Archive for October 10th, 2013

October 10, 2013

It’s bananas I tell you, simply bananas

by Janie Jones

In chem lab today we made isopentyl acetate.  You might be familiar with it as au d’banana.   Chem prof was very pleased to constantly say how this is one of the better smelling labs.  However, by the time you’ve refluxed isopentyl acetate, separated it 3 times, dried it, distilled it, weighed it, and performed IR spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy on it, you get a little sick of it.

It’s kinda oily, and after the first two hours it felt like the oil had coated my nasal passages and my throat.  By the end of the nearly 4 hour lab, everyone was probably a little sick of the refrain I kept singing:

I’m Chiquita banana and I’ve come to say –
Bananas have to ripen in a certain way –
When they are fleck’d with brown and have a golden hue –
Bananas taste the best and are best for you!

And I decided I had definitely smelled enough bananas that I don’t figure I’ll have a taste for anything banana scented for quite some time.  Good thing I’m not a monkey.

Four banana, three banana, two bananas, one.
All bananas playing in the bright warm sun,
Flipping like a pancake, popping like a cork,
Fleagle, Bingo, Drooper and, Snork!
Making up a mess of fun,
Making up a mess of fun
Lots of fun for everyone!
Tra la la, la la la la, tra la la, la la la la
Tra la la, la la la la, tra la la, la la la la

That that’s the only verse I can remember.  They got sick of that one, too.

October 10, 2013

Thursday Quote Du Jour #11: An oldie but a favorite

by Janie Jones

This is probably my most favorite quote ever.  I’ve used it on this blog before, but when I feel down like I have lately it does bring a smile to my face.  So, I figured it was a good day to revisit it.

 

I used to think that life was unfair. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be much worse, if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.

-Marcus, Babylon 5, A Late Delivery From Avalon

 

Hmn.  Off I go for another day in the rat race.