So, I wake up yesterday, a short time before CSI comes on, and my mom is online, I guess waiting for me to show up, because she's got a video she wants to show me.

Mom sharing a video with me doesn't take as much time as you might think, because she's learned how to use a computer much better than she did before I moved out. All it takes is an open Yahoo IM window, and accepting a 'video chat' request, because mom figured out how to plug her video camera into the computer and get yahoo to play the tapes in the camera as the webcam feed.

I accept the video request and look at the blue screen for a few minutes, wondering what it is that I'm going to see. Did the dog do something? Was my sister in another parade? Is it my dad? Did I sleep through some really spiffy holiday? And then....

FIRE!

I was in an incredibly eloquent mood, being only just awake and staring at fire, so I said, "Someone's something caught fire a lot." Turns out, that was a really accurate statement. The fire was massive, and involved a whole bunch of firemen from the surrounding areas. I think I saw a list this morning, and there were at least seven towns there. Other countries on other planets may've responded -- I don't know. It was just a really big fire.

And my mom, having a video camera and being cool, went down to the fire and got video of it. She'll probably convert it to something that can be sent to me when she has time, so I'll be able to get screenshots of it and share.

About the fire? It was arson, apparently. Three kids, technically. Legally, one of them was an adult [18], which means the other two [16, and 14] are probably going to get off easy.