[meta-note: I took another break, went back, started over on Pt. 3, am beginning my note taking (again!) right here. Something special about this spot in the book, I'm assuming...]

"mass liquid cooing" what exactly does this mean? can't tell if i'm overthinking it. Sounds like "liquid cooling", but describes "white fluff" which makes me think this is about birds, but what's the "liquid" part? Are they shitting? Am I just dumb?

Edit: Yeah, it's probably shit. Dove shit is described just a few sentences later. Oh Pynchon, you punny guy.

End of Ch. 31 or section 3.3, depending on one's preferred way of breaking up the book.

Plasticman is mentioned here, one of several references throughout the book. Supposedly a favorite character of Mr. Farina, one of Pynchon's old friends. Don't think there's any deeper meaning to it, it's just a little superhero-related quip. "Superman" would fit just as well, though Plasticman is less enduring and more of an obscure reference by now, which makes it cool.

3.3 summary (from what I remember, hopefully notes will be better moving forward): "Ian Scuffing" (Tyrone Slothrop) stumbles into the factory where they make the rockets, the Mittelwerke, runs into Major Marvy who is still upset from when that cool black guy threw him off the train (don't remember his name, it's been a few weeks), who then sends all of his men after him. He meets a Nazi guy named Glint? Glimmer? Some shit like that [correction: Glimpf]. Anyway, this old guy helps him hide from the mob, they take off in Tyrone's porsche and pull up to a castle, where there is a secret lab and a guy named like Zwitter or some dumb shit like that. I'll hopefully get the names down again as we get back into it. Ends with a little song that ominously hints at wrapping up WW2 (didn't it end in the previous chapters? Can't recall...) but preparing for "go-round 3"...

[meta-note: I discovered this mid-read, so my notes will begin late. I'm currently totally lost. Join me as I try to make sense of what is going on after several weeks away from the book!]