h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Look out, this is one of those killer Mondays!
When I arrived at the office there was no water in the pipes - but the elevator shaft was filled...
Turns out the main pipe was broken - inside the building! So the cellar was flooded.
Do I need to mention no water = no coffee?
At some point the water cut the fire alarm short - and apparently nobody knew how to turn it off - so there we were, fire alarm howling - and still no coffee...
Since the alarm wasn't turned off the fire brigade arrived - sirens and all - asking why the we hadn't called them to tell them there was no fire.
That's when a colleague arrived with six large bottles of water and we had coffee - and I didn't care less about what happened next

Look on the bright side: you survived.

Did the fire brigade figure out what to do with the alarms?

This is yet another bit of proof that Mondays need to be abolished.

Your company owes you a month's worth of coffee after suffering through this.

oh noes! the lack of coffee is a sin. I hope you felt better as soon as it arrived.


Did the fire brigade pump out the cellar for you?

If they did, then fire departments in Denmark are different than the ones in other countries. A plumber would likely doing the pumping, and not at a bargain price!

I only asked because the fire brigade will often come to the rescue of flooded places - they have the powerful pumps you see.


I had the misfortune ( or maybe it was fortune ) of having a two schools where I was headteacher of having the place flooded - once by the central heating system which sprang a leak and flooded the whole school in hot water - my goodness the carpets were clean when we eventually dried out, and the second school where a main cold water pipe flooded the under floor area. In both cases, we had lovely fire fighters to pump the place.

My staff thought I was doing it on purpose. No such luck!

Okay, I never realized that firemen would have pumps that could pump the water out.

Any firetrucks that I have encountered have the means to re-fill their holding tank from a source such as a nearby lake. So I imagine that one could get most of the flooding of a basement ...

That's good to know. I've learned something today.

I was one of the volunteer firefighters at a couple of small military communities, so I did get to 'play' with some of the stuff. But they never let me drive the truck, the meanies. The only time that I could play with the horns and sirens was when I was repairing or replacing them and the radio equipments.

Did I mention I also had a cold coming up? It's still bothering me

On the bright side I finally received the much anticipated message from my that my liver is fine again

Perfect timing I will now go drown said cold

I thought you were retired?! What are you doing at w*rk anyway?!!

"my liver is fine again. Perfect timing I will now go drown said cold" [Pierce]

I've that a hot toddy can help.

Such a horrible story! I don't think I can sleep after reading this.

Liver is fine again; ya don't get treatment like that on the NHS. Ya have to have had a near death experience before it gets checked.

I have and I'm told it is normal again. So time for dinkies

In fact have one on me

I used to be a fireman, and I got to drive and activate the nee-naaw
siren. Great stuff until someone realises that you are behind them and
slams on the brakes. Beats me why they did that.
We would pump out flooded basements as part of "special services" but
had to get permission from control.

Mari-Rae, bit of a misunderstanding there. I can't retire until 2013 - at the earliest

(unless I get sick before then, of course *touch wood*)

Ah work, probably the biggest four letter word in the world,
it's eight hours long(sometimes longer)

I've heard that "life" is an even longer four-letter word.