I woke up at 1:15 to the sound of the fire alarm blaring. Stumbling
blearily out of bed, I grabbed a jacket, stuffed my laptop into the
bag, and slipped on my boots. The alarm showed no sign of abating, so
I took seven flights of stairs down to the ground.

Two fire engines were parked outside YMCA. A crowd of people in
various stages of sleep milled around waiting for news. I remembered
to bring my glasses this time, so I could see

Aside from a strange flickering on one of the floors, there seemed to
be no sign of a fire. When one fire engine drove off, I knew things
were all right.

I don't remember feeling annoyed about interrupted sleep. I was just
glad that there wasn't a fire and that if there was, the response
would be quick.