A lost muse

I have been trying for weeks to buckle down and write a paper. Its not going well (hence posting to blogger as yet another manifestation of procrastination.) I blame the fact on not being able to find my muse, nevermind that there are no muses for scientific writing. I have settled on trying to locate Clio, muse of history, since I did in fact perform all of these experiments in the past and am now reporting on them. This search for Clio has been starting to wear on Prof. Heller's nerves: a short recent exchange...

The young student approaches the hallowed chambers of the adviser, in an attempt to stay his deadline by feigning misunderstanding of a concept to be discussed in the paper. The point is discussed to exhaustion, and the student makes an unsuccessful break for the door...

Prof. Heller: So... when are you going to have this paper to me?
The Cowardly Procrastinator: Well, its not really in a draft form yet, I need a bit more time for the figures and the introduction is...
Prof. Heller (interupting): Norman Mailer died the other day.
*awkward pause*
TCP: I'm sorry, I don't know who that is exactly.
Prof. Heller: He was a non-fiction novelist. Wrote "The Naked and the Dead". Quite a good author, one of my favorites.
*longer awkward pause*
TCP: I'm not sure what you mean.
Prof. Heller: He was a notoriously slow writer.
TCP: Ok.
*slightl pause*
Prof. Heller: He was very slow, and now he's dead.

The terrified student backs slowly out of the room, not comprehending the exact meaning of the exchange which has just taken place. Safely back at his desk several moments later, two possible meanings come to mind: "Write this paper before you die" or "Write this paper before I kill you" The search for Clio is renewed with vigor.

dioxane and pyridine

Dioxane and pyridine are two of my least favorite solvents. Their usefulness arises when you need something polar (like water) but need to keep water away because it will destroy your chemistry. On the other hand, dioxane and pyridine (unlike water) are very unpleasant to come in contact with. In fact, in the grand scheme of polarity, more polar compounds tend to be way more toxic the more polar you get (like DMSO), until you get to water, where the toxicity drops off to nothing. Aside from this minor unpleasantness, pyridine smells terrible. (Of course, smelling it would indicate ingestion anyway.) As one of the less couth of my labmates likes to say after he lets out a ripe bank of flatulence, "There is no escape, if you can smell it, its already inside of you." A pleasant thought to be sure.

What do I have to gain from these unpleasantries? Really cool looking cobalt compounds.

Maybe.