Grace In Small Things – 79/365

08 April 09 | 8 comments

  1. Hearing back from the college and learning that There Is Hope.
  2. The foil balloon that Sylvain included in his delivery-of-evil has mostly lost it’s buoyancy (as foil balloons lose helium quickly compared to regular balloons) so Itsy the kitten has taken to dragging it around the house by the string. This is adorable but it also means that I may discover a balloon ANYWHERE at ANY TIME! *shudder*
  3. That Jo was willing and able to help me out of a pinch this morning. YAY!
  4. Coffee arranged things so I could have a nap last night.
  5. The sunshine today makes me almost forgive nature for the snow, sleet and crappy drizzly-shit falling from the sky lately. Almost.

8 comments

  1. Andrew’s avatar

    Andrew on 08 April 09 at 1:18 pm

    WHAT?!? No way. Foil balloons are ridiculously long-lived. At least in my house. They easily outlast latex balloons – even if they’ve had the gunk pumped into them first – by 10:1, minimum.

    My wife hates balloons that are neutrally buoyant. They can sneak around the house and freak her out at night. I have to make sure they’re secure, or empty. :)

  2. Sylvain’s avatar

    Sylvain on 08 April 09 at 2:02 pm

    Yes, foil balloons are supposed to outlast the latex ones by a very long time. This is unacceptable!! I will call to make sure they bring you replacement. Are you going to be home?

    At least I know I can count on secret agent Fluffy Pants to execute Plan B, code name: “Foil of Terror”

    Andrew, stand by for Plan C launch sequence.

    1. violet’s avatar

      violet on 08 April 09 at 2:09 pm

      What? No, it’s *always* been the other way around for me – the foil dies in a day or two and the non-foil last FOREVER. I mean.. WAY TOO LONG.

      1. Andrew’s avatar

        Andrew on 08 April 09 at 2:26 pm

        Your front door must actually lead not into your house but some weird alternate universe. Helium balloons with no goop, dead in 24 hours. With goop, MAYBE 72 hours. Foil, weeks and weeks.

        Are you sure it just doesn’t FEEL like the latex balloons last forever?

        1. violet’s avatar

          violet on 08 April 09 at 2:28 pm

          Um.. gooop? What goop goes with balloons?

          The foil one dropped in about 12 hours. The others are very perkily hanging out in my front window, still, with no sagging in sight!

          1. Andrew’s avatar

            Andrew on 08 April 09 at 2:34 pm

            In some balloon-selling establishments, they first inflate the balloon with air (to stretch it), then inject some clear goopy gel stuff which they subsequently massage around to coat the inside of the balloon, and then blow it up. Supposedly said goop helps the balloons last longer. It does – about 3x as long, but NOTHING compared to foil balloons.

            This calls for further experimentation. We need to duplicate these results, and have a control. Sylvain, send another batch, but send one to me as well (I’ll be the control). We’ll see what happens. We’ll figure it out and write it all up for Scientific American or something.

            1. Sylvain’s avatar

              Sylvain on 08 April 09 at 3:02 pm

              Ok, I’m applying for a research grant. I think I can get this in under the “Entertainment and Arts Stimulus Program”
              I think $25000 should cover it. Part of the research will include Violet taking the balloons to class with her. I’ll have to fund her schooling, of course.

  3. violet’s avatar

    violet on 08 April 09 at 3:12 pm

    You feel free to fund all the education you like, mister. And, assuming it doesn’t get me kicked out of the program, I’ll even carry the balloons around with me. NO PROBLEM.

    (Seriously, THAT’S how badly I want into the program!)
    (But, OMG, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, balloooooooons… eeeeeeeeeeeee…)

Comments are now closed.