Butagaz

It turns out that my hot-water woes weren't due to an outed pilot light, but instead to an empty butane tank. The plumber was very gracious about the mix-up, explaining that folks have gone as far as replacing the entire water-heater before realizing that the butane tank was empty.

We grabbed the reserve tank out of the kitchen for last night's shower, but that tank is also just about out. The concierge for my building is out now getting me a replacement tank (50 Dh with tip, or about $6.5 dollars).

Luckily my kitchen tank is still going strong for the moment. In fact, the flames have been higher than usual in the past two days and I'm wondering if I've somehow bumped something. My morning beverage of choice is cafe au lait, which I prepare using espresso and warmed whole milk. The photo here doesn't capture the extent of the blue flame as it licks up past the handles and over the tops of the containers. There's at least six inches of blue flame that's not showing in this photo, which is too bad, actually.

After the concierge returns, I'm off to school. We'll see who shows up today