Putting You Out of Your Misery
contests January 5th, 2009I’ve punished you long enough. Yesterday’s What’s That? challenge elicited 83 responses and I couldn’t keep the contest going any longer, especially because we had a winner at Comment #36.
Stephanie Barr of the Rocket Science blog guessed correctly that the hole is an ink well from an antique desk.
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Stephanie, you have a very good eye! I’ll be in touch shortly about your prize!
This partial row of desks is probably over 60 years old. It came from my old grade school. When they were renovating in the 70s, they said anyone could come and cart them away.
They sat in my parents house for a good 20 years before they were finally moved to my own home, where they sit gathering dust in the basement.
Among my grade school nightmares is one involving these desks. I will never forget the day a kid in front of me vomited all over himself and his seat.
The teacher took the vomit-dripping lad to a restroom for a hose down, while the rest of us students sat in the stanky room for a while until the janitor came to clean up the mess.
What annoyed me most was that I was asked to help clean it up. Why? Why me? Because I had the misfortune of sitting behind a kid who couldn’t hold down his lunch?
To this day, I can remember the smell of the vomit and the smell of the salts that were sprinkled on top of it to soak it up. Thanks for the memories, St. Jane’s Catholic School of the Vomiting Children.
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Stumble it!
January 5th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
YIKES !!!!!!!!!!
I do not even want to know about the inkwell contents …
Eric “Speedcat Hollydale”’s last blog post..Music Monday Diva Style
January 5th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Hi Kathy,
Thank you for finally revealing the secret!
My congrats to Stephanie! I’m not surprised it took a rocket scientist to figure this one out! Easy my eye!
But I can’t thank you for reminding me of the smell of vomit from grade school. At our school they sprinkled some kind of saw dust mixture on it before mopping it up. I can still smell it, and see the bits of food… ughhhhhhhhh
~ Steve, the I-just-lost-my-appetite trade show guru
Steve | Trade Show Guru’s last blog post..High School Musical - am I a sell-out?
January 5th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
oh blerg!! I didnt eat baked beans for 15 years after a similar incident
fidget’s last blog post..Rock who?
January 5th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Oh, ew. That’s gross. And I have an excuse for not getting it because we don’t use ink wells anymore.
Why is it when school is bad enough already, some kid has to throw up and make it worse? It’s even worse you had to help clean it. It’s his puke, he should clean it up.
And you didn’t even have Frebreeze back then. Poor, poor Aunt Kathy.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I hate bomit. It smells bad. I think it was very wrong to ask you to help clean it up. Only adults are supposed to clean up bomit.
Daisy the Curly Cat’s last blog post..A Daisy Quiz!
January 5th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I have only had one experience like that and it happen to be in 1st grade on the 100th day of school. One of the teachers made 100 pancakes fr each class and a boy had way to many and well he puked in the seat right in front of me. It was disgusting. Very clever with the What’s That Object.
January 5th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I still see a quarter moon in the black circle…oh well.
I remember sitting beside this really gross guy in one of my classes, who sneezed….onto the back of the head of the girl with long hair in front of him. It was the grossest thing I’ve ever seen, he must of had a cold or something, because I’ve never seen……..well let’s end it there
January 5th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I remember those..:)..
robert bourne’s last blog post..Thank You
January 5th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
OK, I have to admit to an advantage. One of the six books I’m currently reading (long story) recently had a character who needed to mend a quill and went looking for a quill-knife and found his missing nephew’s signet ring and, well, my unconscious associative logic did all the real work.
Thanks. I’m kinda tickled.
Stephanie Barr’s last blog post..Kid Break
January 5th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Easy to solve my big fat overdosed-on-Noassatol-tablets ASS…
I’m sure I’m considerably older than you but even in my poverty stricken hometown we didn’t have ink wells still lurking in our desks.
But I forgive you since you had to deal with vomit in your ink well.
Cheers.
January 5th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Eric “Speedcat Hollydale” — Seriously. How ’bout a cup ‘o puke?
I-just-lost-my-appetite Trade Show Guru Steve — That’s funny. Yes, it did take a rocket scientist, didn’t it? Smells are a funny thing. They’re so tied to memories. I really don’t know how people in “death services” can deal with what they must have to smell in their lines of work. I’m just so glad someone does it.
fidget — Oh, yeah. Baked beans. It’ll do it every time.
Regan — Thank you for your sympathies. I remember thinking “But I don’t wanna clean that up!” But if you don’t obey he nuns, they go all detention on you. Geez. School was like an amusement park of horrors.
Daisy the Curly Cat — Bomit is gross. You are right. Bomit is for big people. And janitors whose job it is to clean gross things!
brooke — We are sisters of the vomit.
Alan — I still see it, too. I love that it has an alter ego. Oh, the poor girl. I would have washed my hair 700 times after I got home. Gross!
robert bourne — A-ha! Someone remembers them! I do love my little desks. We just can’t figure out where to place them in the house as a decorative piece. That was the idea many years ago.
Stephanie Barr — Congrats, chicky! I love that you made the connection from a random story in a book. Tres cool!
David — Well, well, see… I thought…. oh, nevermind. All I can say is that catholic schools are poor. I’m sure those desks were original when the school was built, many years before I was born. We only used the holes to stuff papers in them and other garbage. Thanks for the sympathy. Vomit no fun.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Heh. That was an easy one to figure out, was it?
Glad I never went to Catholic schools, seemingly. My memories of public schools were wretched enough.
I once dated a Catholic girl. She had perfect handwriting. I asked her how that happened and she said, “When I was learning to write, a nun would slap my wrist with a golden ruler if I didn’t make my letters correctly.”
I’m not sure why I like that story so much…
The Hawg!’s last blog post..Putting pressure on IHOP
January 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Oh now I feel sick :O( How bad to make you clean it up! I have a funny (?) story about vomit.
Congratulations to Stephanie!
Babs - beetle’s last blog post..A Fabulous blog decision
January 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Oh my goodness gracious ewwwwwwww………….
blech and you should have never had to assist. 
Monica’s last blog post..Our Holiday Season 2008-2009
January 5th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
1) That was a tough clue!
2) Wonder what substances ended up on those desks in your basement after all those years. If only they could talk…
3) I think with some do-it-yourself creativeness, you could make that ink well into a beer can holder.
4) I have to go play my Wii now. (It’s a game, people. And even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t go blind.)
5) Happy New Year Kathy.
Geakz’s last blog post..Car Key Stuck In Ignition
January 5th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
What was that orangey smelly stuff that the janitor used to sprinkle over the barf? I think it smelled worse than the barf, didn’t it? Ahhhh, such fond memories of grade school….. Eddie Nagel heavin’ up hot dogs. Yeewwww!
Lin’s last blog post..King of the Hill
January 5th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Oh, that’s just wrong! You sadist! Keeping us in limbo, racking our brains (I even tried to figure this darn thing out while I was showering) trying to figure it out while all along you knew someone guessed right at #36?!? And then you hit us with the vomit story (at dinner time, even, for me)? You will pay. Of course, the other side of the story is that my brain hasn’t had that much exercise in a good while. This one really got me. It really was good fun, seriously.
By the way, I went to a Catholic school also. I bet we could tell some stories, right?
Matt’s last blog post..Absurd Files: New Year, Old (Really Old) Laws.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Of course! Now I see it. I sat at the very same desk.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
ACK! Mom is ok cleaning up after us, but she wouldn’t make it very long cleaning up after someone else!
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids’s last blog post..ManCat Monday - Cousin Trooper and Abby
January 5th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
If I had been sitting where you were it would have been two for one day. Even with my kids, I always threw up when they did. I think it was my weird way of being supportive.
Lee’s last blog post..It’s A Passion…And Almost An Obsession
January 5th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
HAHAHA!! I actually didn’t comment because my comment was NOT PG-13.
I even have one of those desks! But alas…my mind was elsewhere.
Grandy’s last blog post..A New Blogging Adventure - 2009 1st Edition
January 5th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Creamed corn was the worst.
Prefers Her Fantasy Life’s last blog post..If I’m a Hippie, I’m a Hi-Tech One
January 5th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I’m so depressed. You said it was an “antique desk”. It looks just like the ones I used in grade school. Does that make me an antique too? Oh well, maybe I’m worth a lot of money and didn’t even know it.
MA Fat Woman’s last blog post..A Special Announcement
January 5th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
By the way, there is nothing I hate more than vomiting. I have not done it myself in TWENTY THREE years (and that’s with five pregnancies). My daughter and husband both have weak stomachs but they generally make sure they’re not near me when they indulge and my poor eldest cleans up after herself to spare me.
I hope you kicked the janitor.
Stephanie Barr’s last blog post..Six Random Things - with a Twist
January 5th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Oh my gosh I would not have guessed that! obviously LoL
thank you for saving my sanity…. :o)
What a great game, looking forward to next week
Have a great day
The Mind of a Mom’s last blog post..Goodness from the Goddess
January 6th, 2009 at 12:09 am
the lighting threw me off. it really looked like concrete and silver paint.
Time to buy a better camera…any excuse is a good reason to buy a better camera…just tell your hubby that it is a blogging expense and will pay for itself in no time.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:52 am
You have a lot of dust in your basement. What are you saving it for?
Gandalf and Grayson’s last blog post..What’s A 7-Letter Word For ‘Grayson Is Not Pleased’?
January 6th, 2009 at 4:53 am
Like Steve, I recall sawdust being thrown down on the vomit. Um, they asked you to HELP CLEAN IT?!
I thought attending public school sucked. Apparently I was lucky.
cardiogirl’s last blog post..The book of questions, Volume 23
January 6th, 2009 at 5:03 am
I never ever would have guessed that. Good one, Stephanie. Vomit! The sound bothers me more than anything, then the smell. Ugghh!
ettarose’s last blog post..They Want New Clothes, I Give Em New Clothes
January 6th, 2009 at 5:35 am
The Hawg! — Oh, yeah. We have the best penmanship around. Cursive handwriting is a dying art. Meaning, you would die if you didn’t write artfully.
Babs beetle — Let’s hear your story. Gotta be better than mine if you called it funny. Mine was decidedly not.
Monica — You did what you were told to do. Also, I would never question a teacher. I was the most compliant child there was.
Geakz — Happy new year, bud! The dust film you see on everything else in the basement is kitty litter dust. There are two boxes nearby. I at least cleaned off the desk for the shot. I know you’re really enjoying playing with your Wii. There is almost nothing as fun, eh?
Lin — I can’t exactly remember what the substance was. But it smelled very chemically and when mixed with the vomit, it became some other kind of olfactory monster. I’m kind of sorry I mentioned this. Everybody’s getting sick here.
Matt — You’re right. I like to keep everyone’s brains in motion, thinking what could it be? I haven’t figured out a better way to handle these challenges. I guess if you would agree with someone who guessed correctly before you, I’d give second and third prizes. Would that help? Check out the link in this post to my grade school memories. If you have time, be sure to read through the comments people left. You’ll be crying by the end.
Data Entry Services — I was thinking this morning “I wonder if I could fit in that seat.” I probably could, but then I might strain something getting out. So I’ll just admire it from afar.
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids — Yeah, human vomit is a whole other nightmare. I don’t mind cleaning kitty urps, but human? I’d pay someone to do it.
Lee — Weird! This post made me think of the last time I did. Probably 15 years ago. Bachelorette party. Beware the drinks with the tiny umbrellas in them.
Grandy — I won’t probe any further!
Prefers Her Fantasy Life — Oh, thanks. That about makes up for me posting about this. I don’t know how anyone can eat that stuff. The name alone sounds disgusting.
MA Fat Woman — If it makes you an antique, it makes me one, too. But don’t worry. Those desks are older than us!
Stephanie Barr — Oh, thank God you are spared having to go near it. I’m sure just the thought of it makes you want to hurl. Good for you for making it through several pregnancies and being spared. I think that’s a mind-over-matter type deal.
The Mind of a Mom — That’s OK. 82 other people didn’t get it either!
rattln along — Oh, don’t start on the camera. My old Kodak, used for this shot, is the one that takes better micro shots. My new one wouldn’t have even gotten it this good. I think I need more than a point ‘n shoot kind of camera for these challenges. Anyone wanna buy me one?
Gandalf and Grayson — I blame the cats. All that dust is kitty litter getting kicked up over the years.
cardiogirl — Yes, and I did, because I obeyed every authority figure in grade school. I was the perfectly compliant child. Swear to God. Ask my parents.
ettarose — Oh, the sound!!! BLECH!
January 6th, 2009 at 6:58 am
St. Jane of the Vomiting Children? I thought Our Lady Of Corporal Punishment was bad!
Is there a patron Saint of Projectile Vomiting?
Now I’m wondering about the true origin of St. Vitas Dance!
Chris Casey’s last blog post..Mark Trail Saves the Swamp!
January 6th, 2009 at 7:41 am
I remember that kids were always vomiting in that school. One of my classmates vomited while we were in church - right next to me so I couldn’t really get out of the way..can still remember what it looked like….and that stuff they sprinkle on it made me want to vomit, too - ahhhhh, the memories.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Whew!!! Thank you for announcing what it is. I was very concerned there, for a bit, that you somehow got a pic of my belly button…
January 6th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Thanks for the memories!
It makes me think of summer camp when we were divided into “tribes” and had a dare contest. One brave lad sucked down an entire carton of Pepsi–that would be 8 16-ounce bottles, back in the day. Just minutes after the last swallow, he sneezed–and it all came out of his nose like a tidal wave.
Did I paint an adequate picture?
m’s last blog post..A New Year, A Fresh Start
January 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Ugh…I would not have been able to help clean that up. I can barely pull through when the kiddos have those kind of messes. I could not imagine asking a child to help.
Awesome “What’s That” by the way!!
Angela’s last blog post..Don’t Give in to Gossip
January 6th, 2009 at 9:16 am
All I knew was that it was a hole. I never would have guessed that in a million years! Funny you even wanted those desks after your horrible school years there. We had the same kind in my old elementary school too.
You must have been a very nice, quiet girl so they figured you wouldn’t mind helping out, how mean of them to ask you to do that. I would have moved across the room! That’s just disgusting!!
Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry”’s last blog post..It’s Between the Shoestring and the Cat Grass
January 6th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Perhaps you were just a very capable child, you know, the one without a gag reflex. If I had been there it would have been double the clean up….eeeuuuwww.
Carla’s last blog post..Lame list circa 2009
January 6th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Yep, I remember that sawdust stuff. I also remember how they would leave it to soak where ever it happened, and kids would avoid that spot like it was nuclear radiation. I had to wait until I had a child to be thrown up on and have to clean up disgusting messes.
I do remember Tony Passanetti from the 4th grade, who figured out how to make himself throw up, so he could get out of class for the rest of the day. He said tomato soup and crackers was the best, splatted nicely and didn’t taste too much different coming out. He got out of a lot of math tests that way.
shadowsrider’s last blog post..Christmas trees…
January 6th, 2009 at 10:16 am
How was that again?… “I thought I’d be nice and not tax your brains too hard on a Sunday.”
Right.
Jeff’s last blog post..Thank you… I’ll be your entertainment for the evening.
January 6th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I would have never guessed this in a million years. What an interesting story though. I certainly hope you didn’t help clean up the vomit. Just saying.
Have a terrific day Kathy.
Comedy Plus’s last blog post..True Friends
January 6th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
vomit is the one thing that will make me… well, vomit. my stomach is turning just thinking about it!
Kelly’s last blog post..If You Loved Me You Would
January 6th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
There is nothing worse than that orange powder crap janitors poured on vomit in gradeschool.
Father Muskrat’s last blog post..why i’ll never again drive my car on a BMX track
January 6th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Congratulations, Stephanie! Now if I could only get that smell of vomit out of my nostrils.
JD at I Do Things’s last blog post..I’ll Say “No” to Drugs so you don’t have to
January 6th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Congrats Steph! I was very close with my guess! NOT.
I feel for you Junkkie (lol) . That is about THE grossest smell
dizzblnd’s last blog post..Thank you QuirkyLoon
January 6th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Ah Ha! Congrats Stephanie!!
meleah rebeccah’s last blog post..Man I Am Glad That’s Over.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Good one, never would have guessed that! What are you going to do with those desks? Seems like they should be put to some interesting use,hummm. I’ll have to think about it.
DJ’s last blog post..Three Kings Day.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Chris Casey — There you go. You had to make me Google St. Vitas Dance. Am I the only one here who hadn’t a clue?
Marlene — See, it IS the vomiting school! Ugh. It’s amazing how burned our vomit experiences are in our memories. Sorry to have made you think about it.
BabaBooey — I suspect yours looks slightly different than this. At least I hope it does. Does it?
m — A perfect, bicarbonate, sting-the-hell-out-of-your-nose picture! Holy crap!
Angela — I swear, they made us do everything. We were like their little chain gang.
Karen — What can I say, I was nostalgic for something. Yes, I was quiet and nice and a doormat.
Carla — Nope, see doormat comment above. God, I can almost smell it right now. Doesn’t take much, does it?
shadowsrider — “nuclear radiation” Exactly! I did always feel bad for the kid who upchucked all over. I mean, they had to face a classroom of really angry students, who now smelled like vomit. OK, you have officially left the grossest comment so far. I used to like tomato soup and crackers!
Jeff — Well for some reason I thought it’d be easy because it clearly isn’t a hole that goes all the way through something. And somehow I figured that made it real obvious it was a desk. Oh, nevermind. My bad.
Comedy Plus — Oh, I know I helped. I took a dishpan and brush and I helped collect and dispose of the newly-soaked stuff they threw on it. Unbelievable.
Kelly — I know. I’m sorry. If it helps, I can barely get through these comments. I feel so ill.
Father Muskrat — Ugh. It’s like I’m right there again. Horrible, horrible stuff.
JD at I Do Things — I know. I’ll spray the Drawer and put flowers on the tables. I promise it’ll smell better here in a couple days.
dizzblnd — At the risk of grossing you and others out further, I’m going out on a limb and saying that baby poop is a worse smell than vomit is. Can any parents corroborate?
meleah rebeccah — I love that it was a rocket scientist who got it. Blows my whole “easy” theory, doesn’t it?
DJ — We would love to place them out somewhere in our house where we (and visitors) can enjoy them. If you look closely, there is another “bucket” desk to the right. It’s not as classic as the row desks, but we’d like to find a home for that too.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
EXCELLENT…never would have guessed it…and agreed, a Rocket Scientist, fitting…make it HARD next time, and let’s see what happens..lol!
amy lilley’s last blog post..If Winter Had a Flower…
January 6th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I Feel bad now, that you googled St. Vitas dance, Now there’s a catholic School story I’m saving for a memoir!
Chris Casey’s last blog post..I’m going to call the Bleepin Manager!
January 7th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Gee, thanks for sharing……as I recall, I may have been that vomiting kid……now I feel really, really, bad.
Bruce’s last blog post..I Recommend Divorce
January 7th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
amy lilley — Every time I think I have an easy one, it turns out to be hard. Every time I think I have a hard one, someone guesses it right away. I can’t win!
Chris Casey — You must elaborate. Is this a guy thing?
Bruce — Oh, I remember exactly who it was. You never forget a puking face.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I would have never have guessed that!
Brat’s last blog post..Easy to make grilled Beer Brats