Whoever Smelt It, Dealt It

There is a misconception that in Maine, the season after Winter and before Spring is called Mud Season.

Apparently, it’s Gas Leak Season.

For the second time this week, we were unchained from our desks and told to evacuate the building because of a gas leak.

Unlike Monday, when it was 8 degrees and bitterly windy, today was a much better day for a gas leak.  It was slightly overcast, but in the mid-forties with very little wind.  This time, we were able to stand outside and get a little fresh air while something was done about the air fouled with the stench of propane.

Not that there’s anything wrong with propane, Modern Philosophers!

The Nuns raised me to make the best of a bad situation, so rather than ruminate on all the ways a gas leak could kill me, I chose to see this as an opportunity for a blog post.

I took some photos while we waited to see if we’d be allowed back inside or  sent home for the day.  A quick poll revealed that the crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of the “send us home!!!” option.

We watched a lone man from the heating and air conditioning company wander across the roof, trudging through all the snow still up there, as he moved from unit to unit.

We assume he was trying to find the source of the leak, but at times, it often looked like he was praying to the HVAC gods to give him guidance.  The next time I see Zeus, I will have to ask him which god covers that field.

Of course, we all wondered if the Fire Department would make an appearance.  I thought it might be cool to go for a ride on the fire truck while we waited for the all clear.  My tax dollars did help pay for the truck, so shouldn’t I get to ride in it?

Watching the guy on the roof got boring after a while.  So, I busied myself trying to come up with a witty title for this post.

What do you think of the one I chose?

The odd thing was that the smell of propane was much stronger in the parking lot than it had been inside the office.

I was on my lunch break when this all went down, so I wasn’t in the part of the building where the propane stench was the worst.  I only caught my first whiff of it when I stepped out into the parking lot.

For a moment, it made me think that maybe it would’ve been safer to stay inside.  Then I realized I was lightheaded and not thinking clearly.  Damn you, propane, and your curious effect on my brain!

Our office is very close to Bangor International Airport, so we got to see several planes take off and make their approach while we were outside, enjoying Gas Leak Season.

These Air Force planes are pretty cool.

The Air National Guard uses the airport, so we’ll often see fighters jets or fueling planes when we are in the parking lot.

It’s crazy how close they seem due to our proximity to the airport.  This particular plane must have been practicing take offs and landings since it swept around in a wide circle and headed back towards the airport.

Eventually a second HVAC technician arrived and joined the first up on the roof.  The excitement grew as we all assumed the Fire Trucks would arrive next.

Instead, all we got to witness was more shuffling around up on the roof.  Finally, the first guy went back to the truck and grabbed a snow shovel.

When he climbed back onto the roof, he started clearing snow.  Instantly, I had an attack of Post Traumatic Snow Disorder.  I thought snow shoveling was over for the next six months.  What the hell was going on here?

Soon after, we got the all clear to go back into the building.  There was much disappointment, as we were hoping we could just go home.

It was, after all, perfect Gas Leak Season weather, and who wants to waste that chained to a desk?

I’ll have to remember to bring my gas mask to work tomorrow.  The Boy Scout in me wants to be prepared.  As does the part of me that dislikes propane induced headaches…