Welcome to the Fire Sale :)

last minute deadline + 3 liters of soda + deep fried munchie craving = BAD NEWS!!!

Working late at night on a last minute deadline for SJG, I was 3 liters in on Diet Pepsi and having a craving for chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks.  I set some oil heating on the stove then went to the bathroom really quick to relieve myself of some of the aforementioned soda.  Coming back from the bathroom I neared the kitchen and to my horror the wall opposite was painted a flickering bright orange!  I rounded the corner to find the pan fully engulfed in fire, with the microwave and cabinetry above alight as well.  I literally froze in shock for a second, then scrambled to extinguish the fire.  Lacking fire extinguishers (a fact that will shortly be remedied, I assure you) I grabbed a towel and started beating the fire out.  Later I realized I should have grabbed another pan from the hanging rack behind the camera and first snuffed the pan fire *then* beat out the microwave and cabinets, but hindsight is 20/20.

The microwave light cover dripped down into a separate pan and on top of a spatula.  During cleanup they came out all in one piece.  I was tempted to sell them to a modern art gallery....

The microwave is slagged.

The really funny part is that this is the SECOND time I've killed my cousins toaster oven :)  The first time I broke the switch with a bag of groceries.

The lighting panels were drooping and dripping onto the floor already when I found the kitchen alight.

The offending pan in the foreground, modern art to the left, and slagged knobs to the right.

The towel I beat the fire out with.  My right hand (and I'm right handed) looked very similar afterwards.  All my fingers were blistered from moving the pan and trying to turn off the burners, and the back of my hand was splashed with the ignited oil when I started beating the fire out.  Didn't feel it during the event, but boy howdy, I sure as hell felt it half an hour later.

As I write this, my fingers are basically 99.9% normal, with only a couple of discolored spots and strange texture where the blisters were, and the back of my hand is healed and scarring nicely now that the blisters are dried out and the skin is dead.  There's really only a small area of scarring, so it's nothing glaringly noticeable.  An area of about 5" by 3" was splashed by the oil, and it was a scattered spray luckily.  Overall, it's nothing a case of beer, a few thousand in insurance money, and a little time won't heal.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that expressed your concern and well-wishes on the TML or with a personal e-mail.  Once again you've proven that no matter where we are in the world, how vehemently we may fight over the various Traveller systems, what nationality we may be, what religion, caste or creed, members of the Traveller Mailing List are still a tight knit, caring family, and woe unto anyone who would stand between any of us!

You have my undying gratitude for your concern and all the help you've given me over these last couple of years!

                                                              Sincerely,

                                                              Jesse

                                                              Oct 11th, 2000