On Thursday, 12 May 2005, Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center is scheduled to make history as the Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on mission STS-114, the first such launch and flight since the Columbia was destroyed during re-entry.

After the Columbia Accident Investigation Board announced their findings in August 2003 regarding the cause of the accident, NASA was charged with making many modifications, not only to its Shuttle Fleet hardware, but to procedures and personnel. A structural redevelopment of the large external fuel tank was completed in order to prevent the casting off of insulating foam, the object that punctured the fatal hole in wing of Columbia.

Two years later, hopefully having learned from the mistakes of the past, NASA feels confident to return to flight and I for one and very excited. While it may be too idealistic to think that human space travel holds the key to peace on Earth, it is certainly one of the most important aspects of current evolution. In addition to the scientific gains we make in the fields of spaceflight, astronomy and astrophysics, countless new technologies and medicines have either been developed in or designed for space. On Earth, those same "futuristic" explorations have proven essential.

Living in Orlando, the backyard of human spaceflight, is a special opportunity. Since moving to the area in September 1989, there have been eighty-five launches and I have tried to watch each and every one. If you stand in my front yard and look up, both the flights of shuttles departing Launch Complex 39A and 39B are clearly visible. You can watch the sun shimmering off the surface of the ship as it breaks away from the confines of Earth. I have also gone out to the Kennedy Space Center for launches, both watching them from across the Banana River and on occasion on NASA property via drive-on permit.

I have some great stories about being on property for launches and the granddaddy of them all: the tour I took of the complete facility. I will be sure to write about those experiences soon.

In the meantime, I anxiously await that day in May when I can again look at the sky and see our future taking flight.

Abe Vigoda Status: a Firefox Extension
Alive and kicking? Always know with this extension. [ via ]

Kana Hakkliha, a product of Estonia, Remix Contest
A twisted commercial is being redone by amused visitors.

Light-Up Bras
"Now that LEDs are available in all colors of the rainbow (including purple), we thought we'd make a bra to celebrate!" [ via ]

Improv: McDonald's Bathroom Attendant
A "Five Star Fast Food" improvisational experience. [ via ]

Handlers suing; said forced to flash Koko
"Two former employees of the Gorilla Foundation, home to Koko the "talking" ape, have filed a lawsuit contending that they were ordered to bond with the 33-year-old female simian by displaying their breasts." [ via ]

While there has never been a shortage of wildlife around my house, it seems that the population is steadily growing. There is not a whole lot of new development in this area; otherwise an influx of animal life would be expected. Regardless, as I am pro-environment and subsequently enjoy animals the new visitors are welcome.

Except in the middle of the night. I am by no means a light sleeper, but over the past several weeks I have been risen in the wee hours of the morning by the sounds of animals getting into brawls. Mind you, this is not like a dog barking six houses away. The animals are carrying on right outside my window. With Florida's weather such as it is, my window remains open until it is unbearably hot outside and on occasion a bit nippy. A lover of fresh, breezy air, I have my bed positioned right next to the window. Normally this presents a most idyllic sleeping environment, except of course when the animal kingdom gets a bit rowdy.

The creature count is currently as follows:

• Three neighbourhood cats: Puffy from across the street who spends a lot of time in my yard, in my garage or on the hood of my car; Joey from down the street; and a yet unidentified grey and black cat who I have seen sitting in my yard with Puffy.
• One or two opossum that live under a pile of wood right outside the window.
• A female raccoon with four offspring who live nearby and use the path next to my window to commute to and from their home, somewhere in/near my backyard.
• At least one rat who enjoys the woodpile next to the opossum's home.
• One black racer snake, but I think he moved away or passed on as I have not seen him in quite a while.

Sometimes the various animal cliques meet up and have words, but during this past week I have managed to wake up to the sound of eating, chatter and foraging. I even recently put a small lamp on the windowsill facing out so I can better see these little encounters whilst making little noise or motion. May as well get to see something if I am up, right?

Tonight while writing two PHP scripts to power new Mount Sutro features I heard the familiar crunch and shuffle of little feet pattering though the leaf-covered passage of my side yard. I quickly turned off my desk lamp and crawled onto my bed, flipping the switch to my animal kingdom lantern. It was the mother raccoon and her four adorable babies. I am not a big fan of human children, but little animals have the power to turn me into a bawling little schoolgirl.

These must be the same raccoons that have been getting into my garage to eat garbage, I figured. And since I recently started kicking Puffy out and closing the garage door each night, the raccoons have lost one supply of food. Somewhat guilty about this situation, I decided to feed them. I had leftover Carrot Raisin Bread from the new Mimi's Café that just opened near my house and some cat food I am no longer allowed to feed to Russ for medical reasons. I put two pieces of the bread and a pile of cat food on a stepping stone outside my window, went back inside and waited.

No more than ten minutes passed before the raccoons made their way to the food and consumed every last crumb before again continuing on their way. Always very curious about me, they kept a comfortable distance and occasionally paused eating to check out what I was doing. The four youths quickly ate their food, taking a moment here or there to squabble like two human children would. The mother took her piece of bread and ate it away from her children, only approaching them to grab some cat food and take it back to her stepping stone.

When everyone had finished eating, they played a bit more and then took turns washing their paws in a small puddle that had formed nearby. I was amazed by this behaviour.

Even now as I finish composing this document, I hear the familiar rustling of leaves. Taking a quick glance out the window I see it is one of the opossum that dwells only feet from me. You know, I really love being able to have some connection with nature and still live within the confines of civilization. There is something really comforting about it. People need to realise that this is the animal's home too and if we are to have any hope of evolving, we must learn to co-exist.

The Lodge is hosting the first of what is sure to be many Bodhisattva Reunion nights. The event will be held on Monday, 07 February 2005 starting at 2200. There is a $3.00 cover charge. Scheduled live acts include Fantasie, The Hex Tremors, Country Slashers and Jim O'Rourke. Click here for a scan of the official flyer.

Let me know if you are interested in going.

I had the opportunity to catch the Orlando Theatre Project preview night showing of Underneath the Lintel, a one-man play written by Glen Berger, following the personal investigation of a Dutch librarian as he discovers many curious coincidences linked to a library book returned over one-hundred years past due.

Starring Kristian Truelsen, who directed the OTP production of Copenhagen, Underneath the Lintel is an obsessive-compulsive's account of how something seemingly insignificant can really grab ones attention and alter the focus of their life. As he begins to look into writing left behind in the book returned 113 years late, the Librarian uncovers a series of clues which lead him down a path he would have never considered before. Solitude and order run this man's life and as he begins to observe what appears to be a series of unrelated incidents, his life is turned upside down.

Meticulous and comedic, Underneath the Lintel does tend to drag out slightly in a few sections but due in no part to the performance or direction. Riddled with great dialogue, a slide-show to help take you along the Librarian's world journey to find the truth and a few key props, this relatively short (approximate runtime: one and a half hours) and non-intermissioned play is as unexpected as it is entertaining. If you would like an evening of non-traditional entertainment and care to support local arts, be sure to look into Underneath the Lintel.

Underneath the Lintel

Presented by the Orlando Theatre Project
Directed by Doug Truelsen
Starring Kristian Truelsen as "The Librarian"

Show Information

06 May 2004 to 23 May 2004
Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 08:00 PM
Sunday at 02:00 PM

General Admission: $22.00
Seniors and Students: $18.00

Location

Fine Arts Theatre at Seminole Community College
100 Weldon Boulevard
Sanford, Florida 32773

For More Information

407.328.2040
otpatscc@aol.com
http://www.otp.cc/

I have nothing to add to the following save to indicate it was written by my best friend Erica and that I was unaware of the events contained therein up until the time I read it just moments ago.

This is a two part story. The tale of yesterday and today, for there is much more than a sunset that seperates them. The shift, one that turned the tide within the rumbling oceam of my self confidence, has happened, and with the cessation of life from one body may have come the wake up call that allowed me to take an opportunity by the balls…perhaps…

Work. 11 AM. After just returning from the bathroom, I find a meter maid screaming on the sidewalk. She's on her back, thrashing about. Spasms seem to retake her tensed up form each time someone tries to talk to her or to comfort her. Understand, I only saw the woman in blue, with her white socks and the tears streaming down her face. She was black, ebon hair peeked from beneath her uniform hat. I did see her cry. Mascara streaked down her cheeks. Eyes squeezed shut. The two people near her tried to get her to calm down. I still didn't understand why she was having a panic attack on the sidewalk on Pine Street. Then the man to her left, trying to soothe her pain, moved. Then I understood.

Across the street, a woman lying on the sidewalk. Lay is wrong. She was not lying there; she was dying there. Such beautiful hair, dark, shiny waves, like my own, fell from her pale face. Her skin looked soft. Her face swollen, like someone who has cried too hard. Each labored breath she took seemed unnatural. "She's moving. She's moving" someone said behind me. But she wasn't, not really. Her chest did rise and fall, at uneven incriments. It was her body trying so hard to keep air in her lungs. The infrequency did not allow for a fully functional breathing. Just her body trying to keep itself alive. I could see her dark lashes flutter. I wondered if she was dreaming. Did she know that people gawked at her from Maui Jack's? Was she hurting? Her body was all unnatural angles. She had shattered.

The crowd did not rush to help her. They were all frozen as I was, just staring at the wounded woman, no more than 35, dying on the street. Someone finally took her pulse. A woman, in her mid 40's brushed the hair back from her face, like a mother would for a sick child. She kept her hand on the broken neck for eons it seemed, but shook her head. Too shattered to turn over, for fear of breaking or rupturing something further, the crowd left her alone, waiting helplessly until professional help arrived. The breaths, more infrequent seemed to stop.

The paramedics that rushed her into the waiting truck, stayed at that spot for too long. They did not turn on the sirens as they left. Just the lights. No horns. Just the blaring lights guided her to the hospital. I think I probably watched her take her last breath. They did not rush to take her away, doing a 3 point turn in the middle of the street. They didn't rush, because she was already gone.

I am still not sure if she jumped. What I do know is that she came down off the 6th floor of the Pine Street parking garage, hit the railing on the second floor, denting the steel pipe, hit the lightpost, coming down to rest just at the foot of the lightpost, in front of the door to the garage. The meter maid, parked next to the parking lot attendant, saw her fall, which sent her into a panic attack. The wounded woman fell so hard that her tennis shoe landed on the other side of the street, right side up. What I found strange was that she came down with her purse, it's contents littered the street. Her purse exploded open, just as her body imploded on impact. She was wearing a white shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Her hair was dark mahogany brown. Very wavy. Very familiar. The image of her eye lashes fluttering over pale cheeks with sit with me forever. A reminder that I almost jumped once, or twice. I feel for her. For the pain that drove her (assuming she did jump) to her death on a public street. It was 11 A.M. I had just gone to work. And I am sure I watched a stranger die.

I can't tell you how this has effected me. I found myself horrified by the callous remarks from my co-workers. After some thought I realized it was how they distanced themselves from the action on the street. Death stared at them from the body of the shattered woman. A reminder of mortality, and these kids, all partiers and drinkers, did not want that kind of buzzkill on a Wednesday morning, so tact went out the window. But while they may not be effected, I am. I sent many blessings to that woman, that achingly familiar woman. I fought long and hard not to jump. So many years of wanting to, so many years of not understanding what was at stake. So I sent her blessings, hoping that if she did pass, that it was quickly. I hope she met her maker and that she gained the peace and love she obviously didn't have in this life. If she does live, I wish her a speedy recovery and hope that the fall changed things for her, for the better. I hope it refocuses her life, as it has my own. But most of all, I prayed for her pain to be gone.

After the tears and the shock had faded, I realized I have nothing to lose, so my interview with OUC had to happen and I had to rock their world. And I did. For some reason, seeing the shattered woman made me realize that I don't have the luxury of letting life lead me by the hand. It's balls are mine to take. So I went in, played up my computer skills, my orginzational skills and made them laugh as much as possible. I think I nailed it. I have never been this pleased with an interview before. It is down to me and 2 other people. A 1 in 3 chance isn't bad. But I didn't hold back this time. I wasn't meek. I wasn't shy. I told them what I thought they needed to hear, and didn't regret one word that came out of my mouth. If I get this job (which I really think will happen this time) I will find out next week. It's a lot more money. Much better benifits. Perfect hours (6-3, so I can still take classes). It's not downtown but its close. So cross your fingers and your toes everyone. I think the tide is turning…

And send a blessing to the wounded woman…I think she needs it more than I do.

Local radio station Real Rock 101.1 FM (WJRR) has a new promotion called "Cheap Ass Gas." Select gas stations around town will be selling regular unleaded petrol at $1.01 per gallon (limit ten). I am not sure if this will be a one-time gimmick or if it will be ongoing.

This Friday from 1700 to 1900 you can get the cheap gas at the 7-11 convenience store at the intersection of US 17/92 and Dog Track Road in Longwood and also at the 7-11 at the intersection of US 17/92 and Airport Boulevard in Sanford.

UPDATE: I checked out both of these locations today and decided it was not quite worth the wait. The line to get in to each station was better than a mile long. Traffic was terrible. I waited in one of the lines for a good thirty or so minutes without moving before deciding to try the other. Had I waited in line I think 1900 hours would have come and gone before I got my chance to get fuel. Hopefully they will do this again soon.