I was on the bus this morning, and just as it started up the road next to Independence Hill, I see and hear someone in an import car go zooming past us.  So I chuckle to myself, then turn to Steven and say, "Hmm, sounds like a weed-whacker..."  Steven agreed.

As the bus is going down Van Voorhis Road past Barrington North, I see an ambulance go screaming past, lights flashing and sirens blaring.  So I jokingly say to Steven, "Hmm, looks like the weed-whacker wrecked."  But then Steven said, "He's still in front of us."  So I checked, and there it was.  I wondered about the ambulance for a minute, then decided it didn't involve me, so I put my head back, thought nothing more of it, and dozed off until I got to school.

However, when I walked into the band room, I received the news that Tara had wrecked her car.  I had the general "OMG" reaction that everyone has when they get news of a friend that's been in an accident.  But it wasn't until I got home that I realized just why I had seen that ambulance on the road.  It chilled me how I could joke so crudely about someone wrecking their car and then walk into school only to find that one of my friends had been in an accident.  It's just plain screwed up and I don't know how I'm supposed to react to it.

I think I need some more sleep...

A man wakes up, climbs out of bed, and goes to the window.  Outside is the brilliant blue of Earth’s oceans juxtaposed against the stark blackness of space.  The man is a worker in an orbital shipyard, one of several that have been put into place to fuel mankind’s desire for knowledge of the cosmos.  Each of the three main dry docks is capable of supporting the construction of a vessel that could easily reach the moon or even Mars with a few alterations.

Away from the main construction docks are laboratories and observatories for experimenting in every imaginable subject and viewing the stars without atmospheric interference.  Scientists work in these labs almost non-stop, trying to unlock the mysteries found in complex chemical reactions, organic synthesis, and DNA.  The data obtained in these studies is recorded by myriad computers and compiled into one set of mainframes operating under neural net algorithms that allow the entire system to function like a human brain, searching for patterns, organizing related data, and constantly reworking its own code to run more efficiently.

If the amount of time and money we invest into it is a testament to the growth of our technology, then we have indeed risen from rags to riches; and it will only continue to grow.  As our level of technology has advanced, we have gone from the room-sized ENIAC computing engine to Mac personal computers to palmtop Personal Digital Assistants that are thousands of times more powerful.  With this ability to pack more power into a smaller package and the ever-expanding field of robotics, we will soon be able to launch intelligent robotic explorers to explore the cosmos while we focus on unlocking the mysteries within ourselves: those of the body (DNA) and the mind (consciousness).

Since I was very young, I have always been fascinated by all these things.  I was always fascinated by how an airplane could defy gravity, how a beam of light traveled through air and space, how you could fuse atoms to unleash the power of a thousand suns; always HOW.  In these scattered pieces of HOW, the cogs of the machine, a thinking man could always find a WHY.  Why is this of use?  Why does it behave the way it does?  Why was it created?  These questions have been around since man decided to think for himself.  The answers to those questions have been discovered over the years as technology has advanced, though there are still many more to be found.  I hope to someday find some of those answers myself.

*This is my NASA apprenticeship essay (the initial draft anyways - please excuse syntactical suckage).  Comments are welcome.

I'm still freaking tired.  Last night was the preview show for Copacabana, which actually went over pretty well, considering Mr. Clark rewrote the ending on Friday, had us rehearse half the day on Saturday, and made the rhythm section - no wait, just me - teach the band how to play the finale all over again because the ending had changed completely (damn you Mr. Clark).  Sometimes I wish he'd cut us some slack.  I mean seriously, we ARE the best musicians in the state (7 out of 10 of us are in all-state band; those who weren't just didn't audition).

I was showered with compliments about the musicians after the show, and told how I was a critical component (aka Clark's punching bag), and how awesome we looked and sounded on stage and blah blah blah.  Oy.  I just need some rest.  I also need to go over a few things like fills and comping chords for stuff like Dancin' Fool and Aye Caramba, in the event of a slip-up like Matt Goff forgetting to play the solo last night or if we do instrumental only for a number.

The night before, I had gone to see "Ruthless" at MTC with Katie.  The production was very well executed, but I'll have to say that it was the most schizo thing that I have ever seen.  It's also the first MTC production that I've seen that tops Nunsense in raciness.  That takes talent.

It also takes talent to put off all of your homework for this week until now and still manage to get it done in time for tomorrow.  But I'm not that talented, so I'd better go finish it before I get snuffed...