Every time I've had a plumber to my house, I've been grateful. Stuff like this is important; it gives a more rounded perspective to folks out there who have no idea how difficult (and technical) jobs like this can be.
I know it wouldn't be super popular, but I think it would be amazing if everyone had to work as a line cook, server, plumber, and maybe a few other tough jobs that folks tend to think are less-than-essential (at least, prior to 2020 that's how these folks were viewed!). This could be like civil service in other countries, so people develop empathy and legit understanding of another person's craft.
I tend to agree with you: having a blue collar job before going into the white collar workforce (which, I just read, is 79% of the labor market) is a good idea. Gives everyone a dose of humility, helps keep everyone anchored to reality, gives everyone the chance to contribute to maintaining the most important layers of our reality: material and social.
Your writing is a joy to read. If I had a working printer I’d print it out, as your writing feels like the kind that should be read from paper.
I so appreciate your humour, and humility. It’s such a gift. Before I became an end-of-life doula it (somehow?!) didn’t really register to me just how messy dying can sometimes get. I’m also consistently covered in bird poop, so, there’s just no glamorising any of it. Wouldn’t have it any other way! Thank you, Nathaniel.
I’m thankful you read it and thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you for the kind words: they’re so encouraging.
I mentioned in my comment to you on your piece about how sanitized we’ve made death, and I think the applies here too. Robert Stewart, in the poem I included, has those lines about how “the sewer was still dry and clean / as we like to imagine our own deep plumbing,” and it’s just that: an imagining! Our insides and our home’s insides aren’t clean at all. Death and plumbing really brings that fact to the fore.
This has serious Mark Twain vibes! "A shower of Satan’s soupy soil" made me LOL. I never thought about the Goldilocks quality of the slope of sewer pipe before, but it totally makes sense. Thanks for the lesson and the story.
High praise! I’ll take it. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Finding the Goldilocks slope (on 1 1/4” diameter to 3” diameter pipe, between 1/2” of fall per foot of length max; 1/4” of fall per foot of length minimum, unless it’s 4” pipe or larger, then it goes down to 1/8” of fall per foot) on a repair is a real booger in existing homes, especially if lines haven’t been strapped and gravity has done it’s work, or if things were installed improperly right off the rip. It determines a whole lot when calculating a fix or reconfiguring a section.
And that pesky subsoil - like, why doesn't it just stay put??
I was blown away on a project that was to have a buried rainwater collection tank of many thousands of gallons (I don't recall exactly how many). The structural engineer had to design a slab and staps to hold it down underground so it didn't float to the surface. Physics is WILD! (No wonder owners balk at things like underground rainwater collection tanks.)
Plumbing is the one thing I haven't done. I've worked on leveling houses, dug ditches, gelded horses and castrated bulls. I've weeded cotton fields, doctored cattle, scooped feed pens out and shoveled Schiess. That's just what we Gen X'ers did. We did what our parents told us.
I can attest to that smell and being covered in excrement.
Every time I've had a plumber to my house, I've been grateful. Stuff like this is important; it gives a more rounded perspective to folks out there who have no idea how difficult (and technical) jobs like this can be.
I know it wouldn't be super popular, but I think it would be amazing if everyone had to work as a line cook, server, plumber, and maybe a few other tough jobs that folks tend to think are less-than-essential (at least, prior to 2020 that's how these folks were viewed!). This could be like civil service in other countries, so people develop empathy and legit understanding of another person's craft.
I tend to agree with you: having a blue collar job before going into the white collar workforce (which, I just read, is 79% of the labor market) is a good idea. Gives everyone a dose of humility, helps keep everyone anchored to reality, gives everyone the chance to contribute to maintaining the most important layers of our reality: material and social.
Death & Plumbing...it’s got a certain ring to it! Maybe we collaborate one day!
💀🚽 👀 the unlikely Memento Mori duo this world needs
If for no other reason than to relentlessly use that emoji combination
Your writing is a joy to read. If I had a working printer I’d print it out, as your writing feels like the kind that should be read from paper.
I so appreciate your humour, and humility. It’s such a gift. Before I became an end-of-life doula it (somehow?!) didn’t really register to me just how messy dying can sometimes get. I’m also consistently covered in bird poop, so, there’s just no glamorising any of it. Wouldn’t have it any other way! Thank you, Nathaniel.
I’m thankful you read it and thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you for the kind words: they’re so encouraging.
I mentioned in my comment to you on your piece about how sanitized we’ve made death, and I think the applies here too. Robert Stewart, in the poem I included, has those lines about how “the sewer was still dry and clean / as we like to imagine our own deep plumbing,” and it’s just that: an imagining! Our insides and our home’s insides aren’t clean at all. Death and plumbing really brings that fact to the fore.
This has serious Mark Twain vibes! "A shower of Satan’s soupy soil" made me LOL. I never thought about the Goldilocks quality of the slope of sewer pipe before, but it totally makes sense. Thanks for the lesson and the story.
High praise! I’ll take it. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Finding the Goldilocks slope (on 1 1/4” diameter to 3” diameter pipe, between 1/2” of fall per foot of length max; 1/4” of fall per foot of length minimum, unless it’s 4” pipe or larger, then it goes down to 1/8” of fall per foot) on a repair is a real booger in existing homes, especially if lines haven’t been strapped and gravity has done it’s work, or if things were installed improperly right off the rip. It determines a whole lot when calculating a fix or reconfiguring a section.
I taught slope in middle school a long time but didn’t know the importance of it at the end of the day in plumbing. Thanks got the enjoyable read!
And that pesky subsoil - like, why doesn't it just stay put??
I was blown away on a project that was to have a buried rainwater collection tank of many thousands of gallons (I don't recall exactly how many). The structural engineer had to design a slab and staps to hold it down underground so it didn't float to the surface. Physics is WILD! (No wonder owners balk at things like underground rainwater collection tanks.)
Hold on: the water IN a the tank...was raising the entire tank through the subsoil?? How deep was it?
I don't remember - but apparently that's a "thing" with buried tanks. They have to be strapped down b/c they're so buoyant.
Plumbing is the one thing I haven't done. I've worked on leveling houses, dug ditches, gelded horses and castrated bulls. I've weeded cotton fields, doctored cattle, scooped feed pens out and shoveled Schiess. That's just what we Gen X'ers did. We did what our parents told us.
I can attest to that smell and being covered in excrement.
Sounds like you’ve seen some things!
Looks like the toilet wasn't the only one flushed that day.
You must have been drained after this job.
I'll see myself out.
You’re welcome to stay with humor like that.