close call  I hate it when some one shares an experience that
starts with "So, funny story..." When that phrase prefaces what
you have to say, the story is rarely funny.  That being said...
funny story, I almost died the other day.  Right outside the
window of my basement classroom is a large gas generator
(flammable gasses, highly explosive). On the other side of a
paved fifteen foot loading area is refrigeration and ventilation
controls. Both pieces of machinery have large signs that warn
‘no smoking with in fifty feet.’  I have caught agents smoking
out there; one was even leaning against the generator while
smoking what could have been his very last cigarette. I said,
“Excuse me.” He cocked his head to the side like a confused dog
and asked “What?” I just pointed to the ‘flammable gasses, no
smoking’ sign. “Oh, crap.” He said, and then started to walk
away to the parking lot.  Since my classroom is in the basement,
there is a hill side climbing steeply from either side. Holding
up the landscaping next to