Thursday, January 26, 2012

Hasmat... another Adventure?

Adventures in Oddity... and something on top of that


This week one of the lessons I have been learning is about the perks of spontaneity and the joy of being flexible. I have found that no matter what my plan may be, there is a VERY high probability my day will not turn out that way. I think I have just been so used to a schedule and so anal about keeping it that I have almost gone off the deep end with planning (I should have known something was wrong last semester when I tried to plan my studying down to the very minute...).

An example of being flexible came one day when my mum, my sister and I pulled into our driveway a few years back. All seemed well.... until we took the dog out for a walk. Over the edge of the hill by the road, someone had tossed a large oil drum, allowing it to rest in our yard. Thanks, guys.

As we checked this new arrival out, I noticed there was no writing on it at all. Except a little yellow piece of paper, very faded that said TOXI. I thought, "Who would be dumb enough to put toxic waster in our back yard?" That itself is a dumb question as the world we live in is a LOT stranger than it seems on the outside.

The drum seemed harmless, lying in the overgrown grass under the green maple tree. It didn't bother the squirrels... so should it bother us?

Needless to say, it bothered my dad, who immediately called the police. They told us it was probably just an empty oil drum some jag was too lazy to throw away properly. Which makes sense, other than that our backyard has rarely been confused with a landfill, and it certainly does not seem to me to be the ideal place to dump garbage.

The days went by, and the oil drum became a curious topic of conversation in our lives.

A few weeks later we receive a call at home. A group was coming to pick up the drum. Great. No big deal. At least it would be easier to mow the lawn again.

Hours later the HAS MAT team arrives. Yes, the Has mat team. In their white suits, helmets with tinted front windows and moon boots. There were about six of them, barricading the road so that their truck could back up, allowing the crane on the back to carry the 'goods' up. They placed this a large white barrel, and then sealed it with their special tools. Then, they drove away. This whole process took about four hours, as they couldn't risk the chance of spilling the "toxic" waste.

What crazy things are happening to you today?

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