last night

A line of music from a song that was around, I think, when I was in h.s. is floating in my thoughts:  last night, I didn't get to sleep at all. She goes on to sing about love and her foolish pride. Well, I have lots of foolish pride but none related to my failure to sleep well last night.

As soon as I snuggled in for the night, around 4 a.m. (I don't sleep regular hours), I swear that the very instant I burrowed into my down, a beeper went off. At first, I told myself it was my imagination. Then I heard it again and reasoned it came from another apartment. But it kept beeping.

One of my smoke alarms was beeping. Not because of smoke. Just an irritating beep.

I got up and found some ear plugs, the cheap kind you pick up at conferences, the kind that are uncomfortable in the ears but which do block lots of sound.  I figured it was not a 'maintenance emergency', not a reason to awaken my building manager.

So when I arose around 11 a.m. I called in. After four hours, and another call to prod his appearance, the janitor came. It is surprisingly draining to listen to an unrelenting beep.  It is a good noise. It is supposed to get your attention.  It does. The janitor first put in an old battery. He had a bunch of 9 volt batteries and put in another dead one. So he had to come back. The second time, he put in three or four more duds before one worked. He did not separate out the dead batteries from good ones. He put them all back in the same pouch.  He said the problem was he had not put the battery in exactly right but that was not the problem. He had used dead batteries. Duh?

Anyway.  Life has a way of making your happy in unexpected ways.  I am so happy not to hear the beep anymore.  My home feels much homier now.