5/9/2007

I know- it was bad enough when I was asking for tips on growing a Chia head- but, I’ll give this a shot anyway. Is anybody an expert on lava lamps? I think I already know the answer to this, but- is there any way to get them back in motion once they seem to have refused to do so? Here’s the deal- I was given a lovely lamp that is a true masterpiece- it’s supposed to be a Springfield nuclear reactor tower, with Homer Simpson snoozing in his chair at the control on the base, along with co-workers Lenny and Carl at the water cooler- which has a three-eyed fish in it! The same three-eyed mutant fish is at the very top of the lamp, which is loaded with greenish fluid and the lava. It –ahem- USED to bubble to the top in true lava lamp style. Though the lamp included a warning not to run it more than about ten hours- and I never did- I still think it may have gotten too hot, possibly last summer- because- somewhere along the line- it stopped “lava-ing.” Anybody know why? When I have the lamp on, the lava- okay, I know, it’s wax!- does liquefy, and it will flow back and forth when I gently tip the bottle (the lava bottle, not some adult beverage)-but, it doesn’t do the “bubble to the top, then cool and drop” action that it used to do. I’ve wondered if, when it’s liquid-like, I could slowly turn the bottle, get some near the top, the turn it back, and start the flow again. I know you can’t move TOO quickly, because the lava will break up, it’ll become a soupy mess, and that won’t be very soothing to watch either. I looked for replacement lava bottles on the internet, and came up empty. I thought of getting another lamp with a similar color scheme, and switching bottles- BUT- the bottle in my Simpsons lamp is – well, actually shaped more like a bottle, as opposed to the more common lava lamp bottles, that are almost an upside-down coffin shape, which won’t fit into the base. I even thought of getting a whole new Simpsons lamp- but, it would appear that they were a one-shot deal, and they aren’t made anymore. I really like the lamp- the design with the characters is really great, and even without the lava in action, it makes a lovely TV or night light. But- if somebody knows how to get it ‘erupting’ again- so much the better. Oh, and, don’t bother to send me the formula for do-it-yourself lamp lava…I really don’t think I want to start concocting home-made bubbling crude...lava, that is…green gold…Springfield tea…although green tea is supposed to be good for you…maybe I can get Apu to make a bubbly green Squishy…