It's getting hot in herre

Last night I got the chance to spend quality time with my neighbors because our building caught on fire. (Or so say the fire alarms throughout my building.) The alarm activation transpired twice, although I missed the first go-around because I was taking an exam. My neighbors, many of their pets and I gathered outside as firemen casually uttered "How ya doin', folks?" as they entered the non-burning building.

I can only gather that the alarms had something to do with the heat kicking on. Yes, the temperature has dipped just enough that the old, familiar smoky smell of heat is in the air. Having lived in Texas, the smell makes me a bit nostalgic, since I associate it more with my long-ago youth than with my adulthood. I can't wait for it to snow. Oh goody, snow!!

In our apartment, some of the heaters are covered with attractive heater-cover-things. Come to think of it, all of them are except the one in my room. Observe:

As you can imagine, the lefthand heater thingy seems like a nice place to leave things, like stacks of papers, or a candle. Apparently one should leave nothing atop the heater, as it gets hot.
Speaking of things I'm afraid to touch, there's an Econ exam this evening. Study time.