After I hung up i could smell burning plastic and remembered that I'd put the kettle on the stove about 20 minutes ago. I hadn't heard it whistle, maybe due to the music or the titillating conversation with Aigun. But anyway I ran out to the kitchen to find the kettle empty with the handle melted clean off and some of the melted plastic starting to catch fire on the element. Just got there in time to avoid a major disaster. The worst part is that now the whole place wreaks of burnt plastic... even after a good spray of the vanilla deodorizer I picked up at the dollar store.
