INTRO TO SUNDAY

No one showed up for Bible Study today. I had heard one by one from all but one that they could not come. Well, the one I hadn’t heard from didn’t come either. The pastor, his wife an their infant grandchild came and me.

We used the time to video an introduction for my speaking engagement this weekend. Very few people even know my name so we did a piece on how we met and my early days at the church and then came and continued the video at my apartment to see my art and what I do with a monthly newsletter. Mostly we talked and got to know one another better. It helped to relax me a bit. Now I’m thinking I should put the whole message on tape and stay home this weekend. At least all my goofs could be edited out.

My apartment is coming together — at least the living room. But I have a weird odor now. I know what it is; I just can’t believe I did it.

All I wanted was to thaw out two hotdog buns for a couple of sausage dogs for Supper last night. I usually put them in the microwave for one minute at a power of 3. They come out nice. Slightly warm and the bread will not turn to rock very quickly. While I was defrosting the buns I went to turn on my computer and set it up to type. While I’m at the computer the fire alarm in my apartment goes off. I turn and look toward the kitchen and see smoke billowing out of the back of the microwave and it is still running. The kitchen area is filled with smoke and it is coming my way.

I ran (well walked fast) to the kitchen to turn off the microwave and then turned on all the fans I have (three), open every window and then call the emergency number to report there is no fire but I need someone to come to shut off my alarm. I have a ten-foot ceiling and cannot reach the reset button. I didn’t dare open the door to the hall, as it would then set the alarms off for the entire building. Meanwhile I sat with the incessant alarm ringing giving me a headache just to protect my neighbors from the sound. They probably don’t even know what I did for them. Of course, Bobbie will still hear it, as she is right next to the locked control room with the master shut off. It rings in there when ever there is an apartment alarm anywhere in the building.

After much of the smoke dissipated I escaped the blaring sound by slipping quickly into the hall and sitting in the chair across from my door. It seemed like an eternity before someone came to calm the storm. Our maintenance man is new and this was his first alarm shut off. The shut off is not easy. Fire One needs to be called before he can shut anything off. He didn’t have their number.

When things finally quieted down and I returned to the scene of the incident my apartment really stunk. I didn’t know that nuked bread could smell so bad or that the smell would last so long. I mean those two little buns were blacker than sin and glued to the rotating plate. I still have that soaking to loosen up the paste (at least it looks and feels like black paste).

At least I’m distracted from the coming weekend. I think I’ll go work on my bedroom now. That’s where I have stacked all my boxes that need to be sorted. If I don’t do that, I will take a nap.