cold showers

update on the hasmat issue at my home. I woke up on Saturday... afternoon... to a couple of my neighbors discussing the fact that the gas has yet to be turned on and we still have no hot water. Men seem to not know how to handle things properly sometimes. My neighbor John called me to give me the update soon after I had overheard their conversation. He said he had called the gas company and "left a message"... I'm like... "left a message?!"... so, of course, I got the number and placed my call. The difference is that I hit the button that asks if you have an emergency... yes, we do... you guys did not finish the job you started yesterday when you turned off our gas.
Turns out, as a safety precaution, they cannot turn on the gas unless they have access to every unit at one time. They have to check for a leak once the gas is turned on.
That's near impossible no matter what the size of your building! We have 13 units here. 1/2 of us are friendly and someone has the other's spare key in case of whatever. The other half... not so available. That was causing a problem.
John and I set out to collect the keys or devise a plan to get into every unit that was causing a problem. Finally, after about 2 hours of phone calls, etc... we were able to place a call to the gas company and let them know that after 6pm we would have access to each unit one way or another. I was plotting to drop into one guys place off of the roof onto his balcony if he didn't answer the calls in time. I'm not joking... this was serious business!
John and I joked about taking something from each unit during the brief visit with the gas guy. I suggested their toilet paper or coffee filters... something really little, yet really meaningful! we laughed at the thought... didn't do it though.
Finally, at 8pm the gas guy had come and gone into each unit, checked the fireplace pilot lights and moved on. We had hot water again! Laura saves the day, with help from the neighbors.
This WAS NOT an interview for HOA President! Not interested! However, hot showers I am interested in!