The Smell of the Apocalypse?

Frankly, it's an embarrassing subject. But what I want to talk about is something nearly everyone of us has experienced. It's the result of a naturally occurring process and, well, it smells. It smells bad. When it happens,  people often scurry away to create as much distance as possible from the source. Of course, I am talking about gas. The gas that occurs as part of the oil production process here in Long Beach. Wait, what did YOU think I was talking about?

I have only lived here about 6 years and I can think of a number of times I literally took refuge indoors because the smell outside was noxious. I can't say I know the mechanics of what happens in the process of pumping Long Beach crude up from the bowels of the Earth but if I understand correctly, there are pockets of bowelly natural gas that escape as well. I believe some portion of that is captured and "burnt off" as I have heard it described. The first time I smelled it, I called the gas company. I believed there must be a massive leak in a pipe somewhere nearby and presumed the gathering cloud must be perfect for some sort of deadly explosion.

"Not us," they told me. "We don't have any reports of leaks in your area." I was convinced we were on the brink of some horrible conflagration but maybe the wind shuifted or the pocket gave out. I can't say. I was just relieved not to have been asphyxiated or, worse, die in some apocalyptic inferno. I have heard people from Belmont Shore, Naples, Seal Beach, Belmont Heights and other neighborhoods complain about the occasional unpleasantness. Newcomers (much like my former self) are quick to worry about it,"What is it, where is it coming from, what can be done about it?!?" And old timers are just as quick to poke fun, "Long Beach, where the sewer meets the surf, except there's no surf!"

Of course, there's really no perfect place, no Shangri-la. Each locale has its plusses and minuses and we are no different. Oil production in Long Beach has gone on a long, long time and with it, the occasional silent-but-not-necessarily-deadly release of malodorousness. And just as in other, more human circumstances, making a fuss about it does absolutely nothing to relieve the occasional situation. We must "hold our nose" until things are right again.

Tim Bulone is an ardent observer of life on the swirling blue marble. He works at Davis Group Consulting and creates fine art and canvas prints which he likes to sell from time to time at http://www.MyFamilyArt.com He is an early morning pedestrian in Belmont Shore, where he resides with his wife and a variety of pets.