sillypixie's Journal: Explosions & Fireworks too

It's time for the annual 'Pixie's New Years Redneck Adventures', 2006 edition.

You may remember fireworks shenanigans last year -- this year we had our explosions just a wee bit early.

In fact, it turns out that I indirectly saved several lives - including my own. I'm really, really happy about that.

My neighbours know that I don't believe in throwing garbage into campfires. I am especially vocal about the neighbours giving their young children spent fireworks casings to throw in the fire (IIRC that was the topic of last year's horror story). I also don't really see the point in burning things that end up releasing toxic and/or foul smelling particles into the air. Call me crazy. It wrecks the whole point of sitting around a campfire.

In deference to my crazy notions, the neighbours don't throw anything and everything in the fire anymore. At least, not until I go to bed for the night...

One night last week, exactly this scenario occurred. The campfire had broken up, and my neighbour dumped the contents of his recycling bin onto the fire to burn, just before going into the house to check on his kids. I was at home, and I just happened to be looking out the window. There was a muffled BOOM and the whole yard lit up for a split second. I wondered, but didn't find out the rest of the story until the next day.

My neighbour had thrown one of those little camper-size propane bottles into the recycling bin some time earlier, and then forgotten about it. It exploded, and according to my neighbour, his entire house shook when it went off. When my neighbour investigated, there was nothing left of the campfire, it was basically an empty crater. No wood, no embers. Nothing. Had anyone been standing around that fire, they would have been severely injured.

I doubt that this will change the behavior of any of the people involved, but we'll see. I wish I'd taken a picture of the propane cannister, which my neighbour eventually found in his yard. Everyone who sees it shivers at how violently the metal was ripped apart.

Let's see, what else -- oh, of course no new years can be complete without the yearly Firework contraption photo... this year's display had bigger, more expensive fireworks, but suffered from technical glitches that made it less impressive than last year. ...and my sled suffered from technical difficulties. A bolt came loose and the suspension worked itself into a poor state through vibration. Luckily we were looking at getting a new machine anyways... the last time I rode it the emergency brake was left on as well (I let a friend ride it) and the brake burned out. We were on a steep peak at the time - it was quite the adventure to get it down safely. It was an interesting experience to half-expect to sacrifice your machine. As it turned out, between hubby and I (me on my sled, him on his with a rope between), we managed to get it down at a snail's pace, with no runaways.

And how are we all this year? Any violent experiences or passionate resolutions that I should be aware of?

Not a personal story but...

[nacturation]

A friend told me that an acquaintance of theirs was driving home from Whistler on New Year's Day and traffic was going slow because the conditions weren't all that great plus there was a snowplow stuck (!) on the side of the road. So this person decided to pass someone across a double line. I don't know all the details, but the long and short of it is that said person walked away moderately banged up with various soft tissue damage, etc. but managed to kill not only her husband who was in the passenger's

Re:

[SlashChick]

Now surely that story would have made the news...

Here is the closest story I could find: http://www.squamishchief.com/madison%5CWQuestion.n sf/0/6AAFDDEE8150FD918825724600034115?OpenDocument [squamishchief.com]

If that was indeed in December 2006, I think your friend has some facts wrong.

Re:

[sillypixie]

I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't make the news. A lot of these accidents happen away from the local towns that might print that kind of thing, and they fall through the cracks.

On our way home the winds were so bad that a cessna crashed in a farmer's field just before we drove through. The propellers were all bent to hell so I assume that it attempted to land and didn't succeed particularly, except for the being on the ground part. We saw hazmat and police speeding towards the scene farther down the r

Re:

[nacturation]

Well it was January 1 2007, but aside from that it's a third-hand story and I'm just relating it as I heard it. I have no reason to believe that it's not true.
 

Bunch of idiots.

[Some Woman]

I once stopped a group of college-aged hoodlums from stealing our brand new (and thus very full) full-sized propane tank off of the grill on our porch. They planned to toss it into a bonfire in the middle of the intersection. Fucking idiots. If it weren't for the fact that two blocks worth of houses would be destroyed in the ensuing explosion, I should have let them take it and remove themselves from the gene pool.

Re:

[sillypixie]

Wow, that is bad. Some people should just be euthanized at birth. A woman died here a few years back when a bunch of teenagers lugged a huge pumpkin to the top of a pedestrian overpass. They dropped it on a passing car, and it went right through the windshield, hitting the driver of the car, a young mother. My friend was the first cop on the scene - she died in his arms.

Maybe this is really an argument for teaching physics in schools a little sooner?

Re:

[Some Woman]

That's horrible! Did anything happen to the kids who did it?

Ah, but I do that sort of thing on purpose...

[Kymermosst]

You should see what happens when the big propane-grill size tanks go off... though often they blow the ignition source out and the propane just gets away.

Of course, kids, don't try this at home. At least, not without the proper berms, sandbags, etc. and a wealth of experience blowing things up.

Re:

[sillypixie]

Ooh, can I come to YOUR barbeques?

I would love to photograph something like that sometime.

Pix

Re:

[Kymermosst]

Ah, but unfortunately I now live in an apartment in a medium-sized city. Can't really blow stuff up.

I do want to make a bowling ball mortar and take it out to the desert. Nothing like making a 16-pound ball fly a half-mile.

I hear,,,

[Dyspunctic]

I, hear? that you; occasionally) also ha(ve a, problem w:::ith dys!punctia;

Re:

[sillypixie]

Shhhhhhh

People don't talk about those things in public!

*assumes loud voice* I have NO idea what this person is talking about...

*grin*

Pix