I've only been registered a few weeks but I love to lurk here, so I figured I'd say hey and all that noise.

I have been fascinated with chemistry my whole life. At 37 years old this is the oldest I've ever been, so far. I wish I would have pursued chemistry when I was younger, but I didn't. I used to spend hours at the library browsing the hive back in it's hey day, but never posted since I never had anything even remotely useful to add. I had a bad motorcycle accident back in october that almost killed me. I spent a month in ICU and another couple weeks in rehab and now I have this spiffy stainless steel back that is just bad ass. Anyway, that accident changed me in more ways than one. While still in the hospital, the last week in rehab, I went to a college book store across the street (had to seriously pitch a fit with my doctors to let me do it, but they relented because it was so close) and bought a book on basic chemistry (Barron's EZ Chemistry) and made up my mind that I was gonna atleast try to learn this shit.

Everyday during my physical therapy if I had a free hand I was watching videos on my phone from khan academy and reading my book at night. It sucks to say, but none of it stuck. To give an example; the metric system is just awesome the way it all fits together, should be simple, right? Take for example the fact that 1ml of water weighs 1gm. That means if something has a density of 1.5, then it's gonna weigh 1.5 times more, per ml, than water. Even this didn't stay in my memory. The reason, of course, is because it's all abstract until you actually use the shit. The reason I remember it know is because I asked someone how much 100ml of a particular chemical would weigh and they lol'ed at me and reminded me of what I should have already known. Now, that shit is in there and I won't forget.

I can't really experiment where I am now, since I live with other people and they are NOT cool with clandestine chemistry and too nosey for me to be comfortable doing much of anything. For the last couple months I have been putting together glassware and I'm almost to the point that I can really start to learn. and do some stuff, I just gotta move. All I really NEED at this point to have a really comprehensive setup is a vacuum, hopefully I'll have that soon. Right now the plan is to move out next month, then be a full on mad scientist. Well, maybe not mad, slightly disgruntled.

I look forward to re-reading a lot of these threads and trying to make them a reality, learning the whole time. I think I will buy me a bottle of champagne for the night when I can ask a question that has hard to pronounce words in it and maybe even a few numbers, or maybe even a Meo. Gives me something to look forward to, in addition to the homemade goodies.

Sorry if you DIDN'T ask for my life story. Peace!

Hey, you don't get the award for oldest person to try to learn chemistry - I'm already nominated for that one.  I didn't start til I was 49.  And I'm with you, I have to do stuff to understand it.  And even so I relearn and relearn and forget. 

I started out interested in nutrition, from there I got into herbal medicine and started making my own extracts.  Lately I've done a few experiments with microwave chemistry and a few simple reactions which I never dreamed I'd be doing when I started.

I'm lucky because my present husband has been a hobby chemist since he was 9.  So I had a guiding hand.  (he says his job is just to keep me alive) 

There's some books out there that are more interesting than barrons chemistry.  Look for Organic Chemistry as a 2nd language.  I also like the Organic Chemistry for Dummies book simply because it condenses stuff a bit.

So in welcoming you I wind up telling my story so now you don't feel all alone.

Salat

Yeah, my bad. Thanks for the advice. I will sink into obscurity now lol. It's funny, shake, I know you from here and that other forum. I know the country you live in, I know Jon is your brother and I know what you kind of stuff you're good at making. So, I can definitely see what you mean. Even with the scarce info some of us post you can still piece together alot about a person. What I've said thus far will be the most detailed info about me you read. I figured what the hell, for my intro I'll clue you in on some details that I feel may tell you why I am motivated to get involved in chemistry or other things.

All in all, good advice and I appreciate it. Thanks to all of you for the warm welcome. I look forward to being around and fill my mind with knowledge.

LMAO Rumors in the making, Such a simple comment I made not long ago already takes on a life of its own

Salat, you're lucky to have a captive tutor lol

High .......please make sure youn read up here about how and how not to get the things you want to have as orderingthings and the delivery can be noticed and like you found out shake is jons son people put two and tow together and get five = its obvious what your up to .

Why will you have to take pain killers and what is your medical condition and prognosis ........doctors are not gods and the body can do things that can be very supriseing = never acept a disability or pain and always try to use your mind , will power and bodily defenses to fight it ...... a little improvement now and then eventualy = a big improvement . Dont acept physical or mental problems = give youre mind a reason to justify them = youll never solve them .

All the docs told me i was going to die and that there was no chance that i would survive , then when i did they told me i would be in a wheel chair the rest of my life , then when i could walk with crutches they said i would need them all my life , then when i was walking with a wlking stick they said the same ........ they were all wrong and now i am proud to be able to walk like a drunken crab and dont give a fuck that many people laugh out loud when they see me walking .

Take care and i hope you get well soon .

Strangeness

Lmao, drunken crab, that's funny. Having two strips of metal hold my spine together just hurts, not sure how that can change.

It's a shame that someone who plans to make very small amounts of chemicals to put in their own body has to go to such extremes of paranoia. God bless America, huh.

hypnos: I hardly have anything to brag about lol. I wish I had something to brag about. I'm not much of a bragger anyway, just an insatiably curious person with a taste for chemicals and I don't care to buy them on the street simply because it's NEVER what's its said to be and even when it is is been literally stomped on until it's trash. I make a decent living already and love what I do. This journey is for a love of science and the satisfaction that only comes from getting bent from something you make yourself. I've been making legal drugs (beer) for many many many years and it's something I love as well.

I have a merck already (lucky me!). It was impressed upon me sometime back that I needed that book as much as any other piece of equipment. Got the previous edition for a little over $10 shipped. Got it from a library, don't think it had ever even been opened lol.

to be honest actually commiting a crime is a long way off and with the limiting of precursors to the point of U need to know some chemistry.  So between this site and one other forum (madness) learning chemistry is more my goal than making illegal substances.