The two workers were removing carpet and glue from a floor in a building called New North, using lacquer thinner. Moments later, they plugged in a floor stripping machine–and things went kaboom. The machine evidently ignited the cloud of  chemical vapors that had collected in the room. The resulting blaze, which occurred at about 2:45 a.m,  burned both workers.

Piringer emails: "Initially the injuries were thought to be serious, with possible respiratory involvement, but it is no[w] expected that they will be treated and released, possibly today or tomorrow. Both were treated for minor burns to the face, hands and arms."

Officials prevously suspected the men might have severe burns and respiratory damage.

Piringer says the blaze was put out by a sprinkler system. He estimates that the building sustained about $40,000 worth of damage.

Georgetown Voice blog Vox Populi has pics.

Which is why one Georgetown University student – an overtaxed sophomore! – has placed an ad with the campus' student employment office seeking a personal assistant.

The Georgetown Voice's blog Vox Populi reprints the ad in full. We offer some of the highlights here:

As my PA you will receive an email once a day by 9:00 am with a task list for that day and a time estimate for each task. Important tasks will be bolded on the list and must be done that day (even though everything on the list should theoretically be finished on a daily basis). At the end of the day you will send me an email telling me what tasks are incomplete or that all tasks have been completed.

Seriously?

The pay is listed as $10-$12 an hour, which isn't bad, really, for the work Mr. Busy Student wants done. Among the tasks listed:

Organize closet – make bed -Drop off / pick up dry cleaning -Drop me off / pick me up from work -Do laundry -Fill up gas tank -bring car for servicing -schedule appointment for haircut -Pay parking tickets -manage electronic accounts -shopping and running errands -other random tasks.

Start date: immediate. Perks: occasional bonuses at employer's "discretion."

Ideas? Comments? I'm at eniedowski@washingtoncitypaper.com, and on Twitter.

Photo by sekimura, Creative Commons Attribution License

*U Street Girl comments on the fight at Cardozo High, in which 16 students were arrested, 15 injured, and 5 hospitalized after a cafeteria fight between several girls.

*district, schmistrict complains that (a) D.C. has no "townie" bars; (b) Baltimore has real taverns; (c) "fluffy companion dogs" are nice! but unattainable.

*Vox Populi's Lillian Kaiser writes a darling headline.

*Capitol Hill Style offers tips for purchasing V-Day flowers. The take-home? Hew to cultural convention:

Don’t Send the Wrong Message! Every flower in the garden has an assigned meaning. Red tulips are a declaration of undying passion. Daffodils are a symbol of unrequited love.

There’s a flower for any message you could want to send, and since women are notorious for reading too much into things, now would not be the time to choose haphazardly.

This means no yellow roses (”I just want to be friends,” or worse, infidelity). No yellow carnations (disdain and rejection). No hyacinth (jealousy) and no snapdragons (deception). Good rule of thumb: no yellow and no carnations.

*John Dickerson reports on Michelle Obama's trip to Adams Morgan, during which the First Lady addressed a gaggle of kids at Mary's Center:

"My name is Michelle, and I'm married to the president of the United States. Do you know his name?"

"Barack Obama," said a 5-year-old girl named Anise, who became the star of the show. She also knew the Obama daughters' names and several other pieces of information. (She was silent, however, on the stimulus bill.)

Darrow Montgomery / City Paper

College Rag Wrap-up: Your weekly roundup of what’s new(s) in D.C. college papers (and blogs). Each Monday, City Desk summarizes the most interesting stories from college oriented newspapers and blogs in the area. Links are compiled by City Paper intern Ryan J. Reilly, who is an editor at Catholic University’s student newspaper, the Tower.

American University—The Eagle

• The Eagle reports on professors and administrators who are using Facebook to communicate with faculty friends and sometimes students.
• AU continues to remain in good financial health despite difficult economic times, President Neil Kerwin said at an informal question-and-answer session.

Catholic University—The Tower, CUA Tower Blogs

• Two students mugged on "access road" by Metro station.
• Senior drama major won speech contest for her performance of President John F. Kennedy’s speech on civil rights and then-Senator Barack Obama’s May 18, 2008 speech addressing race in America.

Georgetown University—The Hoya, Vox Populi, Georgetown Voice

• Fraternity inductions are "a little creepy,” reports The Hoya in a first person account of the pledge process for Alpha Phi Omega.
• Georgetown cut ties with Russell Athletics after student protests following Russell’s decision to close Jerzees de Honduras, one of its factories in Honduras, when the workers attempted to form a union.
• Georgetown Voice follows a DPS officer on a six hour shift.

George Mason University – The Broadside, connect2mason.com

• George Mason seniors may be looking at grad school as an option because of the state of the economy.

George Washington University—The Hatchet, GW Hatchet Blogs, GWblogspot

• Students reported a bedbug infestation in GW's New Hall prompting the second series of fumigations in residence hall this semester. From the Hatchet: "More than the creatures themselves, however, students said they are bugged by the University's response to the problem." For more on bedbugs, see City Paper's Jan. 28 cover story.
• Hatchet misses photo opportunity: "After months of negotiations with University officials, a new theater company on campus has won the right to produce a show complete with full-frontal nudity."
• Student groups want protection for transgendered GW students. They want to alter the University's anti-discrimination policy to include transgender students, reports the Hatchet.
• Some professors want to limit laptop use in class.

Howard University—The Hilltop

• Howard University Dentistry School served as the location for eager children awaiting their first dentist appointment at the 7th annual “Give Kids a Smile” day held Friday.
• University working to set up recycling program, which has been pushed back multiple times.

University of Maryland—The Diamondback

• From the Diamondback: "For the first time in 11 years, all 10 chapters of the university's Pan-Hellenic Council, which oversees all minority fraternities and sororities, are present on the campus, each chapter representing a piece of history and culture for the university as well as the black community."
• UMD students sent disposable cameras to orphanages in Ukraine to connect the children with sponsors in the United States through their photos, reports the Diamondback. The pictures are posted on Shutters4Scholars.com and are linked to ways to give money to the children who took them.

Did we miss something? Think your University blog or news site should be on our radar? Leave links and tips in the comments box!

GW Hatchet editor Eric Roper (Darrow Montgomery)

College Rag Wrap-up: Your weekly roundup of what’s new(s) in D.C. college papers (and blogs). Each Monday, City Desk summarizes the most interesting stories from college oriented newspapers and blogs in the area. Links are compiled by City Paper intern Ryan J. Reilly, who is an editor at Catholic University’s student newspaper, the Tower.

American University—The Eagle

• Former press secretaries Dee Dee Myers and Ari Fleischer offered their advice to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Thursday night. Story features audio interviews with both Myers and Fleischer conducted by Eagle staff member Howie Perlman.
• American University's website is stuck in the past says columnist.
• Members of the AU Queers and Allies group "are looking forward to picking up new insights and ideas about how to advocate for change on AU's campus," says an article about a conference they attended.

Catholic University—The Tower, CUA Tower Blogs

• D.C. Department of Health confirms that illness affecting growing number of students is Norovirus.
• Architecture students are designing a new transportation hub on H Street. From the Tower: "The denizens of the traditionally depressed H Street corridor could see relief in the shape of a new transportation hub which could bring jobs and jump-start its local economy."
• Franny Murray, Catholic U.'s equipment manager of 62 years, was honored on Saturday with the dedication of the basketball court in his name. Features video from the Tower and ABC7.

Georgetown University—The Hoya, Vox Populi

• "Local boy makes good" story – New Illinois Gov. is Georgetown graduate, former Hoya sports editor.
• Georgetown does a poor job disseminating info, says one columnist.
• It's funny because it's true – Georgetown professor analyzes satirical media like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Onion.
• Vox Populi creates its own map of crime on Georgetown's campus. Also: trial version of Windows 7 is banned from campus. The Hoya may seek complete independence from the University.

George Washington University—The Hatchet, GW Hatchet Blogs, GWblogspot

• A GW University Police Department supervisor who served for nearly 30 years died in his Maryland home. From the Hatchet: "Anthony Sligh, 53, joined UPD when he was 25 years old and spent almost every night of his adult life working the midnight shift for the department."
• One student gives College Democrats a bad name by taking and defacing crosses used in an anti-abortion protest. From the Hatchet: "Members of the College Republicans found the crosses on Monday evening scattered around the office they share with the College Democrats. One was pinned upside down on a bulletin board and draped with a condom. Another featured a depiction of Jesus on the cross along with the words 'pwned' and 'lol,' and others were emblazoned with 'Darwin,' 'Take a condom' and 'Amelia West,' the vice president of the CDs." The photos were posted on a conservative website.
• Freshman has caught an average of one mouse per week in dorm room. From The Hatchet: "A college campus in an urban area makes Foggy Bottom a perfect place for rodents to call home, said Stewart Harper, chief executive officer of Atek Pest Management."
• GWU pulled all peanutbutter products and held a vigil for a slain homeless man.
• Grad student applications are up 7 percent over this time last year.
• Luke Russert hosted a panel on new media and the election.
• GW student regretting keeping $7,000 cash in his room about now.
• The University also settled one sexual harrassment lawsuit and got hit with a rape policy lawsuit.
• Over at GWblogspot.com, Lucy Ross complains that she had to "shell out almost three grand" to get credift for an unpaid internship. Farhan Daredia says GW needs to jumpstart its plans to start recording classroom lectures.
  

Howard University—The Hilltop

• University administrators are searching for someone to replace the vice president of student affairs, who left his position in December.
• Political Science chairman named.
• Howard students in the School of Communications participate in Legacy Day entrepreneurship challenge and compete for monetary prizes to put towards their dreams.
• New textbook rental company Chegg is Netflix for textbooks. From the Hilltop: "Chegg Textbook Rental is the new wave rippling through college campuses. It boasts a catalogue of a million books."

University of Maryland—The Diamondback

• "Former employees and patrons of the College Perk coffeehouse blame owner Chris Gordon for the continual delays in its reopening, citing his lack of organization and his cavalier attitude toward city rules and regulations."
• Last week's snow delay article features video of UMD students fooling around.

Did we miss something? Think your University blog or news site should be on our radar? Leave links and tips in the comments box!