Watched Curiosity touch down with Teddy tonight.

FUCK YEAH, SCIENCE!

FUCK YEAH, NERDLOVE!

Colophony is tremendously useful, and is has a wide range of applications within the fields of music, dance, construction, visual art, electronics, medicine, cosmetics, and prestidigitation.

It is an effective tool in the Art of War. Roger Bacon provides instructions for creating Flying Fire with colophony:
Flying Fire (ignis volatilis in aere) may be obtained in the following manner: take one part of colophony, the same of sulphur, and two parts saltpeter.

A fourteenth century recipe for Greek fire called for a mixture containing colophony, sulphur, and Roman glassa to be distilled in an alembic. Bombax was then soaked in the mixture, and the resulting missile was hurled from ballista.

Conversely, it is also a tool in the Art of Healing:

A remedy for scratches taught me by the Herald to the King of France. 4 ounces of virgin wax, 4 ounces of colophony, 2 ounces of incense. Keep each thing separate; and melt the wax, and then put the incense and then the colophony, make a mixture of it and put it onto the sore place.
– Leonardo DaVinci

It can be used for dressing blisters, in drawing salves, and as a balm for bleeding piles.

Its volatile nature and its applications in warfare have scooted colophony into Fire’s jurisdiction, ruled by Mars, though some hold that it is governed by the Sol and Air.

The scent is resinous (surprise!), though a bit green.

Colophony has been known to cause contact dermatitis, and burning this resin in excess may cause occupational asthma. According to the 1888 edition of the American Journal of Pharmacy, powdered colophony may spontaneously combust. Please use caution.

Disclaimer Time! Also, please don’t try to make Greek fire or flying fire or anything else nutty with this info. I don’t want anyone using information that I provide for horrible, horrible crazytimes. I also can’t be responsible for Leonardo DaVinci’s questionable medical advice.

I’m my own best guinea pig. As some of you know, I’m quitting smoking for the eleventybillionth time. This is a little something I made to help me push through this: Hojari frankincense, Sumatran benzoin, Argentinian hyssop, wild harvested white sage, and organically grown peppermint leaf, with Indonesian Daemonorops draco, black pepper, and sweet cinnamon from Madagascar because I punch through problems best with FIERY!MARS’ness.