For The Illiterate (i.e. Republicans)

For all of you "24" addicts who think you understand how to solve all of the world's problems (kill everyone who opposes us and torture anyone witholding information on people who oppose us who we haven't killed yet) I have a remedial education program that shouldn't tax your seriously underpowered cortex's too much.

I know that you don't know what a cortex is. Don't worry. I won't give you a headache by trying to explain it to you. Even though I've linked to a reference that would explain it to you twice. Three times, actually.

And posted a picture showing you what it is and where its at.


You see, this curicullum doesn't require any reading or very much thought. All you have to do is "watch the movies on the tee vee".

In other words, it's perfect for you fucking idiots.

All you have to do is watch these movies, readily available at your local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, in the following order, and you will almost have something approaching an actual education that should allow you to view our current situation in Afghanastan and Iraq in the proper historical context.

1) The Kingdom of Heaven.

"After Balian threatens to burn the city down over the heads of his dying warriors, Saladin relents and offers terms, which are more than reasonable; they are merciful:

"I will give every soul safe conduct to Christian lands, every soul: the women, the children, the old, and all your knights, your soldiers, and your queen; no one will be harmed, I swear to God."

Balian can scarcely believe what he has heard:

Balian: The Christians butchered every Muslim within these walls when they took this city."

Saladin: "I am not those men. I am Saladin. Saladin!"

2) Lawrence of Arabia





Barbarian fucktards mired in the middle ages! Fast forward a thousand years, cast off the robes and sandals, update your judiciary and start dealing with reality.

3) The Wind and The Lion

"Raisuli: To Theodore Roosevelt - you are like the Wind and I like the Lion. You form the Tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the Ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours. - Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates.


Theodore Roosevelt: What do I want? I want respect! Respect for human life and respect for American property! And I'm going to send the Atlantic Squadron to Morocco to get that respect.
John Hay: That's illegal.
Theodore Roosevelt: Why spoil the beauty of the thing with legality?"

4) Three Kings

"Capt. Said: Why did you tell me that?
Sgt. Troy Barlow: Because we're both fathers
Capt. Said: I'm not a father no more! My son is dead now

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capt. Said: What would you feel if I bombed your wife?
Troy Barlow: Worse than death!
Capt. Said: Yes my friend... worse than death

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sgt. Troy Barlow: [Upon learning Said's wife is a double amputee] That's horrible
Capt. Said: Oh my friend... I haven't even told you the worst part yet. My son, he is only one... he is sleeping when the bombs drop ceiling caves in on him

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sgt. Troy Barlow: I heard a lot of bad shit happened in Kuwait.
Capt. Said: Yes... bad shit happened... I'm not proud of that. Yes Sadamn is very crazy, but then you are crazy for coming here."

5) Dick Cheney on Larry King



Okay.

Now, after absorbing this material, your homework assignment is to look me (or anyone else with over 32 brain cells) in the eye and tell me, with anything remotely resembling sincerity and intellectual honesty, that you truly believe that George W. Bush is pursuing a policy that will actually result in a new and different approach to dealing with our Arab/Muslim co-habitants on this planet.

The War On Terror?

What? How will that end? When we finally kill or capture the last radical on the planet who wishes us ill? Everyone who remains free and alive are our friends? Everything is "OK" now? We are finally all safe? Big, planetary group hug and a multi-lingual rendition of Kumbaya?

Its no wonder the Muslims are still living in the middle-ages and are still pissed off about shit that happened a thousand years ago.

We haven't really given them much evidence that we have changed and things are "all better now".

We are as backward and as barbaric as they are.

Until we all cast off the superstitious bullshit and start living rational, reality bound lives and base our interpersonal and international relations on facts instead of myths and fairy tales, we will be doomed to warfare, death and barbarism.

"Probe of attorney firings a 'witch hunt,' Cheney says"

"First of all, there's no charge," Cheney said. "What's the allegation of wrongdoing here? Frankly, there isn't any."

"They keep rolling over rocks hoping they can find something, but there really hasn't been anything come up that would suggest there was any wrongdoing of any kind," Cheney told CNN's Larry King, adding that he did not feel that Bush senior political adviser Karl Rove need testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the matter.

"The president feels strongly -- and I do too, I agree with him -- that it's important for us to pass on these offices we occupy to our successors in as good a shape as we found them. And that means protecting and preserving the integrity of those processes," Cheney said.

Cheney added, "I think that an offer has been made" wherein senior officials would meet with members of Congress -- "but not under oath, not in public, no transcript, to discuss these issues."

O.K. I think I'm going to try and watch this.

So if you see a news report tomorrow morning about some whack job in Clay County who killed his flat screen TV with a spiked flail and then ran himself through with a hand-and-a-half medieval broadsword, then A) You probably saw it on Captain Spaulding's site first, and B) It was probably me.

Here's hoping I have sense enough to just take a deep breath and change the channel.

Major Milestone

I smoked my last cigarette at 6:35am, July, 31, 2006.

After over three decades of smoking a couple of packs a day, I have been completely smoke-free for one year.

No, it wasn't hard. No, I don't miss it. No, I'll never go back.

Yes, I'm glad I did it. Yes, I feel MUCH better.

Astronomer Dr. Brian May, PhD

"Guitarist Brian May is to spend two days studying the night sky in the Canary Islands as he completes the PhD he abandoned in 1971 to join Queen.
May is going to La Palma to observe the formation of "zodiacal dust clouds.

The subject forms the basis of a thesis for London's Imperial College, where he had been studying before deciding to pursue a career with the rock group.

The 60-year-old recently published a book on astronomy with The Sky at Night presenter Sir Patrick Moore."

R.I.P. Tom

FBI, IRS Search Home of Republican Sen. Ted Stevens

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service on Monday searched the home of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, an official said.

Investigators arrived at the Republican senator's home in Girdwood shortly before 2:30 p.m. Alaska time, said Dave Heller, FBI assistant special agent.

Heller said he could not comment on the nature of the investigation.

The Justice Department has been looking into the seven-term senator's relationship with a wealthy contractor as part of a public corruption investigation."

Oh HELL yeah!

'Wonder Years' actress: 'Smart is cool'

"NEW YORK (AP) -- Danica McKellar has a message for girls: Cute and smart is better than cute and dumb.

Danica McKellar wants girls to steer away from the example set by Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

McKellar, who played Winnie on the 1990s television show "The Wonder Years," is coming out with a book, "Math Doesn't Suck," to encourage girls to get into math."

I'd tap that.

Chief justice hospitalized after seizure

I like to think that any rational, intelligent mind will eventually have a siezure after trying to wrap itself around the inherently flawed and self-contradictory dogma of the neo-conservative, evangelical, regressive, right-wing delusions of the Republican party.

You know, kind of like this.

Substance Abuse Songs - Track 4

Cocaine Blues - Johnny Cash (OK, Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash...it was the best I could find)



Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds
I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down
I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' .44 beneath my head

Got up next mornin' and I grabbed that gun
Took a shot of cocaine and away I run
Made a good run but I ran too slow
They overtook me down in Juarez, Mexico

Late in the hot joints takin' the pills
In walked the sheriff from Jericho Hill
He said Willy Lee your name is not Jack Brown
You're the dirty heck that shot your woman down

Said yes, oh yes my name is Willy Lee
If you've got the warrant just a-read it to me
Shot her down because she made me slow
I thought I was her daddy but she had five more

When I was arrested I was dressed in black
They put me on a train and they took me back
Had no friend for to go my bail
They slapped my dried up carcass in that county jail
[Cocaine Blues lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]


Early next mornin' bout a half past nine
I spied the sheriff coming down the line
Ah, and he coughed as he cleared his throat
He said come on you dirty heck into that district court

Into the courtroom my trial began
Where I was handled by twelve honest men
Just before the jury started out
I saw the little judge commence to look about

In about five minutes in walked the man
Holding the verdict in his right hand
The verdict read murder in the first degree
I hollered Lawdy Lawdy, have a mercy on me

The judge he smiled as he picked up his pen
99 years in the Folsom pen
99 years underneath that ground
I can't forget the day I shot that bad bitch down

Come on you've gotta listen unto me
Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be

Substance Abuse Songs - Track 3

Cocaine Blues - Bob Dylan



Cocaine Blues - Bob Dylan

Everytime my baby and me go up town
police come and they knock me down
Cocaine all around my brain

Hey baby, better come here quick.
This old cocaine is making me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Yonder comes by baby, she's dressed in red
She's got a shot-gun, says she's gonna kill me dead.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Hey baby, better come here quick.
This old cocaine is making me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Early one morning, half past four
cocaine came knockin' on my door.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Hey baby, you better come here quick.
This old cocaine is making me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Cocaine's for horses and it's not for men
Doctor said it kill you, but he don't say when.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Hey baby, you better come here quick.
This old cocaine is making me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.

Not A Good Week For Space Exploration

What the fuck is going on?

First there was the whole wacky Lisa Nowak story back in February about this crazy-jealous astronaut driving halfway across the country wearing a diaper to confront a romantic rival.


Is that really The Right Stuff? Depends.

Now this week, the hits just keep on coming!

Report: NASA lost $94 million in office items
Agency failed to keep track as computers were lost over the past decade, GAO says

"NASA has lost $94 million in office equipment over the past decade, looking the other way as employees give computers to spouses or claim missing laptops are lost in space, according to a congressional report."

Former NASA worker admits embezzling more than $157K

"According to court documents, Osborne admitted to using her Bank of America government credit card for 426 fraudulent transactions. NASA issued the cards to employees for use on all purchases of $2,500 and below. The idea was that doing so would simplify the acquisition process.

Osborne resigned from her position with NASA last October. Part of her responsibilities were to assure compliance with credit card rules and policies established by NASA's procurement office."

NASA reports computer sabotage

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A space program worker deliberately damaged a computer that is supposed to fly aboard the shuttle Endeavour in less than two weeks, an act of sabotage that was caught before the equipment was loaded onto the spaceship, NASA said Thursday."

Scaled Composites Explosion Kills 3
Not NASA News, but still sucks ass.

"Initial reports indicated the mishap occurred during tests of an injector for the new rocket motor being developed for the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) program. The incident is believed to have happened during the transfer of nitrous oxide, an oxidizer that will be used in the hybrid rocket engine being developed internally at Scaled for The Spaceship Company, a joint venture between the Virgin group and Scaled."

Welcome to The Club boys. It's not a Space Program unless shit blows up and people die.

But finally, there was THIS news.

Astronauts Drank Before Flying, Report Says

"The report by the Astronaut Health Care Review Committee was leaked Thursday, and said that on two occasions astronauts flew after flight surgeons and other astronauts expressed concerns about the safety of letting those people fly."

Jesus Fucking Christ on a pogo stick! What the fuck is going on?

Are aliens infiltrating our ranks to sabotage our efforts to expand beyond the earth? If they have been monitoring the news coverage of earthly events over the past 6 years, I can understand why they would want to contain us.


But I want to zero in on this whole drinking astronaut thing.

You know military pilots in general and test pilots in particular have always had a reputation (which they themselves perpetuated) as being womanizing, hard-driving, hard-drinking, tough-guy, He-Men. It's part of the romantic fly-boy image.


So it's not all that surprising to me that some astronauts might be known to go out and get blasted before blasting off. In fact, when you take a good hard look at exactly what their job entails, I'm not sure how anyone could do it without knocking back a few stiff ones first.

GETTING TO WORK
The commute to "the office" is not without risk. Let's look at the vehicle that gets them there.

That big, fleshy-colored phallic center piece of the Space Shuttle assembly is the External Tank.


The External Tank contains two propellant components.

The forward section contains 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen. The aft section contains 383,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen. Both components are HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE. That's why they make good rocket fuel.

Oxygen is what makes combustion possible. In a pure, 100% oxygen environment, all it takes is a single spark to cause an explosive reaction that will continue until all the oxygen is consumed. That is exactly what killed Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee in the Apollo 1 fire in 1967.

But the bulk of the External Tank contains liquid hydrogen. The liquid oxygen is only on board to allow the hydrogen to burn. Know what other famous vehicle was filled with hydrogen?

The Hindenburg.



Guess what single element makes up the majority of the mass in our own sun (and the known universe) and makes the continual nuclear fusion that heats our planet and makes all life possible?


Yep. Hydrogen. 'Nuff said about hydrogen.

So, every bit of professional caution and common sense would dictate that you keep every possible source of flame, spark or even static electricity as far away as possible from this half a million gallons of extremely explosive mixture, right?

NAH! Guess what they strapped to the sides of this huge fucking bomb?

Two, not one, but TWO Solid Rocket Boosters.


These are basically two REALLY FUCKING BIG pop-bottle rockets. Once they are ignited, there is no way in hell to shut them off until they have burned all of their fuel.

This combination of solid rocket boosters strapped next to a big fucking tank of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen has had a catastrophic failure that resulted in the loss of all aboard.

You may have heard of the Challenger.



So those are some of the perils of just getting TO work for an astronaut.

Once you are safely "in the office", you face extreme radiation risk from unpredictable solar flares, bone loss from prolonged weightlessness, possible collision with space junk at velocities of 17,000 to 34,000 mph, possible rapid decompression, and some rocket scientist spent years and employed uncounted engineers to just devise a way for you to pee or take a shit while you are at work. And the food sucks.

Getting home from work presents a whole other set of challenges.


Your "commute home" consists of strapping yourself as tightly as you can manage into your seat in a vehicle with all of the aerodynamic characteristics of a brick that is about to go hurtling back to earth at 30 times the speed of sound enveloped in a 3000 degree fireball. A method of returning home that has also met with catastrophic failure.

You may have heard of the Columbia.



Of course, this is still orders of magnitude safer than when someone had the idea to to strip the nuclear bomb off an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, replace it with a hastily built "spacecraft" designed by the lowest bidder, strap a human inside, blast it into orbit and see what happens.

Those fuckers had balls.

So, it really doesn't surprise me that someone getting ready to head into space using the technology available might feel compelled to avail themselves of some liquid courage.

In fact, I'm surprised the Shuttle and the ISS don't have mini-bars as standard equipment.

I want to take this opportunity to thank KC Sponge and M. Toast as they are the only visitors who have made it this far!

Substance Abuse Songs - Track 2

Shanty - Jonathan Edwards

"Gonna sit down in the kitchen and fix me something good to eat
and make my head a little high and make this whole day complete
cuz we gonna lay around the shanty mama and put a good buzz on.

Well pass it to me baby, pass it to me slow
we'll take time out to smile a little before we let it go
cuz we gonna lay around the shanty mama and put a good buzz on.

Well there ain't nothin' to do and there's always room for more
fill it, light it, shut up and close the door
cuz we gonna lay around the shanty mama and put a good buzz on.

We gonna sit around the kitchen fix us somethin' good to eat
and make ourselves a little high and make the whole day complete
cuz we gonna lay around the shanty mama and put a good buzz on
cuz we gonna lay around the shanty mama and put a good buzz on."

Blogger Meat Up

It was fun! You should have been there!

I really enjoy hanging with my blog buddys. I'm even ready to replace "blog buddys" with "friends".

KC Sponge, M. Toast, Well Hell Michelle, Gone Mild, An Oddment of Sandwiches, Death's Door, Three O'Clock In The Morning, My Spyderweb, General Blather, Frighteningly Uncommon Sense, Raytown Progressive, Happy In Bag, My Town My Take, Irish KC, The D, Bradicle Mindspew, Daytripper, others that I have overlooked...

What an incredibly engaging and stimulating bunch of people to be around!

I know that in "some circles" bloggers are viewed as UberNerds.

But I got news for ya. People who are intelligent, insightful, witty, clever, funny and outrageous online are just as intelligent, insightful, witty, clever and outrageous in person.

We had a great turn out, probably the biggest yet. Lots of lively discussions and just a hell of a good time.

We maxed out Gov Stumpy's patience for us. They added table after table to our entourage before finally declaring "that's all your getting", tossed us a tube of KY and told us to "move in closer".

Somebody owes me breakfast and a hug.

Was that you emaw? Call me!

Red State Updates

Jackie and Dunlap on the CNN/YouTube Debate


Jackie and Dunlap On CNN


Jackie, Dunlap & Harry Potter

July's 2nd Blogger Meet Up

hosted by General Blather & My Spyderweb

Thursday July 26th at 5:00pm
All Import bottles $2 at GOVERNOR STUMPY'S GRILL HOUSE
321 E Gregory Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64114
816-444-2252

Quit your whining & show up!
You know we talk about you when you aren't there!!!!

Yeah, I know it's short notice. Tough shit. Just fucking be there.

Oops. Wrong link for Gov Stumpy's. Try this one.

CNN YouTube Debate

It's on.

I'm watchin' it!

UPDATE: I got distracted and missed most of it and I won't be back on my blog until Wednesday evening. But while I'm gone, use the poll on the right to indicate who you think won the debate, then leave a comment here telling how you voted and why.

The Greatest Live Bar Band Ever

I'm talking of course, about Springfield's own Morells. Or Skeletons Depends on the line up. But Lou Whiney and D. Clinton Thompson are at the core of both.

Gee, I really hope I never get this phone call...

Because I don't have a son.

Credit to "What Up, Dog?" by Was (Not Was).

Substance Abuse Songs - Track 1

The Nyquil Blues - Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys.

"Well gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Analgesic decongestant, with an anti-histamine.

I went to 7-11
the man says "what you need"?
I say " a roll of duct tape and a case of Nyquil please"

Well gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Analgesic decongestant, with an anti-histamine.

Take only as directed, don't exceed the proper dose
Keep out of reach of children, keep the bathroom cabinet closed

Well gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Analgesic decongestant, with an anti-histamine.

They call me Nyquil junkie,I don't know what they mean,
But I just can't be satisfied unless my tongue is green!

Well gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Gimme a bottle of Nyquil, that restful sleep my body needs.
Analgesic decongestant, with an anti-histamine."

Crap, I forgot one

I meant to include a picture of Wernher von Braun in my Apollo 11 tribute. He was, after all, the guy who got us there.

But not the picture you see now. I meant to include the picture at the bottom of this post.

For those of you who aren't giant fucking dorks filled with an encyclopedic knowledge of usless trivia, Wernher von Braun (pronounced 'Verner von Brown') was the chief German rocket scientist who developed the V2 rocket for Hitler during WWII. Capturing von Braun and his team was a huge priority for Allied troops as they closed in on Germany in the spring of 1945. There was even a special team and operation assigned to this task. It was called Operation Paperclip.


The Russians were after them too.

Luckily, von Braun and his team made it easy. When Germany fell into chaos, von Braun and his team talked it over and decided they'd MUCH rather be captured by the Americans than the Russians. So they stashed trainloads (literally, trainloads) of hardware and documents in underground tunnels and then actually went out searching for American troops so they could surrender.

The Soviets captured a lot of rocket scientists and equipment too, but WE had von Braun and his team! The Soviets got the left-overs. Our Germans were better than their Germans!!

I always liked ol' Wernher. He had a pretty good sense of humor. Back in the early days of the U.S. Space program when our shit kept blowing up on the pad and the Soviets were bitch-slapping us like a bunch of Independence Avenue crack ho's holding out on their pimps, someone asked von Braun "What will we find when we finally get to the moon?"


His response was "At this rate, empty Vodka bottles."

That's a funny fucking Nazi! Guy cracks me up!

If you are interested in learning more, I can recommend two very good books.

The first is "Peenemunde to Canaveral" by Dieter K. Huzel with an introduction by Wernher von Braun.

The second is "The Rocket Team - From The V-2 to the Saturn Moon Rocket" by Frederick I. Ordway III and Mitchell R. Sharpe with a Forward by Wernher von Braun.

BEGIN SIDENOTE.....
I just love my library. There was an improvised bookmark in my First Edition copy of "Peenemunde to Canaveral". I unfolded it and it was a letter from some Consumer Relations puke from Microsoft thanking me for some comments on my Microsoft Product Registration Card. It was dated November 21, 1988 and was sent to my Hackettstown, NJ address.

When I opened up the cover of my copy of "The Rocket Team", I was greeted by a yellow post-it note that read

"Dear Xavier, this will probably be the only erection I'll give you. Enjoy, Debbie."

Who the fuck was Debbie?
END SIDENOTE.....

So, back to my original story, I had meant to include this picture in my previous post. It was taken on the day of the launch (July 16, 1969) and I'm sure that Wernher was talkng to another engineer at launch control about the trajectory of the Saturn V as it cleared the tower or some arcane shit like that.

But given Wernher's history, you just have to wonder what was going through the photographers mind and if he caught any shit from the persnickety NASA PR folks about why he had to take this particular shot.





I bet he was subjected to the same sort of "coaching opportunity" as the photogs who snapped these gems:





Happy Moon Day!!

38 years ago today

I've always been heavily into The Space Program. I was born in 1955 when the only thing orbiting the earth was the moon.

Growing up watching macho test pilots like Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper put on Buck-Rodgers-Silver-Popular-Science space suits, strap themselves into a modified-life-support-warhead on top of a Cold War Nuclear Missle and blast themselves into space not knowing what would happen...Good God.



That is some legendary shit!



It was like American Idol. Seven Astronauts! Who would be the first? Who would be chosen for the sub-orbital flights? Who would be chosen to match Yuri Gagarin and be the first American to orbit the earth?



We didn't know until NASA announced it on Launch Day! And it all took place live, on TV within a matter of a few minutes or a few hours. Live or die. Success or defeat. We'll know in 15 minutes. I watched Alan Shepard blast off into space at home on my black and white TV. Then I had to walk to school and wait to find out if he lived or died. Heavy drama!

So fast forward to 1981. The shuttle program is gearing up and I am looking for inside information. I call NASA HQ in Washington and get put in touch with this Media Liason guy. He starts sending me all of this really cool, insider NASA stuff that is normally reserved for actual Network Reporters. Press Kits, Mission Patches, Mission Reports, Technical Briefings, Video tapes...lots and lots of video tapes. This is SO COOL! I'm a 26 year old space cadet and I have an inside contact at NASA!

Fast forward again to 1989. I married my first wife in 1987 and in 1988, she gets promoted and we move to NJ. Sucks to be me on both counts. I'm miserable.

But, it is 1989. The 20th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.



My buddy at NASA finagles me an invitation to the 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as his guest. FUCKING AWESOME! This is the dream of a lifetime.



This is a lavishly catered affair. I have no idea what most of the dishes are, but I plate them graciously and taste them discreetly.

I'm rubbing elbows with some of history's heavyweights! I remember munching an appetizer and sipping a drink and realizing that I was just 2 feet away from Alexei Leonov!



The Soviet Cosmonaut who was the first human being to venture outside his spacecraft. The first spacewalker. MY GOD!



I was really trying to be all cool and nonchalant. Didn't want to burst into fan-geek mode and embarass everybody. Wanted to conduct myself as if I actually belonged there (NOT!).

So, the evening went fairly well. I got to see and meet a lot of space program pioneers from many the U.S. and The Soviet Union without making a total ass of myself.

The evening was winding down and I was standing outside the main entrance of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, having a smoke and a chat with a security guard.

The door opens and out walks Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Buzz is surrounded by an enterouge and they all head towards a fleet of limos at the curb.

Neil Armstrong quietly, with no one in tow, walks to the corner, waits alone for the light to turn green, and then heads back to his hotel a few blocks away.

Being an incredible space-nerd, I want to sieze this opportunity to chase him down and get his autograph! It's perfect! He's alone and I have actually come prepared with writing utensils and memorabilgia.

But as I watched him walk away, I'm thinking; 'There goes the first man to set foot on the moon. He's leaving the party (in his honor, at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum) early. Twenty years ago tonight, he became the first human being to set foot on someplace other than the earth. Maybe he would like to spend some time alone."

So I let him go. I've never regretted that decision.

In searching for pictures for this post, I tried to find ones that you may have not seen before.

Here is an informal crew photo:



Relaxing around the spacecraft:



The Saturn V launch vehicle on the crawler as seen from ground level:



The Saturn V launch vehicle as seen from the top of the gantry:



Climbing towards orbit:




I wanna take you HIGHER!



The First Step