Yesterday was a hell of a morning.  It was the second day of the new year... coming off of a full moon.... I should have expected chaos.  I was cat sitting at a house since the weekend.  I was hearing odd beeps after turning off the house alarm.  I got in touch with the owner and tried to figure out where it was coming from.  It look me a few days to narrow it down.  It was not the house alarm, nor was it the carbon monoxide detector. It was the smoke alarm.  When I figured that out, I told the owner and she asked if I could replace the battery.  The last visit I was making was yesterday morning.  I had my trusty assistant with me to help out with my morning stuff.  We found the smoke alarm in question and tried to remove it to open it up and at least take the battery out.  I had visions of that friends episode where Phoebe breaks her smoke detector....

Well, we couldn't remove it, but we hit the reset button.  Then the house alarm starts going off!  I fly down the stairs and see on the screen that it says FIRE on the alarm system! NO!!!  I hit the code a few times and it seems to clear.  Then I hear a phone ringing.  I can't find the phone and I figure it's the alarm company.  I finally realize it is coming from the basement so I fly down THOSE steps to find the fax machine and a fax coming through. I get a text from the owner saying the alarm company called her (it was 6am where she was) to ask her about this "fire" and could I deal with it.  I assumed it was dealt with, until Terry says, "Do I hear sirens?"  Fuuucckkkkk!!!!  I open the door and see a fire truck at the end of her tiny street (sirens and all) with 3-4 firemen fully suited, briskly walking down the street.  I take off running down the street telling them that there is no fire, it was just the alarm malfunctioning.  They told me that they still had to check, it was protocol.

I breathe a heavy sigh and with my head hung low I walk them back to their house all the while telling neighbors that everything is fine.  They come in, see that there is no fire, tell me that the alarm is hard-wired to the smoke alarm and there is no battery.  Then they start pointing out other things int eh house that need to be tightened and fixed.  I kept telling them it was not my house, I was only pet sitting, I was terribly sorry that they had to come out, and was she going to get charged for this???   Ugh...  Needless to say I went home and shut down for a bit.  Too much excitement for 9 am