Thursday, March 26, 2009

Snuff It

Today I extinguished a candle with my fingers.

This activity was on my original list of Things to do, but I never got around to it, because I was scared that I'd burn my fingers. However, today I decided to stop being a chicken and complete the task.

I've watched people do this before, so I know that the trick is to get your fingers wet before you touch the flame. The liquid adds a protective layer of water so your skin won't get burned. After your fingers are wet, you grab the wick and then release it quickly.

I got a votive candle out of the dining room, set it on the island in the kitchen, then lit it. After a couple of minutes of psyching myself up, I stuck my fingers in my mouth and pinched the candle wick. It went out with a sizzle; I guess I had really wet fingers!

My fear turned out to be groundless. It didn't hurt at all. As a matter of fact it was so cool that I repeated the whole process again.

5 comments:

  1. What I find is that things we anticipate as being awful are really not that bad. It's our own hype that gets the adrenaline flowing. The actual event is usually a let down in comparison to the scenario we conjure in our imaginations.

    Moral of the story: whatever it is that gives you grief - just get it over with. You may even be pleasantly surprised at the outcome once it's done.

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  2. I do this and it freaks Joseph out. I've even done it without wetting my fingers and it still doesn't hurt.

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  3. I remember doing this! Now, I just use a plain-old candle extinguisher. Boring. I need to start looking for a new thing to do every day.

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  4. Nothing, absolutely nothing turns out the way I thoght it would. Strange huh?

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