I SAVED THE CITY! I can't believe I forgot all about it.

What happened was, well actually I'll start first by telling you about the garbage strike...

So there was a garbage strike in Toronto, which was just resolved on Friday. It was fucking disgusting downtown for a while there.

Here's what our garbage bins looked like - Pic thanks to Torontoist's strike watch:


This grossness was 5 minutes from my workplace.

On Monday, I was walking with my coworker Aaron towards St. Andrew's subway. Dodging blowing bits of garbage like tumbleweeds, etc. I was in a fantastic mood because we'd just stopped for burritos. Just a quick ride on the subway home for me and I could lie on the couch and eat that awesome yam burrito!

So, we stand there at the subway entrance talking for a sec (about our amazing burritos)...

…suddenly Aaron looks over my shoulder and says “IS THAT GARBAGE BIN ON FIRE?”

YES, it was totally on fire!

A garbage bin was billowing smoke from one of the slots. Some cigarette had ignited all the trash and the bin was on fire!

“What should we do? Should we do something? Should we call someone?” We were both at a loss. Is this our responsibility?

We stared at the bin. Ok, what would a good citizen do?

What would all those civil servants have done in Children of Earth?

Well, unfortunately there was no time for a meeting. There was no time for me to draw up an agenda or even have a conference call with a superior. Aaron had his climbing gear so I said – "HEY you always have water" and I went through his backpack and pulled out his sports bottle.

"Ew, don't," said Aaron. "Damn."

THEN I went to the garbage bin and started flinging water everywhere!!! Inside the garbage bin and on the garbage and kind of on me.

I coughed through the smoke like a hero! Aaron was useless, LOLing and doing nothing to support my heroism.

Then I hear a voice: “I think she did it !”

I turn around and behind me are two cops. They came out of a building when they saw the fire but I had already put the fire out and saved the city. "We didn't start that fire," I point out nervously. "We just did something about it because we are good citizens."

One of the cops says: “We should cancel the fire department” so they call Toronto Fire and say Do not send a truck – Claire has saved the taxpayers much money, perhaps, THOUSANDS of dollars!!!

Once I was assured that I was not in trouble I asked: “Do I get a certificate because I am a hero?”

The cops said they didn’t have that power. FUCKING HELL.

But Aaron took a camerafone pic with them and that was my reward for being awesome.



"Why didn't I think to get a pic of the fire too?" I complained.

"My water bottle touched garbage!" Aaron complained.