So THAT's The Source Of All That Damned Noise!

The windows were closed and the air conditioner was doing its thing. Most times about the only outside noises I can hear above the AC hum are news helicopters (rare!), emergency vehicle sirens (almost as rare on my street), loud mufflers, and the ocassional teenager thumping out some way too loud rap music. This sounded like none of the above. It was just very loud and annoying.

I grabbed a camera and went out to investigate. This truck had a hose pushed down into a drain pipe and was sucking out some sort of blockage, pumping whatever it was into the holding tank on the truck. The pump was making the noise. The entire procedure didn't take all that long. Within a few minutes they were packing it up and leaving. I never did find out exactly what the problem had been, but it was quiet once more. I finished my cigarette and went back into the air conditioning.