Sunday, November 14, 2010

A red letter day -OR- What is this world coming to

Something happened last week that was so life-altering that I felt compelled to take a break from the hectic month that is National Novel Writer's Month and tell you about it.

Last week, I actually learned something at work.

It's astonishing, I know. Surely by now I should have my own reality TV show and not have to actually work for a living, right? Sadly not. Maybe I just need to change my last name to that of an alien race from Star Trek. Like what's-her-face from Keeping Up With The Cardassians. Suggestions welcome.


Last week I was talking with Cool Co-Worker (note that this is a pseudonym and not just merely an adjective phrase) and somehow elements came into the conversation (I don't quite remember how). Cool Co-Worker (or Apple Dude, as he was referred to himself in his blog, which you should go read, though I don't have formal permission to link to it, but you should still go read it. Google it) mentioned something about Californium.

TallIntel: Wait, you mean that's real?

AppleDude: It is indeed. (and he sent me the wikipedia article to prove it)

TallIntel: Wow! I thought that it was just something Tom Lehr made up in his song about the periodic table of elements. More obscure music stuff. I'm a bit of an amature musicologist

AppleDude: ? Musicologist?

TallIntel: It's every bit as real as Californium (I sent him the wikipedia article to prove it)

AppleDude: You know, that's funny, because Californium does not occur naturally...

TallIntel: Well, the only known specimens of Musicologist have been bred in captivity. Oh sure, there are rumors of sightings of Wild Musicologists, but no one's ever seen one

AppleDude: Poor captive musicologists. Bred to wither and die in a cage...

TallIntel: They don't really wither. Not unless someone plays Katy Perry music

The preceding was an approximate recreation of an actual conversation. In reality, AppleDude was funnier, but I can only remember the funny stuff that I said. No big surprise there.

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