Pipe Dreams
Today I learned that the Olympic Pipeline runs about 300 yards from my office. It abuts a driveway that I must drive down to get to my parking lot. I learned this because they were doing some work replacing a piece of it over the last couple of days, making it very difficult for me to park in my parking spot.
The Olympic Pipeline carries gasoline from somewhere in the north to somewhere in the south (I am not up on my pipeline routes, I apologize). 4 months ago a leak in said pipeline which caused giant flames in Renton and caused injury to 3 firefighters. 5 years ago a major leak on the pipeline resulted in the death of three people.
I drive past this pipeline on my way to and from work every day. I drive OVER this pipeline on my way to and from work every day. Unless the pipeline makes a sharp turn somewhere very near my office I probably live within a mile of this pipeline. That's kind of freaky if you start to think about it too long.
I always had this image of the Alaska Pipeline (and, therefore, all other pipelines) as actual pipes that ran above ground on some sort of support system. When you start to think about that possibility it makes absolutely no sense, but I still thought it.
It's like the day that I realized that taxicabs and police cars are just automobiles that have been tricked out to perform a job. It must come from images of Checker Cabs and such that look so unlike any other auto on the road today, but in my youth I thought in addition to the big three automakers there was also the taxicab car company and the police car company who had their own makes and models. I didn't realize you could take a Geo Metro and just retro-fit it to become a cop car or a taxi. I don't remember the day I came to this insight, but I know it was after I had my driver's license.
For someone who graduated college with honors I sure am dense sometimes! Although I must admit I prefer naivete to spending most of my waking hours within 5 miles of a major gas pipeline and dwelling on everything that could possibly go wrong there.
The Olympic Pipeline carries gasoline from somewhere in the north to somewhere in the south (I am not up on my pipeline routes, I apologize). 4 months ago a leak in said pipeline which caused giant flames in Renton and caused injury to 3 firefighters. 5 years ago a major leak on the pipeline resulted in the death of three people.
I drive past this pipeline on my way to and from work every day. I drive OVER this pipeline on my way to and from work every day. Unless the pipeline makes a sharp turn somewhere very near my office I probably live within a mile of this pipeline. That's kind of freaky if you start to think about it too long.
I always had this image of the Alaska Pipeline (and, therefore, all other pipelines) as actual pipes that ran above ground on some sort of support system. When you start to think about that possibility it makes absolutely no sense, but I still thought it.
It's like the day that I realized that taxicabs and police cars are just automobiles that have been tricked out to perform a job. It must come from images of Checker Cabs and such that look so unlike any other auto on the road today, but in my youth I thought in addition to the big three automakers there was also the taxicab car company and the police car company who had their own makes and models. I didn't realize you could take a Geo Metro and just retro-fit it to become a cop car or a taxi. I don't remember the day I came to this insight, but I know it was after I had my driver's license.
For someone who graduated college with honors I sure am dense sometimes! Although I must admit I prefer naivete to spending most of my waking hours within 5 miles of a major gas pipeline and dwelling on everything that could possibly go wrong there.
posted by Swankette at 9:33 PM
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