Comments on: Up in Smoke, Up in the Air http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/ "it must give pleasure" -- Wallace Stevens Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:38:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Jeff http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1042 Mon, 04 Sep 2006 03:17:47 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1042 Is your area prone to power surges? Because even with a faulty battery, any computer, Mac or [sic] PC won’t draw enough power to fry your cable. I would tend to take a look at either the cable or if there was any power difficulties in your neighborhood.

But enough of me being a geeky techie. I’m still jealous you have a Mac. I’ve been saving for nearly 2 1/2 years for mine, as working in film doesn’t provide quite a consistent level of savings. So I must edit on Avid on this poor little PC. Luckily I’m getting busier now. Fingers crossed.

]]> By: bloglily http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1040 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 21:31:08 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1040 Hey all — I’m actually IN the Emeryville apple store, where my power cord was nicely replaced by the guy at the genius bar (they’re the geniuses, I wonder what they call us? The idiots?)   But I have to send my computer in for a repair of other problems, which is okay I guess. The boys will have to deal with sharing their computer with their mom. Poor things.

sue, I didn’t know that. And that it made the AP wire is most impressive. Smokey — thanks for the tip

Hi litlove, I hope you had a nice trip away. And thank you for the amazon link. That’s my next move. xxoo, BL

]]> By: litlove http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1039 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 20:19:48 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1039 Dear Bloglily – I’d gone away for the weekend and so have come late to your love of Maupassant, but I’m so thrilled! He IS a wonderful writer and I’m delighted you’ve discovered him. I echo the sentiments of Mandarine -Boule de suif is also fab, and well so is most of what he has written. I notice that on amazon.com you can get The Complete Short Stories Part One and that has Le Horla in it: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Short-Stories-Guy-Maupassant/dp/1417936142/sr=1-1/qid=1157314487/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-3665732-7491109?ie=UTF8&s=books
But if you have difficulties let me know and I’ll photocopy it for you and stick it in the post. I am sorry to hear about the power cable, but boy I’ll bet you impressed your children as a one-woman fire brigade!

]]> By: noshowerfamily food blog http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1038 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 15:49:54 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1038 you should read Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw. it totally freaked me out when i read it, and i never read it again.

*scary* books don’t freak me out easily since my two of my favorite books are American Psycho and Stephen King’s Different Seasons (the Shawshank Redepmption’s in it, and the story that was made into the movie Stand by Me). but The Turn of the Screw was really scary for me for some reason.

]]> By: smokey http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1037 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 15:07:51 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1037 12. I like the bowl of raspberries but I found an avatar for you more suited for a firewoman. Check it out on my site.

]]> By: Sue Crocker http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1036 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:10:36 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1036 My oldest was a firebug – not a fun thing to have happen. He started his bed on fire because he wanted a fire in his room. As it happened, it was 30 below zero, my ex was out running.. and the story made the AP wire. :) He stopped setting fires right after that.

]]> By: bloglily http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1032 Sun, 03 Sep 2006 02:14:44 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1032 Emily, your spooky list is very impressive. And don’t forget to send me your own original!

Well, Kate, if I can save a single soul the trauma I’ve been through…. No, really, it’s a bummer about those batteries, but the apple people have always been very nice when I’ve gone in for a visit. A while back, all the letters on my keyboard started to disappear and I went in and they snapped new ones on. I didn’t know that about Chekhov and de Maupassant. Thanks for mentioning it.

Kristin, I’ve never had a computer fire before but, like you’ve, I’ve wondered about how hot things can get sometimes. (And if anyone could come back through the ether to haunt you, de Maupassant seems like a good candidate.) I’d better go get that book.

]]> By: Kristin Ohlson http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1030 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 20:22:51 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1030 Maybe the fire was de Maupassant coming back through the ether, telling you, “Go buy the book!”

Very scary! I always worry about cords that feel warm and about odd smells around electrical things. Not baseless fears, I guess.

]]> By: Kate S. http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1029 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 19:42:19 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1029 I realize it wasn’t the point of the story, but thanks for mentioning the Mac battery recall. I hadn’t heard about it until I read your post. Upon investigation, it turns out that my computer harbours one of the batteries that needs to be replaced. So, your quick action with the power cord may not have been your only act of fire prevention yesterday!

It’s been a long time since I read de Maupassant. I’d been thinking of revisiting him after my recent Chekhov immersion given that de Maupassant is often cited as one of Chekhov’s major influences. Your post makes me even keener to do so!

]]> By: Emily http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1027 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:24:47 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1027 All right, time to read some Maupassant (and obsiously someone to add to my yearly list of scary stuff to read in October and November).

]]> By: bloglily http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1025 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:07:56 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1025 Hi Helen, We’re off to the apple store later today or first thing in the morning. My boys are not happy about me monopolizing their computer. Mandarine, Thank you for those other Maupassant suggestions. I’ll be looking for a good translation. Hi Dorothy — I’m going to read the real spooky story next. I don’t think it ends well. Ex libirs, I think stamping on the power cord was a bit of an exaggeration. I sort of nudged it with my foot. Anyway, it was only a bit of a fire, but smelly.

]]> By: Ex Libris http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1024 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 13:12:59 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1024 OMG! You had a much cooler head than I would have had. Glad it wasn’t worse. I remember reading Maupassant a little in high school, but that is about it. I am adding him to my bookstore list.

]]> By: Dorothy W. http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1023 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 11:57:24 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1023 I haven’t read Maupassant that much, but maybe I should! You make me want to know the exciting conclusion to that story …

]]> By: mandarine http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1022 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 11:55:58 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1022 Erratum: ‘it’ stands for ‘said power cord’ — everybody knows how hard it is to unplug a phenomenon ;-)

]]> By: mandarine http://bloglily.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1021 Sat, 02 Sep 2006 11:52:48 +0000 https://bloglily.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/up-in-smoke-up-in-the-air/#comment-1021 I have seen a power cord go up in sparks and flames before, and we stopped the phenomenon by unplugging it (I would firmly recommend this procedure rather than courageously stepping on a smouldering short-circuit; I am glad it worked, though).

For those who want the text in French (unavailable at the Gutenberg project), I have found it here. It was actually not published under that title originally. Your confusion is understandable.

The scary tale Litlove was mentioning is Le Horla, and can be found at the Gutenberg project in its original version but I could find no english translation. You will probably have to buy it (if you find a good translation, I guarantee this is no wasted money).

Maupassant also wrote poignant social stories. The one I like best is Boule de Suif. Bel Ami or Une Vie are also quite amazing writings. Proof enough there are (or at least have been) non-macho frenchmen.

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