“How clean is your house”
Great series on BBC tv. Having a conversation with Francis Porretto about doing dirty jobs- Like the jobs Mike Rowe does on “Dirty Jobs”, or these two broads cleaning up houses of squalor…
And it occurs to me, I have relatives that live worse than those homes (and have often had to overcome the urge to vomit when in their homes) and I have done jobs similar to the worst done by Mike Rowe. In fact, other than the Mike Rowe jobs where he does confined space cleaning (I can’t get in some of those spaces) I’ve done similar or worse jobs than anything he’s done.
I’ve done jobs where I got on my hands and knees and retched, and then got up and worked some more. And retched some more. And kept retching and working till the job was done.
Life is dirty. No, it’s no fun to be down in it and have it jammed in your face. But it all has to be done, and someone has to do it. Those who do, make it possible for those who are afraid to get their hands dirty.
I had a friend who cleaned septic tanks (along with installing them) and he did OK for himself. Not many people want to handle other folks’ crap, I don’t think I could do it.
Until just a few years ago nothing would make me gag. Deer guts, no problem. Then the Docs started me on a blood pressure medication and now all I have to do is think about something funky and I start heaving. Spent about another hour dressing the last deer with the heaving spells. Doc says a little gaging is worth it. I am not sure yet.
Hog lots covered with green running shit was the worst for me. Don’t know wht it was grren, and more shades than Sherwin Williams. Running was because Pigs don’t care what comes out or where. Twice a week from 3rd grade to 6th. Of course as bad as that was stepping off the one side was worse as that was where all the stuff went as the floor was 4 feet of the ground at that point. When it got the the floor level we would use tractor with a bucket to clean it out.
Never had a job since that was that bad.
One of the best life lessons I ever had was when I heard that our barracks was about to be inspected while I was in class. I was the dorm chief. I snuck out of class and off to the barracks to double check before the colonel got there. Arrived as he did, so he invited me to walk with him. We got to the urinals and he said that the drain could be cleaner. I said that I saw the guy scrub it thoroughly and I couldn’t imagine how it could be done better. They were WW2 era barracks. Ever see “Biloxi Blues”? It was those barracks. He then reached in his pocket and pulled out his pocket knife and started scraping at the uric acid buildup. Held the blade up and politely told me that that was how it was done. I did the same later for my guy.
Some things make me heave but a jobs a job. Like snaking my sewer on Christmas Eve a couple days ago.
Yeah, you all get it. Ed, sounds like you got off pretty easily. Paul, nothing on earth worse than having your crapper not flush properly, int there?