Space Stuff

Hey, so I just got this announcement in my work e-mail that astronaut Harrison Schmitt is going to be giving a public talk here on campus on Monday. And you know, I gotta say something... I am not someone who is easily impressed by celebrity. Drop me in a room with Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Mick Jagger, and the entire cast of Friends (most of whom I probably wouldn't even recognize), and I seriously doubt that there's going to be any noticeable alteration in my heart rate. And yet, upon reading said e-mail, I found my little internal voice suddenly started squealing in a disturbingly fangirlish way: "Oooh! Harrison Schmitt? The Dr. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt?! I have the opportunity to be in the same room with an actual guy who walked on the actual moon? Ooooooh! I wonder if I can get his autograph?" Now, some people might call that being hopelessly geeky. Me, I like to think of it as simply having an appreciation for the right kinds of things. (Not that I'm denying that I am, in fact, hopelessly geeky, of course, 'cause that'd be kind of pointless, wouldn't it?)

As it happens, there's also another space-related talk on campus tonight, this one by James Olberg, a news-media space consultant who's been involved in the investigation of the Columbia disaster. That should be interesting, I think. The talk falls right in the middle of my work shift, but it's being held right next door, and my boss (who's an even bigger space enthusiast than I am) agreed to let me shift me hours around a bit so I can duck out and attend. I'll let you know how it goes...