07:59 – We use 30 mL wide-mouth “pharmaceutical packer” bottles for some of the solid chemicals in our science kits. One of those is dextrose. Back when we filled the first batch of those bottles, I tested them to see how much dextrose would fit in one of the bottles. It turned out that loose-filling the bottles to the rim put about 26 or 26.5 grams, give or take, but always at least 25 grams. So I made the labels to list the contents as 25 grams.
So yesterday I started filling a batch of 60 bottles with dextrose. The first 20 or so were no problem. I was using dextrose from a current batch. Then I opened a new 3 kilo bottle of dextrose, loose-filled a bottle, and found that it contained only about 20 grams. The new batch of dextrose is fluffier than the old batch. I tried tapping the bottle to settle the contents, but even with tapping there was no way to fit 25 grams into that bottle. So now I have to use a thick rod to press down the contents of the bottle, refill it to the rim, press down again, and refill yet again to the rim. I guess they don’t call these “packers” for nothing. I guess I should just re-label the bottles as containing 20 grams rather than 25 grams, but I’m stubborn.
Oh, and I got a call yesterday evening from a USPS rep about my lost Priority Mail packages. It turned out that she wasn’t the proper person to handle the problem, so she said she’d refer it to the proper person, whom I’d hear from in the next 24 hours.
15:05 – I just took Colin for a walk. There are hundreds of squirrels in our immediate neighborhood, and Colin is a Mighty Squirrel Hunter. Or he would be, if he didn’t have me along. I honestly believe he could keep himself fed just on squirrels, if it weren’t for me holding the leash. Colin, on the other hand, probably wonders why I didn’t starve to death long ago. Here is Colin’s evaluation of my hunting skills:
Spotting prey: D-
Stalking prey: F
Chasing prey: F
Pouncing prey: F
Sharing prey: B+
That last one is the only reason he tolerates me. Not only do I share with Colin the prey that Barbara brings home from the supermarket, but I have access to tasty prey that’s hard to find in the yards around the neighborhood, things like Cheesoritos and beef-flavored chews.