One of the perks to my new place is that it has a genuine gas streetlight out front. My little piece of sidewalk is lit by a real old-fashioned flame. I thought it was pretty neat until I found out that I ended up with the defective one that always peters out (that’s my dead one on the left). While the virile flames of my neighbors burn eternal, mine gives out whenever the wind picks up.

Aside from the darkness and feeling of emasculation, I can smell the unburnt gas escaping from it. Does anyone know if it’s advisable for me to light it on my own or is that just asking for third-degree burns? Will Washington Gas actually light it for me if I bug them about it? Someone re-lit it when it died before but it took a couple of weeks to happen.