Puzzling sensory distortions
(1)
It didn't feel as cold tonight when I went out for my last half cigarette on the front step. So why were the puddles frozen? Their odd appearance struck me first. They were kind of striped in an angular way, like lying down icicles. Which indeed is what they proved to be when I poked them with my toe.
But I've stood there & shivered many a windy/sleety night, when the puddles were simply accumulations of wet water. This time it felt quite mild by comparison. On the other hand, it was calm. I suspect it's something to do with Physics. I'm crap at Physics. The only time I ever got as little as 2/10 for my homework was for Physics. It still rankles. I explained the leakage of ink from a fountain pen in an aeroplane very convincingly in terms of pressure increasing the higher up you got, which squeezed out the ink. Apparently it's the opposite, & the ink sort of escapes because there's not enough pressure holding it in. Oh well.
(Never having taken a fountain pen on a plane, this concept hasn't generally troubled me.)
(2)
I thought Alan was having another heart attack. Suddenly out of the silence surrounding my late night blog reading (AFreeManInPreston) came this pained sound midway between a groan & a wail with shades of throwing up: loud, intrusive... the TV in the next room had turned itself on at full volume, obviously left on standby on some obscure digital channel that only springs into life at 3am. I bet that's something to do with Physics, too. It usually is.
It didn't feel as cold tonight when I went out for my last half cigarette on the front step. So why were the puddles frozen? Their odd appearance struck me first. They were kind of striped in an angular way, like lying down icicles. Which indeed is what they proved to be when I poked them with my toe.
But I've stood there & shivered many a windy/sleety night, when the puddles were simply accumulations of wet water. This time it felt quite mild by comparison. On the other hand, it was calm. I suspect it's something to do with Physics. I'm crap at Physics. The only time I ever got as little as 2/10 for my homework was for Physics. It still rankles. I explained the leakage of ink from a fountain pen in an aeroplane very convincingly in terms of pressure increasing the higher up you got, which squeezed out the ink. Apparently it's the opposite, & the ink sort of escapes because there's not enough pressure holding it in. Oh well.
(Never having taken a fountain pen on a plane, this concept hasn't generally troubled me.)
(2)
I thought Alan was having another heart attack. Suddenly out of the silence surrounding my late night blog reading (AFreeManInPreston) came this pained sound midway between a groan & a wail with shades of throwing up: loud, intrusive... the TV in the next room had turned itself on at full volume, obviously left on standby on some obscure digital channel that only springs into life at 3am. I bet that's something to do with Physics, too. It usually is.
posted by bluefluff @ 3:30 AM
3 Comments:
At 25 January, 2007 11:18,
Hazeofpink said…
Never mind, Lynne, unlike most you would be able to converse at 35 thousand feet in several languages! Besides, stuff the pen, use a pencil!!! ;-)
At 26 January, 2007 19:06,
Tim said…
That's odd, because I too do a lot of groaning and wailing whenever I read A Free Man In Preston.
It must be in the sloppy punctuation.
At 28 January, 2007 02:13,
kat said…
I'm crap at Physics
Me too, but it hasn't always been the case.
Here is my chance to state my only claim to fame - I was the first girl (in my school) allowed to take physics - and being that girl meant I had to prove something. Boys did physics; girls did biology. I had to go to night school to do the biology.
I used to like physics but I can't say it does much for me these days. I've never taken a fountain pen on a plane either, but next time I fly I will be sure to take one. :-)
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