01 March 2006

Fat Tuesday Questions Answered

Sorry for the delay, folks. Sometimes-commenter Katie and I had lunch, and then she conned me into shuttling her around College City while she ran errands. After that, I had to get my paycheck and deposit it, so instead of getting back to base at 14:00, it was more like 17:00.

Ariadne asked:
Do you like sour cream?

Not as much as I like guacamole, but yes, I do like sour cream on some things.

April asked:
Do you consider the rides at amusement parks and fairs to be safe..and have you ever been on a rollercoaster, when, where and how did you feel after?

At theme parks, I tend to be okay with rides. Disney World, for example. I'm a little more skeptical about the rides that travel from town to town and get set up on a boardwalk or in a car park. The last time I was on one of these rides was July of 2004, and it was fun enough, though centrifugal force and the person I was with wound up making the entire process pretty painful. Theme park rides aren't something I have much interest in or try to find, but when I happen to be on them I tend to enjoy myself. If the ride has a lot of spinning, I tend to like to let my stomach settle for a few minutes after all is said and done.

April asked:
What is a greenstick fracture?! (this might have to do with one of the questions on my exam today that I apparently got wrong, no I'm not bitter, not at all...)

A greenstick fracture is a fracture of a bone, particularly a long bone like a femur, that's not a clean break; not to be confused with a compound fracture. Greenstick fractures are more common in young children whose bones are still growing. It's called a greenstick fracture because the break resembles the break of a stick of new wood, green sticks that are rich in moisture: they don't tend to break clean, but tend to retain a connection. Here's a picture.

April asked:
Finally (and I totally stole this one)... Who do you think would win in a fight Conan O'Brien or Jon Stewart? (I choose neither, they should just kill each other and save us all the agony, but that's just me and my sleep deprivation talking)

This is a tough one. Now, Jon Stewart is a Jew... But he's not an Israeli Jew. Conan is an Irishman, and there are two things that the Irish are good at: drinking and fighting. If Jon Stewart were a bona fide Israeli Jew, battle hardened against a constant assault on every side by Syrians, Hezbollah, "Palestinians", and the U.N., I'd be tempted to put my money on him. However, Jon Stewart is a New York Jew, not universally known for that toughness. Bottom line? Irishman against Israeli Jew? You don't place a bet. Irishman against New York Jew? My money's on Conan; not to mention that Conan's like, a foot taller than Jon Stewart.

Mo-Licious asked:
If you could, for just one day only, would you be a woman? You know, just to see what it would be like.

Probably not. I am what I am; I have no desire to change anything that can't be changed with hard work and exercise, even if it's just for a day.

Mo-Licious asked:
Do you prefer ice cream or sherbert? Both or neither?

I prefer ice cream (vanilla), but I like sherbert as well.

Mo-Licious asked:
Three frogs are sitting on a log, two decide to jump off. How many frogs are left?

I'm guessing that this is some sort of riddle or joke, and I can't figure out what the catch is, so I'll guess "one" and let you tell me how wrong I am, as usual.

sneaky_pete asked:
If the lower 48 were covered with 10^23 popcorn kernals, how deep would this sea of kernals be?

You're the one with the applied mathematics degree, Pete. I have absolutely no clue what the answer is. I'm a historian, remember?

Jacob Copper, Vatican Watcher asked:
What is the principal reason behind the split between was we would consider at the time the Catholic Church and the oriental churches that refused to accept the Council of Chalcedon?

[blank stare]

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