Not including violent deaths and suicides, I’ve had only one friend die young, in his case, of cancer. So terminal illness, as it may apply to me, isn’t really something that’s been on my mind very much in my life historically. Nonetheless, with the various problems of the last year or two, it has crossed my mind a bit more in recent time. I don’t feel down about. If anything, it really makes me happy about the wonderfully lucky right-place-right-time life I’ve had and all the amazing people and opportunities in it, and makes me enjoy the remaining time more and try and put as many of my dreams into it as possible.
Anyway, one of the three chains on the tire swing at the park were broken, so the girls turned it into a double-decker swing… Tomorrow we’ll do a night visit to the park (which is fun, counting how many bats we see — last time the count hit thirty before we stopped) because our neighbour’s band is playing. We’ve come to the compromise that at least for the summer where bedtime isn’t too critical that he’ll let me know the nights they’re playing and I’ll just plan to go out those nights. I think it’s the surprise of it forcing an unexpected change of plans on me is the worst irritation, so this reduces the stress between us greatly.
I’m watching a documentary right now about the Space Shuttle — “The Tragedy of the Space Shuttle”. I still feel chills every time I see a launch, and watched many of them live, at school and at home, when I was younger. Sometimes I kick myself for not applying myself more at school and not trying to become an astronaut. It’s very sad to me thinking of the moon landing program, which has been all over the news lately, being cancelled in favour of more funding for the Vietnam War… That — the decision to fund war over space exploration (or even science in general) — has an error that’s been made over and over and over. I often imagine what a world we’d live in if all our wealth was spent on live rather than death.
8 Comments
glad to see you’re up and running again :)
I was watching a program last night about the moon landings, interesting stuff but do you think they ever did get there or was the whole thing just a hoax?
P.S. Hope you get well soon.
Shannon, I have followed your blog forever I love it.. I really hope that you are feeling better soon. You are an insperation in life and parenting. Get well.
You ever go see a launch in person? If not, it’s worth the trip. Shuttles aren’t as exciting as the Apollo launches, but still worth the trip.
Never seen one live… closest to live was seeing the shuttle launch on IMAX… Even with just that I almost started sobbing in the theatre :)
Never seen a launch in person, but when my uncle worked at NASA he got us passes for landings a couple times. Even though they were only coming home, it was still pretty moving.
The landings are probably hard to see without passes. The launches anyone can go watch free. You can’t sit in the stands to watch without passes, but you can just join all the other people along the canal and watch from a mile or two away. Don’t worry. It’s close enough.
18 June 2000
until we can collectively and truthfully explain that day and the week that followed
in which acts of self destruction and mutual destruction
and thank the gods this seed of ruin is placed in the heart of man
such that there is litle need to tax the rich or level the field as the inequality with few exception is the center that cannot hold
Post a Comment