Thumper
06-02-2015, 09:45 AM
Is that even a word?
I've lived in this same house for 26 years now. The street I live on is N. Cove ... but "officially" it's North Cv. Why? I mean, it's the same thing in a way, but why not N. Cove? Or heck, spell it out if you want, North Cove! It ain't that many letters. Most streets would go by N, S, E. or W. ... but here, it's spelled out NORTH. So why abbreviate a four letter word like Cove? What's the big deal? When GPS's first came out, any attempt to enter COVE as the street came up with a message, "address not found". In the early days, I'd constantly get calls from UPS or FedEx asking for directions to my house because it's not in their GPS, even though the house has been here since 1970! I think software has now changed where it recognizes abbreviations a little better as now if I enter N. Cove ... it gets automatically "corrected" to North Cv. Go figure. I even tried calling the post office years ago to see if there was a way to change it as apparently, that's where the "official" address originates. Ya' think those calls ever accomplished anything? Well, I wouldn't be writing this if it did. The mail addressed to N. Cove always gets here anyway ... UNLESS there's a new or temporary mail carrier, then I get it within the next day or two after it's returned to the P.O. for an address "correction". Oh well ... I live on North Cv if you ever want to write me. ;)
Over the years, the phones have gone out from time to time (land line). There are junction boxes all over the neighborhood, but whenever my phone is affected, I know (from past experience) the box is located in my neighbor's yard who actually lives on another street, but his lot backs up to mine. Whenever there's a phone problem and I see phone trucks driving around blindly ... I always flag them down, walk them into my backyard, tell them to peek through my privacy fence into the neighbor's yard and show them the junction box they are most likely looking for. I then direct them to the next street over so they can gain access to it. Do you think that routine has changed in all these years? Do you think anyone would bother to change whatever location method it is that they use to mark these things? Of course not. Fix the lines and let some other sucker wander around my yard looking for the box the next time there's a problem.
BUT ... in true Thump style, all that has nothing to do with the subject of THIS post, other than wondering why humans would rather act like sheep, instead of changing anything. We bought this house in August of '89. Christmas Day of '89 we had a bad freeze. (Ok youse Yankees, I'm talking Florida standards here ... if the orange crop freezes on the tree and trees die, it's a BAD freeze!) Anyway, due to everyone running heaters (I assume) the grid was overloaded and a transformer blew up. It sounded like a bomb went off in my backyard as that's where the pole is with the transformer. Well, a small army of electric company trucks soon invaded the neighborhood and after circling the block a couple times, they parked on the next street over and invaded my neighbor's backyard, only to be confronted with the dilemma of trying to figure out where their elusive transformer is. I walked around the block and led them to my house. I even made it extremely easy for them as I opened my RV gate and told them they could drive their vehicles to the back of my lot where the pole is located. Heck, they could even use their cherry-picker instead of climbing the pole!
Ok, in the 26 years I've lived here, do you think ANYONE has ever decided to make a note someplace official of where this pole is located? Of course not! Everytime there's been a power failure (prolly 10 times over the years), the trucks drive all around the neighborhood and eventually stop at my neighbor's house, on the next street over, and drag their gear into the backyard, only to discover there is no pole there! Surprise!
Late yesterday afternoon we had a nasty storm blow through here. It was like something the midwest has had recently ... wind, hail (small) and a ton of rain. About 8:30 last night, BOOM!!! The transformer blew! I called it in and figured I'd wait on the trucks so I could flag them down and give them directions. Who shows up? Time Warner Cable! He pulls up in my driveway and I went out to talk to him ... wondering why he was here. He said someone in the neighborhood called in and said their cable was out. Huh?? Oh well ... he eventually drove off shaking his head. About 11:30 last night (I was sitting out on the front porch as, by now, the house was getting a bit warm with no a/c) the fleet of power trucks rolls into the neighborhood. As usual, they by-pass my house (I'm on a cul-de-sac) and continue on down the street. Of course, as usual, they park three large trucks and two trailers in front of the neighbor's house, then jump out and start gearing up. I finally make my way around the block and explain that the pole they're looking for is on the next block, in MY backyard. They just look at me like I'm an idiot, totally ignore me, drag all their gear to the neighbor's gate and after making sure there is no dog back there, parade through their yard. I just lean against one of the trucks and wait.
They finally return looking bewildered and ask, "Where is this pole you're talking about?" I direct them to the next block and start walking toward my house. LONG story just a little bit shorter ... they finished up and had power restored at about 2:30 this morning. As they left, I told them not to worry, I'll close the gate behind them.
Question: Do you think anybody will bother to change whatever records they use for locating their equipment, then come straight here the next time that transformer blows? Ha! Don't hold your breath!
I've lived in this same house for 26 years now. The street I live on is N. Cove ... but "officially" it's North Cv. Why? I mean, it's the same thing in a way, but why not N. Cove? Or heck, spell it out if you want, North Cove! It ain't that many letters. Most streets would go by N, S, E. or W. ... but here, it's spelled out NORTH. So why abbreviate a four letter word like Cove? What's the big deal? When GPS's first came out, any attempt to enter COVE as the street came up with a message, "address not found". In the early days, I'd constantly get calls from UPS or FedEx asking for directions to my house because it's not in their GPS, even though the house has been here since 1970! I think software has now changed where it recognizes abbreviations a little better as now if I enter N. Cove ... it gets automatically "corrected" to North Cv. Go figure. I even tried calling the post office years ago to see if there was a way to change it as apparently, that's where the "official" address originates. Ya' think those calls ever accomplished anything? Well, I wouldn't be writing this if it did. The mail addressed to N. Cove always gets here anyway ... UNLESS there's a new or temporary mail carrier, then I get it within the next day or two after it's returned to the P.O. for an address "correction". Oh well ... I live on North Cv if you ever want to write me. ;)
Over the years, the phones have gone out from time to time (land line). There are junction boxes all over the neighborhood, but whenever my phone is affected, I know (from past experience) the box is located in my neighbor's yard who actually lives on another street, but his lot backs up to mine. Whenever there's a phone problem and I see phone trucks driving around blindly ... I always flag them down, walk them into my backyard, tell them to peek through my privacy fence into the neighbor's yard and show them the junction box they are most likely looking for. I then direct them to the next street over so they can gain access to it. Do you think that routine has changed in all these years? Do you think anyone would bother to change whatever location method it is that they use to mark these things? Of course not. Fix the lines and let some other sucker wander around my yard looking for the box the next time there's a problem.
BUT ... in true Thump style, all that has nothing to do with the subject of THIS post, other than wondering why humans would rather act like sheep, instead of changing anything. We bought this house in August of '89. Christmas Day of '89 we had a bad freeze. (Ok youse Yankees, I'm talking Florida standards here ... if the orange crop freezes on the tree and trees die, it's a BAD freeze!) Anyway, due to everyone running heaters (I assume) the grid was overloaded and a transformer blew up. It sounded like a bomb went off in my backyard as that's where the pole is with the transformer. Well, a small army of electric company trucks soon invaded the neighborhood and after circling the block a couple times, they parked on the next street over and invaded my neighbor's backyard, only to be confronted with the dilemma of trying to figure out where their elusive transformer is. I walked around the block and led them to my house. I even made it extremely easy for them as I opened my RV gate and told them they could drive their vehicles to the back of my lot where the pole is located. Heck, they could even use their cherry-picker instead of climbing the pole!
Ok, in the 26 years I've lived here, do you think ANYONE has ever decided to make a note someplace official of where this pole is located? Of course not! Everytime there's been a power failure (prolly 10 times over the years), the trucks drive all around the neighborhood and eventually stop at my neighbor's house, on the next street over, and drag their gear into the backyard, only to discover there is no pole there! Surprise!
Late yesterday afternoon we had a nasty storm blow through here. It was like something the midwest has had recently ... wind, hail (small) and a ton of rain. About 8:30 last night, BOOM!!! The transformer blew! I called it in and figured I'd wait on the trucks so I could flag them down and give them directions. Who shows up? Time Warner Cable! He pulls up in my driveway and I went out to talk to him ... wondering why he was here. He said someone in the neighborhood called in and said their cable was out. Huh?? Oh well ... he eventually drove off shaking his head. About 11:30 last night (I was sitting out on the front porch as, by now, the house was getting a bit warm with no a/c) the fleet of power trucks rolls into the neighborhood. As usual, they by-pass my house (I'm on a cul-de-sac) and continue on down the street. Of course, as usual, they park three large trucks and two trailers in front of the neighbor's house, then jump out and start gearing up. I finally make my way around the block and explain that the pole they're looking for is on the next block, in MY backyard. They just look at me like I'm an idiot, totally ignore me, drag all their gear to the neighbor's gate and after making sure there is no dog back there, parade through their yard. I just lean against one of the trucks and wait.
They finally return looking bewildered and ask, "Where is this pole you're talking about?" I direct them to the next block and start walking toward my house. LONG story just a little bit shorter ... they finished up and had power restored at about 2:30 this morning. As they left, I told them not to worry, I'll close the gate behind them.
Question: Do you think anybody will bother to change whatever records they use for locating their equipment, then come straight here the next time that transformer blows? Ha! Don't hold your breath!