Has the world gone mad?
Friday, August 15th, 2008
For the second night in a row I dropped in to a supermarket tonight to pick up some bubble bath, and for the second time I came away empty handed. After scouring the shelves in the bathroom aisle for what must have been nearly 10 minutes, I finally gave up and went and asked a guy if he could show me where the bubble bath was. He made me repeat myself and then led me to the condiments aisle where he pointed at some poppadoms. Awkward. A second attempt and he brought me to some scrubbing brushes and replacement mop-heads… I couldn’t see how that worked at all, so thanked him for his help and moved on.
Anyhow, the point of this story is not to laugh at some poor guy with bad English, rather it is to express outrage at the fact that bubble bath seems to have vanished from the shelves, to replaced by a thousand different scented body washes and shower gels… and this makes me really cross! I can’t actually remember where I got my last bottle from— obviously it wasn’t one of the two major supermarkets I just tried.
Bubble bath solution does not just make bathtime fun, it also makes bathtime more energy efficient by retaining the heat in the bath, and further it stops my bathroom walls from becoming sopping wet with condensation (from all the vapor freely escaping from the surface of the water).
Bubbles make great insulation, in the same way any foam does.
The same principle applies with hot coffee; a coffee with a layer on froth on top gives up its heat more slowly, mostly via radiation and conduction through the sides of the cup, rather than convection and evaporation, which is what occurs without the protecting layer. An added bonus in the case of hot drinks is that the foam layer has a dampening effect on the motion of the liquid underneath, so while I am always spilling my tea when simply crossing the room with it, with a nice creamy latte/cappucino I can pretty much run from the kitchen to my office without spilling a drop.
So remember this next time you imply someone is in some way a ponce for drinking a slightly fancy hot beverage; they may in fact be going with the most practical option.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:24 am
The world has indeed gone bonkers… a while ago I went to “Toys R Us” in search of a “Jack In The Box”… After consulting with 5 different staff members I came out empty handed - not one of them could be convinced that anything like that could have ever existed let alone be extant in their store…
There I was making hand-cranking motions and singing “Pop Goes the Weasel” and they’re just staring at me and asking “but what is it for?” and “and then what?”…
Now get off my lawn!
August 15th, 2008 at 6:35 am
I sure am glad you backed this up with some science. Otherwise someone might imply you are in some way a ponce. ;) Not that there is anythng wrong with that. I am just saying.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
So if someone is drinking a fancy foam-topped hot beverage in their sweetly scented bubble bath, that person must surely be SUPER-EFFICIENT!
Perhaps a frilly shower cap could be added to reduce heat dissipation through the skull?
For my part, I drink black coffee cold and scrub myself with a hunk of coal. Towel myself off with a doormat.
Richard, I think Flash-based screamers are the modern day replacement for the good ol’ Jack in the box. Just make sure you have a couple of clean nappies on standby.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Try the toy/party supplies section and you’ll probably find some (if you don’t mind the bottle having a picture of The Wiggles on it).
Speaking of supermarket insanity I once saw (in the toy section) an action figure of The Flash….riding a motorcycle
August 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
might as well move the bath and latte into a polystyrene house
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/08/styrofoam-dome-homes/
August 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Yes i fondly remember the days in wagga with our pathetically puny hot water system - the insulating properties of bubble bath were the only thing that allowed us to have a decent bath - keeping the first lot of water hot while we waited for the system to heat up again. mmmmmm…bubbles
And I agree with AndrewR, you’ll find big bottles of blueberry or bubblegum scented bubblebath with the kiddy things - with pics of the wiggles or barbie fairy princesses - and a chemist is often a better bet than a supermarket.