A lesson well learnt, and other adventures.

[ithika]

So this is going to be brief, because I want to sleep now because I'm getting up early in the morning. I shouldn't have to - I should just do the damn bank in the evening, but no. I have to put myself through this, this torment. So anyway. The lesson well learnt is one about Cactus. Cacti.

Nature shows may have led you to believe, as they did me, that you can drink the juice of a cactus were you to be stranded in the desert. I can now say - with confidence - that one should not do this to just any old cactus. Indeed, unless you are absolutely certain that the species of cacti you are looking upon is one of the friendly-juice sort, I would say that you shouldn't try to drink of its fleshy leaves, even if you are stranded in the desert and minutes from death. Because unless you're sure, it's all together possible that it would cause an even more painful demise. 

Let me explain.

So on Saturday night, there was this party. It was an alright party. At some point, a cactus was broken due to some kind of drunken shennanigans. Gavin, good-hearted soul that he is, decided to pick up and move bits of said broken cactus out of harms way - or so we thought.

So Sunday morning, we wake up. Well. Not exactly Sunday morning. It was about 1:25 in the afternoon, but parties will do that to you.
Our faces were in agony. Red, swolen, splotchy agony. With tiny little fluid-filled blisters alll over. Or at least MINE were, Gavin's hadn't surfaced yet. So I look like I have severe sunburn on my cheeks and my lips, I can't open my mouth because i had a big freaking blister in the corner of my mouth and now I have a big freaking open wound in the corner of my mouth. My skin is all bumpy, from thousands of tiny, tiny pore-sized or smaller blisters. You can't see them unless you look really close. You can feel them though, all lumpy bumpy like some kind of LIZARD WOMAN. It's pretty hilarious actually. Gavin's face had exploded this morning though. :( Poor thing. Although, he did get to have a day off work without being sick (because really, would you want to be treated by a dentist with an exploded face?) so we mustn't feel too badly for him.

SO thinking about it, the effects of this goo IN YOUR THROAT would theoretically be quite the disaster, if second-hand touching of a less-sensitive area can cause it to explode. I'm pretty sure it would be possible for it to kill you. So, this is a warning!

CACTI ARE NOT  YOUR FRIENDS.

---

The Edge Annual Question — 2008

When thinking changes your mind, that's philosophy.
When God changes your mind, that's faith.
When facts change your mind, that's science.

WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY?

Science is based on evidence. What happens when the data change? How have scientific findings or arguments changed your mind?"

165 contributors; 112,600 words

I'll answer this tomorrow. I'll also move it into a new post - this is just a reminder to me, I don't want it in my hilarious Cactus public service announcement. So please don't comment on the Question here. Prz. :)

Comments

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

That's awesome.

I nearly made friends with a feral cat in Egypt then I realised if it bit me I would get Egypt-aids and die.

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

Because Feline AIDS is TOTALLY THE SAME AS Human AIDS. It really isn't, FYI. Also, most cats (incl. big cats) in the wild have AIDS and it isn't a big deal. For some reason Corrin explained to me and I've really forgotten.

Besides, Stonefish.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Cats are really just small, hairy people with no sense for bipedal walking. You know it's true! They'd all wear top hats if anyone would make them small enough.

I'm intrigued by this stuff about Cat-AIDS. I would have thought that AIDS is AIDS! If you remember any time please do tell! :) Or if Corrin cares to tell!

AMBARR I NEED TO KNOW YOUR BIRTHDATE. I know it's soon soon but I can't find it written down anywhere. I didn't want to ask because I are embarrassed but the internet divulged no secrets! You are very mysterious.
I thought it was today, or tomorrow, or the 17th, or the 18th. I know your party is later on but I thought your birthday was closer! Must send birthday wishes on the appropriate date! musssssst
*weeps* Please helps me!

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

the 22nd is my birthdate.

I'll refer Corrin to this post.

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

Well, Corrin and I discussed this a lot, and he denied knowledge of ever talking about it before. But we came to the conclusion that it's probably just not as bad as it's a different virus which causes the AIDS, or maybe that cats just don't naturally live long enough for the AIDS to kill them, or maybe (with domestic cats) that most of the nasties which they come in contact with are bacterial, so they get antibiotics which makes them not be affected as much by it. No conclusive answer was reached, however (but we did discover there are 2 human HIVs, which I didn't know before).

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

Oh awesome, so I could've patted it and NOT died?

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

Well, there are other diseases.

But, stonefish. So, I guess it depends on how much you support stonefish theory :P

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

It is! I felt compelled to warn you, but then you weren't online so I made friends with your Jas instead!
Everyone wins, except if you didn't find out about cacti in time. But you did, so everything's sweet or whatever.

Wow. That would be cool. You know that cat was probably older than the written language.
Because all cats in Egypt are magic-cats.

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

WIZARD CATS

[louisthefly.livejournal.com]

you know the juice of some cacti is hallucinigenic? and/or poison!

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Haha, hallucinigenic, didn't John Saffram discover that one time? In J.S Vs God?
And I don't doubt that it's poison! QQ