My roommate may have saved my life.Last night her superior sniffer sniffed a smell that was somewhat odd and scary. I, who was busily blogging about my Christmas tree while simultaneously watching King Arthur (Clive Owen is yummy) and reading Atonement, was nary the wiser. And therefore could have been killed by the silent killer…wait…maybe that is Heart Disease. But I digress…
So we called the after hours emergency hotline and this is how it went down...
Lady: “Did you just say you saw a bat in your house?”
Me: “Why yes, I always call the after hour emergency hotline when there are bats in my house. No! I SAID, I smell gas in my house”.
Lady: “Oh dear”
Oh dear is right. So she dispatched the maintenance man. Who came and in all his saggy bottomed jeans glory walked around the apartment and then announced that he thought it smelled like air freshener. And that it couldn’t possibly be a gas leak. What? Are you kidding me? So I smart assily said, “Yah, gasoline smelling air freshener”. No comment.
Jenny kindly asked him to go get his little doo-dad that measures gas leaks/carbon monoxide levels/deadly air fresheners. He came back with the gadget and proceeded to measure the air in Jenny’s Room – no sound, the kitchen – no sound, the living room – no sound, the hallway outside my bedroom – freakin tons of bells and whistles. Perhaps this accounts for the bloodshot eyes, throbbing headache, slight nausea, and general feeling of malaise that I have been experiencing all week. What’s that you say? Quit being so melodramatic and psycho? Whatever! I HAVE been feeling ill-ish, but you are right it is probably just a cold. I felt the sense of dread that a possible carbon monoxide poisoning induced death brings to the story was worth the exaggeration.
It turns out that gas was leaking around the valves of the water heater/furnace. Yikes. It has now been fixed, and the air in the apartment has gone back to smelling like lavendar and pine.
Oh dear is right. So she dispatched the maintenance man. Who came and in all his saggy bottomed jeans glory walked around the apartment and then announced that he thought it smelled like air freshener. And that it couldn’t possibly be a gas leak. What? Are you kidding me? So I smart assily said, “Yah, gasoline smelling air freshener”. No comment.
Jenny kindly asked him to go get his little doo-dad that measures gas leaks/carbon monoxide levels/deadly air fresheners. He came back with the gadget and proceeded to measure the air in Jenny’s Room – no sound, the kitchen – no sound, the living room – no sound, the hallway outside my bedroom – freakin tons of bells and whistles. Perhaps this accounts for the bloodshot eyes, throbbing headache, slight nausea, and general feeling of malaise that I have been experiencing all week. What’s that you say? Quit being so melodramatic and psycho? Whatever! I HAVE been feeling ill-ish, but you are right it is probably just a cold. I felt the sense of dread that a possible carbon monoxide poisoning induced death brings to the story was worth the exaggeration.
It turns out that gas was leaking around the valves of the water heater/furnace. Yikes. It has now been fixed, and the air in the apartment has gone back to smelling like lavendar and pine.
Jenny, for your superior olfactory skills, we thank you.
4 comments:
Tender Friend,
I'm so glad that Jenny has such a powerful nose and that you're safe. It only makes me like her more than I did already. (I believe that those of us with either bionic, hooked, or bumped noses should unite. Somehow it's all related to me. It's part of why I have such a crush on Edina Menzel...).
Anyway, I'm so glad you're okay, and I can't blame you for your frustration with the silly man. I mean, air freshener? Hello!
I hope you feel better soon, girlfriend. :) (I just thought I'd see if "girlfriend" sounded right coming from me. It doesn't really, but Edina sounds so good when she says it. And my nose is at least as bumped as hers is hooked... Oh well.)
So glad you're safe!!! :) We also had a gas leak from the furnance and I'm still afraid to turn on my fireplace for fear that it might blow the whole house up...
WHEN will we go to Indian food???
Dianna, I have been known to like a person solely based on their nose. :) When are we going to see each other? I miss you terribly.
Joanna, I don't even know if people read these comments again, but if you do. I can go on Monday the 10th or Tuesday the 11th. And I am dying for some Tikka Masala.
I tagged you on my blog - check it out. You owe me because I saved your life!
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