so about that moon

So I have been absolutely fascinated by this new mini-series on the Discovery Channel called "When We Left Earth." It's basically a history of NASA and its space program, and it's a very straightforward, by the numbers documentary. It should be dry and maybe a little boring. But the truth is, it is compelling and moving and incredibly interesting. The thing that struck me the most is the sheer fact that not all that long ago space was this mysterious, untouched, and distant thing. It was Star Wars and Invasion of the Body Snatchers and War of the Worlds. I've never in my life looked at the moon and simply wondered. It's always been a place with pictures and facts to go along with it. But a handful of decades ago, people watched in awe as mission by mission we went closer and closer to the moon until finally we stepped foot there. There are these images in the documentary of the men in NASA mission control when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step out onto the surface of the moon. These NASA guys are these full grown men with crazy smart degrees and plenty of real life experience-but their eyes as they watch images of their fellow men skipping and walking on this entirely new place-well it's easy for people in my generation to forget what that looks like. So it's nice to be reminded-as much as we now know about that sliver of white in the sky at night, as familiar as it has become-once not that long ago it was still a place of imagination. I think we overlook that these astronauts and engineers and people literally gave us the moon. George Bailey, step aside.


Annnd the award for The The Three Year Old I Babysit Could Do A Better Job Reporting Than You goes to that completely idiotic lady (she doesn't even deserve a name, she's that incompetent) on Fox News (is anyone surprised?) who characterized Barack and Michelle Obama's affectionate fist bump as a "terrorist fist jab". I really can't offer any other words. Such first rate stupidity really speaks for itself.