Is this going to hurt me?

Just recently had to have a spare key made, twice, since the first one was just slightly off, rendering it useless. And for those who know me well, this won’t surprise you, but it got me thinking about biochemistry. Organisms have an incredible system of energy saving – with both on/off switches for chemical reactions at key steps along the way; and with a lock and key type of signaling system.

In the first system, if there is too much or too little of a particular product somewhere in the process, it either stops or starts the entire cycle. Like any switch, it breaks the connected circuit temporarily. This sytem is more complicated, and isn't easily disrupted.

In the case of the lock & key – it has to be a key that fits exactly into the lock or it doesn’t open or close. Chemists know that it doesn’t matter how fancy or simple the key is designed, as long as the “business end” fits correctly. In terms of risk – if it doesn’t fit, it’s not a problem, no matter how much you are exposed to. However, if it fits, there is a concern, and protecting that target key from coming in contact with the lock becomes the concern.

So, when worrying about exposure to a chemical – two things have to be considered: one, how well does the key fit in a lock; and two, if it fits, what are the chances it come in contact with the lock?

Furniture in a Box

Assembling furniture from a box is an interesting concept, the opposite end of the spectrum from antiques. Maybe even the antithesis. It’s like semi-disposable, since it can’t take the stresses beyond normal wear and tear. I guess its fine to use if you don’t move frequently – probably more like, don’t move at all. For instance, the dresser I am using was purchased in ‘80 or ‘81, an unfinished set my husband and I purchased just after we were married to fit into the house we had just bought. It has seen innumerable moves between us, and then later my daughter who acquired the set piecewise as I replaced it with a heavy Kincaid set. It is disassembling itself piece at a time – but the drawers still slide just fine. The Kincaid set is languishing in storage in northern Idaho at the moment. I’m told the snow has been too frequent and heavy for me to even get to it were I ready to. For now, it’s not like it would fit into the back of the Jimmy. And, of course, the boxed stuff did, which brings me back to topic of “assembly”…

Part of the instructions on the dresser I just put together included a brace to anchor it to the wall. Since it was for my mom to use, and I couldn’t imagine earthquakes in Kansas or her climbing on top of it, I opted out. But while on the phone with a friend, she decided to move it to a new location, and before I could get there to help, she had walked it across the room, and now the drawer slides on the bottom drawer need realignment to make it close properly. I imagine I will go a step or two further and re-engineer it to prevent future issues. And of course, my mind went back to the possible reasons for that anchor brace that I may have missed initially…

Next comes the vanity, with mirror and stool. And next week the kitchen trio with stools and drawers arrives….