We saw the Space Station a couple of nights ago. We got an email alert from younger daughter's school (they're doing some kind of "visit Mars" space project next month --- kill me now), and dutifully dragged younger daughter out onto the snowy waste that is our street in February. The evening star (aka Venus) shone brilliantly as we scanned the western horizon, while puzzled pedestrians making their way home from Loeb's tramped around us. We waited for what seemed a long time as the light faded further and the temperature edged further into the minus twenties. Suddenly, the Resident Fan Boy exclaimed, "That's it!" Just as the website promised, a bright speck, only slightly smaller than Venus, appeared to the west-northwest and moved quickly to the southeast directly over our heads, moving faster than a jet plane, but slower than a shooting star, so we had plenty of time to gaze at it in wonder, thinking: "There are people in that speck and it's hundreds of miles up!"
Younger daughter and I agreed that it looked exactly like the Who dust-speck in the classic cartoon Horton Hears a Who (the one by Chuck Jones, not the rather rubbish version in the theatres last year). Here's the only thing I could find on YouTube, set inexplicably to "Baba O'Reilly" by The Who. The space station didn't veer all over the place like that, but it did seem to wobble a bit: Resident Fan Boy and I amused ourselves by imagining tiny voices call "Help me! Help me!", but decided it wasn't that funny.
We hurried back in to warm up and told elder daughter about our adventure. "Why didn't you tell me," she said rather indignantly.
"Well, what did you think we were calling about?"
"I dunno...I didn't hear you."
"We didn't think you wanted to."
"Well, I would have..."
Sigh. We're awful parents...
On a less cosmic note (well, maybe not...) I understand Lux Interior of The Cramps has just died. I had rather a soft spot for their video of "Garbageman" from 1984. I just love the way he moves as he sings. And, for some perverse reason, I'm fascinated with the gold lamé tights his wife Poison Ivy sports for this.
If you're orbiting out there somewhere, Lux, this is for you.
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