Smoke and Fire

I have found that the saying "where there is smoke, there is fire" isn't always accurate. For example: I was cooking rice the other day, and forgot about it as I got lost in a good book (a common fault for me) until I was jolted back into reality by the peircing sound of the smoke detector. My apartment was pretty much filled with smoke (it's amazing I didn't notice it), but there was no fire. I simply had to discard the very burnt rice, turn on the vent and fan, and open the window and sliding, glass door.

Yesterday, however, was quite another story... I was sprawled out on the couch, book in hand, surrounded by color-coded index cards that were covered in words of another language (I wish I could say I understood all that I had written on them), when suddenly, plumes of smoke just beyond the balcony caught my attention. Since it was very white at first, I thought it was just spray from a pressure washer (it was window-washing day for my apartment complex), but as the smoke turned gray, and my apartment began to fill with a camp-fire smell, I realized my first assumption was incorrect. I jumped up, scattering cards in my wake, and ran to the balcony to find out what was going on. It took a minute to see through the smoke and make out the images of two men with fire extinguishers (that is what created the white smoke; it was filled with a powder-like substance). While it looked like the outer wall of the apartment building was ablaze, it was actually only the wood chips that suround the perimeter of our building. As I stood there, watching the efforts of the two men, my thoughts wandered to the various possessions I keep in that apartment and I considered what I would grab if I had to evacuate the building. I decided on my guitar and the backpack on wheels that contains my scissors and the rest of my styling tools. Of course, I realize that is a pretty ridiculous thing to think about under the circumstances. I mean, if I was really concerned that the building was acually burning down, I would have been better off using my time to call 911, or to help the two men below. Ackowledging the absurdity of my thoughts, I just laughed at myself and went back to my book and flash cards.