The exploding ashtray.

Any company that knows, and I mean KNOWS, that they have unrealistic demands for their employees will provide an ashtray-- or many of them. There's nothing like promoting smoking in the corporate world... it's all just synergy!


One afternoon our ashtray caught on fire. Apparently someone thought it was a trashcan? It was the kind that looks like this: 

I'm still not really sure how this could be mistaken for a trashcan, unless you're used to shoving trash through a 2 inch hole. Anyway, the fact of the matter is, someone shoved trash in there, and later on someone through a lit cigarette in there... and voila! We had our very first ashtray meltdown!

Let me tell you, this "polyethylene" isn't so sturdy! I'm sure it didn't help that our maintenance man was attempting to put the fire out with WINDEX!  Yes, ammonia filled windex. I was watching the whole scene in awe from my window-seat, hoping for the best, but the fire ended up going out. Damn.