Saturday, June 14, 2008

Baked sewing machine oil, anyone?

That is by far the strangest blog post title I've ever written.

We went on a date tonight, just out to dinner and a movie. When we got back into our car, we noted that there was an incredibly strong smell of lemon Pledge. As if someone dumped lemon pledge oil onto our car mats. So we looked for the source (a couple of times) and then realized that some clothes I had left in the car (from our splash pad adventures) all had some of the nasty-smelling stuff on them! So, as a raging headache began to grow and I coughed and had mild chest pain, we drove home, wondering who on earth (bored and mischievous teenagers?) would dump lemon Pledge oil on clothes in a car in 105-degree heat, and why?!

In fact, as I started to feel worse, we went as far as thinking we needed to report a little spot of vandalism to the police, although we were perfectly sure we had kept the van locked! So we did. We reported it, calmly of course, but still completely baffled as to this weird "crime".

Well, I am feeling mighty sheepish. Phill discovered that a random bottle of sewing machine oil that was inexplicably in the glove box (inexplicably like we were moving and strange things get put in strange places?) had broken open, pouring through the bottom of the glove box onto the pile of clothes. Luckily the police were very kind when we called them back and told them it would not be necessary to bump up the manpower around the movie theater.


HOW STUPID!! :)

I'm starting to feel a little more detoxified now, though I'm still not feeling so great. Maybe I'll call poison control and ask them about it. I wonder if they've ever heard that kind of call. Ha. How would that call even sound? "Um...hello? Yes, I was just wondering....um....sewing machine oil that was dumped in a car in 105-degree heat and left to sit for almost two hours, then accidentally inhaled for a few minutes?" I imagine they've heard stranger things.

Update: After googling "poison control sewing machine oil" and learning that it is a hydrocarbon and inhalation of such is potentially dangerous, I called Poison Control. They told me that typically the worst things (you know, arythmia, death...) just happen to those who actually inhale hydrocarbons on purpose, and that I just need to be aware of my symptoms and be mindful of whether I need to go to the doctor or not. I'm still coughing a little and having chest pain, but I don't have a headache anymore. I don't think I'll get chemical pneumonia. :) I think I'm going to be just fine. Oh, and it was 3-in-1 oil--not sewing machine oil.

Postnote: Happy Father's Day!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I suppose one blessing here is that you didn't have your children in the car at the time, they might have had a harder time handling the symptoms. I hope you are feeling better!!!!

camilla said...

lol. U called the cops? You are WEIRD! hahahahahah. :) I totally love you. As I am typing this, Izzy has gotten a 'safety violation' from that weird lou and lou show? lol. Izzy was going to get a bottle of water and spill it. That is a safety violation. lol. Weirdo.

Pam from Over the Big Moon said...

I totally had to laugh at that post. It sounds like something I would do! hehe :)

Also, your house looks awesome! It is way beautiful! I can't wait to see it in person this weekend! Feel free to call me if you want to talk more about the details. My phone number is on the bottom of my emails I believe!

Lara Neves said...

Hee hee! Thanks for the laugh! I really got a kick out of the fact that you called the police!

I do really hope that you get the smell out of your car, the clothes, and also that you don't die from inhaling the fumes. :)