#thorrofasgard

[sifofthestars-blog]

[Sif practically bursts through Thor’s dorm room door.] You are very lucky that was open. I was not above destroying school property to come in here today.

[janejugglingfoster]

Over-due Prescription for Fun

@thorrofasgard

Jane was pacing, the concrete in front of the Library threatening to crumble into a trench as her booted feet slapped against it. She couldn’t sit still, she couldn’t. Stillness was akin to lying down and allowing the wave of fatigue to crash down on her. When was the last time she had gotten some descent rest? The impromptu park nap on Bruce earlier in the week? Not last night.  Last night had been a fretful doze she found herself in after she finally got Jack stable. Wavering between sleep and awareness, hyper aware of his labored breathing his heart beat, muscles coiled, ready to jump at the loss of either sound. Maybe she should have asked Spider-Man to stay.

She shook her head. This wasn’t the time to think about this. She had a date. A date she as frightening early for. It was only five-thirty. But she couldn’t stay in her apartment. It reeked of blood and antiseptic, of hospital. Her home smelled like her work and looked even worse. A war zone.  Jane might have been able to clean herself and find non-bloodied clothes to wear, make-up to hide the bag under her eyes her apartment was a different story. She couldn’t have anyone over, at least non-vigilante related until it was clean, lest she be charged with murder or something. Jane ran her fingers through her hair, ruining her halfhearted attempt at a do.

Date. Very cute and charming date. Blonde date.

Jane started chewing at her thumbnail. She need to refocus. There was no way she was going to be able to stop worrying about Jack. If he was eating like she told him too. If he was going to head her plea to not go out for at least another thirty-six hours. If he was at least going to give his body a chance to start replacing the blood he lost. The amount of blood he lost on her bed alone--- No. She couldn’t focus on this now. She needed to push it to the back of her mind. She had a date coming and he deserved her focus.

She ran her hand nervously down her dark pants. Mind forcing the physics of ice skating she had crammed in between school and translating Tony.  She hoped that they weren’t going anywhere fancy. She breathed, forcing the air out of her nose. She could do this. A skater propels herself forward by pushing off the ice with a force perpendicular to the skate blade. Since the friction of the blade with the ice is almost zero, this is the only way she can propel herself forward.

She could have fun. Forget her trouble for a couple hours.  As the skater pushes off with her rear leg, a perpendicular force F is exerted on the skate by the ice. The component of the force F that points forward (in the direction of motion) is what pushes the skater forward. At the same time, her other skate is either raised or gliding on the ice.

Jane’s pacing slowed, she just had to trust Jack. He’d listen. As the skater moves forward she then switches to the other leg and pushes off the ice with that one, and the process is mirrored. To push off the ice with greater forward force (and accelerate faster), the skater increases the angle α, which increases the component of force in the direction of motion. Jack would be okay and Jane could let her mind melt a little, temporarily, with Donald.

Jane’s grin came in at full force. Maybe she could even get him to admit how useful and fun science could be when it came to ice skating. That or he might actually charm the pants off her. Either way. It would be a story she could tell Jen.