Spontaneous Human Combustion
Remember when you were little and you first head about Spontaneous Human Combustion and you got scared shitless because you were convinced you could catch fire and die? OK, maybe you didn't but I did. I was an odd child with a lot of fears and this was one of them. Well, I grew out of that fear but now it is back. Currently I am sitting in front of a fan with a cold cloth around my head. It is so hot! Add hot flashes to the picture and S.H.C is inevitable. Our house is currently at 29 Celsius and does not have air conditioning. We have not had a drop of rain is weeks. Normally I kvetch about the rain but come on already. This is British Columbia! It is supposed to rain and not be this hot. Anyway, if I never post again it is because I caught on fire and died of Spontaneous Human Combustion. (That or the Ungrateful Bastard and his clone Devil Spawn Norbert killed me.)
I like that, SHC.I had the same fear when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's hot all over. I have a stinking feeling that Texas will catch fire sometime this weekend if we don't get rain again soon.
I hear ya! We've been traveling all over the states and it's bloody hot here too! I have a cold from the A/C.
ReplyDeleteIce cubes. In your bra. And drink hot tea.
Just wait till the thunderstorms arrive to break the heatwave. I drove through a foot of standing water to get home from work two days ago. Now my car's in the garage because the engine was drenched!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, I was terrified of this concept. I checked out a book on SHC from the library when I was around age 12 and it scared the shit out of me. There were these terrible pictures of half-burned corpses of humans and they were ghastly. I lived in mortal fear of that happening to me for years. When I grew up and became an LVN, an ER doctor told me that the concept was total bunk, so I decided to believe him. In all of my years as an ER nurse (maybe 20 years, or so), I never saw a single incident of SHC, so I've pretty much chilled on the fear that it's a reality. I'm not dumb enough to say it could never happen, because I know ANYTHING can happen, but I'm lots less afraid of the whole concept now.
ReplyDeleteIt was quicksand that I was afraid of as a child. I didn't hear about SHC until later in life. Believe me- after umpteen years of hot flashes in Florida, if I haven't spontaneously combusted, it's probably not going to happen to you.
ReplyDeleteIt's enough to make you want to crawl inside the refrigerator and shut the door.
ReplyDeleteI watched a documentary about this exact thing awhile back. It was fascinating...and weird. Not sure if I believe it or not, but it is interesting. If it happens to you, I've no doubt a movie will be made at some point. You'll become famous.
ReplyDeleteI get more scared about spontaneous combustion when there is no heatwave and my body is just hot - incredibly hot. Not often but sometimes my body does this thing. Hot, hot, hot I fear i will blow up and burst into flames. Oh sorry hope I am not making it worse. I have this thing going on where someone tells me they are scared of something and I try to reassure or empathise with them - but I just seem to increase their anxiety. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteGot smores?
ReplyDeleteMommy says 29 degrees is cool haha! We have to sit in front of the fan all the time too and sometimes we have cold baths two or three times a day!
ReplyDeleteTry lots of iced water and little colthing!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Puerto Rico with no central air just an air conditioning unit on my mom's bedroom and lots of fans, open windows and shorts to be able to survive the heat during the summer months.
I think it's Norbert and his clone controlling the weather!
ReplyDeleteWe had a show here called 'Kolchak, The Night Stalker' back in the '70s and one of the episodes was about spontaneous combustion. It ended up being some evil doppelgänger causing the trouble.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, yeah, I know all about certain childhood fears.
No a/c? Oh my! I need it on especially for sleeping. Around here though you have to have it. The humidity is so bad. And the heat index had our temps over 100 but this week it's been much better mid-80s.
Wishing you a nice cool rain and sweet breezes very soon!
Ehrmagerd! I thought it was just me, but I would see those episodes of "Unsolved Mysteries" on A&E about spontaneous human combustion and just KNEW it was going to happen to me!
ReplyDeleteIt's hot here too. And muggy; it rained for 43 days straight. I'm blaming the weather for my funky mood...and bad hair.
I remember the fear of combustion! There were so many stories floating around when I was a kid and I just knew they were true... I mean, would make that crap up?!
ReplyDeleteOur temps here in the valley of death are averaging about 102 with a heat index of 108-112 depending on the humidity...which sits at about 95% most of the time. We haven't seen rain in months.
I have an A/C but it can't keep up... in the afternoons our tin can heats up to about 80 degrees inside.
MS, menopause, and heat... lovely
I hope you guys get some relief very soon!
O dear, I DO remember my childhood dread of SHC. Can't quite remember how I even knew about it though lol! We're getting the occasional brief rainstorm here to offset the 35 degree heat!!
ReplyDeleteI saw this and OMG I was so freaked out with the SHC! I remember asking over and over again if it would happen to me. I will be kind and not laugh at your complaints over the heat, because I am quite sure I would never survive your winters. Just piggy backing on Ofelia's excellent advice: Shorts, light colored clothing, (cotton is best), box fans, cold showers, iced tea or lemonade, and as little physical movement as possible will help. Also lying on the tile floor is highly recommended, (if you have tile that is). Stay cool : )
ReplyDeleteLOL! Okay, though I have never had childhood fears of SHC, I am with you on having a current one. I hate the heat AND the hot flashes. Try to remain cool sweetie and beware the ungrateful bastard and his clone (hehehe) Warmest...er...coolest hugs. Mina
ReplyDeleteEr...can't say I ever thought I was going to go up in flames...
ReplyDeleteI kind of get this. We live in a climate of 100+ (Fahrenheit)all summer long!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, I hope you don't burst into flames. Or if you do, here's hoping you're standing near a nice cold pond.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHA!! I'm glad to see that you're still posting Birdie and that neither SHC nor the devil spawn got you!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are experiencing normal Toronto weather, and we are experiencing your weather!
ReplyDeletePlease don't combust!