Crisis averted, safety assured, idiot left in wake

A long setup wouldn't do justice to my Sunday afternoon, so I'll go ahead and concede that I'm an idiot. Around 1pm I went to pick up my dog from the groomer's and was greeted with a packed up car full of kids and pool gear, let the dog in my house, and hopped in my wife's car to head out for an afternoon of fun and sun.

What I didn't do was turn off my car. I returned three hours later to a car that had stalled itself out on what I can only assume was its own fumes as it filled my garage with exhaust.

What I didn't know was all of that. So when I pulled into my garage and smelled gas and then went into my home and heard the carbon monoxide detector going off, I went outside and called the gas company who called the fire department. I went back inside to let the dog out (he's fine, by the way) and open some windows. Then I went to grab something out of my car and realized what had happened.

On the bright side, even though it was my own stupidity that caused this issue, I still had done all of the right things, like having one of these and calling the gas company at the first sign of trouble (and quite frankly I don't know how long it would have taken to clear my house of enough carbon monoxide to be safe it we didn't have super fireman fans).

Also on the bright side? I warranted at least three extra vehicles on my street.

Sure it was taxpayer money, but it's gotta be my turn, right? 

On the super bright side? Hallie (the only kid home at the time) got a super cute hat and a pretty pimp ride.

Bonus? Hunky local firemen.

Obviously this post is mostly about me being stupid, but please do get a carbon monoxide detector. They are cheap, easy to install, and provide a lot of piece of mind.

Especially if you're a dumbass.