had it. They were not amused by shinnying across an I-beam (22 stories up) towards a firefighter who had no intention of getting any closer to them from his place of relative safety than an arm's length. Well, I'm sure it still beats jumping off the top of a skyscraper tied only to a fire hose, while the roof behind you erupts in a huge explosion... But only just. |
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Post by Prometheus on Nov 7, 2022 2:35:40 GMT
A couple guys I worked with back then had it. They were not amused by shinnying across an I-beam (22 stories up) towards a firefighter who had no intention of getting any closer to them from his place of relative safety than an arm's length. Well, I'm sure it still beats jumping off the top of a skyscraper tied only to a fire hose, while the roof behind you erupts in a huge explosion... But only just. With bare feet already cut up and bloody from running on broken glass (with Annie Lennox?) |
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Post by ant-mac on Nov 7, 2022 3:01:14 GMT
Well, I'm sure it still beats jumping off the top of a skyscraper tied only to a fire hose, while the roof behind you erupts in a huge explosion... But only just. With bare feet already cut up and bloody from running on broken glass (with Annie Lennox?) |
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