still perfecting ways of making (something) wax

on my way out of the office tonight, i attempted to blow out a new candle on my work table. the flame was unusually persistent, so i huffed, and i puffed, and i ... sprayed a great plume of hot green wax all over everything.

the incident brought a smile for four reasons:

1. friends know that candles are my weekend indulgence, especially in winter. ann miller, a friend and department administrator who struggles mightily to keep me organized, will get a chuckle from the festive pattern. she gave me the candle.

2. though none of the splatter actually reached the roof, the episode brought to mind a long-forgotten sealing wax v. ceiling wax debate with the boys in the band. as i recall, this great debate was less lincoln-douglas than st. hubbins-tufnel (we split up soon after, citing creative differences).

3. the spatter brings a certain arty splendor that the glass table had been sorely lacking.

4. it reminds me that i tend to make bigger messes when i rush around than when i practice a li'l patience. better to receive this lesson from some cool candle splatter than from, say, a car accident on the commute home. drive safely.