Category: learning curve

The Impossible Dream

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It’s been a hot day in Cape Town, and it’s been a busy one too. I would love to be sitting at home in front of a warm TV right now, but it’s Monday evening and it’s Dodgeball training, so I’m out in my car park. Given that I am out here, I would love to be sitting in my car park with the windows down and the fresh breeze blowing the heat of the day away.

Sadly, there appears to be a raw sewage issue somewhere in the vicinity. It’s literally nauseating.

Anyway, not much I can do about the thick pooey odour enveloping everything here.

So here’s a video I watched earlier. A great tale, 17 years in the making, some amazing videography, and some important lessons about recognising when it’s time to give up.

We all have our impossible dreams and we all have our limits. How we choose (or are able) to balance one against the other, and how much value we place on each will likely define our successes. It doesn’t have to be running marathons. For example, Forest Drive (Bishopscourt, not Pinelands) kicked my arse again today. That’s a 750m bit of asphalt, not 42km of American city roads, but that’s my current nemesis. But I’ll return on a cooler – but equally steep day – to fight back.

And I will beat it. Or I’ll give up.

One of the two.

Alkali metals in water

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The girl child came home buzzing yesterday after a Chemistry lesson in which they got to chuck some Sodium into some water. This reminded me of that iconic Open University video where they do the same demonstration with a number of Group 1 Metals, namely Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium and Caesium.

Don’t bother with the first bit (unless you really want to). The fun starts at about 1:06, so scroll straight through. And it’s definitely worth a minute or so of your time, so do bear with it, even when they insist on putting the equation for the chemical reaction across the screen, 1970s style.
And do put the sound on so that you don’t miss the deadpan commentary, with lines like:

You can see that things become gradually more terrifying as we go down the group.

The involuntary whistle and abrupt end to the video are perfect. It’s not like they didn’t know what was coming, and yet…

We’re going to need another beaker, Ted.

I miss those carefree (by which I mean “H&S-free”) days in the laboratory.

Puzzled

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A bit of a gentle day today. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, and simple conservation of energy dictates that the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

I also appear to have swallowed a book of clichés.

And after a bit of a sleepless night, I chose to have something of a day off.
Not great, but lucky to be able to have that luxury.

Anyway, I’m going to turn in another early night, but not before I have linked you to a couple of Puzzgrids I chucked up today. My lack of oomph is other people’s pleasure. Or something.

What’s Puzzgrid? Well, it’s a spin-off of the Only Connect Wall and it definitely pre-dated NYT Connections. But if you like either of those, you’ll definitely like this.

Please enjoy #92135 & #92139. They shouldn’t be too difficult, but I do always say that they’re only easy if you know all the answers. I do know all the answers.

OBS

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Not an Orange Breasted Mousebird. This is an Orange Breasted Sunbird.

Just some of the wildlife we spotted at Kirstenbosch this morning, which also included a mouse, and a snake.

The snake was a Cape Cobra, and I did get some very quick shots, but nothing great. It just wanted to get away from us, and did so by quickly disappearing into a hole.

You shouldn’t be afraid of South African snakes. This one could kill you with a single bite, but don’t want to hurt you. They don’t want to be anywhere near you.

Think of it as a mouse with fangs.

Tonight: Dad’s last night before he heads home. There are plans for a nice meal out.

Extinct

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More from Nathan W Pyle (you may remember him from such posts as Day 202 – Simulate Exhaustion, Coffee, and Strange Planet.

This one isn’t a cartoon, though.

But it’s a very accurate observation. (And it’s a haiku, as well.)

I’m glad that they’ve been exterminated. Quite reasonably, they give (gave?) me the creeps.
Too many limbs. And two ribcages. Just wrong.