kleenexwoman | (no subject)

(no subject)

I'm at my mom's house, hanging out with the dog and the contractor, snacking on pistachios and wearing someone else's robe. It's nice. Quiet. Mom has cable and interesting things in the fridge and the dog is really sweet. It's like a vacation. I'm doing my homework (research on the writer of "American Beauty") and watching "Real Housewives of New York" as research for my Yuletide project. I seem to have lost my Down the Chimney challenge in the shuffle of my inbox, but I do vaguely remember what it's about, so I'm looking up obscure jazz songs and stuff on aquatic apes for that.

What are you guys up to? Working on anything you need to do research for? Learned anything cool?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Today I learned that, after the Civil War, Texas was broke. However, it was cow-rich. Rich with cows. Hence the cattle drives and the evolution of the cowboy. Cowboys were actually kind of looked down upon in their working circles, but everyone else idolized them. Cowboys were literally guys who had to see to the cows at the back of the heard, and to put them in their place, ranchers and businessmen would call them "boys," hence "cow-boy."

Yesterday I learned that the "bitch" in Jay-Z's "99 Problems (but a Bitch ain't One)" is actually a bitch, a female dog. The song actually refers to a time Jay-z was pulled over while drug trafficking. He managed to talk the cop out of searching his car by being aware of his rights and the fact that his car couldn't be searched without probable cause. As he pulled away from the roadblock, he saw, a few feet from where he'd been stopped, a K-9 unit. The "bitch" he didn't have a "problem" with was the dog cop who surely would have gotten him busted if he had not been able to drive on.

Yesterday I also learned that Tiger Woods doesn't usually blink when he plays golf. His concentration on his job is so singular that it is almost like being asleep or in a hypnotized state.

I have been learning a lot of crap lately, lulz.

I need to do more research on guns and certain military tactics, but hoping a reunion with a military uncle will take care of all that. Maybe.... probably.

You must share what you've learned. Tell me about plate tectonics? :D?

Certainly! What would you like to know about it? I can tell you lots!

Will California ever tumble into the sea?

That is all fascinating and I did not know that about the evolution of the cowboy. Also, the Jay-Z fact is pretty amazing. I like that song and will listen to it entirely differently now.

Sounds like a nice day!

I'm working on the Down the Chimney affair, by which I mean I'm procrastinating, except I just realized I should be writing it, like, NOW. Also have a million other challenge fics to do. Egads.

Today I learned about the dispersion behavior of a partially-filled parallel plate waveguide! Aren't you excited.

I've been nursing this one concept for the DtC that happened in a dream, but I'm not sure if I want to do that, because it's weird, but the only other idea I have isn't very good. If you were a person who was getting a fic that was a present, would you want to read what's basically someone else's bizarr-o dream? :D?

Partially-filled parallel plate waveguide sounds kind of...dirty?

I wouldn't mind getting dreamfic, but that's because (a) I'm weird and (b) I have insane epic plot-filled dreams that would make excellent stories. Seriously in school we had a "write down your dream" assignment, and all of them were two lines except mine was four pages. Either way, crazy dream!fic > not as good not!dream!fic.

Filled waveguides also come with dirty hand gestures made my professors who have no idea how dirty they look. Or by young professors who do know and think it's funny.

(Should I feel bad that I did like two seconds of googling for my dtc fic? Seems like other people are putting in lots of research-y effort while I'm kind of writing my usual rambling nonsense.)

yay :D My dreams always seem more satisfying than the stories I make up when I'm conscious--I think my subconscious has a better grasp of narrative than I do.

(Don't feel bad. A couple of years ago, the only research I did for my DTC fic was dropping some acid. Ha, that was a great night.)

LOL well that solves the mystery of how you wrote that fic so authentically. :D

I learned that you can just pick up someone's foot when they're in external fixation and they don't complain and barely notice. Although that may have been the Haldol/Valium combo he was on.

Also, you can't do an eye exam on someone that sleepy.

Finally, whatever they're washing the hospital sheets in is partially Scotchgard, I'm sure of it. You're not supposed to bleed that much into a pillowcase and have nothing on the pillow. It's just weird.

I think if I had a grid sticking through my foot I'd be more comfortable on a lot of tranquilizers too.

Huh. Hospital sheets are funny :/ I guess it must save on bleach?

Actually, he was on Haldol because he was seriously DTing and had punched some people on Day 2 and the Valium alone wasn't cutting it. His wife claiming, then and while I was there, that he barely drinks at all.

holy shit.

how long does it take to recover from the DTs?

I've been looking at pictures of retro hotel rooms for my dtc assignment. This Site is pretty friggin awesome for that.

Sorry - deleted & reposted because for a coding error.

holy crap, that's awesome.

I'm sure you've also seen this (http://lileks.com/motels/index.html) and also these (http://lileks.com/institute/motel/intro.html) two (http://lileks.com/institute/interiors/index.html)? (Part of the same huge site.)

OMG THOSE ARE AMAZING!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only