His birthday was Feb 4 
Friday, April 21, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Adventures in Chemistry Class
Chemistry this semester.
I have to admit, though I like the sciences, Chemistry is just not one that is super fun. Biology, mmmm, fun. Chemistry....blah not fun.
Then again, it can be interesting. As in far, far, far from mundane. Dangerous, you might even say. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I've been living out there on the edge.
First, my luck with lab partners has been atrocious. My first partner was actually the cousin of someone in my high school class. So we actually had stuff to talk about, and she'd already taken Chem 101 (unlike certain other people who decide to jump right in to Chem 111 as their first college chem course...ahem) so she knew how to do experiment setup and all that jazz.
However, bummer of bummers, she dropped the class. So, since there was one group of 3 in the class, I stole the odd man out and had a great lab. Great lab partner. Unfortunately, the next week, he went to help judge a gradeschool science fair, and I was once again alone for lab.
So another student whose lab partner dropped asked if we could be lab partners until my stolen lab partner came back. I said yes, and we proceeded to make soap. Which was pretty cool, it did all sorts of neat bubbling and foaming. You know when you boil macaroni in just a smidge too little water at just a smidge too high heat, and it foams over? That's what hot boiling lye and lard do. Very cool, right up until the time your lab partner decides to blow on it to make the foam go down. The problem with blowing on hot boiling lye and lard foam is that if your lab partner (me) is stirring the concoction at the time, the foam tends to fly into the air. Since the hand that is stirring is also in the air above the container, hot boiling lye and lard gets stuck on said hand. Owch.
Not to worry, though. The cold water was right there, and no blisters, sores, or other nasty chemical reactions took place. "Whew!"
You would think that would have used up the bad luck for the day, but NO. My poor lab partner took off her goggles to wash the equipment we were using and splashed soapy lye-lard residue in her eyes. She had to stand in the eyewash for 5 minutes. The eyewash does not just get your eyes. They should call it an eye shower. The poor girl was soaked.
The next week, *I* made sure to go to the gradeschool science fair.
I have to admit, though I like the sciences, Chemistry is just not one that is super fun. Biology, mmmm, fun. Chemistry....blah not fun.
Then again, it can be interesting. As in far, far, far from mundane. Dangerous, you might even say. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I've been living out there on the edge.
First, my luck with lab partners has been atrocious. My first partner was actually the cousin of someone in my high school class. So we actually had stuff to talk about, and she'd already taken Chem 101 (unlike certain other people who decide to jump right in to Chem 111 as their first college chem course...ahem) so she knew how to do experiment setup and all that jazz.
However, bummer of bummers, she dropped the class. So, since there was one group of 3 in the class, I stole the odd man out and had a great lab. Great lab partner. Unfortunately, the next week, he went to help judge a gradeschool science fair, and I was once again alone for lab.
So another student whose lab partner dropped asked if we could be lab partners until my stolen lab partner came back. I said yes, and we proceeded to make soap. Which was pretty cool, it did all sorts of neat bubbling and foaming. You know when you boil macaroni in just a smidge too little water at just a smidge too high heat, and it foams over? That's what hot boiling lye and lard do. Very cool, right up until the time your lab partner decides to blow on it to make the foam go down. The problem with blowing on hot boiling lye and lard foam is that if your lab partner (me) is stirring the concoction at the time, the foam tends to fly into the air. Since the hand that is stirring is also in the air above the container, hot boiling lye and lard gets stuck on said hand. Owch.
Not to worry, though. The cold water was right there, and no blisters, sores, or other nasty chemical reactions took place. "Whew!"
You would think that would have used up the bad luck for the day, but NO. My poor lab partner took off her goggles to wash the equipment we were using and splashed soapy lye-lard residue in her eyes. She had to stand in the eyewash for 5 minutes. The eyewash does not just get your eyes. They should call it an eye shower. The poor girl was soaked.
The next week, *I* made sure to go to the gradeschool science fair.
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