Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Random Thoughts

My department has a seminar series where every Friday a person from another university or research institution comes in and presents their research. We have a small department with very wide research interests so sometimes the seminars are interesting to me and sometimes (ok, most of the time) they aren't.

Last week we had a microbiologist come in to talk about bacteria that live in hot springs. This is not a topic that interests me, so I had to come up with some of my own little things to keep myself entertained. At least then it would look like I was paying attention. Here are a few of those thoughts:
  • What temperature would the water in hot springs actually have to be in order for my skin to peel off if I were to jump in?
  • I need to come up with a research project that allows me to travel to remote forests and such, passing through places like Arches, Yellowstone and Yosemite on the way (oh wait, I already do).
  • Carbon Cycling - can they ride tandem bikes? is there a yellow jersey involved?
  • Do Correolus forces affect the direction in which the ends of one's mustache curls? If so, would one end curl up and the other down if one were to stand straddling the equator?

6 comments:

flieswithoutwings said...

You would probably have to "train" your mustache by sleeping face up one night and face down another night. Not that I've ever had a mustache nor the notion to curl the ends.

Lauren said...

Hmmm, is that who I think it is?

Native Minnow said...

I don't know, I'm not going to name anyone by name. It's referring to a certain someone in the audience who happened to have a mustache that curled at both ends. Much like the evil villain who would tie a woman to the train tracks in order to get some ransom money.

Lauren said...

Okay, maybe not. I just know a microbiologist who would probably go on for hours and hours about bacteria in hot springs, and I don't think you were talking about him because he doesn't have a mustache that curls up at the end. I don't think I have ever seen him with a mustache, actually.

But I have heard stories from people who have seen him drunk. And that is all.

Native Minnow said...

The speaker was invited by the one you speak of. The mustache thing is just me being mean about someone else. Hey, I can't help it if I don't like weirdos ;-)

Lauren said...

There's nothing wrong with weirdos! ;)