A couple of days ago, I wrote, on my other blog, about my problems with fireworks at 2:27 a.m. Well, it may not have been the same fireworkers, but stupidity again proved why they are and should be illegal.

A nineteen-year-old in Colorado caused an explosion when he put fireworks into a coffee grinder.

He wanted to break them down to make bigger fireworks.

According to the article, the blast was felt a quarter of a mile away. The kid is now recovering from serious burns; at least he is intact.

This story sums up my feelings about fireworks used as toys by amateurs.

Fireworks are explosives. That is why they shouldn’t go in things that might ignite them, things that cause friction and heat, things like coffee grinders.

I’m not sure what makes a person look at something dangerous and assume that the risks don’t apply. With the people letting off huge fireworks in my neighborhood in the middle of the night, I wondered if they thought about the fact that a poorly aimed rocket could start a substantial high-rise fire, go through a window, land on a roof.

I can’t help but wonder if this will be this kid’s last time playing with fireworks, or if he’ll think he’ll know better the next time. I wonder if this risk will translate to another risk to another risk, until he finds one from which he can’t recover.

Maybe these musings are just those of a non-risk taker, a person who looks at parachuting out of planes and thinks, “why?”

Then again, on the other hand, I like my other hand.

And I’d like to keep them both where they are, pretty sparkles or no.