Smoke Detectors...

After last night I am so wishing I had heeded the advice I recently heard to change the battery on your smoke detectors when you change the clocks. Stupid, stupid. So now, everyone, go change the batteries on your smoke alarms so you don’t have a night like ours.

“The Night From Hell”

I hosted book club last night and had a fabulous time. I was concerned as I was the first one in the still early months of the book club to not boot husband and child from the house. I had planned on this until the time thing played out in my head. Book club starts at 7pm and ends at 9pm. Leif takes a bath at 7pm and is typically out by 7:20pm. If we miss this window, even by 45 minutes we are in for a hard night. So AB entertained C and Leif at the start of book club. (Leif kissed C three times on command and it was SOO cute, but probably not something we should encourage.) ;-)

C left with her dad when he finished class and AB put Leif in the bath and then to bed where he fell asleep hard. AB then took Winny for a long walk. The night went well.

Book club was great, we discussed The Kite Runner. While a really good book, I wouldn’t put it in my top 10. A few people I know list this as their favorite book ever. Part of my problem was that I never really identified with Amir, the lead character. I liked the book, I like the story of redemption, but for me it just wasn’t “all that”.

I served a yummy white bean dip that was super easy to make. The recipe is going into my pile “to make again”. I also made a pumpkin gingerbread “pie”, which I would call more a “cake”, but whatever. It was super and the recipe came out of Better Homes and Gardens. I love, love, love pumpkin pie and gingerbread both. What could be better than to combine them? Just about nothing. It was a super and very simple recipe that takes advantage of boxed gingerbread. Cheating, I know, but what the hell.

The night ended and everyone moved out visiting on the way. We had one new member, who I think fit in very well. Next month we are discussing The Dark is Rising which is a teen fantasy type book that won the Newberry award and was one of the inspirations for Harry Potter. Ok, I will be honest here, of everything we have read so far, this is the one which I am not looking forward to. I must get over this stumbling block in my own head about fantasy fiction.

So AB and I vege on the couch for a little while and head off to bed. At about 1:40 am AB gets up to a freaking out dog and a crying Leif. He puts Winny out and works to comfort Leif. Very shortly he realizes the problem, there is a very high pitch chirping. He calls me in to watch Leif while he searches out the source. I knew instantly. The fire alarm in Leif’s room had a low battery and was chirping every 60 seconds and man was Leif mad.

I can’t say I blame him. I go to get a replacement battery and no dice. No 9 volt batteries in the house. AB and I racked our brains to come up with something, anything that operates on 9 volt batteries in the house that we could rob from. No such luck. Just taking the battery out won’t work as it is hardwired to the house for primary power. So it wasn’t even dead… just the backup battery was low. How irritating is that? And being that it is hardwired to the house, we couldn’t “just” disconnect it for the night.

So at 2am I got dressed and got in the car and drove to the neighborhood gas station. They have every battery in stock EXCEPT, you guessed it, 9 volts. The scary guy manning the counter looked at me like I was a freak when I nearly started crying that he did not have a 9 volt battery. I headed to the next convenience store down the road, closed. Finally I am at Albertsons. (Ok, so they are all on the same block.)

I head into Albertsons and pick up 2 packages of 9 volt batteries. I wait, and wait. No one is around. The self checkout counters are closed. Finally after walking the length of the store looking for someone I find a guy who can call someone who knows how to use the register. I pay and leave.

I get back and Leif is pissed. He is tired and mad. AB replaces the battery and lets spazzo dog in. Winny can’t calm herself and is breathing heavy into the crib and running around. Finally, after an hour and a half, Leif gets himself back to sleep in his crib.

I go back to bed; it is now 3:15am. I am dead tired.

At exactly 5am… *CHIRP*…. quiet…. *CHIRP*! AB and I both go flying out of bed as mad as can be. The damned fire alarm in OUR bedroom was now chirping.

Now if this were a sitcom I would be saying “umm yeah right, no way”. Yes way. Typing this is making me chuckle only a little. AB just about rips the thing out of the wall and I am thanking heaven that I bought FOUR 9 volt batteries a mere 3 hours ago. Seriously, what are the odds that TWO batteries would start dying causing fire alarms to chirp in one night? Unreal.

We head back to mad and AB is griping about he has a busy day, how is he supposed to function? Well you are in good company dear.

At 6am Leif starts crying. I am dying. AB lays there totally motionless. Oh yeah, he is tired and has to function today. I crawl out of bed and after 28 minutes coax Leif back to sleep. 6:36am, I am 6 minutes late for my shower now.<>

I know, fire alarms are a good thing. Am-241 is good for something. Yes, if you have a smoke detector in your house you ARE in fact housing a radioactive isotope (alpha source), and not only that, a fairly good sized quantity. Don’t worry, you will be fine, just don’t eat it, ok?