Excuse me while I piss the sky
June 15, 2018 1:38 PM Subscribe
Straight out of a shitty horror movie, a pair of port-a-potties took flight after some heavy winds hit a gathering in Commerce City, Colorado. The area's local TV station reported that no one was hurt, though they did not comment on whether or not anyone was covered with shit, piss or whatever it is they put in port-a-potties to make them smell like that.
That's actually terrifying.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:48 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 1:48 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah. I saw this the other day, and my immediate thought was that it’s a damn good thing all those people grabbed that big tent by its poles before anyone got impaled.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:54 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Sys Rq at 1:54 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oddly seems apt in Commerce City.
posted by evilDoug at 2:12 PM on June 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by evilDoug at 2:12 PM on June 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
I know this is not really funny, especially with the fine mist of hepatitis risk spraying over the field, but God help me, there were tears in my eyes. I just kept repeating the flight sequence over and over.
If there had been someone in there, would they have prevented takeoff with their weight, or would they have been sent to Oz too? Maybe Randall Munroe could answer that.
posted by Countess Elena at 2:22 PM on June 15, 2018 [11 favorites]
If there had been someone in there, would they have prevented takeoff with their weight, or would they have been sent to Oz too? Maybe Randall Munroe could answer that.
posted by Countess Elena at 2:22 PM on June 15, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ahh Commerce City, Colorado, the Gateway to Aurora, Colorado.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 2:48 PM on June 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 2:48 PM on June 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
This belongs in the Trump thread.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:13 PM on June 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:13 PM on June 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
whatever it is they put in port-a-potties
Old ones used nasty chemicals like formaldehyde. These days they are filled with a nitrate based chemical much like that used in municipal water treatment plants.
posted by Splunge at 3:32 PM on June 15, 2018
Old ones used nasty chemicals like formaldehyde. These days they are filled with a nitrate based chemical much like that used in municipal water treatment plants.
posted by Splunge at 3:32 PM on June 15, 2018
Seconding evilDoug.
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 3:45 PM on June 15, 2018
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 3:45 PM on June 15, 2018
whatever it is they put in port-a-potties
I work for a company that rents out portable toilets. They call the substance in question "perfume".
posted by wats at 3:56 PM on June 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
I work for a company that rents out portable toilets. They call the substance in question "perfume".
posted by wats at 3:56 PM on June 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
"Begone, before somebody drops an outhouse on you too!" - sort of a punk-rock version of "The Wizard Of Oz?"
posted by King Sky Prawn at 3:56 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by King Sky Prawn at 3:56 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
What that video really needs is the whoomp-whoomp-whoomp Tardis noise.
posted by Westringia F. at 4:04 PM on June 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Westringia F. at 4:04 PM on June 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
Wait, how the hell do they select that "perfume" and why?!
posted by sciatrix at 4:22 PM on June 15, 2018
posted by sciatrix at 4:22 PM on June 15, 2018
Yes, someone please clip the first one’s flight and add dr who music. PLEASE
posted by freecellwizard at 4:31 PM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by freecellwizard at 4:31 PM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
and yet the guy in red never lost his hat....
posted by photoslob at 4:36 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by photoslob at 4:36 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
They call the substance in question "perfume".
Tag added!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:52 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Tag added!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:52 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Blow de toilette?
posted by peeedro at 5:18 PM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by peeedro at 5:18 PM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
There's a new skyscraper going up across the street from my office. Watching it is fascinating. For instance, they put porta potties up on the top of the construction so that workers don't have to go all the way down to the street level to, uh, go.
And how do they get the toilets up? The same way they lift up everything else, with the tower crane. The first time I saw this was in the morning on a windy day, and the johns dangling at the end of the winch were twisting and twirling from side to side. One of the doors had come loose and was also flapping around.
One of my coworkers exclaimed in horror. After thinking a moment, I said "I suppose it's better on the way up than the way down"
posted by Gorgik at 5:37 PM on June 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
And how do they get the toilets up? The same way they lift up everything else, with the tower crane. The first time I saw this was in the morning on a windy day, and the johns dangling at the end of the winch were twisting and twirling from side to side. One of the doors had come loose and was also flapping around.
One of my coworkers exclaimed in horror. After thinking a moment, I said "I suppose it's better on the way up than the way down"
posted by Gorgik at 5:37 PM on June 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
A true Jesse Pinkman moment.
posted by 4ster at 6:24 PM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by 4ster at 6:24 PM on June 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm reminded of Stephen King. At least no one was in there. (I think)
posted by MtDewd at 6:27 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by MtDewd at 6:27 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
EXCUSE ME WHILE I PISS THE SKY
Ohjfc I can't breathe oh my God
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:14 PM on June 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
Ohjfc I can't breathe oh my God
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:14 PM on June 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
Oh man, those folks protecting their kids, that must have been terrifying to be in and then to see those things go up in the air, ugh
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:17 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:17 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is the best FPP title I've ever seen.
posted by twoplussix at 7:30 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by twoplussix at 7:30 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
The very definition of "shitstorm."
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:55 PM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:55 PM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
I can’t be the only person who initially thought that the one that got completely airborne was a makeshift TARDIS.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:26 PM on June 15, 2018
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:26 PM on June 15, 2018
TURDIS
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:06 PM on June 15, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:06 PM on June 15, 2018 [21 favorites]
Dammit, I'm just starting a new season with Shakespeare in the park, and we use those things all summer. Up to now, the worst thing that ever happened was another actor dropping your bottle of hand sanitizer down the malmsey-butt. Now I'm gonna have this mental image every time!
"Shitty horror movie," heh heh.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:03 PM on June 15, 2018
"Shitty horror movie," heh heh.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:03 PM on June 15, 2018
Was working at an exposed quarry and noticed that overnight one of the port'a'johns perched on top had a new large X taped over the door. I used its neighboor and found that someone had recently lined the floor and the walls around the seat with sandbags, lots of sandbags.
I asked a coworker about the X'ed out john, all he said was: "everywhere..."
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 10:25 PM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
I asked a coworker about the X'ed out john, all he said was: "everywhere..."
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 10:25 PM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
This is Amazing. It looks like the “original” source was this Deadspin article.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:11 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:11 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Are winds of that magnitude a known phenomenon in Colorado? If not, do we know what caused them on this occasion?
posted by Paul Slade at 1:24 AM on June 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Paul Slade at 1:24 AM on June 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
I lived in Colorado for the better part of two decades. Wind storms are a pretty common occurrence, and they get pretty forceful because most of that part of the state is wide-open high plains and there's not much to break up the wind.
They don't usually get quite that powerful, though, and the flying toilet thing is new.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:36 AM on June 16, 2018
They don't usually get quite that powerful, though, and the flying toilet thing is new.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:36 AM on June 16, 2018
and yet the guy in red never lost his hat....
Decades from now, this observation is going to be at the center of the conspiracy theories...
posted by randomkeystrike at 6:44 AM on June 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Decades from now, this observation is going to be at the center of the conspiracy theories...
posted by randomkeystrike at 6:44 AM on June 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
If there had been someone in there, would they have prevented takeoff with their weight, or would they have been sent to Oz too?
Dealing with weighty matters such as this would require a high-level cabinet meeting.
posted by flabdablet at 7:18 AM on June 16, 2018
Dealing with weighty matters such as this would require a high-level cabinet meeting.
posted by flabdablet at 7:18 AM on June 16, 2018
Heh. "Ground Control to Major John" is honestly a better title.
posted by happyroach at 10:42 AM on June 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by happyroach at 10:42 AM on June 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
For here am I shitting on a tin can
Far above the world
Everything's stained blue and there's nothing I can do
posted by flabdablet at 11:03 AM on June 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
Far above the world
Everything's stained blue and there's nothing I can do
posted by flabdablet at 11:03 AM on June 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
Deadspin commenter wins this one:
Eau de humanity
posted by bjrubble at 4:23 PM on June 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Eau de humanity
posted by bjrubble at 4:23 PM on June 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
The portapotty angle makes it hilarious, I know, but this stuff can be serious. A bunch of people were injured one year, a few critically, when a sudden storm blew over the main Oktoberfest tent one year.
It's important that organizers of events using such things coordinate closely with their local NWS forecast office for just this reason. Close coordination and prior planning can keep these sorts of things from happening, or more accurately allow time to evacuate prior to the storm arriving. That said, sometimes storms that shouldn't be particularly windy are, so there is always some risk. I'm just saying that it can and should be minimized.
If you are part of an organization putting on an outdoor event using large tents and don't have someone monitoring the weather closely during all times when the public is present, you're opening yourselves up to significant liability, so be careful for that reason if no other.
posted by wierdo at 8:35 PM on June 16, 2018
It's important that organizers of events using such things coordinate closely with their local NWS forecast office for just this reason. Close coordination and prior planning can keep these sorts of things from happening, or more accurately allow time to evacuate prior to the storm arriving. That said, sometimes storms that shouldn't be particularly windy are, so there is always some risk. I'm just saying that it can and should be minimized.
If you are part of an organization putting on an outdoor event using large tents and don't have someone monitoring the weather closely during all times when the public is present, you're opening yourselves up to significant liability, so be careful for that reason if no other.
posted by wierdo at 8:35 PM on June 16, 2018
My husband made this video for all of us who imagined a Port--O-TARDIS.
posted by sarcasticah at 11:54 AM on June 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by sarcasticah at 11:54 AM on June 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by peeedro at 1:42 PM on June 15, 2018 [10 favorites]