Please post your ideas here.

ALABAMA
Please include job title, company/organization, city, etc. Must be a specific job, and not theoretical ("plumber" vs. "pipe fitter, Pipe City Plumbers, Silver Spring, AL"). Alabama ideas only.

Thank you.

DJModChickie

I know that there's a certain level of dirtiness expected by fans, but how about an episode devoted to the less dirty jobs as a slight departure? And, maybe jobs you'd not expect to be as dirty as they are? How about mine? I work at a bookstore in Hoover, Alabama, as a receiving specialist, a customer service specialist, and an all-around 'jane of all trades.'

As a receiving specialist, I do just that; I receive. I handle the paperwork involved with the intake of new merchandise, supplies, etc. and the return of voided, overstocked, or damaged items. I know this doesn't sound very dirty (especially considering that I have worked three summers in a southwestern Georgia papermill), but you might be surprised. Once a week, we receive "truck"--our main large inundation of stuff from our warehouse in Florence, Alabama. This is the truly dirty part of my job because by the end of the day I'm pretty filthy; at least, for me. These shipments range from four to seven pallets full of totes/boxes totaling anywhere from 175 to 300. I have to sort through all these boxes and separate them by importance and category. Sounds boring, huh? Not dirty enough? I beg to differ. This is a pretty back-breaking and dirt-encrusted task. Totes can range from about as heavy as a bag of Tootsie rolls to a 60 pound bag of dog food. I'm not a small woman, but I'm more often than not the only one lifting and sorting these boxes of joy. Usually can't find a man in sight (or on site) to help downstack the towering (and, sometimes, leaning) columns. Plus, they tend to be covered with a plethora of greases, dirts, and sometimes stuff you can't identify; the totes not the men. By the time I'm done organizing the chaos, I'm sweaty and covered in a menagerie of stains. Now, I can sort.

But, there's a catch; isn't there always. I've got roughly eight hours to accomplish this all while doing my other jobs. I have to help customers everytime I leave the backroom or am called up front. I have to help out in the cafe' making lattes and cappuccinos. Answer the phone. Answer questions--both by customers in the store/on the phone and managers/associates that can't locate something. Clean up messes. Fix displays. Take customer orders. Find books. Shannon, did we get?.....yada yada yada. I'm not saying that I'm the only person working, but some days it sure seems like it. So, Mike, you want to help me for a day or two? I definitely could use it.

Whew! No wonder people shell out so much money on therapy....I feel cleansed and somehow lighter.

Thanks,
babygirlgoober aka Shannon
Posts: 192 | Registered: 09-26-07

babygirlgoober
Senior Member
Posted Jan 24, 3:37 PM Hide Post
Shannon,

Did you include in it the post that Barsky suggested that you submit it because bookstores interest him? Well... then go do it!

When I am out Hoover way I will... should I ask for "Dirty Shannon?" ha ha

Hey I will be in that area... a week from Friday, in the afternoon... do you work then?

Jana


This is copied straight from my greeneyedbamablonde, Jana.

Thanks, Jana.
Shannon
Posts: 192 | Registered: 09-26-07

Ignored post by babygirlgoober posted Jan 24, 3:37 PM Show Post

babygirlgoober
Senior Member
Posted Jan 24, 3:44 PM Hide Post
The following post is copied from the crew's MB.

Shannon
Posts: 192 | Registered: 09-26-07

Ignored post by babygirlgoober posted Jan 24, 3:44 PM Show Post

babygirlgoober
Senior Member
Posted Jan 24, 3:45 PM Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by babygirlgoober:
Well hurry it up man! Just kidding, no rush. I was just kinda wondering. Thank you for getting back with me. I really appreciate it, and we---ya'll's (yes, I can say ya'll's 'cause I'm from Alabama and can get away with it) fans---appreciate all the hard work you guys put in on a daily basis. The whole bunch of you give us something new to learn and something to brighten our day. When we think our day's been rough, we get to see what kind of day Mike's had, and it all sort of gets put into perspective. Sorry, Mike, but it does darlin'. So, again, I thank you for all the women besotted with Mike and the ones besotted with the rest of ya'll. Good night Dave Barsky, producer extraordinaire.

Shannon "babygirlgoober"

P.S. If you guys ever thought working in a bookstore was anything but dirty......think again.
--------------------------------------------
producerdave
Senior Member

Registered: 04-22-07 Posted Nov 14, 1:07 AM OK now, Shannon, now you have MY interest. I'm a big fan of books and bookstores, so lemme in on your secrets.
Dave
------------------------------------------
I hope you piqued Dave's interest enough.... If you will notice Alabama is conspicuously absent from the list of DJ states.

Do you think it is because he is afraid we might hold him down and make him eat boiled peanuts and grits?

Please go submit your job!!!
I live in B'ham too... wait, maybe I shouldn't mention that. I probably just doomed your job. Sorry.



Dave,

Come on, show Bama some love!- I assure you this is a DIRTY state!

Jana
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babygirlgoober
Senior Member

Registered: 09-26-07 Posted Nov 15, 3:50 PM quote:
Originally posted by producerdave:
OK now, Shannon, now you have MY interest. I'm a big fan of books and bookstores, so lemme in on your secrets.

Dave


Hey Dave!

Needless to say, I've definitely had dirtier jobs than working in a bookstore. I spent three summers working at a paper mill in deeeeeep southwestern Georgia--talk about hot, humid, and nasty.....I still have nightmares. Oh, by the way, I tend to go off on totally unrelated tangents without notice. So, prepare yourself for whiplash. I'm just sayin'.

I've worked for this Birmingham-based bookstore chain for a little over seven years now. There are few jobs/tasks (at store level) that I haven't done...yet. My days rarely start at 5am anymore which is most assuredly a plus. I've been the receiving specialist at my present location for about a year and a half. This means that I'm the one that cleans the backroom and does the paperwork everyweek to prepare for "truck"---our main shipment from the warehouse every week. Of course, since it's almost fa-la-la-la-la time again, I might have to do it twice a week soon. Sounds pretty boring. Believe me, I know. These shipments usually consist of 4-7 pallets loaded with anywhere from 180 to 300 totes/boxes of books and doodads.
Then comes the fun part. I get to sort through all those totes and line them up on carts according to their location in the store. Even though I occasionally have help, most of the time it's just me---by myself. While, this is going on, I still have to answer questions from the other associates, take care of things for the managers, help customers, help out in the cafe' when they need me to.....you get the picture. I AM EVERY WOMAN! OOPS! I went off to tangent land. Well, anyway, by the time I'm through, I'm covered in dirt, dust, grease sometimes, sweat, bruises but thank God, no poo. I mean I am just nasty-dirty by the end of the day. Of course, this is just one day out of my week.
And, my hubby doesn't seem to think that I work very hard. Well, I hope I didn't bore you to terribly bad. And I know it's nowhere near as dirty as some of ya'll's jobs. But for a gal that's done the manual labor/grunt work at a paper mill; it's still on the dirty side.

Shannon

Oh Dave, by the way!

If you guys ever do a DJ book--you know like the Orange County guys or Monster Garage--ya'll have to come to my store for a booksigning!

Shannon

-----------------------------------------------

Shannon, you should try submitting your job. I have always wondered what the process was, of getting all those books on the shelves. It would be interesting to see, how a book gets chosen, ordered, shipped, etc. for a store. May not be that dirty, but educational.

Loretta
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babygirlgoober
Senior Member

Registered: 09-26-07 Posted Nov 18, 9:36 AM Loretta,

I just wish i could take some credit for choosing what eventually ends up on the bookstore shelves. I'm not that powerful. You see, this isn't a personally-owned mom and pop kind of establishment; it's a corporation and everything that entails. Like B&N only on a slightly smaller scale. Don't get me wrong, the associates in the stores can influence what the buyers at home office decide we should carry. But, believe me, more often than not it's just what tickles the fancy of someone higher up in the scheme of things. I will, however, take some of the credit for getting the people in the B'ham area hooked on Laurell K. Hamilton, but it was a bigger fish than I who made the decision to carry/not to carry. Hope this was somewhat informative.

Shannon

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Posts: 192 | Registered: 09-26-07

Ignored post by babygirlgoober posted Jan 24, 3:45 PM Show Post

babygirlgoober
Senior Member
Posted Jan 25, 10:15 AM Hide Post
Oh, and DAVE! Other secrets are available if you turn in the appropriate request forms in duplicate, signed, and notarized. Thank you, and good day to you.

Shannon
Posts: 192 | Registered: 09-26-07


I just decided to copy and paste what I've already posted. It seemed only logical. Jana (greeneyedbamablonde) has urged me repeatedly to send in my job, or she insists that she will come down to my job and beat me senseless. Also, didn't Dave mention that Mike's been wanting an occasional break in all the dirt; perhaps a cleaner venue? Anyway, I promise to bring homemade sweets to work that day, to teach Mike to run an espresso machine (i.e., lots of latte' and cappuccino making that day), and to take the crew out for BBQ.

Thanks,
Shannon

Hydroblaster. Hydrochem Industrial services Saraland, AL PH#251-679-6003.....Very hot and dirty. Using High pressure pumps to clean out pipes, heat exchangers, etc. in chemical plants. Cleaning up chemical spills in refineries, plants, etc.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot:
Books-A-Million
Hoover, AL (just south of Birmingham)
(205)979-3046

Receiving Specialist--dirtiest
Coffee maker
Customer Service Specialist
Jane of All Trades

I live and work in Mobile, Alabama. The company I work for recharges fire extinguishers. We have a "powder room" that is very dirty indeed. The dry chemical powder in fire extinguishers is 7 times finer than face powder and it tends to go EVERYWHERE! There are also other things involved in fire extinguisher/fire suppression system recharges and they can all be quite messy. Please consider us in your trip to Alabama.... thanks, Carla White

We are a support company for NASCAR.We deliver equipment to all of the NASCAR races.We unload 20 trailers of equipment on Thursday before race day.We then load all trailers after the race is over,sometimes working thru the night.The dirtiest part of this job is the loading of about 2700 tires.Brake dust and tire rubber falling in your face as you load.These tires have came off of the cars after the race is over.You can still feel the heat from some of these tires.We will be in Talladega twice this year.We are Champion Tire & Wheel based out of Cornelius,NC.I would be gald to send more info and pictures at your request.Thanks,Tommy Crawford

surface coal miner/heavy equipment operator-MS&R Equipment Co. Pinson, Al...Mike would have a "blast" here...and it's VERY DIRTY!!!! Email me for any info you might need

I dont work there but I saw a place in Anniston Al, called Multimetco. They recycle used catalytic converters. I delivered a load of used converters to them and it looked like some pretty dirty work.

When I think of a dirty job in Alabama, the establishment of a dear friend in Montevallo comes to mind. Please visit the Agama International website http://www.agamainternational.com/home.html for more info. I've hesitated to contact "Dirty Jobs" because Bert has been battling colon cancer for at least 2 years, which spread to his liver early last year. He is well known in the reptile realm of the pet industry but after visitng him last May I'm afraid he has no apprentices lined up to continue his 'groundbreaking' efforts. He was still a physical dynamo last year as we toured his 'reptile city', rows of small buildings and bunkers, checking nests for eggs, feeding and watering as needed, all while gripping his side after the latest endoscopic surgery.

That's all for now...I need to keep in touch with him and assume he's still on his feet!

Darweedy

DJ,
Here is a job which ranks right up there with the "Charcoal" factory. It is similar in concept, at least as dirty but within the internal confines of an oil fired boiler. The working spaces can be as small as 3' x 5' but are usually larger. At best, two men can work side by side. The process is called "relining the refractory walls". It is very physical and very dirty and I speak from experience as this was one of the worst ways I ever had of bringing home some extra money. Altho' my experience was in New England, any state, anywhere will have these hard working guys, hard at it. Imagine hand loading, through an 18" square door, about 2 tons of clay like refractory material, and this is just for a very small boiler. Then, picking up your 5 pound short handled sledge hammer, you beat this refractory slab in position, or should I say submission. Remember, too, you had to go through that same 18" opening also. Oh, yes, I almost forgot the best part. Before you can start to install the new, you must remove the old, grity, dirty, sulphur soaked, soot laden, dusty and sometimes hot refractory. Mike, I apologize ahead of time if the producers pick this for an episode. If you are, in any way, claustrophobic, this is not your cup of tea. As for timing, 75% of all fire tube and water tube boilers are repaired during a plant shut-down which means the summer months. Read that sweat and carbon grit going places you did not know you had. The company to contact is Industrial Boiler, 1-888-853-4714 or you can find them at industrialboiler.com.
Regards,
Carl in Alabama

Mike, how about looking into printer/toner recycling. That HAS to be a dirty job.

Ya'll need to come out to Hanceville, AL and check out the dog food plant. We call it the "Gut Plant" because the trucks haul guts to make the dog food. It is called American Proteins and besides being dirty, it stinks bad too. I personally do not work there, but I know some people who have and they said it is perfect for the show. Mike will get a kick out of the country folks from this part of the state!! Anyway, it is dirty and you can smell it for 5 miles (10 miles on a hot, humid day when the guts get good and ripe). Please check in to it. The phone number to contact is (256)352-9821.
Candy from Bama

quote:

Originally posted by BamaCandy:
Ya'll need to come out to Hanceville, AL and check out the dog food plant. We call it the "Gut Plant" because the trucks haul guts to make the dog food. It is called American Proteins and besides being dirty, it stinks bad too. I personally do not work there, but I know some people who have and they said it is perfect for the show. Mike will get a kick out of the country folks from this part of the state!! Anyway, it is dirty and you can smell it for 5 miles (10 miles on a hot, humid day when the guts get good and ripe). Please check in to it. The phone number to contact is (256)352-9821.
Candy from Bama

BINGO !!! This is so weird. I just found out about this place this a.m. around 11:30!!! That's why I'm on the site now to list it as a place for Mike to check out. I was telling a co-worker about the Pig Farm in Las Vegas that Mike went to and that is when the dog food plant was mentioned. I'm in Birmingham. Hope he decides to check it out.

Re-posting under proper state for member.

guilo1969
Junior Member
Posted 02-15-08 01:00 AM
How about working as a groundskeeper for the Robert Trent Jones golf course in Prattville, AL? The Senator is one of the most beautiful and challenging courses around. Be here late Spring or Summer... temps in the 90's or above and close to 100% humidity!

How about Column pourer, mixer or splitting columns at Crown Columns in Attalla, AL. They build and sand and ship fiberglass columns to places far and wide. It quite a dirty job and there are tons of good country folk to talk to, and a few "fun" people as well. 256-538-1949

In highscool, I worked at a little company called Carmin Industries in Jacksonville, AL. There, they cut metal sheets with water jets and then machine them into parts.

The water jets don't shoot just water; they shoot a water/garnet mixture that cuts through the metal smoothly over a tank of water/sand/gunk. The job isn't spectacularly dirty; it really just depends on what's being cut. Some parts spray more than others; sometimes a part will drop into the tank and you have to roll up your sleeves and go fishing for it. Eventually, the tanks get full of silt and gunk and it's time to shovel them out. That's the messy day. You've gotta jump into the tank with rubber boots and a shovel and start scoopin into a giant bag (like those big bags of rice). The mud isn't pretty red like the garnet. It's dark grey and kinda like pudding. Lot's of fun.

It's not the most exciting job, I guess. But a water jet operator gets messy, and water jets have advantages over laser or lathe cutting.

Carmin Industries
Carolyn Minerich

It's a great place. They are small and like family there. I'm thankfull for the time I spent wading through the pudding.

Industrial Services Technician
Company: Universal industrial Services
Prattville, Alabama
Job Dscription: I performed this job straight out of high school. We went to the local paper mill and climbed to the top of the evaporators. We then removed the manhole cover on the evaporator dome & climbed in. You are literally standing on the top ends of hundreds of 2" dia. pipes. In the paper making process, a chemical called white liquor is used. As a by-product of the process the white liquor hardens & becomes black liquor. When this happens, the pipes get clogged. That's where we came in. We had a specially designed high pressure water pump & wand system that we used to run the pipes & essentially bust up the deposits. The problem w/ this set up is that you are standing on top of the pipes running the hoses down the pipes & the water has to go somewhere...straight up. Considering you're standing in a domed chamber, everything that you break loose lands on top of you. We used to call it the 24 hour shower. Definitely the dirtiest job I ever performed.

Hi, I have a truly dirty job suggestion. Once upon a time, I worked for a poultry processing plant by the name of Goldkist. I have done several jobs, but in my opinion, the dirtiest of them all, is the chicken catchers job, it is hot, dusty, intensley physical, and I think that it would make a great show, there is more to it than meets the eye, and when there are only 4 or 6 people to catch a house with sometimes 25,000-30,000 birds. And these folks sometimes do 4-5 houses per day, it is a truely dirty job. I would love to see Mike give this one a try.

Additional Description of the Industrial Service Tech job I mentioned earlier today @ 3:46PM...
We also used Guzzlers to clean out lime kilns & liquor pits. We repainted the interior of tanks too.

Cleaning up vomit, cutting up rotten squid, taking lots of fish off hooks, cooking for customers, cleaning fish and clean the boat. Mike might even up chuck. He could come and work for me as my deckhand for a day . We could really dog on him. He's welcome to come anytime. Always got room for him and his crew. We we be leaving from Orange Beach Alabama so theres the other 50