The Treehouse + The Cave


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Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Re: Stowaways

Floaters

Aaron, earning even more best friend points, and has figured out what the Stowaways are. The objects I can see floating across my field of vision as I look at an empty blue sky are not microorganisms after all. They've turned out to be clumps of dead cellular matter called Floaters that reside in the Vitreous Humor, not the Lacrimal Fluid as I had suspected. A little less exciting than busy creatures in my eyes, but just as beautiful nonetheless.

Blogger Mick thought:

OK. Let me try to catch up here...last things first re: "Stowaways"...I told you so!

Re: "My Keffiyeh"...A Jewish med student gets it better than these "kids" festooning a symbol of the struggle for Palestine? You go Aaron! As for those portrayed...you go to hell you fucking idiots!

Re: "Thermometer"...and solvents...and stories...and smells...and experiences--there are indeed many! Here's one a little off the expected track:
Setting: Westvaco Chloro-alkalii plant, South Charleston, WV circa 1957
Solvent: tetrachloromethane; aka Carbon tetrachloride, carbon tet or in those days simply "Tet"
According to the "Environmental Defense" web site (http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/hazard-indicators.tcl?edf_substance_id=56%2d23%2d5) carbon tet is "More hazardous than most chemicals in 10 out of 14 ranking systems. Ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and human health."
Our story: Brought home from the "plant" in five gallon drums by my dad because it was a good "spot remover." Indeed it was used as a dry cleaning fluid in those days. We washed our hands in it to clean up after oil paint jobs.

I played with it in my "laboratory." Mixed it with other agents and heated it on a hot plate. Decomposes to phosgene (among other substances) upon heating. FYI, Phosgene, according to the CDC (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/phosgene/basics/facts.asp) "Phosgene was used extensively during World War I as a choking (pulmonary) agent. Among the chemicals used in the war, phosgene was responsible for the large majority of deaths."

My parakeet died quickly (I later learned of the use of canaries in mines, but that's a story unto itself).

I survived with only somewhat minor intellectual impairment...didn't heat any more of that shit though! And never got into sniffing solvents either!

February 1, 2005 at 8:21 PM - Comment Permalink  
Blogger Mick thought:

HLS...how about a blog on "Holy shit?"...a story unto itself, I'm sure!

February 1, 2005 at 9:44 PM - Comment Permalink  

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