Wednesday 17 September 2008

Pushing The Envelope


Today's post probably represents a new high (or low) in mundanity for this blog. John Oliver High School must be one of the larger high schools in Vancouver. I went to Vancouver Technical School which is definitely bigger. But this is neither the time nor place to gloat. 

The reason for today's pic isn't to point out the obvious similarities to a maximum security prison. 

When I left on my trip on Sept. 5 there were a few guys with a pressure washer or two prepping the school for painting. When I came home on Sept. 15 the entire place had been painted. 

I've walked around the school and it's all painted, doors, door frames, window frames, those screens they put over the windows to stop the drop-outs from smashing them, everything. And it's bigger than it looks in the photo, there is no way to fit it all in. Even if the painters worked weekends, and that would be highly unusual, I'm amazed it was done in so short a time. Maybe I'm just too easily impressed.

The portables and original buildings on the site were painted last year and as I recall, those painters were at it for weeks. 

That's it. This is now my benchmark for mundane. It won't be easy to top this but I'm already working on it.  

9 comments :

Laurie Allee said...

I am imagining 100s of painters converging on this place all at once...

Copenhagen said...

Thanks for your comment. You find Sun Life building special? I haven't really paid any attention to it yet.

Montreal definitely has many wonderful architectures, especially in Old-Montreal.

Benjamin Madison said...

Hey, I'm waiting for a photo of my alma mater, Lord Byng. I don't even know if it's still there.... As for JO, yes, a new low has been reached but I see a little mural off to the left there you could have exploited a bit.

Wayne said...

I don't pay close attention to such things but I don't recall a new high school built or an existing one closed in Vancouver in my lifetime.
Lord Byng is still there. It doesn't need as much painting, it's mostly brick if I'm not mistaken.

Anonymous said...

I think we all have mundane pictures in our archives, waiting for a slow news day when we're desperate and need a picture, any picture! You've just been brave enough to admit it!

I saw a photo of my old school the other week, and didn't recognise it. I might take a walk round there next time I'm visiting the parents and see what changes have been made.

Re your question on my blog, Gerald very kindly answered it, but basically Go Ape is an outdoor facility with zip wires and all that sort of thing - kind of outdoor pursuits sort of thing - which they're proposing to plonk in the middle of a quiet, historic park (on the site of a current archeological dig, apparently, to add insult to injury). There is one not that far from Glasgow already.

• Eliane • said...

Did they paint it in lovely colors? Or with flowers, dots, superheroes pattern?

Lori said...

That certainly is a giant school. Well, there must be some new painting techniques these days we aren't aware of. Looks like they did a nice job though. (I like all the little dandelions sprouting up in the grass. Very pretty!)

Janet Kincaid said...

What is it about high schools looking like mini-penitentiaries? I went to one that looked like an asylum.

Great picture. Two words: spray guns.

Virginia said...

I think any time you find a work force that are busting their buns to get a job done is NOT mundane, it's a damn miracle. And I agree with Jackie, I have a file full of mundane photos that I TRY and pass off on ya'll as "artsy" but it never works.