How to make fire without matches and the history of dirigibles. (Not simultaneously, though it turns out that the Hindenburg did have a airlock-sealed smoking lounge.)

I had a friend in university who was working on shunting her mind to her navel,

An aspiring zombie?

Okay, strangest thing you've researched for a story, fanfic or otherwise.

I needed to know the exact year British enlisted soldiers stopped being made to flour their hair. Also, the deployment of the British army in the year my alternate history WIP goes alternate (so I know where my chess pieces are before I start moving them around on the board). I ended up asking Bernard Cornwell for help on the latter when I saw him at a writers conference this summer, and he was able to point me toward a source (very obscure and out-of-print, but fortunately not to expensive on abebooks). My next step was going to be seeing if the UK war office had some kind of staff historian, which felt a lot more daunting than chatting to a famous author after a workshop.

Over the weekend I read a little about what's coming up in fashion this season. They used the term "clash" to describe the combination of navy and black. Do y'all see that as a clash? They might not be worn together much, but I think they look okay.

I can't get to it, ita, but you can find her on her performance on YouTube. She was pretty zombieriffic. Very much going through the smallest motions of it all.

If you're not in great shape, you really shouldn't wear a bra and panties to perform.

For some reason I thought you meant that if you weren't in good shape you should go bra-less and pantiless (under your clothes) on-stage!

Okay -- I must find that youtube clip. I hear that she not only barely attempted to lipsynch but she also wasn't moving.

And - The Tubeys are some of the most difficult voting choices I've had in years.

Growing up, I was told never to mix black and navy, so I don't.

Okay, strangest thing you've researched for a story, fanfic or otherwise. Go!

Jan Karski for that Grindelwald-era Harry Potter fanfic I've still got brewing in my head.

I was told never to mix black and navy, so I don't.

I was told that too, but am sufficiently lazy that I do. So I'll wear a navy sweater with a black skirt, or put a black belt on a navy dress-mostly it's because I refuse to buy navy shoes and I'm trying to wrench the outfit around.

But when you look at something like this blog entry on predictable colour preferences I have more of a conviction that the non-preferred combos look bad--navy and black are just described as bad.

She was pretty zombieriffic. Very much going through the smallest motions of it all.

Oh--I thought Jesse meant she was out of shape.

navy and black do clash-ish because they are so close in color that they often look like the wearer meant to wear one or the other but got up and dressed in the dark instead.

Or at least that's how I look when I do that.