Week Two of the Grand Tour
By The Misfit | October 15, 2009
My apologies for the delay in posting about week two of The Grand Tour: US Style Dirty Jobs with my fiancee Mike Rowe. If you missed week one… well, click on the link.
Mike and I have decided to do things a little differently – we’re taking our honeymoon before the wedding by touring the United States, foregoing the usual Europe or Caribbean trip afterwards. I was going to wait before I mentioned this, but after this week’s adventure episode, I thought it prudent to mention it now as we embarked on a round of high rise window washing with Dino and Co. of World Wide Window Cleaning in beautiful Hawaii.
“Danger and bad judgment” ~ Mike Rowe
Mike knows I’ve never been to Hawaii, but have always wanted to go so he set this up as a treat to me. Had I known we’d he’d be spending the day dangling high above the earth sitting on bolson chairs and repelling down a 45-story building, I might have chosen to spend the day enjoying the amazing sites Hawaii has to offer instead of watching him in ant-size. I couldn’t bring myself to join him as I’m ridiculously afraid of heights, so I let him suck it up and conquer his own fear without me.
(Truthfully, I was stuck in bed feeling really icky yesterday, but don’t tell Mike I told you. He likes everyone to think I’m a badass.)
So first thing in the morning, Mike, sans the Misfit, found himself atop a 45 story building with Dino and Co. waiting to take the big plunge over the side of the building for a day of window washing. Before he even hoisted himself over the side of the building, he, along with the rest of the workers, indulged in some yoga and praying to limber up and avoid shoulder and back injuries, as well as spend some time focusing on safety and a good work day. Nearly 12 window washers die a year in the United States. Thankfully Mike wasn’t one of them. It would have made the upcoming wedding a bit one-sided left Dirty Jobs without its host and upset a lot of people.
“I’m sure there’s gonna be cussin” ~ Mike Rowe
Shortly after the yoga/prayer session, Mike found himself dangling sitting on a bolson chair 408 feet in the air cleaning windows on a 45-story building overlooking Honolulu Harbor. The view was breathtaking, though I suspect he had other things on his mind. It was also drawn to my attention that bolson chairs are illegal in some states for use on buildings as tall a 45-story building. When Mike was doing 360s in his bolson chair, I was wishing it was illegal in Hawaii, too. As Mike’s employer stated:
“The high-rise window washer’s greatest adversary is the wind. Each building has its own unique and unpredictable wind patterns. Gusts up to 50-mpg can entangle ropes, and send the window washers spinning as far as 30 feet away from the building.”
After Mike was safely back on terra firma, he decided to read a wedding card letter from a friend fan. H. DiMaggio wrote in asking about Mike’s various forays into enclosed spaces, mentioning that his wife called watching Mike cram himself into little nooks and crannies “TV gold.” While I will admit a fascination to watching Mike play contortionist, I only have one thing to say:
Quit looking at my future husband’s Mike Rowe’s butt!
(As an aside, this is where I’m compelled to point out a number of things. I’m sure it’s obvious, but I am NOT Mike Rowe’s fiancee. I don’t really know Mike Rowe. I have nothing to do with the Discovery Channel or Dirty Jobs. I am a fan of the show and Mike Rowe who has too much time and too much creative energy. An influx of visitors arriving on the site from searching for “Mike Rowe fiancee” precipitates the need to add this disclaimer. Also, all quotes are taken directly from episodes of Dirty Jobs. Any mistakes in information are my own and not those of Discovery Channel, Dirty Jobs or Mike Rowe.)
Topics: Mike Rowe and the Misfit | No Comments »