A Fiery adventure with a Happy Ending...

So this morning I had planned to leave him quite early to go to campus & study before my conversation class at 4:30 but instead I got involved with Facebook & returning emails. So I was in my bedroom when I heard an electric type buzzing noise (like the kind you hear when a transformer or something goes out) like Buzz--BUZZ--buzz, and I looked in the living room & I saw a light in the corner of the room gettin brighter & darker & I thought, "There's no lamp right there!" and I ran into the living room and saw smoke coming from behind my sofa, the one that's under the window. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to grab the fire extinguisher from under my sink & I ran back into the living room, and I pulled the couch away from the wall to see exactly what was burning, (thinking I'd forgotten to unplug my heating pad or some equally absurd thing) & the electrical cord from my AC window unit was plugged into a circuit breaker-type, single plug extension cord (same voltage as the plug in the wall) and that's what was on fire, where the two cords were plugged in. I put the fire out with a couple of generous sprays of the fire extinguisher but the smoke got everywhere (not to mention CO2 dust, ugh). Just as all of this is going on I got a phone call from one of my supervisors at Tulane, asking me some question about scheduling training. I was like "I'm in the middle of an electrical fire, I will have to talk to you later!"
Since the fire was out, I called my landlady to tell her what was happening & she had heard the electrical noise & she was asking me about that. She came up (along with our gardener, to have a look at things, and he pulled the couch further away from the wall & we noted the burnt up carpet & the burnt spot on the back of the couch. She got her son (who is a contractor & our general handyman, I guess you could say) to come have a look at it and he was kinda freaked that the circuit breaker didn't work. I was freaked about it too, especially considering that the air conditioner wasn't even on! In fact, I don't think I have turned it on in several days. I am so grateful that I had drawn the curtains last night, and had them up in the tiebacks, or else they'd have gone up in no time flat.

I am even more grateful for my friend & classmate Estefanía. Not long after all this business was over, she called to offer me a ride to school. I told her what had just happened & she was like Scarlett O'Hara to me. She was so kind--she picked up lunch for us & when she came over & saw the dust all over the place, she said, "After we get finished eating, I'm gonna help you clean up in here." What a Life Saver!!!

Believe me when I tell you every single surface in both rooms was coated with varying depths of white CO2 dust & ash. Ugh. This gal was a trooper. We both cleaned in the living room, but pretty soon I had to get out of her way & start cleaning off all these smiley face things on my computer desk. Every time I looked in the other room, she was slinging furniture all over the place, frantically dusting & vacuuming everything in sight. We must have dusted & re-dusted my entertainment center at least 3 times because there was so much dust all up in my curtains. Double ugh. We took down all those things & oh Lord we were some busy little worker bees!

I really can't thank her enough. Well, her & her ADD meds. I didn't take any, but I kinda got the buzz by osmosis, if you know what I mean. There is no way I would have had the oomph to get done half of the stuff we got done in about 3 or 4 hours by myself. We were a bit late to class (& I'm sure smelled of residual smoke) but we still made it!

Life is so strange. Here I am, on the verge of taking my comprehensive exams for my MA next week, about to receive another award & graduate & go on to the next amazing chapter &  I could have been on the streets, if not for my internet addiction & quick thinking. & My house would still be looking like Cocaine Paradise, if not for the Amazing Estefanía!!!

This is how I should know that I am, quite frankly, Too Blessed To Be Stressed!