WAG - Phase One Complete, Now...
Today, I finished putting up all my moth traps.
[Cue Mini-victory dance!]
After the initial rush of happiness had abated, I now find myself in the limbo between great accomplishment and taking the next step.
You know what I mean. Think back to times of great human ingenuity like the time Bell first called his lackey Watson into the lab or Edison clicked on a lightbulb.
After displaying the landmark before their staff, and all the congratulating and celebrating ended (I don’t think giving high-fives would have been en vogue back then, let alone acceptable laboratory behavior, but I still like to imagine it anyway), I’m sure someone always prompted a prolonged awkward silence by asking a single important question.
“So… now what?”
Hmm…
“Darn it Watson, why do you have to go and ruin my good vibe? Why ask such trivialities about the fact we only have two of these things and it’s still easier for me to raise my voice to get you to come into the room than broadcast around the house?”
Note: I always wondered if the first telephone call was actually legit when Alex asked his assistant to come into the room, or whether Watson, who could hear his employer through the wall, was simply humoring his overworked and severely taxed boss. Would you want to be the one to inform your boss his crazy contraption STILL didn’t work, or would you be tempted to “let him dream for a while,” work out the kinks latter, and not spill the beans when the story was recounted later.
Further Note: I just paused to investigate a large clattering sound in the basement. Usually I’m the cause of that sound in the basement. Just last week, while cleaning out my room, I dropped a large Tupperware container down the stairs and immediately pounded after it (about two steps behind it), failing to grab it before it hit bottom.
After retrieving it and heading back upstairs, I was greeted by my dad saying, “We thought you were dead.” And this is only the most recent version of an often-repeated tale in our household.
Anyway, with my mom is in Texas, my sister is at work, and my dad in bed, I was curious to see what happened. I was quickly able to find the source of the commotion by finding a toppled box and a freaked cat both gathered at the bottom of the stairs.
As I repacked the box and then took time to comfort the cat, I wondered if Edison ever had a pet getting into things and messing up experiments.
Ol’ Tom is famous for taking over 1,000 attempts before getting the first lightbulb to shine. He is lauded as a man of great patience, but his batting average still makes me question if he really was that great. If he was so smart, shouldn’t it have only taken around 100, maybe 200, or did some curious animal hold up the process.
From the Work Diary of Thomas “For the love of Pete, don’t remind me that my middle name is Alva” Edison: Experiment #732 -
Everything looked good in good in pre-experiment check-up. Paused to lecture a brash young assistant (he was violating lab policy by giving high-fives to a friend who had gotten engaged after a long courtship). I returned to the contraption and turned on electricity.
Nothing happened. I increased the amount – even past levels that I had projected it should work. I paused again and looked at the infernal machine. Suddenly I spotted the telltale sign of chewed wires and cat saliva, again.
I was almost instantly struck with another realization as the overtaxed machine started to smoke. I darted around the machine to kill the power, but the thing burst into flames before I could pick myself up after tripping over one of those dingily-bell cat toys.
Another prototype ruined.
Another 3,000 work hours down the drain.
Note to self: next time, be content with a turtle rather go seeking feline affection.
Anyway, after I finish up my paperwork (I still have to make data sheet entry for the 500-odd locations) I’ll move on to campsite clean-up duty before going back to cruising the roads.
It’ll be rough, but I’m following a trail pioneered by great people who went on before me. After accomplishment comes a period of post-surge blahs before moving on to (hopefully) greater things.
At least, that’s the plan.
What could possibly go wrong?
