Archive through October 28, 2008

Archive of Older Topics Archive - Specifications Discussions #4
41

When I was working for the Arizona National Guard’s Facilities Management Office, we toured a vehicle maintenance facility under construction in Nevada, which was similar to one we were planning to build in Arizona.

The officer that was giving us the tour took me aside and showed me the set of drawings for the project. He opened the set to the floor plan, and in the lobby there was a plant drawn in the corner with a detail reference mark. He then turned to the sheet with the detail. The detail showed an elevation of the plant which was titled “Rubber Plant.”

You can guess what was hanging from the plant like fruits…

42

I have included in the sodding Section, “Install sod green side up.” No one has commented yet on it.

I saw a very well-drawn set of drawings for a house. In a sectional view through the floor, there was the lower leg of a man with a note and leader arrow pointing to the wingtip shoe, “ONE FOOT, NOT TO SCALE.” Of course, in the crawl space was a rat with the note, “CRITTER, N.I.C.”

In my spec writing book, I tried to include some humor in the example Outline Specifications with the names of the project and project team members:

FRED ROGERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MODERNIZATION

Owner: Smallville Unified School District

Architect: PDQ Associates, LLC, Architecture - Planning - Interior Design - Kitchenware

Civil Engineer: Doze, Digg and Phil, Inc., Civil Engineers

Landscape Architect: Green Side Up, Landscape Architecture

Structural Engineer: William F. Shaky & Associates, Inc., Structural Engineers

Mechanical Engineer: Pypes and Dux, Consulting Engineers

Electrical Engineer: Sparks & Terror, Consulting Engineers

43

we used to see a detail on our drawings (this was 30 years ago now when everything was hand drawn.) “Duck penetration” with a … duck going through the wall. depending on which side of the wall detail you were looking at, you saw one end or the other of the duck.

of course, that detail was always “removed” by the last addendum.

44

Speaking of humor…or unintended humor…

There is a neighborhood of downtown Seattle that is south of a lake named “Union” (because it joins Lake Washington with the Puget Sound). Anyhow, this area has been experiencing a huge building boom due to the influx of money from ex-Microsoft founder Paul Allen. Well recently a surface transportation system was built. Guess what they initially called it before they realized what the acronym stood for?

South Lake Union Trolley (Slut)

A couple of guys around town have been selling t-shirts that say, “I rode the S.L.U.T.”. They can’t print them fast enough!

The transit authority is scrambling to change the name.

Oops.

45

Another one like that is the activity center or basketball arena at BYU. Marriott was the big donor and it was named the Marriott Activity Center which was placed in big metal letters on all four sides of the facility. Because of its size (seats over 22,000) and to shorten the name the students began calling it the “Big MAC.” The Marriott folks weren’t too happy with being the major contributor to a major facility being called by the name of their competitor’s famous hamburger. The letters were taken down and the facility was renamed the Marriott Center. When I visited the facilty shortly after that you could still see the “shadow” of the old letters on the building.

46

The last few days I have been kind of down. Reading this discussion has really made me laugh and smile. The people around me wonder why I am laughing to myself!

Thanks

47

I should probably not tell people that I am a graduate of South Hampton Institute of Technology.

48

No, you should’nt have. :wink:

49

There’s a series of mystery books in which the main character is part of the Special Homicide Investigative Team…and the team leader is Harry I. Ball.

50

David, can I get a T-shirt?

51

The punch line to John Bunzick’s post several pages up:
…the CDT ducks.

52

I seem to remember that when I first started using Masterspec in the late 1970s, the section that is now Temporary Facilities and Controls had some provision in the text about donkeys and such.

There were specifier’s notes strongly suggesting that this provision be deleted.

I have a suspicion that it was taken out, not because ARCOM has no sense of humor (no further comment required), but because too many people left it in either inadvertently or on purpose.

53

Lynn,

Here you go: www.ridetheslut.com

It looks like everyone wants to ride the SLUT. My niece is getting one for her birthday today.

54

when I first moved to Queen Anne hill in Seattle, one of the long-time green groceries up there was owned by two guys named Sam and Murray. in the mid-1980’s, they had a land office business in “S&M Market” tee-shirts.

and David – how does your niece’s mother feel about this upcoming tee-shirt?

55

Alice is turning 21 and an adult so my twin sister, Carla, probably does not have much she can say or do about it. Carla would like it anyway, though. We share the same twisted sense of humor…but that’s all.

Don’t forget “T&A Supply” (Tile and Accessories). I proudly wear their t-shirt and hoodie.

I guess the lesson to be learned is to be very careful in naming your company, product, etc.

Maybe what is missing at CSI national is a sense of humor?

56

It’s not hard to see why some employers perceive risk in humorous dialogue. It has a tendency to go downhill quickly under its own weight.

57

Apparently mine was so bad that Colin banned it from being on the MB. I had in *!#! in place of bad words, but I guess the ones that posted the SL_T is better than what I said even with #@@#! in place. Go figure.

58

I never saw that one - there is a profanity blocker running the discussion forum and it must have caught the posting and did not notify me.

59

If its any consolation, the profanity blocker at my office wouldnt even let me receive an e-mail from a product rep for Hussey Seating Company.

60

Heck: The place people go to who are darned because they don’t believe in Gosh.