Phew! Holiday Season Almost Over!

Midtown Manhattan (NYC) was enveloped in fog early yesterday morning. I like the fog when it obscures the tall buildings -- they look like they just vanish midway up. ;-)

That's the Port Authority Bus Terminal on the right in the photo. I was heading up to Albany to visit my brother. I usually take the NJ Transit trains in and out of the city as they're faster than the buses. But, since I ended up my Albany trip at the PA Terminal, I took the bus which goes by my apartment for the first time since living here. Huh. I could get spoiled -- it wasn't crowded at all and the bus stop for that line is directly across the street from my apartment. I mean directly. No walking six blocks to the train station. It was like door to door service! Since I was getting in at 1 in the morning, very nice.

Then, as I approached my apartment door itself, I heard the BEEP of a smoke detector with low batteries. ARGH! I get inside and my carbon monoxide detector's batteries apparently went low. I had been out since before 6 AM! I wonder how long that had been going on. The cats were freaked out and my neighbors probably weren't too thrilled, either. After yanking out the batteries and assuming I wouldn't die of carbon monoxide poisoning in the overnight hours, I conked out.

Although I am still in a bit of a vegetable state as I write this, I have found my package of AA batteries and my detector is up and running again. Y'know, they should just program a voice for the detectors gently reminding me to change the batteries -- not that awful BEEP!

"It's time to change my batteries."
"Please change my batteries."
"Did you hear me? I need new batteries."
"Okay, last warning. Give me new batteries or I will beep to annoy and/or scare you, your cats and all the neighbors."
"Batteries! NOW!"
"Okay, BEEEEEEEEEEP..... BEEEEEEEEP...... BEEEEEEEP"
"Ah, you gave me new batteries. That's all I wanted. :::blink::: :::blink::::"