Idiosycratic Life

I have been watching coverage of the space shuttle explosion all day. Amanda called and woke me up to tell me to turn on TV. This is usually the sort of thing that would have had me on the road to Cape Canaveral by 10 a.m. But I'm not working, just packing packing packing, and it's strange to get the news like Non-Journalists- word of mouth, TV, sitting in my personal, quiet space instead of waiting around in chaos for press conferences and family members and cell phone calls from the editors...

Of course, everyone keeps saying this, but it does make me think of the day the Challenger exploded. There was so much hype about it, because of Christa MacCauliffe being the first teacher/civilian in space and everything. One of the 5th grade teachers at E. Pete Elem. was a finalist- in the top ten, I think- so he had spent a lot of time with Christa MacCauliffe and the other finalists.

Everyone went to the auditiorium/gym to watch the shuttle take-off, but the first graders weren't allowed to go. There wasn't enough room or something, this was pre-renovations, so I didn't know what happened. Mrs. P used to drive us all home (because she teaches 3rd grade at E. Pete), and everyone was so quiet. As I jumped out of the car, I casually asked how everyhting had gone with the Challenger. Mrs. P was stunned that I didn't know, because Manda and Brad and everyone else saw it live, and I remember everything standing still when she told me it exploded. I remember staring at my feet on the wet pavement and thinking it just wasn't possible.

A few months later, we went to Florida and toured Kennedy Space Center, and I remember thinking that the memorial was so sad. Sigh...

Sorry to take a brief hiatus and end with such a sad subject. I am almost at the point where I am going to pack up the computer, though.

I will be driving North starting early Monday afternoon, so call my cell phone and keep from going insane. Bella has already started working on being a blast-ended skrewt- sigh- but it could be because I gave her too much rawhide to keep her occupied while I pack because she kept putting her Monkey (chew toy) in every. single. box I started to pack.

I haven't decided yet if I will stop at South of the Border where I fell off the lime green dinosaur in May. Wish us luck! :)