Weird Lunch
The other day, I had a weird lunch while at work, weird in two ways:
First you should know that I made a peanut butter sandwich in the morning. Later, when I opened my Tupperware to enjoy it, the peanut butter had all slid to one edge of the bread, and the jam had stayed in place. Now, obviously, the sandwich had been resting on its side, but what's going on here? Peanut butter, widely recognized as one of the stickiest foods going, slides COMPLETELY over to the side while the slippery ol' jam stays firmly in place? WHAT!? It just doesn't make any sense.
As I try to understand the sandwich mystery and right the wrongs done to my lunch by gravity, there is a guy playing accordion next to me. I noticed that he was breathing like he would do if he were playing trombone, trumpet, clarinet, bassoon, or anything else that you would have to blow into to play, what I recognize as wind instruments. Or, I should say, what I used to recognize as wind instruments. Now, I have noticed other non-wind players breathing in this way, but there are also many players who do not. His breathing, though, was quite pronounced, so I asked him about it. I said, "I noticed that you breathe like you are playing a wind instrument as you play. Why is that?" I was expecting an answer along the lines of, "It helps me to keep rhythm." However, he immediately and enthusiastically corrected me, "This IS a wind instrument, actually!" As soon as he said that, I knew what he meant: the "squeezebox" is squeezed in order to force air through it. I said, "Oh yeah. But I was wond-" That's when he interrupted me and gave me a dissertation on the workings of accordions, his and others.
"Listen to this. Did you hear that? That's sound is made because................."
"Now if I were to take this piece off, you would see................."
"But some people have it tuned like......................"
Each of those themes was explored in many aspects of the instrument and at length. He never answered my question.
So I was stuck. My jam was stuck. Everything was stuck except my unusual peanut butter.
First you should know that I made a peanut butter sandwich in the morning. Later, when I opened my Tupperware to enjoy it, the peanut butter had all slid to one edge of the bread, and the jam had stayed in place. Now, obviously, the sandwich had been resting on its side, but what's going on here? Peanut butter, widely recognized as one of the stickiest foods going, slides COMPLETELY over to the side while the slippery ol' jam stays firmly in place? WHAT!? It just doesn't make any sense.
As I try to understand the sandwich mystery and right the wrongs done to my lunch by gravity, there is a guy playing accordion next to me. I noticed that he was breathing like he would do if he were playing trombone, trumpet, clarinet, bassoon, or anything else that you would have to blow into to play, what I recognize as wind instruments. Or, I should say, what I used to recognize as wind instruments. Now, I have noticed other non-wind players breathing in this way, but there are also many players who do not. His breathing, though, was quite pronounced, so I asked him about it. I said, "I noticed that you breathe like you are playing a wind instrument as you play. Why is that?" I was expecting an answer along the lines of, "It helps me to keep rhythm." However, he immediately and enthusiastically corrected me, "This IS a wind instrument, actually!" As soon as he said that, I knew what he meant: the "squeezebox" is squeezed in order to force air through it. I said, "Oh yeah. But I was wond-" That's when he interrupted me and gave me a dissertation on the workings of accordions, his and others.
"Listen to this.
"Now if I were to take this piece off, you would see................."
"But some people have it tuned like......................"
Each of those themes was explored in many aspects of the instrument and at length. He never answered my question.
So I was stuck. My jam was stuck. Everything was stuck except my unusual peanut butter.
posted by Ashleigh @ 5:57 AM
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