You may have seen Dirty Jobs, the popular show on the Discovery Channel in which host Mike Rowe travels around the world to experience the dirtiest and most miserable jobs some brave people do so that you and I don't have to. Every time I'm feeling bummed because of some stupid thing at the office, watching a few episodes of this show helps get me centered again and grateful for a paycheck that involves dirtying only my intellect, and not the saggy remains of my once-studly body.
If you don't have the time to watch the show, you might want to read this short article that summarizes five pretty dirty jobs:
Chick Sexer (it's not as much fun as you might think);
Window Washer (nothing like dangling from a harness ten stories up, wiping pigeon poop and other nasty stuff from sheer glass surfaces);
Medical Examiner (from Quincy to Bones to CSI, most of us now know more than we really want to about the science of examining really yucky human remains);
Farrier (if you've ever owned a horse, you know all about the joys of digging compacted manure and muck out of hoofs (hooves?) while trying to avoid being kicked by a very large animal that may not appreciate what you're doing; and,
Baggage Handler (those bags are heavy, often dirty, and need to be moved in blazing heat and freezing cold).
To this list, I might add a few more Really Dirty Jobs:
Congressional Reporter (both Otto von Bismarck and Mark Twain said that those who like sausage and respect the law should never watch either one being made);
Legal Observer (watching lawyers at work ranks right up there with picking up tar balls on a pristine beach); and,
Diaper Changer (ask any parent. It's no accident that otherwise pleasant and normal people like Gotfam spend so much time discussing all the aspects of poop).
Dirty jobs. Someone's got to do them...and you can bet that those someones aren't paid nearly as much as the CEO. Or the city officials in Bell, CA.
Have a good day. Get down and dirty. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
Here's another one of those jobs--the person who gets to pull the guts out of the chicken in a poultry processing plant. I know it's a real job when I toured Tyson's Holly Farms in Richmond. Yes, I still eat meat.
ReplyDeleteI watch alot of "nerd" TV and Dirty Jobs is one of my favorites. Mike Rowe has the perfect personality and demeanor to do the show also.
ReplyDeleteThe dirtiest (or most discusting) is when he was with sheepherders while they were castrating newborn male sheep (rams?). They performed the task by biting them off. Mike did indeed took his turn at it.
I wish I could find that picture of the guy in India that was standing waist deep with a shovel in a sewage pit. He had a big smile on his face because according to the caption he was just happy to have a job.
ReplyDeleteLeslie - you're carniverous. Just one more reason why I like you!
ReplyDeleteBandit - I missed that one. And boy, am I glad.
Mike - that was actually a picture of me, taken at the office. Luckily, I can clean up well.
Isn't my job there...working in an office?
ReplyDeleteOne of my daughters is dating a farrier. Believe me, the job is a labor of love.
ReplyDelete