Three dollars and twenty cents later....

[feren]

I believe that I mentioned in an entry from earlier this week that during a lunch break my coworkers and I took a trip to the local Salvation Army thrift store. While I was there I rescued a purple-and-red lava lamp from their "brik-a-brak" shelf for an absolute song. The problem with buying second-hand from a thrift store is that sometimes you don't get a complete package. In this case my awesome toy was lacking a bulb, so I couldn't get bubbly lava love.

Until today! After stuffing ourselves with a nice lunch at the chinese buffet place a few miles from the office the coworkers and I took a field trip to Home Depot. There we were able to locate a bulb of the appropriate size, wattage, shape and base type for this lamp. A few moments ago I screwed the bulb into the base, put the glass "bottle" back into place and plugged the cord into the outlet. Happily the lamp works like a champ and the wax is currently being warmed to its appropriate operating temperature for gloopy, bubbly lava action.

With the celebratory lighting of the lava lamp my desk has just moved up a whole rung on the ladder of awesome.

Back to my home town

Comments

[duncandahusky.livejournal.com]

Now all you need to do is to cover over the top of your cubicle with plywood painted matte black and install black lights. Oh yeah...

[lady-curmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the black light posters!!! Elvis? One of those groovy fantasy scenes reminiscent of Lord of the Rings? Rainbows and flowers?

[neuracnu.livejournal.com]

Quality kitsch is important office fodder.

[duncandahusky.livejournal.com]

For something like this, I think motion is key (http://cgi.ebay.com/Heilemans-Old-Style-Waterfall-Motion-light-beer-sign_W0QQitemZ6266725493QQcategoryZ50742QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). It's RELAXING AND HYPNOTIC, evidently.

[neuracnu.livejournal.com]

That is HOT.

"Brewed with water from when the earth was pure."
Old Style: the beer from the past!

[lady-curmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Holy shit!!! I think my redneck brother has that sign!!!

[linnaeus.livejournal.com]

That's exactly the kind of crap I have in mind for the basement bar of my dreams.

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

*stares at the lava lamp...completely entranced*

[posicat.livejournal.com]

Now you need a Plasma ball for the other side of the monitor.

[posicat.livejournal.com]

Neah, even better, Jacobs Ladder

[doomsey.livejournal.com]

You gotta turn the lava lamp off for a few minutes every once in a while. I suggest computers and X10 for the job.

:P

[posicat.livejournal.com]

X10 for a cubicle? No, this calls for real honest to god wires.

Just hang an opto-isolated relay off of the parallel port, and have it put the lava lamp to sleep when the screensaver trips.

[doomsey.livejournal.com]

That works too. You're probably thinking of a "solid state relay", which isn't really a relay at all - however, they work beautifully for this application.

Been there, done that.

[posicat.livejournal.com]

Well I was thinking something more simple, but yeah, that would work just as well.

I was thinking 5v from the paralell port, via resistor, controling the magnet of a physical relay. That way it would click audibly when it turned on or off. Perhaps even an LED to show the switch state.

[chebutykin.livejournal.com]

I demand photos.

[roho.livejournal.com]

[duncandahusky.livejournal.com]

Which in turn gave us this handy notice:
(http://pics.livejournal.com/duncandahusky/pic/00003cgc/g3)

[chebutykin.livejournal.com]

I am appeased!

[lady-curmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Excellent! (prints out picture, attaches to monitor)

Jealous!!!!!!!!!

[lady-curmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Sure, I go to Sal's or Willy's and I don't find shite. You go and you get a fookin' lava lamp! And it's purple and red! No fair!!! NO FAIR!!!
*wanders off grumbling

[gingerpook.livejournal.com]

I'm old enough to have gotten a new one. It says old like nothing else.