Oh So Boring…

Oh! I forgot to mention that I recently bought some of that new fangled AquaFresh Isoactive toothpaste. If you don’t know it, it has the fun property of getting really foamy (I suppose to get fluoride everywhere).

The science-y part is that it does this by way of isopentane, a substance with the cool property that it boils right around room temperature (28 degrees C or so).  So, the isopentane is in the gel that is put in your mouth, which is at 37 degrees or so, and, voila, the isopentane boils causing the gel to get foamy!  I imagine the heat generated by the friction of brushing helps move things along as well.

Right now I’m trying to figure out any cool demos or something that I can do to have fun with gelled isopentane.  Everything I think of seems to use equipment I’d have in a chem lab, but not at home.  But, then again, are a Bunsen burner and a gas range really that far apart?

The answer, by the way, is yes! A thousand times yes! Don’t use a gas range burner as a Bunsen burner! Sigh…time to find a lawyer…

I’m hoping to have a better, longer post soon, but I just wanted to say that SPX was quite fun.

Decided to take the Metro which, surprisingly, got me there early. That is pretty rare in my experience when you take a long Metro journey on the weekend. So, I sat around waiting for the expo to open reading Report from Iron Mountain. (It’s an interesting read if you’ve never picked it up. I’ve always wondered if someone could translate it into today’s political landscape.)

Then, huzzah!, the doors opened to us attendees and the scrum commenced.  I did my usual pre-buying journey up and down the aisles seeing what was there. After the first go-around, started buying and talking.

I’ll try to get pics or links to the things I bought up soon, if I don’t have them now.  First item was a “She Blinded Me With Library Silence” totebag from the estimable Jeph Jacques. Or well, bought from the inestimable Cristi as Mr Jacques seemed to be a bit busy/overwhelmed with sketch requests.

I also grabbed “DAR! Volume One” from Erika Moen who was gracious, beautiful, and who looked pretty much exactly like she does in her comic!

I got to meet R Stevens and picked up a copy of “CRUSH ALL HU-MANS!“. He seemed happy to be paid in ones (which were gathered as change as I made my way over to his table). I can only imagine the sheer number of twenties that are gathered each day at SPX…

Let’s see, I picked up a cool graphic biography of Niels Bohr. I’m assuming cool as I haven’t read it, but, come on, Niels Bohr! And a variety of cool minicomics. The type that are one or two bucks and sometimes more amusing/distressing/amazing than the more mainstream comics on offer at SPX.

Fun day! If you’ve never been to SPX, I highly recommend it. I just wish I had more money to buy more books. But, luckily, most of what I saw is available on internets of various types, so I’m sure they’ll be finding their way to me soon enough.

(Caveat lector: Pretty boring post that might have some ennui around the end. I’ll add a cut before then, though, so only the truly dedicated/masochistic will read it.)

This weekend is SPX, the famed Small Press Expo, where independent comic artists (and a few super-famous webcomickers) gather to show their wares.  As an admirer and consumer such art, I say: “Woo hoo!”

I am a bit concerned, though, about what Saturday morning will be like when I get there. No advanced tickets sales…eek.  I know from previous visits that SPX is not unpopular so my mind is filled with images of terror. Plus, I think a one-day is ten bucks, so I hope they bring a *lot* of tens because they’ll end the day will many, many twenties.

I’m also debating in my head on the best way to get there: Metro or car. By car, the trip is, oh, 30-40 minutes if there isn’t a big traffic incident. Plus, if I buy a lot of swag, I’ll be able to bring it home rather easily. Cons: parking, though I think I know a way to beat that, and, well, it is the Beltway. Traffic will happen as will asses in BMWs (always Beamers, always) weaving in and out of traffic that is already moving about 15 MPH over the speed limit.

Metro isn’t a bad choice either, though. SPX is held at the Marriott pretty much adjacent to the White Flint Metro station. Traveling by Metro isn’t as stressful as by car either, so, nice. But, but, but: the trip from my place in Alexandria to White Flint? Try, oh, 75 minutes. Yup. One end of the system to the other with a transfer in the middle.

I can’t quite decide yet which to do. The Metro option depends on where WMATA is doing their track work this weekend. If it’s on my route, that can add a good 30-40 minutes on that time, so that’ll dissuade me.

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