It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. And hopefully they are doing it for a TON of money. One job in particular that doesn't sound popular is sewer work. Going below and mucking it up in the filthy water takes a strong stomach for sure. Our sewers are full of grotesque nonsense but also great mystery. People are tossing all sorts of mess into the waters below. Workers have discovered everything from money and clothes to the essential pieces of a murder mystery. Imagine what you could hoard from this job?
Redditor u/snowymelon594 wanted to know what treasures are swimming below us by asking... Sewer workers of Reddit, what is the weirdest thing you've seen down there?No PPP Please...
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I also supported CCTV inspections of sewer/storm lines, and have spent a lot of time watching the inspection videos.
Weirdest for me was a small gnome figurine standing perfectly in a lateral.
It was creepy, it looked like it was placed there but the main/laterals had been installed in the 70s.
Grossest was a massive greaseberg that formed near a restaurant. They had been dumping cooking oil/grease down the drain and it formed into a solid lump of fats, TP, towels, poop, etc.
Please don't send anything down the drains other than the 3 Ps (poop, pee, [toilet]paper).
Sounds Ominous
I used to work... sort of tangential to sewer workers. I did tech support for sewer inspection software, and often I'd end up fixing busted video files from an inspection. These videos were collected by lowering a water-resistant camera on a remote-controlled rig down into the pipe and driving it through.
There was one video from Fort Worth where they found a lateral (one of those pipes that connects a specific building to the main sewer line, like the pipe from your house to the main) that was completely clogged with used needles. It was a lateral off a hospital.
My favorite would be one from Florida (I think Sarasota) where they found a gator in the sewer. They were replacing the camera the next day, so the supervisor just said to ram him. What followed was about 15 minutes of an increasingly concerned alligator getting bumped by the lens until it got to a manhole chamber and took off down another line.
Listen Up
I'd also like to just send a message out to everyone who reads this post.
- Please don't put fat or grease down the drain, eventually it will harden in the sewer and could cause a clog, which may back up your sewer. (Edit) Especially be careful in apartments, as everyone suite in largely connected to the same system. Grease and fats are more likely to collect in these systems.
- Be careful with low flow toilets. They will save you money on water, but with the lower flow it can also cause backups. Sewer runs on gravity and flow, so if the flow drops off it more likely things will settle and clog the sewer line. If you have low flow toilets, try to do a nice big flush once a day, for no other reason that you're helping the sewer work. Condition_Boy
That's Random
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My own personal find was a diamond ring. But I've talked with coworkers who worked at the treatment plant. They had a fetus show up.
So. Much. Corn.
Previous job had me inspecting sanitary sewer systems and treatment plants during construction and immediately post-completion. In the treatment plants, corn. So. Much. Corn. All day, every day. Corn.
One small town had a tomato festival and cook off. Tomato seeds do not, in any way, get digested.
Not by humans, and not by the aerobic bacteria in the digesters. The town would spray the processed solids over a nearby field and it ended up being the biggest tomato garden I've ever seen. Acres of forbidden tomatoes!
The Back Up
The obligatory I'm not a plumber but the apartment complex I lived in had to call a plumber out. All our toilets were backing up. The plumber finds several T-shirts had been flushed down by someone living in the complex. Don't know why someone was flushing t-shirts.
"phantom knickers flusher"
Emptying out a pump truck after cleaning a lift station and a pair of bloomers fell out. Like, the kind your grandma's grandma wore. Except the crotch was missing, but they had been made that way.
There's a water company in the UK (I can't remember which one it is possibly Anglian Water) that's had issue with what they have dubbed the "phantom knickers flusher" at one of their sites after large pairs of ladies underwear kept coming into the works.
SYOP THE FLUSH!!
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A 200 ton wad of "flushable wipes". Just because it's "flushable" does NOT mean it's biodegradable. seriously you're messing up your plumbing. Stop flushing stuff you SHOULD NOT be flushing.
the little things...
Tomato plants are surprisingly hardy, we've seen them trying to sprout when they get caught in the bottoms of brick manholes. Also a huge quantity of pot leaves came up on a pump station barrack. A cheetah print thong large enough to go around a big rig tire.
Whodunit...
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I found a body of a murder victim, the dexter killer of Edmonton.
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Ordering food or, for the time being, enjoying a socially distanced lunch at an establishment is convenient, but it can take a toll on your wallet.
So what options are there?
Fortunately, there are plenty of them that do not involve nuking a frozen entree.
Strangers on the internet shared their amateur culinary wisdom when Redditor SandandS0n asked:
"What's your go-to under 5 minute meal?"
These dinner selections are super sufficient.
In Case You Didn't Know
"Quesadilla. super quick and easy to make and there's a ton of ingredients that you can add without much effort that will make it even better."
Noodling Around
"Ramen and an egg, but not the traditional way."
- "Boil roughly half an inch of water (we want just enough water to boil the noodles, with very little water left over when it's done boiling)."
- "Smash up the ramen noodles, while still in the package (optional but cooks MUCH faster)."
- "Open the package and remove the seasoning."
- "Dump the noodles in."
- "While boiling, crack an egg and whisk in a small bowl."
- "Noodles should be done and almost all the water should be gone, if not strain out some.
- Remove from the heat."
- "Slowly pour in the egg while mixing very quickly, try not to let the egg touch the pan."
- "Mix as much of the seasoning packet as you like (I prefer 1/2 - 3/4 because I usually add a salty component at the end.)"
- "Add to bowl and top with some chives, thinly sliced, ripped up ham/salami and/or parsley. Leftover bacon or pancetta are fantastic crunchy components to dial up the texture."
"Easy, fast and checks so many of the 'munchie' boxes for me."
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"Tomato soup and add tortellini. I like the spinach ones from Trader Joe's and Progreso creamy tomato with basil. It's bomb and it really makes a decent meal."
For people in a rush, these tasty snacks would suffice.
Goes Well With Veggies And Cheese
"Hummus is such an underrated food. It goes well with a lot of veggies and breads and chips or heck even cheese. All the time I hear hummus being listed as one of those weird, gross foods when its actually an amazing snack, or a meal if done correctly. It's not really unhealthy, either, especially if eaten with veggies (celery and carrots go great with hummus)."
Ready In Seconds
"All I do is get a paper towel, and put 5 Oreos on it."
"Then go back and get the whole package."
Peanut Butter Fantasies
"Peanut butter sandwich."
"If I'm feeling extra froggy I'll add nutella to the peanut butter and honey sandwich and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Goes down about as well as a popeye's biscuit though."
Nature's Candy
"Fruit."
"It's like cheating the system. You eat sweets and call it healthy."
Start your day without all the hassle of a fancy breakfast.
Put It In A Bowl
"Oatmeal or cereal."
– essa618
"Cereal is definitely underrated as a meal outside of the breakfast dynamic."
Thanks, Nonna!
"A very simple recipe my grandma prepared for me when i was a kid."
"It's basically scrambled eggs...but before adding the egg she would cook sweetcorn (from a can) with a little bit of butter, add the eggs and then when the eggs were almost ready, add small cubes of cheese and cook for a minute or until the cheese start to melt (she was using fontal, but any swiss or white cheddar will do). Just a little black pepper and salt."
"Takes 5 minutes to do but it's absolutely delicious, fill you up, not so unhealthy and I feel my late grandma with me."
'I tried variations with chives or spring onions, paprika or other stuff. Still good but nothing as good as a simple "uova strapazzate con mais e formaggio.'"
"Grazie nonna"
– Xelorath
I consider yogurt a healthy snack/lunch option.
I like having a bowl of non-fat plain Greek yogurt with raspberries, blueberries, sprinkled with granola and drizzled with honey.
It's packed with nutrients and gives me a nice boost of energy.
Yogurt also makes for a perfect chip dip. I sprinkle some onion soup mix and stir in the mixture. Who knew quick and easy food prep could be so delicious?