Competence

[claerwen]

I met one of our neighbours from the Dutch barge moored astern of us recently. I had to go round to apologise for the fact that we were probably going to have to run the generator until some ungodly hour as we (or rather, Tom and a friend) thought they'd spilt battery acid into the bilges. This would be a Bad Thing as it would eat through the boat'

Comments

[emperor]

I remember going on scout camp on a narrowboat in Wales. I seem to recall that "scrubbing out the bilges" was threatened as the direst of punishments. They always seemed to contain rather oily-looking water...

Whilst you might be ignorant of the details of boat ownership, I had to think about cutting coke with bicarb for a moment or two until I realised what you meant...

[owdbetts]

You're confused.

The cashier almost certainly doesn't think you're anyone as small-fry as a dealer, though clearly you could be cutting coke with bicarb of soda, but that applies to pretty much any white powder. They probably think you're manufacturing crack, which is made by a process involving cocaine and bicarb of soda...

I imagine if you pass the cashier on the street at night they will cross the road to avoid you... Or at least, if they don't, you should probably cross the road to avoid them... :-)

-roy

[owdbetts]

Incidentally, it's probably just as well you didn't have an acid spill. I thought you said you were advised to use washing soda; bicarb of soda is baking soda, which is not the same thing...

[keirf]

Steel corrodes because it gets tired.