March 2, 2008

Things that exploded in Brooklyn Heights recently.

A halogen bulb:

My lightbulb exploded

A rat:

Dead rat

Now, calm down an have some coffee.

Coffee left on a brownstone railing


The rat did not disturb me. I can only think somebody's kitty cat was having a nice meal and had enough. This is no more troubling than the rest of nature. But please don't take it back to your dorm room for cooking in the popcorn popper.

The bulb on the other hand... do you see that hole in the glass? I was 5 feet away from it when it exploded behind my head. It sounded like a gun shot, lit up the room like a lightning bolt, and I had no idea what was going on for a terrifying fraction of a second until I turned around and saw the light fixture smoking.

19 comments:

Palladian said...

Halogen bulbs can be dangerous. Perhaps that one got touched by someone's finger. The oil from skin can cause the quartz to fail. I hope the lamp had the (mandatory) guard on it.

That rat looks cooked.

Ann Althouse said...

By the way, where do you buy halogen bulbs around here -- esp. unusual ones? I know what I'd do in Madison, but this is the sort of errand that is hard to figure out in NYC. The hardware stores are odd, crowded little places.

Palladian said...

Well sadly there used to be an amazing lighting store on Canal Street, but it went the way of most of the useful stores that lined that street- out of business, to make way for yet another down market counterfeit-perfume-and-pashmina emporium.

I'd suggest this place, it's great but, like the best specialty stores, odd and crowded.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meade said...

I hate to risk spoiling a New York hardware store bonding moment for you good folks but back where I come from we have universities, seats of great learning -- where women (and a few unnecessary men) go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts -- and with no more brains than you have.... But! They have one thing you might not have! A Google!

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Althouse said...

Thanks, Meade, but I actually have this other really odd halogen bulb to replace. I don't want to mail order it. I want to show it to some hardware store guy who will give me the right bulb.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Palladian said...

I swear by Javier too.

Javier's AC/DC

So to speak.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meade said...

"Yes but do you have..."

Even better. We have links. Lots of links. Links pointing to pages and pages of swarthy olive-skinned counter[people], if that's what you're into.

Disease-free links. Unambiguously gendered links. Organic free-range links. Links that would never even THINK of stalking fair-haired Professoras and trying to put their bulbs into sockets in which they don't belong. And links that, frankly, just don't have the nerve to ask, " 'ey, YOU! Are you clickin' on me?"

Shy unassuming links just busy doing their jobs and quiety living their linky lives.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Elliott A said...

The picture of the lightbulb should train folks to TURN THEM OFF when they leave the room for a long time, or the house at any time. There could have been a lot more fried stuff besides the rodent.

A suggestion Ann... When you find the replacement bulb, buy 3. Saves trips to the store.

A lot of the posters have a plug and socket fetish.

chuck b. said...

Oh, it's a rat. I thought it might have been a bat.

Meade said...

No, but if you give a link a nice slow neck rub, draw the link a sudsy warm bath, and serve up some browned baby-back ribs with a glass of Merlot, she just might let you take a look at what's on her laptop.

Meade said...

So to speak.

Peter V. Bella said...

And if you can't get into her mainframe, you can always try her server.

rhhardin said...

The rat did not disturb me.

timor mortis conturbat me Wm. Dunbar

From Inwood said...

How many commenters does it take to change a light bulb?

I waited, but no one said it, so here goes Fools don't rush in, I guess.