Toilet Story 2: The Sequel

[Dr.Watson]

(Caution: Long Story With Upsetting Implications. Sensitive parents should use their 'Back' button Now.)

The "More About Going to the Bathroom" thread reminded this story, and I sort of backed myself into relating it --

As some of you know, I'm an Architect, Builder, and all-around land-raper type; and being prideless and in need of an income I've done quite a bit of work with municipal school systems over the years.

A few years ago I won a commission to convert a K-8 school building into a 'Middle School', and since it was a very old building the project involved substantially gutting the interior of the existing building, as well as placing a number of additions. Also because it was an old building, there were no plans of the existing structure, so we had to sort of 'feel' our way through the renovations portion of the project, solving the problems as they arose.

When we got to the Girl's Locker Room, and tried to resolve the work that needed to be done with the conditions in-place, we ran into a little ventilation problem. There seemed to be exactly one more exhaust grill in the wall of the Girl's gang shower than there ought to have been, and it seemed to be placed in such a way that nobody could figure out what it could possibly be connected to. (Remember, we're talking K thru 8 here.)

A bit of quick poking around above the ceilings revealed that it was connected to -- the School Principal's Office. An office that had a jerry-built counter along the wall in question, from which one only needed lift a single ceiling tile to be afforded a full view through the oddly placed 'exhaust' grille into the shower. The Principal's Office also turned out to have the only door in the Office area with its own lock.

Bein' charitable and apolitical, I had a short lunch with the Superintendent of Schools, and the Principal took a quiet early retirement a week or so later. Had I been the Superintendent I'd have had the bastard flogged in the Town Square.

Dr. Watson
"Turning the other cheek is a kind of moral jiu-jitsu." -- Gerald Stanley Lee

[GuanoLad]

Did it have any evidence of a WebCam set up?

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The Legend Of PigeonMan
- Shadow of the Pigeon -
Weirdo of the Night

[GuanoLad]

Wait a minute, what's K-8? Is that like extremely extremely dangerously illegally young? Okay, forget I said anything (even though it was a joke), got the whole wrong idea of that. Sorry.

[ChiefScott]

Speaking of "extremely extremely dangerously illegally young"!!!

::And the bomb descents upon Australia. Tracking radar computes its origin from somewhere off the coast of Italy...::

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"Though I hate 'em, I'll defend to my death your right to use smilies."
Forward deployed until 18AUG00

[Johnny L.A.]

When I was in Jr. High, Coach Larson used to sit on the wall dividing the showers from the lockers to "make sure" the boys showered after P.E.

[John Bredin]

If the school "was a very old building", how did you know that the last principal was the one who had the grill put in?

How old was this "extra" exhaust grill? How old was the ceiling hiding the grill? How old was the counter? How long had there been a lock on the principal's office door? Was there another reason for having a lock on the principal's office, such as the school safe or strongbox, personnel or student files stored for privacy, etc.?

I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you haven't given us enough details yet to warrant driving a principal out of office. Hey, I'm a lawyer; it's instinct for me to play the devil's advocate.

[Rysdad]

I wondered about the age of the extra vent as well seeing as it was a "very old building."

One could surmise from the quick departure of the principal that a review of the work orders might reveal that the work was done "on his watch." (bad pun)

An innocent person might have asked for (demanded) an investigation.

Aren't school showers generally noisy places? Didn't someone think that the noise level in the principal's office was a bit much?

[OpalCat]

Guano: K-8 means kindergarten through 8th grade... so we're talking ages 5-14 or so.

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--
From an actual catalog: "Disco balls create an enchanting, dazzling effect of light shafts, adding movement and glamour to any occasion"
the Abrams' bris was certainly memorable
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com

[Dr.Watson]

I'm certainly no Constable, and wasn't about to go jumping to any conclusions or pointing any fingers. I just had my guys take a lot of pictures and document the 'problem' as well as the 'repair'.

I admit that normal protocol would have been to simply add the work to the weekly list and let the Clerk of the Works do his thing, but this one seemed to merit a bit of somebody's attention, so I took it to the big boss.

Exactly how or when the grille was originally installed, or how the matter was handled internally I couldn't tell you, but I think it would be one hell of a coincidence for the Principal to choose that moment to retire if he had nothing to do with it. Rysdad's point is well taken -- an executive with no knowledge of the source might well have found the noise level a bit distressing, and perhaps sent the maintenance folks on a mission to put a stop to it.


Dr. Watson
"To say that a thing has never yet been done among men is to erect a barrier stronger than reason." -- Thomas Brackett Reed

[Surgoshan]

Good God.

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I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail.

[neuro-trash grrrl]

One of my male friends in high school tipped me off that there was something fishy going on in the girls' locker room. He said that in the passageway between the boys' locker room and the swimming pool, there was a door that was usually kept locked. One day, or so he said, it was unlocked, and he was curious about what there was. Lotta pipes and wires, as it turned out. Oh, yeah, and also, a little hole drilled into the wall. Anyone care to guess what was on the other side of this wall? Fortunately, due to my natural bashfulness, I was in the habit of dressing in the toilet stalls. I do wonder how many hours of viewing pleasure he derived before he decided to inform anyone, though...

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Heck is where you go when you don't believe in Gosh.

[Major Feelgud]

Come on, Dr. Watson's tale is an UL. There are just too many holes in it to make sense. Who would install that vent? Why would the extra vent seem weird? Fess up, Dr.

OTOH, at the local university they did find holes drilled in the walls to the girls shower. It was on the local news about 5 years ago.

At the same university about 30-40(?) years ago all incoming women were required to have full front nude pictures taken of them. This is reputedly true.

[Dr.Watson]

Look Ma, Yer lad is famous! All I had to do was patch a hole in a wall, and they gave me credit for a Legend!

You were right Ma, America truly is a wonderful country.

Putz.


Dr. Watson
"Everybody says it, and what everybody says must be true." -- James Fenimore Cooper