Twelve Years Old Again

When I was about 12 years old, I developed an abiding interest in astronomy that lasted for several years. Unfortunately, growing up in the Pacific Northwest, you don't get a whole lot of clear nights, and many of those that are, are just plain cold. Nevertheless, I managed to borrow a friend's 75x telescope and keep it for many years.

I remember staring at the moon a lot, learning names of mountain ranges and craters, mentally trekking them as I stared through the lens. I tracked and watched planets, trying in vain to make out the planetary disks, which was nearly impossible at only 75x. But it didn't stop me from trying. I loved star clusters, nebulae, and the like, and was a regular visitor to Orion's belt and the Pleiades cluster, and I spent countless hours finding constellations, stars, and various night-sky oddities. I remember trying to find Skylab, and never really succeeding.

One of my strongest memories is the great disappointment that was Comet Kohoutek. My Dad spent hours in the field across the street helping me look for it night after disappointing night. But we didn't just search the sky with my borrowed telescope, we talked and joked and laughed, huddled together against the cold winter night. It's one of my fondest memories to this day.

Thirty years have passed since Kohoutek. I eventually returned the borrowed telescope and turned my attention from astronomy to other things. I lost my Dad to leukemia in 1998, but my mom still remembers my obsession with the stars. Two nights ago, she made it a point to tell me that five planets would be visible in the night sky, and that from 7:18 pm to 7:21 pm the International Space Station would be streaking across the sky from northwest to northeast.

For whatever reason, I trundled outside shortly after dusk and peered upward at the moon and what was obviously Venus. It wasn't quite dark enough to make out the other planets with the naked eye, but peering upward into the darkening sky took me back thirty years. I rummaged around the house and dug out a cheap pair of binoculars, then went back outside shortly after 7:00 pm and hunted around for where I thought the planets would be. A lot of years had passed, but I quickly pinned down Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.

What was the fifth planet? I wondered. It must be Mercury, I decided, but I had no idea where to find it. There was only one shining point of light in the sky that I decided fit the bill (low on the horizon, near the setting sun). Turns out I was right. With only cheap binoculars, Venus was little more than a bright star and Saturn was simply a not-so-bright star. Mars was, as usual, red. Jupiter held me enraptured for a very long time. I could make out two moons - faint pricks of light hovering around the undefined planet. For a long time I stood and stared, longing for that 75x telescope once again. To my surprise, I found myself grinning like a kid as I pondered the reality of staring at another planet - and two of its 61 moons - from millions of miles away.

Eventually, I checked my watch, ducked back into the house to check on dinner that I had stupidly started cooking about this time, and sped back outside at almost exactly 7:18 pm. It didn't take more than a few seconds to spot the International Space Station in the northwest - a tiny pinpoint of light growing brighter as it trekked from left to right at an amazingly high rate of speed. I watched it during its entire three-minute trek, following it with my binoculars and marveling at how fast it seemed to be moving. At the apex of its journey, it was surprisingly bright, and I wondered what it would have looked like at a higher power.

The three minutes ended too soon, and the ISS vanished over the forested hills to the northeast. I dropped the binoculars back to my chest and let them hang, still smiling. I was overwhelmed with a mixture of awe and nostalgia, and suddenly I wished my Dad had been there with me. I looked skyward one last time, picking out the five planets with my naked eye, staring at the moon for several minutes trying to remember the names of landmarks there, then went back inside.

The whole night had taken less than 30 minutes. But I'd once again trekked the lunar hills and valleys, touched five planets and two of their moons, and ridden the International Space Station - a modern-day Skylab - as it streaked through the sky. For 30 minutes, I was 12 years old again. And my Dad was still with me.

I need to visit the stars more often.

One More Thing

I meant to mention this last week:

With the announcement of the upcoming release of GURPS Fourth Edition I an finally talk about upcoming projects a little more freely. I've been under a very strict NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) for months, but now that 4/e has been announced, that's loosened upa little.

Basically, I've been slated to write one of the upcoming sourcebooks for 4/e (co-authored with the infamous Kenneth Hite), but I still haven't really said yes or no. I need to make a decision soon so that Ken and I can get started on it, or so that SJ Games can find a replacement author in time to meet the Fall deadline. If I knew what my Summer/Fall terms would be like, I could commit much more easily (one way or another). As it is, I'm dragging my heels. Bad Brian.

What, no break?

The Winter term is almost over, at last. I have a biology final this mornng in an hour or so (non-cumulative; it's just over human genetics), and that wraps up the term. My EMT training is continuing unabated, however (it's 17 weeks long), so my Tuesday and Thursday nights are still tied up, and my Microbiology class in Portland starts a week earlier than the local college, so I won't get a Spring break to speak of. Basically, I'll have Friday off, then go back to the grind the following Monday for Micro. At least I won't be waiting an extra 18 months to get into the nursing program this way. If I survive.

I'll post final Winter term grades when I get 'em.

Beginning of the End

Well, life is no less hectic than last week or the week before, but I can see the end of the tunnel now. Next week is finals week, so I've got a Psych term paper to write and a couple finals to prepare for. The EMT training will continue through the end of the term, past finals, and well into next term, but I've gotten into the swing of that so it's become a little more of a routine.

At the moment, I'm mostly registered for next term, though I'm waiting to hear on a couple classes. The local Microbiology class is reserved for students already enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology, so I'm on a waiting list to see if any openings come up. If so, they're doled out by lottery, so I doubt I'll get in. My solution? I enrolled at a college in Portland for Micro and another college up north to take A&P. That means I'll probably be enrolled in (and attending) three colleges during Spring term. Crazy? Only if you figure there's like 500 miles a week of commuting. But it cuts over a year off my waiting time to get into the same classes locally, and hence, cuts a year of getting into the nursing program. I think it's worth it, though my car may disagree with me.

As for the remainder of this term, I'm not too stressed about it. I'm carrying very strong As in both Psych and Biology (above 95% in both), two of my classes are Pass/Fail and I'm solidly above that line, my CNA training is almost finished, and I'm holding steady at 94% in my EMT class. So even if I don't ace the finals next week, I should still pull a 4.0 out of the Winter term (with 13 local credits, 8 credits in EMT training in Centralia, and CNA training in Vancouver).

Needless to say, I'm very tired. Sleeping about 6 hours a night during the week, then crashing for 10-12 hours on Friday and Saturday nights. Social life? Feh. Who needs friends and family!

Er... okay, I admit it, it might be nice to actually have a day off. Oh well, maybe this Summer...

Headed to Game Storm

Despite my schedule these days, I'm making time to head to Portland, Oregon for the middle day of the three-day gaming convention, Game Storm. Today's programming runs from 10 am to very late (midnight?), and includes panels, roleplaying games, tabletop miniatures, collectible card games, board games, and live-action roleplaying. This is the first con in a long time where I have chosen not to run any games, but I am doing a panel or two today.

If you're going to be at the con, or if you're in the Portland area and have considered checking out gaming conventions, this one gets my recommendation. It's held at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion. Look me up if you're there!

The Obligatory What Have You Been Doing? Entry

Okay, I know I've been a little remiss in posting here, but carrying 23 credits keeps me a bit busy at times. I am, happily, managing a 4.0 thus far in the term in all classes, and finals are less than a month away. Let's hope I can maintain the grades.

I went through various registration hoops this week and have more to do tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. The Developmental Psychology class I needed filled up with only two days of priority registration, so I was a bit frustrated by that. It's a "point class" for the RN program; hopefully I can grab it this summer.

On the brighter side, I did manage to get into both Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology for Spring term. It means going to more than one college, however, and commuting several days a week. I'll post the details once I know if I can grab a different micro class at a third college (hence the 7:00 a.m. registration tomorrow), which would cut my commute days down from 6 days (and 600 miles) a week to only 3/300. More on that once my schedule gels.

In other news, I've had a recent spate of interest in what I do for a living from some of my classmates (Hi Todd! Hi Beth!), and an increasing interest from non-classmates about how school is going. I've been reluctant to post a lot of non-writing blog entries, mostly because this site generally focuses on my profession, not my life in general. But if I can find the time to do so, I'll try to be a little more consistent in my updates, even if they're mostly centered on my recent academic adventures.

And so, now that everyone is caught up (You are caught up, aren't you? Todd, are you listening?) I'm hitting the books again. I have another EMT test tomorrow night and three chapters to read (Neurologic Emergencies, the Acute Abdomen and ALOC and Diabetes), and only a few hours to do so. Tomorrow I need to register online at 7:00 a.m., meet the local head of the math department to see about being a tutor next term, drive 50 miles to take 6 hours of CNA training, drive 100 miles to take EMT lectures, take the aforementioned test, then drive home and try to be asleep before midnight.

See? I told you I was busy...