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One For The Gripper

Posted 07.10.2006 by Logjam (2356)
Last summer I rented a block of condos in Park City, Utah, for a meeting I was running there. The first evening, I invited everyone over to "my place" for drinks. Twenty minutes before they were to arrive, I executed a pre-party shit in the downstairs toilet. Damn if the thing didn't clog.

I'll get back to the shit-hanger momentarily. Because beginning with this first mishap, I stumbled onto a number of nuggets of knowledge that I or others should have known long ago. I want to document these insights as they occurred to me.

Nugget One. When you check into a condo or are a first-time guest in someone's house, don't first thing go take a big ol' dump in the new facility. I know, traveling has probably backed up your traffic. But treat this precious piece of white porcelain like it was a newborn. Begin by feeding it just a little, starting it on liquids if possible. If you do need to dump right now, pinch off a small trial balloon, flush it, and carefully observe what happens. You've probably seen golfers pluck a little grass and toss it in the air to determine wind speed and direction before they swing away. Same principle here.
Now, back to the shit marinating in the downstairs toilet. These condos were rented out furnished and thus, they claimed, fully equipped. Indeed, the kitchen was much better stocked than my own -- wine glasses of four varieties, knives for every occasion, a kick-ass cleaver. In a closest upstairs, a carpet sweeper, broom and dustpan, ironing board. On the private patio, a grill. I lifted up the lid and by golly if there wasn't a bag of briquettes and can of lighter fluid just begging me to get busy and wrassle up a steer. I found accouterments I've never dreamed of having -- like those silly little doohickeys to stick in the ends of your corncob.

But do you think there was a fucking plunger on the premises?

Nugget Two. Before you get comfy in your rented condo, quickly case the joint and locate the plunger. If there isn't one, then it's all the more important that you follow the protocol outlined in Nuggets One and Four.

Nugget Three. If you own a condo, or have friends staying at your house, don't risk humiliating your guests before they're even unpacked. Equip their bathroom with a plunger. (And for God's sake, don't get cute about it. For example, here's a product that disguises a plunger as a plant. Who, the site asks, who wouldn't want to turn an "ugly bathroom plunger into a decorative ... tree stand"? PoopReporters, will you all join me in raising a hand high in the air and wiggling your fingers? Plungers are not meant to be hidden. Ask yourself: who would you be hiding it from? Your guests. Who most need to know where it is? Your guests. The plunger should be plainly visible and within eight feet of the toilet. If you insist on storing it out of sight in a nearby closet or cabinet, post signage.)

With ten minutes to party time, I couldn't pussyfoot around. I phoned the condo office.

Office: "Hello."

Me: "YesI'min#23andI'vegotasituati--"

Office. "You've reached the Three Kings Condos. Our summer office hours are from eight AM to eight PM..."

It was now nearly nine, and all the office staff had gone home. "So this isn't like a hotel," I calmly said to myself, always interested in learning new things. Then I tore off through the place again, desperately hoping that I'd simply missed it. When this turned up nothing, I dashed to the community laundry room to see if they keep one there. Nope.

Nugget Four. When checking into a condo, determine if and when the staff head for home. Well before that time, give all critical systems -- shower, TV, but most importantly, toilets -- a test run. Once they're gone and problems develop, you may as well be in the middle of Kansas, on I-70, in a canoe.
There was some irony to my predicament: I have spent several months prior to this trip researching a poop report on plungers. It's an assignment I still owe Dave, but one for which I've never been able to get the poop prose flowing. Nevertheless, as of May of last year, I have become arguably the world's foremost expert on clogging and unclogging toilets. After reading everything I could find, I'd interviewed both a renowned professor about the physics of plunging and an experienced plumber (my brother) about his technique. I'd done an analysis of the results of a survey on the amount of toilet paper PoopReporters use in a sitting. To get real data on how much shit is normally in a toilet when it's flushed, I'd cajoled Chris Rockwell of The Daily Download into fishing his turds out of the toilet for several days to weigh and measure them. And after digesting all this information, I turned my upstairs bathroom into a research lab. I developed an offline method for clogging the toilet so I could test over and over the various plunging techniques I'd learned about. I discovered that even physicists and plumbers hold some misconceptions about what is happening as you set and then operate a plunger. If plunging ever becomes an Olympic event (and why wouldn't it?), I guarantee to bring home the bronze.

So here I was in a hi-tech condo built during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the toilet was clogged. There was no one in the world more up to this challenge than I. I didn't have the standard-issue equipment, but so what? Surely such a triviality would not stop one worthy of Mt. Poop Olympos. I mean, if Ronald Reagan, armed only with a nice head of hair, could play a vital role in bringing down the most concrete manifestation of the Cold War, certainly I could tear this little wall down.

I was standing over the toilet squinting at the clog when I heard myself say aloud, "Get a grip, asswipe." I tend to talk to myself at moments like this. The listener is typically Logjam the Lunatic. The vocalizer is some version of my father -- sensible, calm, irritatingly practical. Daddy Logjam continued: "After they get here, we'll assemble them and announce that the nearest toilet is all bunged up. They're mature adults -- they'll understand."

Staring down at the toilet, I stood quiet for several seconds. Then I knelt down in front of it to do something I hadn't done in years. "Dear God," Logjam the Lunatic called out. Then I thrust my bare hand deep into the bowl, grabbed the clog by the neck, and yanked it up like a ripe carrot.

We were back in business. Two minutes later that same defiled hand, washed and dried, was welcoming colleagues and filling their glasses with ice. Incredibly versatile things, hands are.

Most people think that you are trying to force the clog down with a plunger. A few claim that you're trying to suck it up. In truth, you are trying to do both. With the plunger, you get and keep the clog moving -- and whether it is finally forced down or up doesn't really matter. It was this hard-earned knowledge that led me to believe that in this situation I might be able to tug out the clog.

I don't recommend that you ever try what I did. I've received years of training in this sort of hand-to-shit trench warfare; and while the physical technique is easy enough to acquire, the mental fortitude is not. If you're determined to add bare-handed shit snagging to your resume, start with something considerably less demanding -- alligator wrestling, say.

The Dumpster (2510) -- 07.10.2006

Logjam, you obviously hadn't read my own Park City Diaries at this point, for the good reason that I hadn't written them then. However, I had exactly the same problem in a Park City condo back in February, but, remembering my PoopReport training, I at least had the presence of mind to get a garbage bag and use it to fish out the offending log.

Must be something about the sewage system up there. What did you do with the turd once you got a, er, grip on the situation? I hope you didn't just leave it festering in the trash can.

Great story, and a good addendum to "Life's Little Instruction Book."

And for everybody who will be unable to resist the temptation to respond to LJ's unkind remark about Reagan, remember that we have a very intelligent debate proceeding on the forums called Resolved: Reagan was the best President ever.

_______
Send all your money to Bilgepump, or to Dave!

krzyzewskifan (55) -- 07.10.2006

Now, after learning these nuggets of knowledge, I consider myself ready for any trip. I shall use these nuggets to better any vacation of the future. Thank you Logjam...great story.

_______
I poop because I am...I am because I poop.

Gaseous G (not verified) -- 07.10.2006

After reading this, I'm thinking the Japanese are really on to something with bowing instead of handshaking. No ice in my drink please.

the log of hazzard (184) -- 07.10.2006

I can't believe you made Chris Rockwell weigh his own waste.

And I'm not going to ask why you didn't grip the turd with some gloves. Nast-e.

doniker (1517) -- 07.10.2006

I could easily stick my hand in a toilet containing my own creation.
Someone else's...no way.

I'm sure everyone has accidentally (or intentionally) had their own fecal matter on their own hands at some point in life....probably once a month for me....accidentally of course.

LOVED THE POOP OF THE WEEK STORY...FUNNY AS HELL!!!

KeepOnCrappin (545) -- 07.10.2006

I had the smae problem is a rented bech house back in the 1990's or so. My first rental, so I had no experience. Oh they had plungers, 2 in every bathroom and one under the kitchen sink. But they had 1 foot handles, and thye were the type without the cup, made for sinks and showers. I plunged for 15 mins with them and got no where, and it smelled terrible. I gave up and found ONE good plunger with the cup under it. It was in the mechanical room, behind the HVAC unit.

_______
"KOC -- the Cool Crapper" - Rat Droppings

Nine Inch Log (341) -- 07.10.2006

Traveler's Tips:
1) Test the water before you drop trau
2) Always, ALWAYS carry extra toilet paper
3) Carry a plunger whenver entering unfamiliar or hostile territory
4) If unable to carry a plunger, bring hefty garbage bag

I go hiking a lot and bring TP and tons of little ziplock baggies to store my creations in. Ironicly, I'm not one to enjoy camping while stuffed up so I generally pack along stool softeners.

There's nothing like watching the sun rise over a crystal lake while defiling the dirt.

_______
Number One . . . I order you to take a number two.

BROWNRING SHIT-STINK (not verified) -- 07.10.2006

During a trip to Turkey some years ago on arrival after a 5 hour flight my ANUS was shouting the odds and needed to mightily expelleth i'ts contents.I checked into the hotel in record time...dashed to the room and burst into the bathroom whilst removing my trousers et al all in one fell swoop.As i lowered my pounding pallooka of an arse onto the ol' Armitage i slipped and pushed a hand against the wall for balance...and on that wall was a MASSIVE streak of rancid shit.Yessir, it was ingrained into my very fingerprints.It's the done thing in parts of Turkey to eat with ones fingers instead of knife and fork...i politely declined.

DungDaddy (1364) -- 07.10.2006

Logjam, you yanked it out like a ripe carrot! I once did that. When I was 20 and living in Gelsenkirchen Germany, my landlord called up and said he was coming up in one hour to inspect the cleanliness of my apartment. I hung up the phone and proceeded to put a hurting on my 1950's basin-pipe-and-pullchain-bratwurstwallower.
It was a big potatoey cabbage-corn monster. We engaged in combat for 45 minutes. Finally, I knelt down and dug the rabbit out of its hole. Just in time too.
Love your story.

sharty mcfly (211) -- 07.10.2006

we've all gotten shit on our hands and many other things... it makes me want to stop shaking hands with people. oh and with the poo issue, well i've never intentiaonally gotten my own on my hands, i probably would have tried some retarded improvised ad hoc plunger and failed horribly.

Crappen Geocacher (15) -- 07.10.2006

What I would do is try a pre-flush to see how fast it goes down, then when you sit down, get ready to hit the crome handle behind you the moment you start your pooping, then again as soon as the tank has filed.

I have done the flushing at the moment I start pooping and it does make things easier when you are done giving your poop offering to the porcelain god, and less likely to have a blockage, unless you gave birth to a monster log.

The Dumpster (2510) -- 07.10.2006

The more I think about it, the more Logjam's plight reminds me of my very first "official" PoopReport story, Anchor Away, wherein I narrated a similar problem encountered by a friend of mine who solved the problem by swathing his monster, commode-clogging log in TP and flinging it out the window--only to have it come crashing down in the middle of the garden party taking place just outside.

The story was panned by none other than Logjam, who was (and still is) one of my great heroes. I thought about killing myself, but then I decided to suck it up instead, and go on to try to be a better PoopReporter.

Thanks, LJ, for your honesty then, and your continued friendship now.

And one other thing, asswipe--next time, USE A PLASTIC BAG!!

_______
Send all your money to Bilgepump, or to Dave!

Logjam (2356) -- 07.10.2006

Dumpster. What did I do with the turd? Well, I believe firmly in catch and release. When I pulled the brown trout out, the toilet water quickly drained, and I let the thing slip out of my hands and slither downstream. I added another flush as a going-away present.

Log of Hazzard. I "made" Rockwell weigh his own turds because I could. I am glad you didn't ask me why I didn't use gloves, so I won't have to ask you why you'd expect a condo (or me) to be equipped with them.

DungDaddy. I'd venture into the trenches with you any day.

AssBlaster2000 (1117) -- 07.10.2006

Logjam. Sometimes I talk to myself too. When I read the part about you yanking the doodie out of the bowl with your hand, I talked to myself a little. It was "Ewwwwwwww! Awwww, gross! Sick!" Seriously. There HAD to be a coat hanger you could have chopped that Logjamo up with, or a plastic garbage bag, or a pair of tongs you could have grasped it with, rather than your hand. I hope you washed under your fingernails. Otherwise those who shook your hand probably thought "Man, Logjam needs a manicure" and they had no idea . . .

Once when I was forced to wipe with 1-ply TP it broke on me while I was wiping really close to my anus, and my finger broke through and got a little poooooo on it. It stunk a little. I washed it super hard in hot water and then I smelled my finger like a monkey and it still stunk a little. I hope the people whose hands you shook did not have a similar experience.

Oh, and the thing in the closet that you called a carpet sweeper, was it one of those little non-motorized things that they use in restaurants so as not to disturb the guests, or a flippin' vacuum cleaner?

George Eliot Butterz (244) -- 07.11.2006

Logjam great story there mate, I loved the narrative. You've got severe talent, bruder.


_______
You can't polish a turd

GottaGoGirl (2615) -- 07.11.2006

Toilet. Trees. (Toiletries). You've got to hand it to them for the knee-slappin' product name. Har, har. Pretty clever. My mother would have had one of those in every bathroom. She might have even used one as a centerpiece on the table, just to see if anyone would notice.

Come to think of that....that's not a bad... well, maybe not at Thanksgiving.

Double Flush (581) -- 07.11.2006

GGG, you just made me think of "How I Ruined Thanksgiving." Perhaps it would be better carrying a "tree" through a busy house than a plunger with a poop hanging from it! Anyway, it is a very clever idea, but then again, how would a guest know where the plunger is when they need it?

_______
"Double the flush, double the fun" --The Amazing Anus

Logjam (2356) -- 07.11.2006

At the end of a rambling post, AB2K asked: “Oh, and the thing in the closet that you called a carpet sweeper, was it one of those little non-motorized things that they use in restaurants so as not to disturb the guests, or a flippin' vacuum cleaner?”

Huh? Were you blasted last night when you wrote that? If not, can you explain why in god’s name you would want to know whether the contraption in the closet of a Park City condo unit I rented over a year ago was motorized or not?

daphne (3325) -- 07.11.2006

Because like me, Assblaster's a Pennsylvania girl, and the term "sweeper" means one thing to us and something else to the rest of the country. It's like a 'coke' in Georgia can be any soft drink. Local dialect.

There are sometimes reasons people ask questions that you don't understand.


_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

Logjam (2356) -- 07.11.2006

daphne. It would be safe to say that "There are sometimes reasons people (fill in the blank) that you don't understand." But are you sure she wasn't blasted? You know, bang-her-head-on-a-table drunk (maybe there in Penn you don't use the word "blasted.")

daphne (3325) -- 07.11.2006

I was not chiding you.
_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

daphne (3325) -- 07.11.2006

And Pennsylvania words for that type of blasted may or may not include....

tuned
tight
ripped
shitfaced
blotto
inebriated
gazorched

I had to smile at the last one. Memories.


_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

Lame comment! -2 points
Double Flush (581) -- 07.11.2006

Oh! I gotta add something. ANY soft drink whatsoever in eastern North Carolina is "co-cola." Any of them. Does anyone else know where being "in the short rows" comes from? I do. I also understand the concept of peanuts and Pepsi.

_______
"Double the flush, double the fun" --The Amazing Anus

AssBlaster2000 (1117) -- 07.11.2006

Logjam. I was not blasted, inebriated, or blotto lastnight. I only do that on the weekends. As Daphne correctly states, many folks in PA call a regular vacuum cleaner a "sweeper." I never have myself but I think it's damn funny. I was just wondering if you also called a vacuum cleaner a sweeper.

I wasn't being retarded. I swear.

Great comment! +1 point
Logjam (2356) -- 07.11.2006

I use the term "carpet sweeper" to refer to the thing you push that has brushes but no motor, "electric broom" for the small thing that has motor but no brushes (like a big dustbuster), and "vacuum cleaner" for things that have both motor and brushes. And what blows my mind now is that daphne knew why you asked that. Well, off to bed (flat surface, no motor, no brushes, occasionally shakes).

sharty mcfly (211) -- 07.12.2006

other words for drunk in my lexicon include the following

hammered
tanked
trashed
annihilated
blitzed
sloppy
bent
and of course, snotted, my favorite for some reason being hammered

and ab2k... the post, about the monkey finger sniffing incident, i laughed so hard i cried. i think everyone's done that at one point though.

C Everett Poop (587) -- 07.12.2006

Ronaldus Magnus had a lot more than a good head of hair. Good story.

Nine Inch Log (341) -- 07.12.2006

Daphne and Sharty: don't forget Toasted. That's my favorite inibriation phrase.

_______
Number One . . . I order you to take a number two.

KesAFloyd (88) -- 07.12.2006

I lived in an apartment where we weren't allowed to have plungers because the vampire landlord (that's another story) thought that they clogged up the sewege further down where he'd have to pay to get it unclogged. I once made a big poop and clogged the toilet. Given that he was already harassing us about the fact that we didn't know how to flush the toilet properly (if you held the handle down too long, it kept running, thus wasting his precious water), I didn't want to call him to come unclog the toilet for me. I had a shit-stick for obviously big turds, but this had somehow made its way down into the pipe already.

I stuck my hand as far down the hole as it would go and sort of fish-tailed it around it in there. The fluttering action agitated the water enough to get the plumbing moving again. Hah! Take that, Saad!

poo-per-ee (28) -- 07.13.2006

What did you do with the pile of shit you dragged out of the toilet? You obviously couldn't send it back down the shitter as you would end up having to ressusitate the toilet again.
I presume you took the ofal out to the barbecue grill and celebrated a burnt offering to the lord of poop.

Logjam (2356) -- 07.13.2006

poo-per-ee. On reflection, I should probably have made the burnt offering just as you suggested, if only to make use of the nice barbie. But as I mentioned above, it easily went down the toilet once the clog was cleared. Think about what happens when you use a plunger on a clogged toilet. When the clog clears, you don't have to reach in and pull all the offal out; it easily flows down. A clog typically results from too much stuff (shit but mostly paper) trying to rush through a small opening at the same time. This is made worse by the fact that this refuse has to turn a rather sharp corner -- the trap -- which is almost always where the traffic jam occurs. Once you succeed in pushing or pulling part of the jammed material away from the rest, then everything can easily proceed on its merry way.

The Dumpster (2510) -- 07.13.2006

"[W]here the traffic jam occurs...."

Do you mean, where the Logjam occurs?

Poonanza (52) -- 09.21.2006

I just now thought of using the stick-end of a plunger. Why not use that to poke a high clog through?

Anonymous Coward (not verified) -- 05.30.2007

oooohh... i just had a situation like that last weekend. i was staying at a friend's house and plugged the john. no plunger. not even a toilet brush. the hand had to go. thanks for sharing

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