Had some excitement tonight I could have done without.
I noticed a smoke smell in my apartment, but the smoke alarm wasn't going off. Had a look around, couldn't find a source, but the smell was getting worse.
So I put my shoes and coat back on, grabbed some things, and started knocking on doors. I live on the top floor of a three-floor building, four units on my floor, four on the middle, and two on the lower. The air was hazy on the upper floor, not bad on the middle, and almost no smell on the lower floor.
It turns out a kid on the bottom floor had burned some turnovers in the oven. Smoke but no flame, no harm done, no need to call the fire department, just had to air out the building for a bit.
The things I grabbed, that I didn't already have on me, were:
- my vital documents file (passport, soc. sec. card, birth certificate)
- my laptop
- my work backpack, with laptop and other work stuff (Why? I dunno. Probably just because it was right there by the door and was easily portable.)
Hindsight says I should have taken the fire extinguisher from the kitchen, but I never even thought of it until half an hour later. Hah!
The big remaining question is, why did the smoke alarm in the upper hallway never go off?
So: what would you have taken with you out the door, thinking you might not be able to come back for more stuff?
Mercy, dcp, I'm glad it was not something worse.
I'm inspired by your easily accessible vital docs file. I have all the vital docs in one draw, but not in the same file.
Check. Must fix that.
When the house burned next door. I grabbed Bartleby and his park bag, because it had food for him in. It also just happened to have my wallet in it.
As long as he was safe, I didn't care about anything else.
This bears more thinking now.
If I had unlimited time and space, I'd take all Cagney's stuff. A few favorite pieces of clothing and, though it is ridiculous...my bed! My bed is the best bed.
There is no good reason my vital docs aren't in a safe deposit box. Must obtain a round tuit.
I should have a vital docs file. And a go bag. I used to keep a packed bag in the car, back when my life was less stable.
Glad everything is okay, dcp.
I just saw this, AIWFG
Me too, omg. Nathan Lane! The cast of Jersey Boys! (I assume?) All those kids on the street! So awesome.
Wow, I"m impressed you managed to grab those things AND go knock on peoples' doors! I probably would've gotten distracted trying to find shoes and keys and would've like, left my wallet sitting there or something, much less vital docs!
After not one but two fires in high school (at school) I got very used to (a) believing fire alarms and (b) grabbing my stuff when leaving. But I think a couple years of drunk asses pulling fire alarms in college trained it right back out of me.
What I read recently was that NYTimes article about how in many modern high rises it's safer to shelter in place, if there's a fire, rather than trying to take the stairs (which may fill with smoke--recent fire a couple guys died that way, whereas people who stayed in their apartments were fine). But that's so against instinct, man. And how do you know when it's bad enough you should try to leave vs not? Just makes me never want to live on the 30th floor of anywhere, I guess?
Oh, I *so* wanted to spend my day off doing all the laundry since Casper pulled what I think is a louse off her head this morning.
Yikes, flea.
Happy birthday, Anne! And extra eye~ma!
Do I want to go to this? [link]
