Something Funky in the Vents?
Oct. 15th, 2004 08:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoutfellowThe class which meets next door to my advanced geometry class is sometimes rather noisy, so we usually close the door to our classroom.
Last night, during my lecture, I noticed several students with puzzled expressions (nothing new there...), frowning and glancing around. It took a moment longer before I caught it too: the faint but unmistakable odor of skunk. Now, we're in an inner room in the basement, and there's no direct connection to the outside. The chemistry and biology labs are in a different building. I have no idea where the smell was coming from. (My sense of smell is somewhat screwed up; I sometimes smell things that aren't there. But I've got corroboration on this one.) One of the students opened the door; the next-door class was, of course, noisy, but from what I could hear they were being similarly afflicted.
The smell slowly dissipated after that, but I don't think I had the full attention of all of the students for the rest of the class...
Meanwhile, package #2 arrived yesterday. Contents: Julia Spencer-Fleming's A Fountain Filled with Blood, Laurell K. Hamilton's Narcissus in Chains, Hendrik Hertzberg's Politics: Observations & Arguments, 1966-2004, and a Carole King CD. The CD is a "Greatest Hits" album, so, of course, there's some overlap with Tapestry - four out of fourteen songs - but it also includes "Jazzman", "Nightingale", and "Only Love Is Real", each of which I like a lot. The other two packages, from Amazon UK, contain Heyer's Sprig Muslin and Pratchett's two latest works. (As I said elsewhere, I blew my monthly entertainment budget last weekend.)
Last night, during my lecture, I noticed several students with puzzled expressions (nothing new there...), frowning and glancing around. It took a moment longer before I caught it too: the faint but unmistakable odor of skunk. Now, we're in an inner room in the basement, and there's no direct connection to the outside. The chemistry and biology labs are in a different building. I have no idea where the smell was coming from. (My sense of smell is somewhat screwed up; I sometimes smell things that aren't there. But I've got corroboration on this one.) One of the students opened the door; the next-door class was, of course, noisy, but from what I could hear they were being similarly afflicted.
The smell slowly dissipated after that, but I don't think I had the full attention of all of the students for the rest of the class...
Meanwhile, package #2 arrived yesterday. Contents: Julia Spencer-Fleming's A Fountain Filled with Blood, Laurell K. Hamilton's Narcissus in Chains, Hendrik Hertzberg's Politics: Observations & Arguments, 1966-2004, and a Carole King CD. The CD is a "Greatest Hits" album, so, of course, there's some overlap with Tapestry - four out of fourteen songs - but it also includes "Jazzman", "Nightingale", and "Only Love Is Real", each of which I like a lot. The other two packages, from Amazon UK, contain Heyer's Sprig Muslin and Pratchett's two latest works. (As I said elsewhere, I blew my monthly entertainment budget last weekend.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-10-15 06:09 am (UTC)Oooo! More fun books and music! Enjoy! :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-15 10:53 am (UTC)A skunk?? (you see, I had the proper order of attention (g)) But if it dissipated, then it would have had to NOT be dead, but frightened...now that's a scary thought. You'll never know when your class is to be suddenly overcome by the Fumes of Doom.
As for your sense of smell, it may be much more sensitive than others'. My family is adamant that I have bloodhound in my family tree, because I am *always* smelling things that others don't notice. The Teflon Spouse opines that it may be a sign of incipient criminal insanity, but I think he's just jealous because HE can't smell the mold (g). And why is it that there are so many more gross smells than pleasant scents?
no subject
Date: 2004-10-15 11:40 am (UTC)Given my lifelong battle with hayfever, I'm a little dubious about your suggestion. Half the time I can't smell anything at all... As for gross vs. pleasant, maybe (evolutionarily speaking) it's more vital to get away from bad stuff than to get to good stuff?