Wednesday, January 5, 2011

In which I almost burn down my house, and then NPR ruins my morning

Last night on my way home from work I stopped at Shaw's to pick up some ingredients for making chili. This was tricky, because I had to go to rehearsal at 7, and before that I had to pick up G so we could ride in the warming warmth of my car rather than taking the T and freezing to death. So, by the time I got home, I had about45 minutes to make chili.
Some of you will say that 45 minutes isn't enough tome to make and eat chili. To you I say that I did not intend to eat the chili last night, but to make it for eating this evening, as chili is better the second day after all the flavors have melded together. Now you're thinking I'm a genius, no?

No.

After all of the chopping and browning and combining, I decided to let the chili cook on the stove until the second before I had to leave. I put on my coat, got into the car and almost immediately I had a weird feeling in my stomach. As I pulled up to G's place a few minutes later, it hit me: HOLYCRAP I left the stove on. And with being gone for four hours I didn't want to chance the cats not knowing how to use the fire extinguisher.

So we drove back to my place, which I knew would make us late. I ran in to find the stove NOT on. I got back to the car and said:

Leslie: Well, that could have gone one of two ways. Either I'm a flaky and dangerous idiot who almost burned the house down, or I'm a neurotic and OCD idiot who made us late for rehearsal for no good reason.
G: You're the second kind!
L: Yes!
G: That's better!
L: I think so.

So, thanks, G, for letting me make us late to rehearsal so that I could indulge my OCD.


COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SUBJECT---

Here's how NPR ruined my morning. Well, it wasn't actually their fault, so much as the subject matter, which they put forth in their typically unemotional way.

Murder. Parole. More murder.

Apparently, the day after Christmas, the Massachusetts Parole board granted parole to a man serving three concurrent life sentences for various violent crimes. He'd escaped from prison twice, both times committing violent crimes while out. He was then granted parole and went out and murdered a Woburn police officer.

How could this man have been let out on parole? I know prisons are full, but come on. Three concurrent life sentences, but now he's fine?

The Parole Board, when gathered again for the first time since the incident, first expressed their condolences to the officer's family. Necessary, of course, but if I were part of that family, I don't think their condolences would mean much to me, since they were the ones standing between the man who killed a family member and freedom. I'm not blaming them personally, but certainly there is something incongruous about a system that indicates that the appropriate sentence is THREE LIFETIMES, but then allows someone OUT of prison after decidedly BAD behavior.

I take my safety for granted. I walk pretty much wherever I want whenever I want, within reason. I hate to think that I'll have to start mistrusting the systems we have put in place to keep me (and my loved ones) safe. But...

2 comments:

The Perfect Space said...

Does it count as almost burning the house down, if you didn't ACTUALLY leave the stove on?

Leslie said...

Probably not... as the house wasn't in any danger at any time. Should I change the title of the post to "In which I don't even ALMOST burn down the house?"

:)