Er…it’s for science!
So at work I am currently training in the Fire Debris section. Basically I am learning how to analyze evidence from fire scenes and see if there are any ignitable liquids present. This could indicate the fire was intentionally set, or not…not my call. All I do is say what’s there or not there really.
ANYWAY…for part of the training one side experiment we are doing is to see the effects of soil microbes on Gasoline. Literature says that stuff in soil can actually “eat” some compounds in gasoline. So to test this the plan is to add some gasoline to dirt, let it sit, and see what happens. So there I am out back behind my apartment building last night with a small metal can and a large slotted spoon digging up some dirt from the little garden area we have against the back fence. This is all fine and good at first, but it seems that my new landlord (who up to now I have met exactly once when the old one brought him around to meet all of us) was doing some work down in the basement, the door to which opens on the back of the building in full view of the garden area. So from HIS prospective he opens the door to see someone squatting down behind his building shoveling dirt into a can with a slotted spoon.
He finally said something like “uh hi what’s going on?” and I realized who it was and got up to introduce my self and told him exactly what I was doing back there. I didn’t really go into much detail other then where I worked and that it was “for science” which really I have found works quite well in a large number of situations. He was cool with it all once he realized who I was and all that and we both went on our ways. If nothing else, I suppose, it gave him a odd little tale to tell at home or work the next day.
