(no subject)

[reldnahkram]

Okay. It's manhole rant time. Manholes are heavy. Well, okay, some of them aren't so bad. But then there are the ones that are two inches thick, and all you've got to get the thing out with is a thin hook thingy. Ow. Then there are the stuck manholes. Like the ones in the middle of the street. Cars and trucks drive over them all the time, there's no way they're loose. That leaves you two options. Option one is the sledgehammer. Problem is, Tim's sledge has a busted handle, so you can't get much leverage and there's always the risk of splinters (somehow made it to today without getting one, but it got me). And the sledge doesn't always work, sometimes just bashes the thing tighter in. So you use the big green pole. And this doesn't work on manholes without edge openings. But I digress. You wedge the thing in the hole and pop out the manhole. If flies come out, you're halfway home, it's a sanitary sewer. So you stick your head in and see what's down there? Big pipes lined with stuff, probably steam. Wires? Electric or telephone. You get the idea. Get the crayony-thingy (note to self, don't leave crayony-thing in pants, dryer will do bad things to it) and draw all the pipes, say what it is, and close it up. This is another fight. Best method is to get it 90-95% of the way in and then step on it, it should rock right in. If it doesn't, use the hook and pop it a bit out, then back in. Repeat until Tim gets out of truck with pile of papers. Then you put the hook in the truck, grab the can of spray paint (we need more. we have I think 4 left, and I started one at 2:00) and go wild. Well, maybe not. Find the point, read the label of the sheet, and label it. MH 9053. LP 9054. DMH 9055. STMVAL 9056. WV 9057. Get the idea? Repeat until neck is desired shade of red. Hah. But Tim and I got 100+ points, and Ed and Shannon got 75. It may not seem like a lot for eight hours, but believe me, it is.

Ever wonder why manholes are round? Because when the rim is made right (always), it can't fall in. Period. Rectangular plates lack that feature. So you move them the wrong way (as I did twice today), and into the hole they go. Usually isn't too bad, until you consider that these old pipes probably are coated in asbestos. The less you do to them, the better. No better are the plates with the box on the bottom. It takes two to lift these guys and slide it on to the sidewalk. They aren't much fun either.

The navy yard may no longer be the navy's, but Tim's swearing makes up for all the sailors. Shannon and I are standing around while Ed and Tim talk. It's about 15 seconds, and we've already counted 7 or 8 f***s. The f-in heat, the f-ers who park over manholes, the f-in maps that don't line up, etc. More fs than points. As adjectives go, it's pretty universal, but still. I just don't get it. But please don't park over manholes - it makes the jobs of the people looking inside of them much easier.

Yeah. I'm sore. And I'm burnt. And I'm going down to hear my brother in a camp concert. That's all I have to say.

Comments

rants are fun

[annabelpoe.livejournal.com]

Wow, an angry Mark is an amusing Mark. Manholes sound pretty damn annoying. But they have a funny name, so let's laugh at them. Heehee, hoho, haha.
Well, I do sympathise with you, but hey, look on the bright side: you got to use a sledgehammer.
-Sarah