As many of you know, I am very prone to blonde moments. This is a good one:

From the photos of my apartment, you can see I have a fireplace. I've been staring at this fireplace since I moved in and longing for the moment to give it a whirl. Now that it is actually "chilly" enough, I've become more gungho. But this fireplace is electric, fake, you know... the kind that has a switch somewhere that just automatically throws the fire into motion. I was not sure where this switch was or how the settings worked, so when I finally had a friend come over to help me put the glass top on my dining table, I decided to take advantage of the fact that I had a guy around to help me figure out how the fireplace works. Here is how the exchange went:

Me: Ok, I'm looking for the switch for the fireplace. How about this one on the wall?

(Turns out to turn on one of the deck lights)

Me: Oh. Dang. I don't see any other switches outside the fireplace... I don't like sticking my hands randomly into hearths... Oh, how about this lever here?

Friend: Uhmm... that's a flue, Larissa.

Me: Really? Are you sure? (as I open and close the flue several times for good measure to check that no flames will just suddenly pop out somewhere, still convinced this has to be a fake fireplace)

Friend: Yes, I'm sure. Did you not notice the chimneys on your rooftop deck? You are there enough to take pictures...

Me: Oh, is that what those are. Huh.