(Also...paper towels? On a grease fire?? Dude. I know that maybe you think "OK, water isn't supposed to go on a grease fire", but...who thinks PAPER TOWELS go on a FIRE?!?) (Isn't it baking soda or something, on a grease fire? Or, um, FIRE EXTINGUISHER?)

My sister's old roommate started a grease fire in the kitchen and despite being somewhat clueless, did have the presence of mind to remember not to douse it with water.

So he went with ice cubes instead.

It worked about as well as you're picturing.

At a previous job we had a copier that tended to overheat. One day it caught fire. Flames coming out, smoke, smell of burning insulation - a real fire. One guy ran into the room, grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall, turned it upside down, prepared to spray the flaming copier ... and stopped. People yelled at him to put out the fire. Later, when asked WHY he hadn't immediately begun dousing the fire, his response was, "I didn't want to ruin it."

Thanks for the further ~ma, y'all.

Maybe he was trying a homeopathic remedy?

Bwah!

Continued ~ma to Calli and her dad.

I am a dumbass. We stopped at Starbucks in Anaheim on the way down from Pasadena this morning. My stomach has been tied in knots all week, so I haven't been able to eat much and have been feeling sick to my stomach every time I eat (thank god for Dramamine). So we stopped so I could use the bathroom, and I set my phone down...and left it there. I didn't figure this out until an hour later. We have no way to get back up there right now. Argh. I was able to reach the Starbucks, and they did find the phone and are holding it for me, I'm happy to say, but who knows when we will get a chance to go back and get it.

I feel naked.

So much ~ma Calli.

Oh, Kristin, that's so frustrating. I think I left my favorite fleece in the movie theater today, but that's nothing compared to a phone. Blech.

Okay, I'm dealing with an idiot. I'm traveling with a group of students. The tickets were booked and paid for by the foundation that supports the program. I go to the website to sign up for email alerts, because you often get more information through those than at the airport. According to the website, you have to "sign up" for their Trip Alerts program, not just entering your flight and phone number. You sign up for the program using the instructions in the email sent to the email address that you used when you booked the ticket. Now, since the foundation paid for the tickets, no email was sent to me (or them for that matter, since it was a group thing) I explained this to the group sales woman at the airline TWICE. And her response was "well, do you want me to see if the flight's on time?" I explained it a third time, and she said "well, there's no email address on file for the ticket" YES, I TOLD YOU THAT.

I'm on hold now.

She won't just take your email and use that one? What a goon, Vortex.

Yes, I just got off hold, and she told me that the program is only for people who have booked their tickets online. I can't sign up for the alerts because it was purchase through group travel. ARGH.

Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I called the main phone line instead of the group phone line (plus, the group woman seemed like an idiot, so I thought I'd check) The new person understood the problem right away, but told me that I would have to call the travel agent who booked the tickets, and ask them to request a trip alert, and give my contact information.

WTFF? Is it just me? Does this have to be a 12 step process? Why couldn't they just put in a freaking trip alert? I mean, it was bad enough that I had to "join the Alert program", but this is even stupider.

There must be some sooper- secret info that gets sent out in the trip alert