Douglass Hall Update #7.53

8/22/1998

Hooray! Construction is done! No more dust! No more diesel smoke! No more! As you can see, I've been waiting to send this email for a long time indeed... since early July!

Of course, some stuff remains--mostly exterior work. But the building itself is done, and just about furnished!

Note I'm writing this on Saturday. 8/22.

Phones and data are being hooked up today. The new building gets a tiled floor on Monday.

Most of the cement stairs/patios will be finished on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They'll take the water jets out Tuesday and wash the black stuff off the Hall. The black you see is grime. Do not confuse this with the 6" bumps on the edge of the roof, which were painted black (and covered with metal on Wednesday).

Sod in the loop road basin to be installed on Monday; the remaining areas of earth are being graded today and early next week, and sod for the areas will be installed. Nice grass--they can mow it 12 days after they put it in, and we can (supposedly) trample err, walk on it 14 days after that. The ugly construction fence comes down on Wednesday.

All furniture and books for the library are in place. All furniture for the administrative offices in The Hall will be in place by late tomorrow.

does anybody ever read these?

Stupid Driver Tricks (no particular order): 1. Flying V on a 5-lane freeway 2. People who honk *after* they ran a red light, nearly hitting some van which was moving on a green and speeding away 3. Trucks which poke along at 40mph in lane #2 of a 4-lane freeway (isn't that illegal?) 4. Trucks in S.F. Chinatown which double park on Geary Street, thereby preventing 2 cars and a police(!) car from pulling out... 5. Two drivers on Foothill Expressway, who were in different cars, in different lanes, trying "synchronized driving" so they could chat with each other. 6. People who drive in blind spots and then honk because the unfortunate victim didn't see them and changed lanes right in their face... 7. People who complain about traffic yet file lawsuits to block public transportation and carpooling projects 8. Anybody who tries to drive in Beijing, China. Only somebody with nerves of steel could drive there...it's much much worse than even L.A. (At least in LA the traffic never moves faster than 15mph!) 9. Firebugs who don't turn off their engines while pumping gas into their cars, even though the big sign says to TURN OFF THE MOTOR! (Refueling creates gasoline vapors; if there's a spark, you'll be blown to who knows where) 10. Drunkards who play tag with each other, while driving their cars on 880 at 11pm.

Transporter, anyone?