Reproduced from NASA Science News:

July 3, 2009: If you've never seen a spaceship with your own eyes, now's your chance.

The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times a day for many days in a row. No matter where you live, you should have at least a few opportunities to see the biggest spaceship ever built.

Check NASA's ISS Tracker for flyby times. Click the right-pointing arrow to go to the details of each entry.



Above: In bright evening twilight, the International Space Station soars over Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano on June 3, 2009. Image credit and copyright: Stephen O'Meara. Used with permission.

The ISS has been under construction for nearly 11 years, and it has grown very large and very bright. The station is now more than 350 ft wide (wider than a football field), has 12,600 cubic feet of labs and living quarters, and on Earth would weigh about 670,000 lb. Sunlight illuminating the massive outpost makes it shine fifteen times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.

Sometimes it is even brighter than that. Sunlight glinting from the station's flat surfaces (mainly solar arrays) produce dazzling flares as much as six hundred times brighter than Sirius. For astronomers: On the scale of visual magnitudes, space station flares register -8.

"The station flared spectacularly on May 22nd when it passed over my backyard observatory in the Netherlands," reports amateur astronomer Quintus Oostendorp. "I knew the ISS was coming, so I had my telescope ready and I was able see exactly what happened."



Above: Sunlight glints from the space station's solar arrays on May 22, 2009. Photo credit: Quintus Oostendorp of Vaassen, the Netherlands.

At present, the flares are unpredictable. No one knows when they will happen or exactly how bright they will be. Any given flyby could be interrupted by one—and that's what makes the watch so much fun.

The marathon of space station flybys won't stop until mid-to-late July (depending on your location). That gives space shuttle Endeavour, currently scheduled to launch on July 11th, time to reach the space station and join the show. As the shuttle approaches station for docking, many observers will witness a memorable double flyby—Endeavour and the ISS sailing side by side across the starry night sky.

Endeavour is on yet another space station construction mission. This time it will deliver a "space porch" to be added to Japan's Kibo science laboratory module. The porch is not a place where astronauts can sit, relax and watch the stars drift by (although that is not a bad idea); it is a science platform. When an experiment needs to be exposed to the hard vacuum or energetic radiation of space, it can placed outside on the porch to take advantage of the space station's unique research environment. The official name of the porch is the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility and it will add its own small contribution to the station's reflected luminosity in the night sky.

What now? Check for flyby times, ready your telescope (optional), and let the sightings begin.


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Awesome.

Sultry 'round town. Sleeping later & up earlier because of it. Two days in a row I've come fully awake at 4:00 am. Ok, I don't mind getting up early. I like getting up when it's still dark out, but that's. Just. Stupid. I barely went to bed. Two days in a row? I never sleep before 1 or 2, and it's been closer to 3 before I feel tired enough to even try to sleep.

Got up anyway. Coffee heals all wounds.

We seem inadvertantly to've made the jump from our lovely, lengthy chillish spring directly into the 90's -- or close to it -- about a week ago. Here in this hellish humid hole of heat I fester, bedays. Because running the air conditioner for days at a time does things obscene to the electric bill, we tend to rely on fans and cold showers as long as it's tolerable... once that air goes on, getting me to turn it off at all for the rest of the summer is harder than getting me to go to work.

Fans oscillate. The ceiling fan in the kitchen improves things.

The cats unscroll themselves on the hardwood floors & the bathroom tile, up against the porcelain tub, glaring when I go by. Iris wouldn't eat two days ago, which was the warmest, most humid day we've had so far. When I walked into the kitchen that morning she rolled onto her back and held her paws under her chin, like a bunny, looking sad. She's taking the heat like a personal betrayal. Her eyes don't fully open. A few minutes ago I snatched her up & took her down to the basement, where it's cooler. We played a little; she doesn't look as though she feels punished anymore.

Now she & the rest of them are just unconscious. Wish I were. I should just turn the air on but I'd have to #1) Admit defeat, and #2) Admit it's summer & we all know you don't come back from that. Let me put it off as long as possible.

I found an apple-scented candle the other day that made me nostalgic for fall; I even pulled out a pumpkin spice handsoap dispenser. New school year! That means new books! Falling leaves! Halloween plans! Pumpkins! Can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait. Bring on the autumnal equinox.

I just accepted my first fall class.

In the wake of the recent appearance on this journal of my review of Eminem's new double album Relapse, there have been a notable number of new & returning readers, more than a few Detroit-based (!), to the journal. Was that review linked somewhere?

Welcome, guys. Thanks for coming back. For those of you who may not have seen it, there's a profile here with more information about me. Links to a few stories & interviews available online appear in the profile, if that sort of thing appeals to you. You're welcome.

Also, for your edification, below I've pasted a facebook thing I participated in months ago. It seems appropriate to reproduce now. The idea was to post 25 things about yourself.

I've been on facebook for years, but it's NOT a public profile. I created a profile there only because my cousins (particularly my cousin Janna, a tribal police officer -- very intimidating) from my reservation made me. There are so many of them; they're very hard to fend off en masse. Also Mohawks are notoriously fierce, you will recall. It's hard to keep track of everyone otherwise, & facebook does make it ever so very easy.

Please, please don't send me facebook friend requests. I hate doing it, but I reject them all from people I don't know in real life. I'm an extremely private person. I'd say it's not personal, but if I don't know you, it sort of is. Sorry. (Unless you're Marshall Mathers. Then I'll be your facebook friend.)

Anyway. In case you're curious, here's a glimpse of me.



1. I have 4 cats. In order of eminence, they are: Cain (15), Pea (12), Octavia (after Octavia Butler; 1.5), and Iris, 8 months. Octavia and Iris arrived here within 6 weeks of each other last spring.

2. I have nearly no sense of smell; however, I have a big nose. This is how God kicks me.

3. I'm either late for everything, or half an hour early because I thought I was supposed to be there an hour earlier than I was in fact expected. [Note that if I'd gotten the time right, I'd have been half an hour late.]

4. I am getting a skunk's stripe of silver hair right at the crown of my head. Do I smell like one, too? Cause, you know, I wouldn't notice (see #2).

5, 6, 7: I write full time and teach part-time, so (5) my days involve a lot of reading for work. It's not unusual for me to read 8-10 hours some days. Sometimes I forget what a luxury this is.

A Typical Day: (6) I get up between 5:30 - 6 am. I drink coffee strong enough to fuel military aircraft and read and write until noon. After Rich goes to work, if I don't have classes that day I'll do housework, go to the gym, then read again from about 8-11 pm. I do a second writing shift instead of reading when I'm really interested in something I'm working on.

Sometimes I work straight through the day if it's going well. This may or may not be intentional. (7) I have missed classes this way, both as a student and an instructor.

8. You'd think I'd get in trouble for such professional malfeasance, as I should. Happily, I'm well-loved at work and frequently get away with murder. It helps that I love what I do. I can't believe I get paid for it.

9. I save cat whiskers in a tiny, 1" tall carved stone vase. I can usually tell whose they are when I find them.)

10. On February 1 this year, Rich and I celebrated the 20th anniversary of being a couple. We got married in Vegas on his birthday in 2003, our 14th year together (we sort of eloped, to nobody's surprise).

11. I have an extensive, perhaps valuable, Doors collection. Vinyl music prints, some first editions, 45's, rare books, publications from the 60's. I have both box sets & rare stuff & some bootlegs.

12. I read a lot of science literature. I have something like 12 subscriptions. It can be prohibitively expensive but I'm on some kind of awesome mailing list and I keep getting new offers (!).

13. I also keep Scientific American's book club in business. Don't tell my husband.

14. I intend to go back to school for my doctorate in the next few years. I need some prerequisites before I can do it, but I'm looking into biochemistry & molecular biology, or molecular biology and genetics. I start a chemistry course this week.

15. I do not like most people. I'm sort of a bitch. Ok, I'm definitely a bitch. Get away from me.

16. I have a horrible potty mouth and rarely edit myself. I'm sort of socially inept, come to think of it... all of this gets worse as I get older.

17. I hate to bathe. I DO it, I just despise it.

18. I speak to every animal I encounter. I do not think about this before I do it. Animals like me. Once a squirrel I passed followed me, pied-piper-like, down the middle of the sidewalk for almost two blocks. A guy who saw me talk to the squirrel stood in front of his house and watched us the whole way.

19. Last September my husband and I did a 9-mile hike in Zion National Park in Utah through a slot canyon to see a formation called "The Subway". There were signs posted along the trail which read: "Warning! Falls from cliffs on this trail have resulted in death!" We had to sign waivers agreeing that we wouldn't hold the NPS liable should we, you know, die on our hike. The waiver read, in part, "YOUR SAFETY AND/OR RESCUE ARE NEITHER IMPLIED NOR GUARANTEED."

The whole hike was over rocks upon rocks upon boulders of all sizes, from pebble-scale to semi-trailer (not kidding). Occasionally Rich had to climb down first and stand in front of me, four or five feet below the bottoms of my feet, as I sat on top of one of the monsters, and sort of catch me as I slid to my demise. It was 95 degrees that day. I used every muscle in my body. In 9 hours, we'd done it. I thought I would die. I could not walk normally for 7 days. Teri and Robert can attest to this, because they saw me stumping around about 5-6 days afterward.

Climbing out of the canyon at the end of the hike, 400 feet up the side of a cliff, just as twilight was coming on, we saw a male tarantula.

When I feel oppressed by writing or public speaking or right-wing conservatives or whatever, I remember Zion. That hike was the sort of life-defining achievement you cling to, right up there with marriage and college degrees.

We plan to go back to do Angel's Landing and the Narrows later this year.

20. I sleep about 4 hours a night these days, unless I'm at my mom's. There I can easily sleep 10 hours.

21. I'm left-handed to eat, write, and play guitar but I bat, pitch, and bowl right-handed.

22. I do not answer my phone when it rings. I didn't have a cell phone until 2005. I hate being summoned.

23. I constantly talk to God.

24. I have an evil temper.

25. I hate being the center of attention and avoid it wherever possible. This is why there was no audience at my wedding.

Thank you and good night.

Is Your Character a 'Mary Sue'?

My novel's protagonist's score:

0-10 points: The Anti-Sue. Your character is the very antithesis of a Mary-Sue. Why are you even taking this test?

Thanks, Holmes.

Thank you, Lord, for such fantastic weather.

This just in, from Dan at Dzanc Books:

I'm writing with what I hope is to be considered some good news - your story Surface Properties of the Moon is listed as a Notable Work in the very soon to be published Best of the Web 2009 (Dzanc Books, July 2009). The anthology is an annual collection of the best fiction (both short stories and flash fiction), poetry and essays to be found published from the previous year (actually November 1 through October 31). This year there are 60 pieces collected in the anthology, and then another 62 listed as Notable Works - where we list the journal, author name and work title. These we consider to be comparable to the 100 Distinguished Stories you'll find listed in the back of the Best American anthology series'.

Woot! I'm Notable. Pretty soon Marshall will be writing songs about me.

I like pedicures. I like them even more now that the girl who did my last pedicure wanted to know how old I was and was shocked to find out I'll be 39 this year. Big tip for you! I don't generally think or care about that sort of thing, but her shock was profound, and that was somehow rewarding. She looked about 18 herself. I don't remember turning 30, or even 35. (I do remember turning 25, because I quit my job as a result of it, thinking I was far too talented & promising to be an editor/writer in a management consulting firm at my age. I also made sure to get in a 10-day California vacation before I abandoned that paycheck, proof of the infallibility my priorities in the matter.)

This pedicure was the offsetting indulgence that got me started on what seems to be a sort of buying binge -- a thing not entirely unheard of in my insular, bibliophilic/misanthropic little world, but still rare enough to bear noting. Results: a mad bookstore spree, many online Clinique purchases (so flippin handy! No eejit counter girls to be hounded by). A Bath & Body Works 75% off sale resulted in nigh-obscene amounts of all manner of unnecessary pamperish girlie smellies. Eminem's new 22-song double CD, Relapse & a black Relapse hoodie I could NOT resist.*

Doing my part for the economy also brought home mad Kindle book purchases, and, significantly and justifiably, a new black Perry Ellis briefcase for work which almost even shouldn't count because I've needed one for over a year and have held off because I just couldn't find one I liked that was big enough and matched my Franklin planner. Perfect match accomplished, on a 50% sale... plus my mother-in-law insisted on paying for half of it [she's all about gifts like that]. So, score.

Ever so very unlike me, all this consumerism. And yet, loot! You're welcome, America!

Writing is consuming and demanding these days. Reading likewise. Greek has ended and I'm about half through chemistry. My textbook fetish is preposterous. I'm running out of space in the book room.

And now. Another Relapse.


* See next entry.

Brought to you via greyladybast:

Here's the story appearing in the April 14, 2009 Montana Standard. More coverage can be seen here at KULR's website -- this is a local news station.

Pintler Pets has a $3,500 [UPDATE: As of 4/17/09, via telephone conversation with Patricia Mulvey, co-owner, Pintler Pets:] $5,300 utility bill. The power company has tried to work with them, but the economy has taken a big toll on operations -- donations are down, animal drop-offs are up. The shelter currently provides for 170 cats and more than 20 dogs.

It's been cold in Montana since the power went off 3 days ago; some of the animals have had to be relocated. They're trying to keep operating, because they have running water, but obviously this is an emergency situation.

I've made a contribution via paypal. If you are at all able to make even a contribution of one or two dollars, I encourage you to: their email address is mulvey@montana.com.

You may reach Patricia Mulvey, one of three women who run the shelter, at 406-563-2436. Pintler Pets' direct line is 406-563-7464.

Donations may be mailed to Pintler Pets, Box 1204, Anaconda, MT 59711.

PLEASE REPOST


UPDATE (4.17.09 3:14 pm EST): The power is back on, though the balance remains outstanding. I spoke to Patricia Mulvey by phone this afternoon and she has agreed to do an interview and story with me on the state of things at Pintler Pets. In addition to photos, there'll be discussion on the outcome of the power outage and the amazing inflow of support they've seen from the local community, the entire state of Montana, and now, the rest of the country.

Watch this space for more information.

There's been such a process of "finding my voice" in fiction. It's been tough and a long time coming, but I think I've finally got it down. For the time being, anyway.

What a fine line I walk in stories... there's such natural ease to nonfiction; I've been wanting to 'cross over', to bring the qualities I like best from my nonfiction to the fiction. Hard to do, which I didn't anticipate, but by now I've gotten comfortable enough with fiction the cross-over sort of organically came about on its own.

Which brings me to writing daily. If I get my hands back into the writing -- whatever it is -- every day, whether I actually put words down or not, things progress. Keeping my most recent work fresh in my mind is pretty necessary.

Organization continues to be a thorn in my side. Managing things with multiple printouts, many sizes and colors of post-its and binder clips, and multiple pen colors. So far, so good.

There aren't quite enough colors, though. I could use a dozen.


P.S. Never use a whole can of chipotle peppers for anything. I know it's tiny; size lies.

The writer... is careful of what he reads, for that is what he will write. He is careful of what he learns, because that is what he will know.

-- The Writing Life, Annie Dillard


Or: Think about what you're thinking about.

I've been quoting a good bit lately from that old grand standby The Writing Life, cause I re-read it again a couple of weeks ago and some of its more potent, pertinent gems got lodged in my field of perception.

I re-read Dillard a lot. Also Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Charles de Lint (big favorite, especially the Newford stuff), Stephen King. For stand-alone books I read Crooked Tree every summer, by Robert C. Wilson; Crooked Tree is set in northern lower Michigan, also in the summer. This seems to be a trend for me, re-reads of stories that take place in the season I usually re-read them. Crooked Tree is an interesting interpretation of authentic Ojibwe lore, the bearwalk; what a modern bearwalk might look like. It's actually well-researched.

I also go back to The Secret History by Donna Tartt a lot; a Judy Blume book called Tiger Eyes that I first fell in love with at about twelve, and anything by Kay Redfield Jamison (epecially An Unquiet Mind).

Just thoughts.

On the high ambitions writers entertain of their works, applied to writing in The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard:

The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or perchance a palace or temple on earth, and at length the middle-aged man concludes to build a wood-shed with them. -- Thoreau


& Dillard's thoughts on retaining and exposing substandard work, typically early drafts, out of the sense that just because you wrote it, it belongs there, or that someone needs to read it:

How many books do we read from which the writer lacked courage to tie off the umbilical cord? How many gifts do we open from which the writer neglected to remove the price tag? Is it pertinent, is it courteous, for us to learn what it cost the writer personally? -- Annie Dillard



Nope... nor is it relevant. Or responsible. Or disciplined. Or even really very creative, if you think about it. At best, it's laziness, lack of vision & lack of reach.

(Encouragement for myself this morning, as I revisit unanswered questions in the current chaper, which I'm tempted to cop out of...)

via NASA RSS:


Astronauts Prep Shuttle for Saturday Landing
Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:49:09 GMT

The crew’s wakeup song, "Bright Side of the Road" by Van Morrison, was played at 5:13 a.m. EDT for Mission Specialist Richard Arnold.

The STS-119 crew is scheduled to stow items in the crew cabin this morning and complete a check out Discovery’s flight control surfaces. These surfaces will guide the orbiter’s unpowered flight through the atmosphere to a landing.

Landing is scheduled for 1:39 p.m. Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a second opportunity one orbit later at 3:14 p.m.




Crew Inspects Shuttle, Prepares for Saturday Landing
Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:02:21 GMT

The STS-119 crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 9:13 p.m. EDT and awaken tomorrow at 5:13 a.m. to begin deorbit preparations, including cabin stowage and check out of the flight control surfaces. Those surfaces will guide the orbiter’s unpowered flight through the atmosphere to a landing.

Earlier today, Pilot Tony Antonelli used the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System enabling the cameras and laser sensors to scan Discovery for signs of damage from orbital debris. The five-hour inspection included the nose cap and wing leading edges.

Imagery experts will review the data and report their assessment to the Mission Management Team tomorrow to formally clear the orbiter for re-entry. Landing is scheduled for 1:39 p.m. Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a second opportunity one orbit later at 3:14 p.m.




Late Inspection Underway
Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:37:36 GMT

Space shuttle Discovery's crew is continuing to perform the late inspection of the shuttle's heat shield. The operation should conclude later this afternoon and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System reberthed in Discovery's payload bay at about 3:43 p.m. EDT. Today's mission status briefing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Landing time is now 1:38 p.m. EDT on Saturday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, 5 minutes earlier than previously calculated.




Inspections Today for Discovery Crew
Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:11:05 GMT

The crew was awakened at 6:13 a.m. EDT today with the song “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, played for Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba. Within a few hours he and Pilot Tony Antonelli will use the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) to kick off today’s inspection.

Starting with the reinforced carbon-carbon panels that line the leading edge of the shuttle’s starboard wing, the crew will guide the OBSS so its cameras and laser sensors can examine the orbiter for signs of damage from orbital debris. The inspection moves from the starboard wing, to the nose cap, to the port wing. The OBSS should be returned to its berth on the starboard sill of the payload bay starting at 3:43 p.m.




Discovery Crew Undocks, Starts Journey Home
Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:24:03 GMT

Space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station at 3:53 p.m. EDT Wednesday. At 5:09 p.m., the first of two separation burns was performed to move Discovery away from the station to start the journey home. The final separation burn occurred at 5:37 p.m.

The STS-119 crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 10:13 p.m. EDT. They will wake at 6:13 a.m. Thursday and perform a late inspection of Discovery’s thermal protection system using the shuttle robotic arm and the Orbital Boom Sensor System around 10:28 a.m.

Discovery's first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will be Saturday at 1:43 p.m.




Shuttle Discovery Undocks From Station
Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:00:59 GMT

Space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station at 3:53 p.m. EDT. The shuttle spent 9 days, 20 hours and 10 minutes docked to the station. Sandy Magnus spent 129 days at the station and 134 days in space.

After completing a fly around of the space station, shuttle Discovery will perform a maneuver to separate from the station.

Today's mission status briefing is scheduled for 6 p.m.




Hatches Officially Closed
Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:12:58 GMT

Crew members from space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station have closed their respective hatches at 1:59 p.m. EDT, ending the joint portion of the STS-119 mission.

The astronauts will now do a series of leak checks.

Undocking from the space station is scheduled for later this afternoon.




Crews Gather For Hatch Closing Ceremony
Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:00:37 GMT

The 10 crew members of STS-119 and Expedition 18 have gathered in the Harmony module for a farewell ceremony before shuttle Commander Lee Archambault leads his crew back into Discovery. He and station Commander Mike Fincke will close the hatches between their two vehicles.




Crews Prepare for Undocking, Talk to President
Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:15:35 GMT

The International Space Station crew goes to sleep at 9:43 p.m. EDT Tuesday followed by the space shuttle Discovery crew at 10:13 p.m. Wake up comes at 5:13 a.m. Wednesday to start the final hours of the joint mission. Discovery is set undock from the station at 3:53 p.m. after the crew bids farewell to its temporary home and the Expedition 18 crew, leaving behind Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and bringing home Sandy Magnus after four months aboard the station.

All the crew members aboard Discovery and the space station gathered in the station's Harmony module Tuesday morning and spoke to the President of the United States, members of Congress and students. The president was joined in the White House's Roosevelt Room by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Bill Nelson, along with Reps. Gabrielle Giffords, Bart Gordon, Parker Griffith, Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Mollohan. The schoolchildren were from the Boys and Girls Club of Washington, D.C., Southeast Elementary Academy of Washington, the Louise Archer Elementary School and Thoreau Middle School in Virginia, and the Parkland Magnet Middle School for Aerospace Engineering in Maryland.




Crews Speak to U.S. President and Reporters
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:58:26 GMT

All the crew members aboard space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station gathered in the station's Harmony module Tuesday morning and spoke to the President of the United States, members of Congress and students. The president was joined in the White House's Roosevelt Room by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Bill Nelson, along with Reps. Gabrielle Giffords, Bart Gordon, Parker Griffith, Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Mollohan. The schoolchildren were from the Boys and Girls Club of Washington, D.C., Southeast Elementary Academy of Washington, the Louise Archer Elementary School and Thoreau Middle School in Virginia, and the Parkland Magnet Middle School for Aerospace Engineering in Maryland. The call will air again on NASA Television at 6 p.m. EDT.

The shuttle and station crews fielded questions from reporters during a 1:05 p.m. joint crew news conference. At 3 p.m. NASA Television played views of Discovery's launch from cameras mounted on the Solid Rocket Boosters.

I know it’s a habit left over from college, when ALL of my time & attention were spoken for: I had mountains of required reading and there was just not room in my head for anything that would generate a single irrelevant thought. This was especially true at Michigan, where academia was crazy-intense. The result of such restrictive restriction has carried over into civilian life as a sense of obligation to enforce limits on what I “can” read.

I sometimes make impulse purchases of fluff reading then feel bad about it. I shouldn't. Fluff is fine from time to time. Go ahead & have a slab of chocolate cake for breakfast once in a while.

So when I recently discovered a chick lit author I’ve enjoyed because she’s funny as hell, I kept reading her stuff. It had been a while since I'd read any real junk, and this stuff was undeniably junk. She's only published non-fiction making fun of herself, though, so it’s impossible to miss a few truly…unsavory personal characteristics of her own because she writes about them. I won’t get into details, but her interests & politics are so distant from my own that it’s likely we have not one thing in common aside from a kindred irreverent, nasty-ass sense of humor. And that I find thoroughly delightful. It makes me want to by her beers.

Also it seems to have been enough to hold my interest, despite the author's admission to having affection for Ann Coulter. She writes about her own political positions on controversial issues and while much of this aggravates me, and I don’t see things any differently having read her thoughts on the issues, haven't learned anything new from her, and don’t even feel anything's been substantiated by what she’d had to say about it, I kept reading her books only because she was fiercely nasty, and so very, very funny.

Apparently, a vile sense of humor trumps my moral sensibilities.

Uh. Okay. So how influential is what I read?

Restate assumptions: One. Content alone can affect me, obviously; a story, or a character, or an argument.

Two. Logic, position, or the method of an argument may affect me. How the author has handled her material.

Three. A writer's raw talent can affect me. What I mean when I say talent is certainly objective, but I'm referring to literary skill, an ability to convey thoughts in words in a way that demonstrates the author's creative intelligence and stylistic felicity.

Style that makes an author's work immediately distinctive isn't unique, but raw talent boosted by distinct style is.

A deft literary hand artfully manipulating ideas new to me -- that's forceful. It can sway my interpretation of what I'm reading, can open the door to my revisiting my own opinions.

Writers of this magnitude of skill have given me the richest, most rewarding reading experiences I’ve known. Their work is as impactful and delightful as laying eyes on someone painfully beautiful. You know what I mean; not just good-looking, but the extreme degree of beauty that’s jarring.

Now, I’ve always paid attention to this caliber of author, someone who could stop me in my tracks, so to speak, with the way she wields a word. Admittedly, there haven't been many: the only authors to have impressed me so thoroughly so far are Diane Ackerman & Annie Dillard. If I could possess the works of only two authors on a desert island, these would be my two. And if I had to choose between them I’d take Annie Dillard because I cut my teeth on her, learning to read – really read – as a freshman in college, when I had the supreme good fortune to stumble upon The Writing Life when it came out.

I'm startled, frankly, that I didn’t realize that a sense of humor could command if not my admiration, then at least my full attention in the direct face of content to which I am openly hostile.

& you know, there’s another characteristic that will do the same thing, keep me reading... sense of authenticity and compassion, generosity of heart.

Just thoughts.

Understand that you cannot keep out of your writing the indication of the evil or shallowness you entertain in yourself.

If you love to have a servant stand behind your chair at dinner, it will appear in your writing; if you possess a vile opinion of women, or if you grudge anything, or doubt immortality, these will appear by what you leave unsaid more than by what you say.

There is no trick or cunning, no art or recipe, by which you can have in your writing that which you do not possess in yourself.

Walt Whitman


Well stated, sir.

via NASA RSS, as always:


U.S. President Speaks to Shuttle and Station Crew Members
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:20:19 GMT

All the crew members aboard space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station gathered in the station's Harmony module Tuesday morning and spoke to the President of the United States, members of Congress and students.

Later today they will field questions from reporters during a 1:05 p.m. joint crew news conference. At 3 p.m. NASA Television will play views of Discovery's launch from cameras mounted on the Solid Rocket Boosters.



Crews to Speak to U.S. President
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:19:05 GMT

All the astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station will gather in the station's Harmony module at 9:49 a.m. EDT to speak to the President of the United States.

Later today they will field questions from reporters during a 1:05 p.m. joint crew news conference. At 3 p.m. NASA Television will play views of Discovery's launch from cameras mounted on the Solid Rocket Boosters.




Crews Prepare for Joint Crew News Conference
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:26:07 GMT

Today's wakeup music was "Andrew's Song" played at 6:15 a.m. EDT for Discovery astronaut John Phillips by his daughter's band Treestump.

Astronauts aboard Discovery and the space station will participate in a televised downlink event at 9:49 a.m. and a joint crew news conference at 1:05 p.m. and enjoy some off duty time in the afternoon. At 3 p.m. NASA Television will play views of Discovery's launch from cameras mounted on the Solid Rocket Boosters.




Astronauts Wrap Up Third Spacewalk
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:13:47 GMT

Astronauts Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold ended the mission's third spacewalk at 6:04 p.m. EDT. They helped robotic arm operators relocate the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart from the Port 1 to Starboard 1 truss segment, installed a new coupler on the CETA cart, lubricated snares on the "B" end of the space station's robotic arm and performed a few "get ahead" tasks.

They were unable to deploy the Port 3 unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system (UCCAS) and tied it safely in place while engineers evaluate the problem. Because the issue is not yet understood, Mission Control cancelled the installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side.

Today's spacewalk lasted six hours, 27 minutes. It was the second spacewalk for both Acaba and Arnold and the 123rd spacewalk in support of station assembly and maintenance, totaling 775 hours. The three STS-119 spacewalks totaled 19 hours, 4 minutes. Steve Swanson has performed four spacewalks totaling 26 hours, 22 minutes. Acaba has two spacewalks totaling 12 hours, 57 minutes. Arnold has two spacewalks totaling 12 hours, 34 minutes.

NASA Television will carry a news briefing at 7 p.m. with STS-119 Lead Space Station Flight Director Kwatsi Alibaruho and STS-119 Lead Extravehicular Activity Officer Glenda Laws-Brown.




Spacewalkers Secure Cargo Carrier
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:17:11 GMT

Spacewalkers Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold have secured the Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System (UCCAS) in place and are preparing for their next tasks. Acaba will install a new coupler on the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart and Arnold will lubricate the snares on the "B" end of the space station's robotic arm. Lubrication will help keep the snares in their grooves and ensure proper operation of the system. The "A" end was lubricated on STS-126 in November 2008.




Spacewalkers Unable to Fully Deploy Cargo Carrier
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:35:49 GMT

Spacewalkers Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold have been unable to fully deploy the Port 3 unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system (UCCAS). This is the system that Acaba and Steve Swanson previously attempted to deploy during Saturday's second spacewalk. Mission Control has advised the spacewalkers to cease deployment attempts and secure the UCCAS in place using long-duration tethers. This will protect the hardware until another attempt can be made sometime in the future.

Because the problem is not yet understood, Mission Control cancelled Acaba and Arnold's installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side.




CETA Cart Move Complete
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:19:16 GMT

Robotic arm operators John Phillips and Koichi Wakata, guided by spacewalker Joseph Acaba, moved the Crew Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart from the Port 1 truss segment to the Starboard 1 segment. Acaba and fellow spacewalker Richard Arnold will latch the cart to its new location.




Arnold and Acaba Participating in Mission's Third Spacewalk
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:38:40 GMT

Astronauts Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold began the last of three STS-119 spacewalks at 11:37 a.m. EDT when they switched their spacesuits to internal battery power. After they exit the hatch, they will move a cart along the rails of the station's truss from the Port 1 segment to Starboard 1, attempt again to deploy the problematic Port 3 unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system (UCCAS), install a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side, lubricate the space station arm's end effector snare and reconfigure some cables that power the station's gyroscopes.

This is the second spacewalk for both Acaba and Arnold and the 123rd in support of space station assembly and maintenance. The spacewalk is expected to last 6.5 hours.




Astronauts Prepare for Third Spacewalk
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:29:21 GMT

Today's wakeup music was "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" by Louis Jordan played for Discovery astronaut Steve Swanson at 6:43 a.m. EDT, suggested by his children.

Astronauts aboard Discovery begin the mission's third spacewalk at 11:43 a.m. During the 6.5 hour excursion, Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold will relocate a cart that moves along the rails of the station's truss, attempt again to deploy the unpressurized cargo carrier attachment system, install a similar attachment system on the starboard side, lubricate the space station arm's end effector and reconfigure some cables that power the station's gyroscopes.




Astronauts Preparing for Monday's Spacewalk
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:25:17 GMT

In preparation for Monday's spacewalk, STS-119 mission specialists Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold reviewed spacewalk procedures at 7:13 p.m. EDT and will "camp out" overnight in the Quest Airlock beginning at 9:08 p.m. The station crew goes to sleep at 10:13 p.m. followed by the shuttle crew at 10:43 p.m.




Shuttle and Station Complex Resuming Normal Attitude
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:14:04 GMT

At 7:23 p.m. EDT, space shuttle Discovery began reorienting the shuttle-space station stack 180 degrees back to the normal attitude, placing Discovery behind the space station as they travel through space.