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Thursday, January 17th, 2008 02:58 pm
So with all the Cassie Edwards flap going on, I decided to try to write a scene that made use of some passages from some of my reference books. To see how hard it was to incorporate someone else's text into your own story (I figured it'd be way easier to just write your own dialogue!). I, however, have credited the source book with those fun 'hover the mouse text thingees' (I hope) so I won't get in trouble. But I think I did a pretty good job of seamlessly blending a pick-up story with some reference material. Please feel free to fawn over my 'accurate research' and 'great facts'. ;)


He eyed her warily. There were no visible warning signs, no band of razor wire encircling her heaving bosom. Sure, she was hotter than fresh asphalt in August, but he knew that even though it was law that if the facility will be an “attractive nuisance” or is not considered to be reasonably safe, it may have to be fenced and/or signed, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be foolhardy to whisk her off to his motel room, like a street sweeper brushes autumn leaves off the pavement. He threw caution to the wind, and not just any wind, like a soft spring breeze. No, this wind snatched up discarded plastic bags and wrapped them around tree branches, then continued to pummel them, making that obnoxious snapping noise.

He slid up to her, oozing down the bar like a punctured jelly donut. “Hey, did you know that the primary function of an access hole is to provide convenient access to the storm drainage system for inspection and maintenance? As secondary functions, access holes serve as flow junctions, and can provide ventilation and pressure relief for storm drainage systems. What do you say about a little inspection?” His eyebrow raised suggestively.

She stared at him, then said slyly, “Well, you know, discharge pipes are often used as outlet structures for detention facilities. The design of these pipes can be for either single or multistage discharges. I’m only interested,” she licked her lips, “in multi-stage discharges.”

Just then a buxom blond strode towards the pair like a mongoose dashing after a snake. She narrowed her gaze at him and said sharply, “I never thought I’d see your face around here again, considering. I’d have thought the shame would keep you away.” Her gaze settled on the other woman. “I really wouldn’t bother.”

“Hey!” he said sharply. “It’s not like I’m the only one at fault. The hydraulic capacity of a storm drain is controlled by its size, shape, slope, and friction resistance. And a change in head loss due to differences in pipe diameter is only significant in pressure flow situations. I think you might want to take a long, hard look at yourself before you besmirch the skills of another person.”

“Excuse me,” the first woman said, “I think you are forgetting that the correction factor corresponds to the effect another inflow pipe, plunging into the access hole, has on the inflow pipe for which the head loss is being calculated. I, for one, would be more than happy to experiment with a second inflow pipe and see what that does for my multi-stage discharge.”

He smiled at the first woman, and threw a scornful glance at the second. “You’d be well remembered that most natural flow conditions are neither steady nor uniform. However, in some cases it can be assumed that the flow will vary gradually in time and space, and can be described as steady, uniform flow for short periods and distances.

She snorted back at him like a pig rolling in particularly fine mud. “You just keep telling yourself that, hon.” She smiled at the other woman. “And when you discover his pipe diameter is undersized, don’t say I didn’t warn you. And remember, it’s all a function of the angle of the incoming flow as well as the percentage of inflow coming through the pipe of interest versus the other incoming pipes. Don’t give credit where it’s not due.”



See, I bet you wouldn't even notice if I hadn't pointed it out! ;) Also, I did not realize how many suggestive phrases there were in storm water design...
Thursday, January 17th, 2008 05:05 pm (UTC)
Ooh, that's the hottest thing I've read in ages. I'll be in my bunk.

:D

(btw I didn't see any hovertext!)
Thursday, January 17th, 2008 05:21 pm (UTC)
Yeah, they say it doesn't work in all browsers, and no one seems to know why. But it was all from the Urban Drainage Design Manual, Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 22 - now we know what you'll be reading next time you're 'in the mood'. ;)
Thursday, January 17th, 2008 05:58 pm (UTC)
Oh my ... you didn't ... that is so wrong.

And yet so perversly suggestive. Who knew engineering could be so raunchy?
Friday, January 18th, 2008 02:50 am (UTC)
I know! I was flipping through the book and was AMAZED at how many phrases seemed... suggestive, if you were in the right mindset!
Thursday, January 17th, 2008 08:16 pm (UTC)
AAAHAHAHAHAHAH, oh baby, take me now.
Friday, January 18th, 2008 02:51 am (UTC)
And I didn't even have to whip out Open Channel Flow! You're too easy... ;)
Friday, January 18th, 2008 08:59 am (UTC)
Yeah, but I get all the fun stuff this way. ;D
Friday, January 18th, 2008 04:18 am (UTC)
LMAO. You did a brilliant job with this.

I had no idea you could be that suggestive with text book material. *is afraid to open her textbooks* lol!

And you even got to create a couple of those bad simile thingies like you linked to the other day ;)
Friday, January 18th, 2008 01:52 pm (UTC)
Thank you! Yeah, it's amazing what you can find when you look at something with the right mindset... I bet some of your textbooks have some good phrases... you know you want to look... ;)