So Far Down the Rabbit Hole It's Pitch Black

Is this funny, sad, sick, ironic, or just insane? To wit:

I received a call from Jose, the contractor Dominion has hired to finally connect the power so we can move on with, you know, our lives. Jose has stated that he would like to just connect the existing conduits together and run the power through that. He would like to do this because it would save him considerable time and money, as it would eliminate the need to dig any new trenches. I inform him that I was told by Dominion that this was not permitted because they hadn't installed the portion of conduit running from the temporary meter to the house. (This idea was, in fact, the one I proposed to the Dominion project coordinator as being the most obvious, fastest, and most cost-saving option.) He says he talked to someone who thought it would be okay to use the existing conduit and that he was the one who had installed the first part of it from the pole to the meter 2 years ago (I guess he remembers us. I bet they all do). He asks me if I would "call someone at Dominion about this and get back to him."

No way, Jose.