Taking an enforced "hiatus" - circumstances and all that jazz

[red_satin_doll]

I'm having to take a short break from LJ and the computer in general - we had a rather major house fire Monday night.

Good news first - we're ok, my sweetie has burns on her hand and foot that are not serious enough for the local wound clinic to treat, but her left hand is so wrapped in gauze it looks like a Mummy Hand. (I guess that makes her right hand the Daddy hand? Hey someone had to say it.)  She's back to her old self otherwise.

Only my sweetie's bedroom was destroyed - the mattress went up like a freaking firebomb. the fire started there, but there's damage throughout the house from smoke and water. I remembered to close the bedroom door before we left and the inspector said that was the best thing I could have done so go me.

Our desktop was destroyed and obviously my computer access will be extremely limited for a while, so I won't be able to return the many overdue messages and comments in my inbox.

The other good news - I'm ok too, a little tired and sore; and I was able to salvage a printed draft of the Buffy & Dawn story I was working on, and most of my notebooks with btvs meta essay notes. Don't laugh. It's the silliest thing but I felt like I wanted to have them, like they're more "me" than a lot of my stuff. AND I now know the difference between fic and meta, at least for me. Meta ideas (in rough form) are mostly in my head, even if the details are fuzzy; but there is NO WAY I could have reproduced the fiction from memory. Even though I've reread my own drafts many times. With fic the precise word placement and rhythms are so absolutely essential.

My vegan chocolate cake recipe might take a little effort to reproduce though. Maybe recipes are like fiction. *lol*  Such is life.

Comments

[treadingthedark.livejournal.com]

Wow! Glad it wasn't worse, and good on you for closing the door. I don't think I would have thought of that.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

good on you for closing the door

I wish I'd noticed the box fan pointed at the bed was on sooner though! Fire is fed by oxygen; and I grill outdoors and awful lot and close the lid to put out the coals, so that's why I thought to do that. It almost wasn't a conscious thought, but the fire inspector says that's the first thing she teaches people in fire prevention/control.

Throwing baking soda on a fire only works with a grease fire, however. Not with a mattress and synthetic fibers fire. Now I know.