Fighting Muscle Memory

So, it appears that the boil water order that has been in effect for the last couple of days for the Boston area is already over. The leak was fixed, the water has been tested so we can start drinking tap water again. I guess the rush for bottled water was much ado about nothing. I bet those people who came to blows in the super market over a case of Poland Springs must feel pretty stupid right about now. (Actually, I would hope they felt stupid immediately after the fight, if not during. At least they're all set for water for their Memorial Day barbecue.) After everyone runs the water through their faucets for 20 minutes or so, we can forget this this ever happened and go back to acting as though clean water coming to our homes is a giant magic trick. Frankly, I feel like it's not a moment too soon because as it turns out, following a boil water declaration is harder to follow than you think.

Sure, for the last couple of days I had been brushing my teeth with bottled water, but for the 28 years prior to that I had been able to simply run my toothbrush under the tap whenever I needed to clean it off. That's 28 years of habit to break. So, I had been starting out with the bottled water on my toothbrush, but then I would run it under the faucet without thinking. I mean, I did this almost every time. That's twice a day I would make this mistake (nope, I'm not one of those people who brushes after lunch, sorry). Frankly, I'm not sure what level of contamination I was risking here. Just remind me to never go to Mexico, because I would be chomping on ice cubes and brushing my teeth without ever thinking twice about it. It wouldn't be until I got home and had to live in the bathroom for a couple weeks that I would finally realise the error of my ways.

-There is a story in the news right now about a baseball fan who, in a moment of youthful exuberance, ran onto the field during last night's Cardinals/Phillies game. After chasing him for a couple minutes, the security at the park got tired and decided to tase him to end the pursuit. Now, because it's all over YouTube and it turns out the kid was a harmless, 17 year-old high school senior (who even thought to call his dad and ask if he could run onto the field) people are wondering if the taser was necessary. [Sidebar: this kid's dad said, "I don't think you should." Clearly he should have been more persuasive. I believe my father would have said something more along the lines of "No."] Personally, I feel like the tasing was just fine. Yeah, the guy turned out to be a fun-loving kid, but how was security supposed to know that? Better to air on the side of safety. Not to mention, he wasn't supposed to be on the field to begin with. Also, I kind of feel like if this kid was 27, not 17, then this wouldn't even be an issue today. Bottom line: don't want to be tased? Don't go on the field.