I trust all y’all are well, back to work, and had an enjoyable Fourth. I certainly am/did. Well, except for the back-to-work bit. I won’t rub that in. Much.
Yesterday’s Space Shuttle launch was spectacular, and flawless. What a grand and appropriate event for the Fourth of July! I still get goose bumps watching rocket launches, manned or unmanned; perhaps it’s an age and/or generational thing. NASA’s site has video of the launch, in case you missed it.
Less grand, by an order of magnitude, were the fireworks emanating from North Korea yesterday. I’m absolutely certain the timing of NorK’s missile tests and the numbers of missiles fired had everything to do with Independence Day. It was semi-interesting (read that: not very) watching all the brouhaha over Kim Jong-il’s pathetic display on the cable news outlets last evening. Larry King, of all people, convened a panel of “expert” talking heads to speculate about The Greater Meaning of this event, and it was a sight to see. Or as informative/entertaining as any Larry King interview can be, which, once again, is “not very.” CNN International upgraded the event to an official “crisis” in the wee small hours of the morning, with lots of deeply concerned facial expressions on the part of the anchor-folks and featuring more talking heads and experts from our Euro brethren/sisteren. Personally, I like the way the government is handling this. Dubya hasn’t rearranged his schedule, there are no “crisis teams” being convened (as near as I can tell), and Our Man Bolton is badgering the ineffective UN to do something…the most likely result will be an official “condemnation” from the Security Council. All in all: we knew this was coming. Forgive my yawn.
The weather held last night and P-Town was treated to a half-hour fireworks show. And it was a good one! I was thinking last evening how very cool it would be to be on an airliner at 30,000 feet over the heartland on Fourth of July night. Every town in
Apropos of nothing…It took me numerous tries to put this post up. I lost count, but it’s like up to seven now, I think. Blogger does p!ss me off from time to time. Mightily.
Great 4th here, with displays over the Pacific up and down the coast.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned flying over fireworks displays, Buck. That would be pretty, I'd bet. I decided to take a look on the internet to see if anyone had written about that experience and I came across this odd site. You could spend hours on it so watch out. Have fun! http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Airdrop_20Fireworks
Silly DPR. I heard the guy did chose our 4th of July on purpose. I'm glad Bush has been measured about it, too.
Did you know that North Korea has a webpage? Bizarre. You should take a look at it for a giggle. Especially their extensive page on "Society and Culture." No kidding. Go take a look. http://www.korea-dpr.com/
I missed seeing the launch. I tuned in the two previous tries, but missed this last. I still cringe a bit when I watch it. I used to feel the goosebumps. However, my six year old son and I watched live as the Challenger exploded and to this day I can't hear "Go with throttle up" without almost bursting into tears. Those are mighty brave souls up there today.
I got to see a shuttle launch when I was in Navy Electronic Technician school in Orlando. They dismissed classes and let everyone go outside to watch it.
ReplyDeleteOur pathetic town didn't do anything for the 4th. They never do. They have a big safe boating festival in June, complete with fireworks, so they skip the 4th of July.
But I did cook. Real food, too. Fried chicken, Mac and cheese, fruit salads...Was going to make homemade ice cream, but got too lazy to go get ice.
Becky... what year was that? I was in Orlando at MM "A" School around the same time... 1988? Small world if it was the same time you remembered.
ReplyDeleteOur 4th was low and slow... started out with breakfast at Southgate (Dad knows the place) and then the Bath, Maine parade (a bit long... over 2 hours) followed by lots of time horizontal. I passed on fireworks while the girls went to Freeport (and a brief stop at LL Bean) to see the show. I don't think the girls have ever gone to Freeport without stopping at LL Bean. It was a good day.
Okies are big on fireworks. They start days in advance. Fireworks in NM were never so much fun. Maybe fear of burning the forest down is much different than burning a pasture. Another reason to move to OK!
ReplyDeleteI missed the Shuttle launch, but caught the semi final soccer game. There will be a big soccer party at my house on Sunday for the final game. Ya'll come!
I loved your "Forgive my yawn." line.
Bec: That DPRK link is TOO funny! It's too bad the whole site is graphics-based, because I sure would like to cut 'n' paste some of that bizarre "Kor-lish" for future use (I'm too lazy to transcribe it). The halfbakery site didn't work for me...I find that happens every so often with Firefox. And I hear you loud and clear about the Challenger, tears, and astronaut bravery. Depending on one's age, one remembers exactly what you were doing and who you were with for three shocking, age-defining events: Kennedy's assassination, the Challenger explosion, and 9/11. I'd throw in Pearl Harbor, too, but unfortunately, most folks who remember that are gone now...
ReplyDeleteBecky & Sam: It would indeed be a small world if both y'all were there at the same time... Sounds like you both had a good day, especially your food, Becky!
Sam: Come to think of it, I've never been to Freeport without stopping at LL Bean's, either! :-)
Lou: Boy Howdy are Okies EVER big on fireworks! My poor dogs cringed, whined, and hid for the whole 4th of July week when I lived in Choctaw. I always felt so bad for them, but there just wasn't anything I could do...
Sam, I was ther from May to November 1989, firs tof rbasic training then the first half of ET A school. It would indeed be a small world if we had been there the same time.
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