This pretty much speaks for itself, but I wanted to put it here because it absolutely made my day.  I was watching NASA-TV with many others, holding my breath and hoping that the flight test of Ares 1-X would happen today.  In case you missed it, or just want to bask in the glory of it, here:

The flight test took a lot of waiting on the weather to get going. It was confusing. NASA posted this explanation on their Test Flight Blog yesterday:

The skies look clear except for some high clouds, there’s no rain in the immediate forecast, so why might a rocket not launch? The answer is something called triboelectrification. While this isn’t a word you encounter every day, you might experience it if you walk across a dry carpet or brush up against a cat and then touch a metal surface: it’s static.

In the case of Ares I-X, flying through high-level clouds can generate “P-static” (P for precipitation), which can create a corona of static around the rocket that interferes with radio signals sent by or to the rocket. This would create problems when the rocket tries to transmit data down to the ground or if the Range Safety Officer at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station needed to send a signal to the flight termination system. Until the 45th Space Wing and observer aircraft indicate that the skies are clear, Ares I-X will wait them out.

And they did wait, and wait, and it felt so nervewracking to hear the frustration in people’s voices as they discussed yet another delay, or windows of opportunity for launch.  But the end of the video, you can hear that it all worked out. “Let’s think about what we just did.  Our first flight flight test, and the only thing we were waiting on, was weather.”  It cuts off the next sentence, but I heard it, “That’s frikkin’ fantastic!”

Yesterday my family saw Where The Wild Things Are.  I’d been looking forward to this for months in advance, but as the date drew closer, I found myself apprehensive.  What if they ruined one of the simplest, best books from my youth?  Could I stand it?  People were buzzing about it, which made me more nervous.  I was surprised that many people were interested.  When I heard someone express boredom with the whole concept, it made me feel much better, actually.  I can’t explain that.  Then there was the premiere, and all talk seemed to drop off.  All I heard was Zombieland talk.  It was bizarre, because I knew so many people who claimed to be going the day of, but no one could tell me how the movie actually was.

I went looking up reviews, knowing that I couldn’t spoil the movie, having read the book.  I read scathing reviews mixed in with awestruck reviews.  People suggested this was a big “ad for Ritalin” or a scarefest that would traumatize children.  I actually read one reviewer who said it was unfair of Spike Jonze to inflict his own tortured, dark views of childhood on her precious cherubs.  I also read a lot of reviews that said it was boring, and there wasn’t much plot.  So, I was a little concerned that it would be overly dark.  I wasn’t concerned about the plot, since it’s a 10 sentence book.  I didn’t expect a very complex, involved plot.  I expected the same as the book.  Kid throws tantrum, escapes to his imaginary world, comes down off his tantrum, and returns home, where he finds unconditional love.

After seeing the movie, which held pretty true to that formula, I find myself boggling at the reactions I read. The most common charges were that the movie was too scary, or symbolically complex  for children to sit through.  Ha.  My kids, 8 and 5, loved it.  The little one was scared on the way to the theatre because he’d overheard me discussing the dark reviews I’d read.  Several people suggested that anyone who identified with this movie, adult or child, should get to a counsellor or swallow some happy pills straightaway. Well, childhood is not all gummy bears and rainbows!  Life is hard sometimes.  To pretend otherwise is unfair to children.  Yes, there are developmental stages wherein their understanding of life’s complexities are incomplete, but we could say that of any adult as well.

I also read complaints that we didn’t know the “backstory” of some of the Wild Things.  Guess what?  This is a story about critters from a boy’s imagination.  Go with that!  Children often are baffled by other people’s behavior.  They DON’T know the backstory as to why the people in their lives act the way they do.  It’s frustrating to not understand, or not to be able to express yourself properly.  Kids have tantrums, freak out, get out of control, act like wild things!  I think the movie captured that very well.  Max was no monster, despite what reviewers said.

The last complaint I read a lot of was that the movie was boring, and only a “hipster” (I read this several times) would enjoy it.  I don’t even understand that complaint, to be honest.  I suppose it’s the most honest of all the reactions, though, because that boils down to an actual preference, instead of a misguided attempt to shelter children from evil feelings like anger and sadness!  The boring, I can attribute to the lack of song and dance razzle dazzle that Pixar and Disney have conditioned us to expect from a kid’s story.  Jim Henson style puppets (which were supercool, by the way), even with updated animations, are inadequate in a world where every movie is a primary colored 3D animation fest.  I found the movie to be stylistically beautiful and refreshing, personally.

What is up with the only titles I can come up with being from songs? I guess it’s a side effect of that music binge I spoke of yesterday.

Today, I’m a monomaniac, so I guess I’ll just have to write about what is on my mind.  All that is occupying my thoughts is the newest of my obsessions, the Lucchese L7000:

I found them this morning, on a rabbit trail after looking online for local suppliers of Doc Martens.  They’re hand made, and come in narrows, and just look at them!! Oh, there’s other boots on the Lucchese site that I love, but do you see that shooting star?! And look at the pretty chocolate brown color and the detail that’s perfectly simple.  No one else will even think of wearing them, either.  The reviews for Luchesse boots all rave about how they’re absolutely comfortable, and even more beautiful in person.  I’m convinced that these sensuous, decadent boots were made for me.

Yes, I have a shoe thing, and also a leather thing. But usually, there’s no commitment or drive. I like looking, and I can be fine without touching. These boots are different. I intend to own these boots, and not one day when I’m a grownup.  They are as good as mine, I’m telling you all right now.  I’ve never spent more than $120 at a time for anything that goes on my feet, and that’s my New Balances.  These run from $550-$700, depending on the vendor, and will serve as the perfect tangible incentive to get my butt in gear and make some excess money.  I’m not going to blow any of the budget on these puppies, no matter how my feet ache for them, so I really am going to have to get cracking.

Thanks to LightBringer for commenting on my blog!  The email I got for the comment reminded me to come post something or another.  I hadn’t forgotten the blog was here, exactly, more like just tucked it into the recesses of my brain.  It’s just weird.  I had these intentions and ideas and the blog is nothing like I thought it would be.  But then again, I didn’t expect things would be like this.

This week is Lauren’s birthday.  I’m unhappy about that, of course.  Sad and heartbroken.  I feel like posting here when I’m sad is torturous sometimes though.  It’s good and cathartic at the time, and then I come out here and go, Oh, yeah, I spilled my guts out here last time, how do I recover from that? I guess it’s just part and parcel of having a blog, but I really hadn’t gotten the hang of it just yet this June. Part of my new schedule does involve writing, though.  And I’m meaning to do it extemporaneously from now on, so that there’s less worry.  Have I said that before?  I’m not sure.  I’m kind of fuzzy in the brain lately.  Anyway, I don’t want to spend any more than 15 minutes on a post, and whatever comes out, comes out.  That way I don’t overthink and agonize, and I’ve got a fairly honest history in front of me if I ever go back.

I am really living out what I intended, though, in case anyone’s wondering.  I will admit that I’m having a few hiccups with keeping on schedule.  Writing is the part I tend to blow off the most.  I have been chugging away at the math, and I feel pretty good about being able to pass any Algebra II class at this point.  That might not seem like much, but I have taken my time building a base and making sure I’m solid before moving.  I’m really becoming more confident in my ability to reabsorb this stuff!

I’ve also been binging on music.  I think that’s where a lot of the writing time is going. I crank up something obnoxiously loud and jump in circles and dance, often half naked because hey, the kids aren’t home so why not?  Too much information?  Probably.  But it’s been so good!  Maybe I should just have a ‘creative expression’ phase of my self-improvement.

I feel like some kind of mental patient who should be institutionalized when I talk about myself this way!  Which is fine, if I am, but I don’t think I am, which makes it all the harder!  I don’t know which way’s up, really.  I feel overwhelming surges of power and focus, and  I want to move and shake and build things and climb mountains and slay dragons, but then I have times when I have to pull over and gasp for breath and call out for help because I’m just ravaged with emotion.  I don’t want to be self-indulgent, and I have Big Plans that I need to work on.  Everyone says one foot in front of the other, but I want to skip all this character building crap, honestly.

Anyway, I’m really truly doing something, right now, even if I’m sporadic at best out here. Going places that I’ve never been, seeing things that I may never see again.