Lazy Alabama days...

Yes, I'm back home, but I am still thinking about all the time I spent in beautiful Alabama! Really, Ft. Rucker was pretty nice, but it was COLD. Except in the room at the Army Lodging building. It was HOT in that room. So we evened out things by keeping the windows open. While this may sound odd, I can assure you that it was much more odd to experience the blasts of frigid air piercing the oven-like dry heat of the room as I sat working at my computer. I got lots of exercise walking 3 feet to the window to adjust how much it was open every 15 minutes :-)

I did get to meet some of Jen's classmates while in LA. They were a nice bunch from all over the US. We went out to eat every day together while I was there. I think we hit all the major food sources in only 5 visits!

Valentines Day was an unexpected treat for us. We each sent things for our 8 year dating anniversary on Feb 9, so on Feb 14 we didn't have anything to do! (By the way, it is GREAT having an anniversary just before Valentine's Day. We can skip all of the expensive stuff and V-Day rush!) We went into town and hit the TGI Friday's for dinner. We would have waited over an hour to get seated, but instead we had a wonderful time eating at the bar. Again, we skipped the lines by thinking smart!

I'm glad I got to see into Jen's life in AL so I can picture all of the funny things that happen and place some of the characters in her stories. While it's not a horrible place to go, I am not in any hurry to spend a lot more time there. It was nice to get back home and be together with our cats for a while :-)

Enjoy the picture of Jen at her desk! More pics (and perhaps some video!) coming soon...

Tim's trip to LA

Hello from Alabama! (I'll let that sink in. It took me a minute too.)

On Sunday night I got a call asking if I was going to the Space Florida meeting in Tallahassee on Monday. When I was considering the 4-5 hour drive across the state, I realized I'd be close to Jen! After a few minutes of frantic calling I got Teresa to watch the cats, Jen to agree to come get me, and Eddie was set to come pick me up instead of meeting me part way. Then I stayed up all night to pack! Not hard as we already planned to meet at 4am so we could be in Tallahassee by 9am. In less time that most people take to sleep, I'd completely changed my plans for the week, packed, and was off to another state!

After the state space meetings and a delicious lunch in beautiful downtown Tallahassee, I got to go to the Capital with some colleagues to check in on local legislators. They weren't there, but it was a neat thing to do. I hung out at the Challenger Center until Jen got done with her class and drove 2 hours to get me. While I waited I got a great tour of the facility and got to sit in on a fantastic IMAX movie about the oceans. If you are in the area, check out the Challenger Center!

I'll spare you the details of driving to Ft. Rucker--mostly because there are no details to give! There's not a lot out there in Lower Alabama. But Jen is there, and now, so am I.

Still alive and kickin'

I spent three days at home with the cats and nearly went insane*. Not that the cats aren't great, but I needed to get out of the house for a bit. Going to the bank and to pay the water bill today seemed like a huge treat. And even then, Jack rode with me in the car...

Tonight I went out with Robert and Teresa to the Ruby Tuesdays in Merritt Island for dinner. (WOO-HOO! PEOPLE!!) It was Robert's birthday and we sat and talked for several hours after we'd finished the meal. In fact, the servers were all sitting together playing cards waiting for us last few tables to finally clear out at the end of the night! I enjoyed stories from scout camp and discussions of belay techniques when doing ropes courses. What a departure from our normal "space, space, space" conversation! Perhaps we are tired of the media coverage we've gotten lately... (YES, we are painfully aware of the "crazy astronaut" story in the news. "Astronaut" is a job title, not a decree of sainthood. We don't know her and are as confused by her behavior as anyone else.)

Things are going well around the house. Last week I tested out the new mop by scrubbing down all of the floors in the kitchen, foyer, hall, and bathroom (it worked great). Monday and Tuesday I cooked food and ate like a real person, so I am not starving. I have done laundry once since Jen left--and will finally fold it tonight!

Talking with my business partner Karen, I realized that I do my best work around and with other people. I've been spending a lot of time lately just looking at a computer screen working budget numbers or other paperwork. Alone. Cats not withstanding, I haven't been around other people and have definitely not been working up to my potential. I do have an office at the Center for Space Education at KSC that I moved into last week. (No windows, one other person in the maze of rooms, but it gets me out.) My new goal is to create more interactions with people on a daily basis. Anyone want to meet for lunch?

Thanks to everyone that has been checking in on me to make sure I am eating. I appreciate your help! Please keep the letters, phone calls, and dinner invitations coming.

*Just kidding! I think...

Why "Stars Fell in Alabama"

One of my goals while in AL was to figure out why the heck their license plates say "Stars Fell in Alabama." So today I found this on Alabama's official state website:

"In 2002 the phrase 'Stars Fell on Alabama' began to appear on license plates. It refers to the night of November 12, 1833, when a fantastic meteor shower seen across the Southeast caused this night to be known as 'the night stars fell on Alabama.' The shower created such great excitement across the state that it became a part of Alabama folklore and for years was used to date events. A century later it inspired a song and book."

Those lovely lyrics recall another inspired song about the heavens...written by our friend Peter. "It's time....time to go..."

Space videos from MARS

Our space friend Ryan Kobrick has been posting video updates from his team at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah online. If you want to know what the future of space exploration looks like (including a preview of who will be there doing the exploring), check out the videos.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Rykoby

Falling into Orbit

Here is a funny little space factoid Craig Damlo made for Yuri's Night.
I laugh out loud every time I read it...

Falling into Orbit

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about flying: "There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Clearly, it is this second part—the missing—that provides the difficulties." Although mankind may never fully learn to fly, we have become very proficient at falling. And on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to miss the ground.

That is all there is to space travel—falling, continuously falling. In the simplest of terms, a space launch works like this: take an object—in this case a space capsule—and throw it toward the horizon; if you throw it far enough, it simply will miss the ground as it falls back to Earth, and will enter an orbit around the planet. This may be, in fact, the greatest benefit of living on a round planet—well, that and the stability and strength of a sphere.

Redesign!

Hooray! Google upgraded the tools available for our blog! We have new features like our picture, feeds from my Space Culture blog, and a link to our online picture galleries.

Let me know what you do/don't like about the design!

Hi from LA

So I made it to Lower Alabama. I'm pretty much in the boonies. I'll explore a little this coming weekend and let you know if I find anything interesting. So far the people that live here talk about hunting and mudding as their leisure activities. You know those don't appeal to me. I have heard there is a JCPenney's somewhere close, so maybe I'll find that on Saturday.
My class is going well. There's another space geek in my group, but he thinks that 40 people walked on the Moon, so I don't know how much of a space geek he truly is. I thought, at first, that he was including the people that orbited, but that's still less than 30.
So the instructors tried to scare us yesterday. They told us about the 15 page paper we have to write in order to graduate. Woo-hoo! Only 15 pages--that's easy compared to my thesis. ...But then today we learned all about military writing techniques and how you're supposed to keep everything as simple and short as possible. That's a little contradictory to a 15 page report. Maybe the 15 pages includes title page, references, and the like? Apparently we'll find out more on Friday.
My room is okay. It's like living in McKay hall again, without roommates, though. I have a kitchenette with a stove top, a microwave, a mini-fridge, sink, and a coffee pot. There is a pot, a pan, and some dishes. But so far I've made it work. I had spagetti tonight and chicken strips with rices and veggies yesterday. I also have a nice sized closet, and a sofa/TV area. The bed is "walled off." The wall doesn't go all the way up to the ceiling. And I have a nice bathroom with a medicine cabinet.
I'll try to keep you updated on my adventures in LA. (Someone please check on Tim and make sure he eats.)

Post Holiday

We made it! After two weeks filled with family and friends, we've settled back into regular life...for a few days. So far, the new year has consisted mainly of us having a blast with our fancy new fridge and spending gift cards like crazy!

We went to see Children of Men last weekend. It was a great movie! Set in a future where all women are infertile, it showed how life could be in a closed-border, nationalistic, terrorist-filled country. Guess again: it's the UK! Don't worry, their Homeland Security looks just as scary as ours in the movie.

Jen leaves for her 3-month stay in Alabama in a few weeks :-( I can come visit her during her safety training class at Ft. Rucker, but only on the weekend. That's a looong drive for a weekend! If you're around the area (which nothing is around that area), be sure to give Jen a call! She's sure to get lonely in LA ("Lower Alabama").

As for me, I'll be deep into creating the education program for the World Space Expo and managing Sky Fire Lab. Both have picked up steam and are moving fast! Last week I shipped our first order from the online store :-) Hooray for garage-based inventory management!

This weekend we're movin' and shakin' around the house as we get a bunch of little projects done before Jen leaves. We're putting up shelves in closets and putting office stuff back in the office. A bunch of stuff has been living in the guest room as it had to move so my massive desk could come in! You may remember the 6ft. x 7 ft. "L" desk and hutch that was in the Port Orange House. Ok, maybe you don't. In any case, it's a BIG desk. If Sniper hadn't come over to help me figure out how to get it in, I would still have it in the garage (HINT: it's too big to come through the door and too heavy to think about while you're carrying it).

Happy holiday weekend! Jen doesn't work on Monday so neither will I. I love getting all federal holidays off :-)

Yeeee-Haw! Dixie Stampede!

Did I mention that we went to see Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede in Orlando while Bill, Lynn, and Dave were in town? Well, we did. And it was really neat! They did a whole Christmas-themed rodeo show (North Pole vs. South Pole) and put in a touching little manger scene that dropped right out of the ceiling! Jen was squealing at the herds of real head-butting sheep and cute baby goats.

Other cute animals included the racing pigs and the chickens being chased by kids from the audience. The kids ran toward the chickens to scare them into running across the finish line. I don't think any of those kids had ever seen a real chicken before in their lives. I'm not sure who was more scared of whom! At any rate, the chickens seemed to know what to do (they're pros) and made it across the line. Oh the memories! (I had a pet chicken as a child.)

I like these dinner show things :-) There's lots more in Orlando... just give us a good reason to go see one!

ERAU bashed by Christmas tornado

Our alma mater, Embry-Riddle, was whacked by a freak tornado on Christmas day. Reports have come in from news reports and friends on location that the damage to the campus is devastating. Almost all of the 65 training aircraft were damaged or destroyed and several buildings on campus sustained major damage--including impacts from aircraft! (See photo at left) Thankfully almost no one was on campus at the time and there are no reported injuries.

The university has released several statements indicating that they will be starting classes in January, though later than their original start date.

More info:

Photos from Dave Bujak, a fellow Alpha Phi Omega alum.

News from ANN, an aviation news service.

Christmas comes early to Titusville

The last week has been a flurry of travel activity! Jen got back from her 4-day class in California on Friday afternoon. Tom & Alice (Jen's mom & step-dad) arrived on Saturday afternoon for a week-long pre-Christmas visit. I left for a World Space Expo business trip to early on Sunday (5am!). No, I wasn't running from my in-laws. In fact, I stayed with Bill & Lynn in Hershey,PA (Jen's dad + step-mom). I love all my in-laws and was happy to see them all in the same week :-)

While I was gone,Tom and Alice visited some Frank Loyd Wright architecture in Lakeland (on the other side of FL)! When I got home, they left to go to Sabastian, FL, for a few days. (Maybe they were avoiding me? ;-) )

When we were all together we had a fun time and had an early Christmas. Tom & Alice gave us an awesome new fridge that matches the stove + microwave we'd already bought. After one false fridge (back to the store with you!) we got the working one in the kitchen and into place. Now we have a new fridge + all new food for it too! What an adventure!

Now we're all on the road again with Jen & I heading to GA and Alice & Tom on their way back to WI. Bill, Lynn, & David are also on their way to GA to have Christmas with my family before we all head down to FL.

WHEW! What a week! And mor to come...

Space Conference in Houston

The 2nd Space Exploration Conference in Houston started off as any good conference should: with food and booze. This is a great example of how the space industry works just like any other group of people on Earth!

SAIC gave several space advocacy organizations free space in their booth to set up and promote their non-profit space programs. I went to the conference as a representative for Space Gen and Yuri's Night. A special feature of being with SAIC was meeting space atrist Pat Rawlings (known for doing all of the advanced concepts sketches for NASA). They were very generous, as were Nick and Krysta Skytland (who put me up for 2 nights!).

The conference was fun, but I was too busy to get other work done! Now I am up to my ears in meetings and deadlines with a shuttle set to launch on Thursday from the Cape. Jen will be at the Range Operations center while I will be at Space View Park with the NSS chapter. If you haven't reserved a room and still need a place to crash, there are a few couches left for Thursday night.

More tales from Wisconsin

Things we did:
Decorate the trees on Black Friday
Look at funky Christmas trees at Menards
Watched the cute movie Stranger than Fiction
Tried to make butter mints...
Walked the meadow trail in the neighborhood
Saw the "Dead Animal" store
Ate dinner @ Frank's (mmmm!)
Had Christmas tree trimming (pt 1).

Want more? See the pictures.

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin!

We've been having fun in the not-so-snowy north at Alice and Tom's house. Jen came up here over Veteran's Day, but I haven't been up here since before our wedding. Ouch! New features include outdoor accent lighting for the house (ooohh, ahhhh!).

We came into MKE on Wednesday night via Midwest Express. Grandma and Grandpa had already arrived a few days earlier and were at the house when we arrived. Jen and I are stying downstairs to let Grandma and Grandpa avoid climbing the stairs all the time.

On Thanksgiving day Tom's dad, brother, and cousin all came over for dinner. We'd been working all morning on the turkey, etc, and had a table full of food. I ate until I was about to explode [ref: Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"]. The stuffing was a special kind that had cranberries in it. Tom and Alice had gone to see the cranberry bog a few weeks earlier so we had some great cranberry food :-)

After almost erupting, I ate desert. WE had cheesecaks, pecan pie and apple pie, plus numerous cookies and ice cream. After an hours-long food-induced coma in front of the fireplace, I asked Jen to shoot me if I ever tried to eat that much again. I've been losing a little bit of weight (like 5 lbs; due to my stomach shrinking in Europe and my increased activity being at the house all day), but I will be busting my belt if I eat like that more than once a year.

I missed seeing my family up in GA, but I got several nice phone calls to let us know we were remembered. My mom and dad left Thanksgiving dinner and jumped in the car to head to FL for some repainting at the Port Orange house. My brother Robbie and his girl friend Lindsey both work at Best Buy and will not be seen again until some time in January. (Seriously. If they take a day off, they're fired!).

All told, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are thankful to be able to travel about to see our extended families and spend holidays with people we love. These past few years have been whirlwinds of change and motion, but we always end up where we are supposed to be. I cannot wish for a better life than the one I have. We are truly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Thank you for the difference you make in our lives and in the world. You are noticed, counted, and appreciated.

Student Space Conference

The local SEDS chapter hosted the annual Space Vision conference at UCF last weekend. The variety and quality of students was amazing. I am glad we have such passionate and diverse people rising up to lead the space industry! I was privileged to be invited as a speaker amidst such space current industry leaders as:

• Peter Diamandis (X PRIZE, ZERO-G, ISU, SEDS, etc)
  
• Rick Tumlinson (Space Frontier Foundation, etc.)
  
• Bob Richards (Optech, SEDS, Space Gen, ISU, etc.)
  
• George Whitesides (Executive Director, National Space Society)
  
• Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides (President, Space Generation Foundation)
  
• Mark Craig (President, American Aeronautical Society)
• Jim Muncy (Founder, PoliSpace)

Sky Fire Lab was also privileged to provide the design for the conference t-shirts. Thanks, guys! See you next year at MIT!

It's a Brand-You World

I found an article in Time about personal branding services. This is where someone interviews you and then tells you how to make yourself look & sound better on a resume or online personal ad.

What struck me was that I already do this for free! At the space conferences and events Jen and I regularly attend, I always gravitate toward the students. They are a great source of inspiration as well as an indicator of how well the space industry is connecting with youth today. They are also a fun challenge :-)

Typically when I meet someone at a conference, I immediately start to pick past all the standard answers to get to the good, meaty stuff. Students are ripe for this process. It usually only takes a few minutes for them to get past what they are doing now and start discussing the type of things they want to do (ex: "I am working on a degree" to "I am interested in developing new propulsion systems for long-duration space missions"). My goal is always to understand what they want so I can connect them better with each other and industry insiders. But seeing them leave with a clearer understanding to their core desires and strengths is often more useful to them.

At the SEDS conference where I spoke last weekend, my main focus was on finding your "source": the thing that really drives you and says why you're doing all the other stuff. Be it a quest for knowledge, concern for human survival, or the joy of sharing discovery with others, your core values and ideals are very powerful tools. Too often I see students explaining that they are getting a degree without ever saying why.

Try it yourself: ask someone who they are and what they're up to in life. Usually I get a response like: "I work as a manager." Great, now I know your job title but I don't know you or what lights you up on the inside. What's so bad about saying "I'm working to serve the needs of the community by being a great parent, a volunteer, and managing a department at a local company."? For me, that makes a huge difference in the way I listen to the person for the rest of the conversation.

I think it is really neat to see someone else offering this service to the general public. Knowing that I have one more marketable talent in my bag of tricks is nice too. And if you ever hear me answer with a crap reply, please call me on it! Don't let me get by without branding myself :-)

X PRIZE Cup Recap

Oct 18-22 Jen and I were in Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the 2006 X PRIZE Cup. This is the second year for the event, and the first time they have done a Lunar Lander Challenge or hosted the Space Elevator Games. The other spectacles included amateur rocket launches, rocket-powered bikes, cool spaceship mockups, a jetpack (think James Bond), and a vertical wind tunnel for virtual skydiving. We were at the event promoting Sky Fire Lab and showing off some of our newest shirt designs.

I posted some pictures from the X PRIZE Cup here.

Due to some horrible, horrible customer service screw-ups by our t-shirt vendor in El Paso, I learned a LOT about silk screening during the trip. Here's the story:
We thought we'd save some time and money by getting a local company to do the printing job (instead of going with our previous vendors and shipping the merchandise). I sent in our order a week in advance to ensure time for shirt delivery and printing. What happened was that the shirts were ordered late, got delayed, and ultimately ended up being either the wrong color or completely missing. As if this was not frustrating enough, some of the shirts that did arrive were ruined by bad printing (wrong colors used, wrong side printed--you name it, we had it).

My partner, Karen, was a trooper and worked with the apathetic graphic arts guy to fix numerous errors in the complex "artwork-onto-t-shirt" process. We both stayed up all night before the show working with the production crew to get shirts done that were already 2 days late. We ended up with about one third of our intended supply of shirts/colors/sizes missing--including most of the kid's sizes and all of the girl-cut shirts.

All told, we sold about 100 shirts and made some great business contacts despite our bad location (inside an unmarked exhibition tent), numerous other t-shirt vendors, and our production woes. It was definitely a great learning experience! I am already applying some of the lessons learned to our next job making shirts for the SEDS conference.

Other things happening:

• Sky Fire Lab's online store is opening this week
• speaking at the Space Vision 2006 conference in Orlando
• Loretta and George are staying at our house for the conference
• Jen is going to Wisconsin for Veteran's Day
• Mom and Dad will be in Port Orange for the weekend
  

Miracle on Dilbert Street

I know I owe everyone an update from the amazing X PRIZE Cup, but this article is truly amazing--AND TRUE--and will have to do until I get some pictures uploaded to Picasa.

Dilbert writer Scott Adams rewires his brain
to overcome a rare medical condition

Bullfight

Here is a picture from the bullfight in Spain. It was interesting, but very bloody. I understand why there is a large movement to stop the fights. They kill 6 bulls in 3 hours. The part shown here, with just the matador and the bull, is the most interesting and well-matched. Everything is downhill from here.

I'm glad I saw a bullfight, but I have no intentions of ever going back. Click here for more pictures.

Home again, home again...

Well, we must have been busy these last few weeks! I can't beleive there haven't been any posts. Sorry about that...

The Space Generation Congress went well, as did the International Astronautical Congress. It was a LOT of hard work, but with an amazing staff anything is possible. Pictures are starting to appear here and will be expanding as people have time to upload (like me!).

Jen and Jack came to get me from the airport on Monday night. I was SO HAPPY to see both of them! My luggage was lost--but that was expected. Here's the story of my trip home:

7am in Valencia. Karin is knocking at my door, asking if I am up and getting ready. I am not. I fell asleep before packing! YIKES! An hour and a half later, I am packed (I think) and heading out the door. There are boxes and posters and trash and stuff still all over the hostel, but I gotta go! Feeling the heft of my bags, I reach in and pull out a bottle of wine--a gift for one of the front desk staff (Spyro & Alex--don't fight! There's enough wine for both of you.) Into the cab and onto the airport... I get up to the counter and toss up bag #1: 20 kg (44lbs). Tagged and gone. Second bag: 30 kg (66labs!). Tagged and gone... no overweight fee!

10:10am in Valencia. Plane takes off, I am OUT like a light.

11:25am The plane lands in Madrid. I get out and look at the departures board for my flight to Chicago. The board reads "Chicago - 12:05 - Gate U65 - FINAL BOARDING". I run to the tram and glance at the extimated time sign: "U gates, 25 minutes". Not good. I continue to run from the tram through the airport.

11:50am I am rushed onto the plane by Iberia customer service staff. I made the plane! But if I just made it... I don't think about my luggage. I am going home. I don't need it! So I sit next to Mike, a nice business man from Arkansas, and enjoy the trip. All 9 hours. Food is good (chicken & rice w/peas) and I get some sleep. Movies are the best I've seen on a flight in a while: the Devil Wears Prada and the Breakup. Both are chick flicks, but good. Mike and I both watch.

9:30pm Valencia time / 3:30pm Eastern time we arrive in Chicago. My bags never come down the conveyor belt, so I am told to go ahead through customs and the bags will meet me in Orlando. (Riiiiight.) My father-in-law Tom is waiting at the airport. He drove all the way from Colgate, WI, to see me! It is nice to see a familiar, family face after a month abroad. We sit and talk about stuff for a few hours at O'Hare and then eat hotdogs. I cannot explain how good that chilidog tasted. Thank you, Tom! After the 5 hour layover, I head to Orlando.

5am Valencia time / 11pm Eastern time. After 19 hours of travel, I am almost home! Jen and Jack meet me at MCO (hooray!) but my luggage does not (boo!). We file the lost baggage claim and go home. I sleep like a ROCK.

And now, 7 days unti lI leave for New Mexico and the X PRIZE Cup! This will be the first big show for Sky Fire Lab since the NSS conference in May. Much to do! And still need to get stuff cleaned up from the trip to Spain.

Anyone know how to get some boxes from Spain back to the US??

Weekend Update: Europe Edition

So, this week has been crazy as the clock ticks down to SGC06. Pictures are going up on the conference blog so the delegates can see what's happening.

In the mean time, Karen and I started SpaceCluture.org to bring the concepts and ideas we have been discussing out into the public. Our intent is to have a forum where we can discuss the interaction and impact of space on society and society on space. So far we've got the blog up and running, but soon we plan to integrate podcasts, interviews, and guest writers. Know someone that should write? Got an article we should post? Please let us know! We intend to have good momentum and start podcasting from the X PRIZE Cup in October.

Things I found this week:

• An online barf bag collection
• A competition for Vigrin Atlantic barf bags
• The face on Mars is NOT REAL. So says ESA.

Here is a random collection of Valencia pictures. This is a really pretty city!

Life at the NEST - from the SGC2006 blog

Here is quick look at life here in Valencia.

First, my last room at the Red Nest Hostle was set up for 4 people. Everything in the room was yellow! Most of the rooms have a special color or theme to them. My current room houses 6 people and is all done in blue.

I have been eating in the kitchen several nights in a row. The kitchen is located on the same floor as the computer terminals. There are baskets for each room to keep food and three refridgerators for storing cold things. There are two micorwaves, two sets of stovetop ranges for cooking, and all of the plates, pans, and utensils you need! The Local Team will be using the kitchen to make some local foods for the Welcome Reception on Wednesday night. It will be delicious!

A few nights ago I washed clothes. There is one washer and one dryer available--both are on the roof! This makes it easy to dry your things on a nearby clothes line instead of in the dryer. Each machine costs 2 euros per load. You must by the special tokens at the front desk. Be sure you do not start too late! The roof and lounge both close at 11:45 pm each night.

While you are on the roof, you can relax in a chair with some of the other delegates and discuss the furture of space exploration!

Location: Valencia, SPAIN

Greetings from Valencia!
I arrived here on Wednesday, one day later than intended. A missed connection in Miami (thanks AA and Iberia!) left me stranded for 24 hours with only the clothes on my back. Jen drove the 3.5 hours down to Miami to save me with fresh clothes and a cell phone charger. Jen is my hero!!

I've been working non-stop on the Space Generation Congress since I arrived. I must have been tired because I slept for about 6 hours last night, woke up and chatted with a delegate online, and then slept for another 8 hours! Oh, and the room I stayed in has our exact same Ikea light--wierd, except the whole place seems to be furished by Ikea.

I think I'll go upstairs and make some food in the kitchen here at the Red Nest Hostel. Check out the webcam to see if you can spot me cooking or eating!

More pictures and stories from Spain will be posted on the SGC 2006 Blog.

Arriving in Valencia - from the SGC2006 blog

Arriving from the airport, I took the Aero-Bus to the train station and then the Metro. You can also walk to the hostel, but I wanted to learn about the Metro. The Delegate Information Pack describes walking to the hostel--a faster and cheaper alternative!

The picture on the left is the bridge over the Almeda metro stop near the hostel. Nice! The bridge and station were both designed by the same architect that designed the CAC.

The metro station is under the bridge with exits on both sides. From the top of the bridge you can see the Palace of Arts at the CAC. We will be using this metro stop to go to and from our SGC venue, UPV.

As you walk over the bridge, you will see this arch and pass by it on the right. Continue through the kids park and folow the signs for "<-- c/La Paz".
You'll see the Red Nest Hostel banners flying above the left side of the street.

You're home!

This and That

Last weekend we flew back to CA for George and Loretta's wedding. We stayed with all the Space Gen folks in a "cabin" on Moon Mountain. This is the view that we saw on the mile long trek up the mountain to get to the cabin.The wedding was great. We "missed" our flight on Monday morning so that we would have a few more hours to stay in Sonoma Valley and see the sights. And, boy, did we. I really wanted to buy this giant rusted llama for Mom.
Then this weekend, we had a yard sale. We made a decent amount of money and got rid of lots of stuff. We learned that you can put the harness and leash on Jack, and he won't run away. You don't even need to tie the leash to anything. He just acts like he has a giant weight on his shoulders.
Atlantis launched during our yard sale. There was a nice rush of customers afterwards. This is the view from our driveway.
Lastly, we have a really cool flower blooming in the backyard. It's very prehistoric-looking.

Nose + Job

Nose Update: The doc yanked the tubes out of my nose Monday morning and ever since I have had the most amazing experience of breathing. I cannot remember ever breathing so clear and easy. I'm not taking Claritin, not sniffing Afrin, not sticking on nose strips--nothing--and yet I have more air circulating through my body than ever before in my life. To be honest, it's a bit like when I got glasses: I had no idea what I was missing. I understand why people run. I see how it could be fun to exercise. I probably wouldn't want do die afterwards or anything!

If you have ever been given the option of getting your deviated septum fixed, I recommend it wholeheartedly. I feel great!

If you're a bit hesistant because of my former discomfort, take note: I think it was my own fault. See, I was not breathing well (as I was told would happen) with the tubes in my nose so I thought I'd use a tried-and-true remedy: Breathe Right Nasal Strips. I placed the strips high on my nose to get "above the tubes" [note: the tubes are about 2" long so there is no way I was getting above them]. It hurt after a short while so I took the strips off and went to bed. That's when all of the drama started. Apparently I peeled up the skin and let all kinds of havoc loose in my nose.

Once I realized this, I felt really dumb. The doc thought I was a little wacko too. But I don't really care now, cause I can breathe :-)

* note how I am carefully avoiding the interesting yet gross story about taking the 2" tubes out of my nose. You're welcome.

Job Update: This was the last day for FSRI. We shut our doors to make way for the new Space Florida organization. I guess t's a good thing they hired a president on Wednesday. He had 48 hours to gather up all the knowledge he needs about space and Florida (he has no experience with either one) before shutting down the exisitng organizations and firing everyone. Well, I guess if you're paid $178,000 your first year, they expect you to be able to learn fast. His 30% performance bonus would well exceed my salary and I'd had several years of experience before I came on board!

I enjoyed the 9 months I was able to spend with the team and I appreciate all of the experience and advice they gave me. It was a dream job like no other working with an all-star cast of dedicated and brialliant people. Many of them are staying around and taking new jobs at ERAU or FL Tech. If you're looking for someone that is talented, dedicated, and "good people", look no further than the former FSRI staff list.

As of now, I am officially self-employed full-time! I'll be going to Spain to manage the Space Generation Congress on-site during September and then going out to New Mexico for the X PRIZE Cup in October. Add on the SEDS Space Vision Conference in November and a couple of conferences in December and I've got a busy schedule! Now I don't intend to kill myself trying to make $178,000/yr, but I am going to make a living. I don't know what that looks like just yet, but that's part of the fun!

Stay tuned! There's always more...

Tim's Nose Job

Well, technically it was a "septoplasty" to repair my deviated septum. But it happened to my nose and has altered its appearance, so I feel like it's a nose job.

Oh, did I mention that it HURTS?!?! Apparently my body does not like it when pieces inside my nose are sliced, diced, and sewn back together. I am swollen, bruised, and overall in a lot of pain.

Things I've learned:

1. Nose jobs hurt.
2. Having your nose "fixed" means you can't breath out of it for a while.
3. Pain killers are not all bad...
4. "Outpatient surgery" does not mean you should go back to work the next day.

More on the story as it develops...

Here, There, and Everywhere

WOW. July and August were both busy months! It seemed like everytime I sat down to write, I had too much to talk about! Jen hit all the highlights, but I wanted to throw my 2-cents in as well.

• Flew in ZERO-G with the owner of Pocari Sweat, a sports drink popular in Japan. Both Katie Collier (my SLSTP intern) and Keithe Bagette (the ZERO-G summer intern) got to experience weightlessness!
• Kaare's friend Mike and his fiance came down from DC and stopped by KSC to see me.
• Jen's brother Dave stayed with us for about 2 weeks.
• I gave a talk to the NASA interns about "launching your career in the space industry" (and it ROCKED).
• Went to a cool FSRI staff pool party at Sam Durrance's house (nice place, great people).
• Executed the first-ever parabolic research flights to operate from KSC (where tons of people got to fly and mom got her second flight!)
  
• Flew ZERO-G flights in San Diego and San Jose, CA.
• Finally got to see the Mansion in Silicon Valley where Jen was staying (NICE!).
  
• Attended Jen's awesome Next Generation Exploration Conference at Ames.

I'll put up some neat pics and movies of mom in zero gravity soon. If you want them sooner, let me know! (Same goes for pics from California--it was a wild trip!)

What a Relief!!

It's over. It was a success. Now I can breath again.
It was an awesome week. The conference went wonderfully. It was powerful to see all those people together in one room.

One of my thoughts on Friday was, I couldn't get an astronaut to come speak at the conference, but that's okay because every single one of these people at the conference is going to become an astronaut. We (civilization) are going into space. And the energy and the passion that I saw over those 3 days is what is going to get us there.

I am proud to say that we made it onto NASA Watch. You can read the comments of some of the participants here.

Now I've got to get to work. We have to print the proceedings!

Fun in "The City"

Susie drove up from Long Beach to spend the weekend with me this weekend. We had a great time. Friday night, we went to Mimi's Cafe and then to see Scoop. I didn't know what to expect, but it was a great movie. I really recommend it. How can you beat Woody Allen driving a Smart Car, a guy jumping off a boat into the River Styx to come back from the dead, and Hugh Jackman without his Wolverine sideburns?!
Saturday we headed out early, first to Oakland to the USS Hornet museum. The Hornet is an aircraft carrier, built in 1943 and decommissioned in 1970. It was the ship that picked up Apollos 11 & 12 after they landed in the Pacific ocean. I got "volunteered" to sit at one of the ship's guns and spin the manual controls to sight down the enemy. We also went on the engine room tour. I wouldn't want that job!
From Oakland we headed to San Francisco, The City, via the Bay Bridge. Lots of traffic, but we made it eventually. We shopped at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Then headed over to the Cable Car turn around. We had to wait in line for a while to make it onto a cable car, but it was worth it. We rode all the way across the city. Our cable car almost t-boned a pick-up truck and decapitated a lady in an opposite going cable car (they pass very close to each other). But in the end, no one was injured and we made it to the swanky shopping district. Don't worry, Tim, I only spent $15 there.
We grabbed another cable car back across town and had dinner in an Irish Pub before heading home. It was certainly a better experience than my last one in San Francisco--I still had my purse at the end (because I left it at home). Susie and I had a great time. The City has redeemed itself in my eyes. And there's still so much I want to do there--go to Alcatraz, ride a bike across the Golden Gate bridge, take a horse buggy ride....

NGEC Excitement

So my stress about this conference suddenly turned into excitement. It's going to be so cool!
Josep from Valencia, Spain, on Tim's SGC team, just told me this will be his first trip to the US. And I got so excited for him. He showed Tim and me around Valencia, now we get to host him in his first US experience.
And so many of our other friends will be there (plus friends-to-be that we haven't met yet). Not to mention how great the discussions will be during the conference and what awesome things will be created. I can't wait!

Flying with Buzz

Here's our picture from Sunday, indoor skydiving with Buzz Aldrin. Live long & prosper!

Recent Pics

Here are some pictures from the past month that I thought you would enjoy.

Cats & dogs really do get along!
Jack playing with Jeff's dog.

We tried to see Discovery land...but we
got stopped by the road barricade.

Dave & Jack sleeping in

Last night we went to Medieval Times in Orlando. We had a blast! Our knight was the champion. Here he is with Dave & Tim.

Golden Opportunities

I've been in FL for the past week or so. I'm quite stressed by this conference I'm organizing, but it's coming together. Tim is also stressed about SGC, FSRI, and the usual, so we had a nice relaxing weekend to take a break from the stress. My brother Dave is in town, so we're having fun hanging out with him.
Saturday we went to see My Super Ex-Girlfriend with Robert. And then we went with Paul to the super ghetto Titusville bowling alley for Xtreme Bowling. Sunday morning we got up and drove to New Smyrna Beach to visit with Tim's extended family that was in town. We swam in the ocean for about an hour. Then Tim & I left Dave with Aunt Jerri and company so we could go to Orlando.
Shane had called and said he could get us some free windtunnel time---with Buzz Aldrin!
It was awesome. We'll post some pictures later.

Happy 4th!

Tim and I both had good long weekends. I'll let Tim tell you about his weekend, but until then, here's my recap.
I took one of the mansion's rental cars and drove down to LA to see Susie. It took a little longer than it should, but I made it very early Saturday morning (4am). There was only a slight detour when I got pulled over for running a stop sign in Susie's neighborhood. I think I was a little suspicious driving really slow in a residential area at 4 in the morning. I didn't get a ticket, so everything worked out.
Saturday was a little of a lazy day because of the late night. We got our nails done, and we saw The Devil Wears Prada--a very good movie. I give it 2 thumbs up.
Sunday we went to the San Diego Zoo. There were tons of babies--a gorilla, a wallaby, wild boar piglets, an 11 month old panda, ducklings, antelopes, the list goes on. We even got to hand feed giraffes! We would have a picture, but the "professional" San Diego Zoo photographer took crappy pictures.
Monday Susie gave me a tour of the Boeing C-17 facility and factory. It is very different to see the insides of a new plane as compared to the 30 year old planes that I am used to. We saw Superman Returns Monday evening. It was good except for Lois's hair not floating. They made $52 million in one weekend; they could have spent $100k to make her hair float!
I stayed long enough Tuesday morning to see Discovery launch on the HD TV. Very cool! Back in Cupertino Tuesday night, I watched 3 simultaneous fireworks displays down in the valley from the front stoop of the mansion. What a life!

News & Events

Two posts in two days--woo! Yesterday the FSRI Board of Directors gave the final vote to dissolve the company on August 31 in accordance with the direction of the FL legislature. We're officially done! No more job as of Sept 1...I'd better do something like this:

The Sky Fire Lab online store is now open!

We are proud to announce the availability of our first three designs in the Explorer series of shirts. Karen and I will be refining our designs and offerings over the next few months as we grow Sky Fire Lab into an interplanetary brand.

Also, I am proud to announce that I am now a published author--sort of. I was one of 94 experts asked to respond to the questions including: Buzz Aldrin, Robert Bigelow, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, US Sec. of Transportation Norman Mineta, and more! I co-authored the answers to questions on spaceflight training with Loretta Hidalgo. I am proud to be part of an education project with such an amazing cross-section of the space industry.

The book is published by Collector's Guide Publishing as "Kids to Space: A Space Traveler's Guide" by Lonnie Schorer.

Double Weekend Update

Last weekend I went and flew as Flight Director one of three ZERO-G flights from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The first two were full of teachers as the initial flights in the "Northrop Grumman Weightless Flights of Discovery" program. Over the next few months, hundreds of educators will have the opportunity to fly small experiments to show their students the difference between mass and weight. [HINT: it has something to do with gravity!]

Jen did not participate (she'd been fired on June 15). She was scheduled to be a coach, but was instead asked to come work a 16-hour day on the ground just like she did as a full-time employee. She declined :-) Instead, she prepared for our cookout! Just over 20 people came over to the house and hung out until 2am! We had a great time and enjoyed having so many different people come over: we had college students, little kids, ZERO-G folks, and local friends we hadn't seen in a while. Our one common thread: we all love space!

Next weekend STS-121 is scheduled to liftoff on Saturday afternoonat 3:49 pm. Mom and dad plan to come out to Space View Park with me to see the launch. I'll also be handing out Ad Astra magazines for the National Space Society at the park. If you're interested in seeing the launch, this will be a great place to get a direct line-of-site view to the pad. We'll be arriving no later than 2pm to be sure we have a place to stand. See you on Saturday!

Adventures in San Francisco

Thanks for the message, Tim. I'm glad I didn' t have to paint!

Shannon flew in from Phoenix to send the weekend with me at the mansion. I wish I had a camera so I could share this great house with you, but you'll just have to take my word for it.
Shannon & I spent the whole day in San Francisco on Saturday. We had an awesome time--for the most part.
We went to the aquarium and saw starfish eating anchoives, and we got to pet a sea cucumber--very squishy.
We saw the sea lions lounging on the pier.
We had fun shopping and found some funky new earrings.
We took a bay cruise under the Golden Gate bridge and around Alcatraz.
We had a seafood dinner. Shannon had fried oysters and I had a Dungeneer crab. (I think that's how you spell it. )

Shannon was told by a street psychic that we passed that "great things are coming your way." We should have known then everything was going to go wrong.
We got back to the car, and I noticed that one of the tires was flat. I opened the trunk to start changing the tire and our purses weren't there. Someone had broken the driver's door lock and opened the trunk.
We got a police officer to come and file a report, and we got the spare tire put on. But we had to drive the 40 miles back to Cupertino at 50 miles an hour. Ugh :-P
Everything is okay though. My credit cards are cut off and both Shannon's and my bank accounts aren't showing any unknown usage. I guess they were happy with the gift cards and $2.32 in change that we had in our purses.
Someday we'll look back at this and laugh. But until then, we're never going to San Francisco again!

Redecorating without Jen

While Jen was off having fun in San Franciso with Shannon, Robert and Kirk helped me repaint the living room. Its now nice cool shade of blue. With three of us on the job (and 90% of the taping already done by Jen) we got done in just a few hours. Not bad for a big room!

We didn't want Jen to feel left out of the fun, so we did sent her a little message during the painting...
[Dork note: It was cool to be able to take the picture with my Treo and email it directly to Jen!]

I am surprised by how little paint ended up on carpet/furniture/etc. Robert and Kirk are good! I literally was covered from head to toe: I had paint in my hair and stepped in the roller tray at one point. Although I like painting, I am not sure it is one of my strongest talents.

We also washed cars and then went to see Nacho Libre starring Jack Black. It was a wierd movie, but funny with lots of memorable one-liners and dialogue clips. If you liked Napoleaon Dinamite, you will probably like the film. The same director did both.

And that is your weekend update!

Pink slips, restructuring, and a new phone!

This is so big, I'll blog it myself! I got my official Layoff Notification letter from FSRI today. WOW! This is my second time being "let go" due to corporate changes, but the first time that the whole office has gone with me. The bill dissolving the organization has passed in the FL legislature and been signed by Gov. Bush. This means no more FSRI after August 31! Sad, we've done great stuff and I've had lots of fun the short time I've been here. On the up side, we're getting a new "Space Florida" state agency that should have more clout, more resources, and less confusion. Lots of emphasis on the "should".

The other big deal is that I got a Treo! Yes, I have joined the ranks of the uber-geeks that can check email from their phones. And write back. With formatting and color. It is great! It sychronizes with my Outlook calendar and contacts so that I always have the information I need at my fingertips. [For those other geeks out there, it is the 700p from Sprint using the EVDO network. F A S T.] It's all to support my new company, Sky Fire Lab, as we work to get operational. This is one step in the direction of financial independance and personal freedom. Plus I can watch cartoons on the toilet.

More news? Well, OK! How's this: as of June 15 Jen will no longer be a full-time ZERO-G employee! They are restructuring the positions as they add new people and her department is being absorbed by new staff. Not the worst news--she was looking for a new job--but not great news as she doesn't have a new job. Or does she...?

If you call Jen, be sure you realize she's on Pacific time for the next month while she works at NASA Ames Research Center in San Jose, CA. She's been contracted to organize the NASA Youth Exploration Strategy Workshop on July 12-14. The plan is to capture the ideas and creativity of youth in the US to help guide NASA as they map out the execution of the Vision for Space Exploration. It's an ambitious project with a short timeline--and Jen is just the person to make it happen!

GO JEN, GO!

Luke & Katie's Wedding

We had a great time at Luke & Katie's wedding. It was beautiful! We were sad thinking there were no more weddings that we knew about lined up in the coming months--until we remembered that George & Loretta are getting married in September. Woo-hoo! And they'll probably put us to work. We realized that Joe & Christine's wedding was the only one that we've been to that we didn't have a part to play, other than attendee. We enjoy being a part of the action!
So we got to Athens just in time for the rehearsal Saturday morning. The rehearsal lunch was at an Italian restaurant in "downtown" Athens. Here are the lovely bride and groom. After lunch we headed to the pool party at Adam's apartment building. It was fun even though we got kicked out of the pool and I got thrown down the stairs. Don't worry, the carpet burns came out by the next day. :-)

The wedding was on Sunday afternoon. The reception was fun. I got to hang out with Robyn and meet some more of their high school buddies. Overall, a great weekend!

Wedding Season

Tim had a great time on Luke's bacholor party rafting trip in NC. I was looking through all the pictures he took and among all the beer and drinking game shots, the guys playing video games, the butt cracks and hanging out in the jacuzzi, I found a picture that did not fit. Somehow applying sunscreen does not compute as "manly." You can see for yourself and let me know how you feel. Saturday evening we traveled to Islip, NY for Joe & Christine's wedding. We had a great time and got to hang out with Dad and Lynn. Tim enjoyed the trip because he got to meet all of Lynn's Italian relatives--Uncle Vito, Aunt Mille, Cousin Joey, etc. He felt like he was in a mobster movie.
The wedding was beautiful.

Home Improvement

Tim and I had 2 whole weekends at home! The first weekend, we barely scratched the surface of our home improvement plans, but the second weekend we got a lot done. Well, maybe it isn't done, but it's started. I counted 5 projects that we were working on on Sunday. Tim painted our new pocket door. I installed most of my new closet organizer. I cleaned the mold in our master bathroom and primed the walls. Tim mowed the lawn. And I stained the lid of my cedar chest.

Now everything is in limbo. We didn't finish any of the projects, so our house is in shambles right now. And it's not going to change any time soon. Tim is in NC until Friday on a bachelor party/rafting trip with Luke and his friends. On Thursday, I leave to go to Ft. Lauderdale. We have 2 ZERO-G flights on Saturday. Then Saturday night, I fly out of FLL and Tim flys out of MCO and we're meeting in Islip, NY. My cousin Joe is getting married on Sunday. We get home on Monday evening. Then the next Friday, we're driving up to Atlanta for Luke's wedding, and we won't get home until Monday again. I think we'll have a couple free weekends after that, but who knows.

Week in Review

Tim and I made it back from CA, independantly, but we made it back. Tim met lots of cool spacey people, and I met some rich Sicilon Valley people. We're both still swapping stories.
Monday we slept. Tuesday we finally went back to work. Wednesday we watched Lost--how intense! Click the link for the new Hanso Foundation website.
Thursday I volunteered at a local SWE seminar. I helped check people in (how'd they know that's what I do for a living), flipped the Power Point slides for one presentation, and introduced the speaker for another presentation. Teresa and Jim were there. It was fun and educational. Then Tim & I drove up to New Smyra Beach to have dinner with Aunt Jerri & Uncle Sonny. We had pizza and talked for hours! We had a great time.
Tonight is Michelle & Jim's candle party!

Live from Vegas...

I'm writing from Vegas today. G-Force One just landed about 1 1/2 hours ago. We finally made it to the hotel (that yes, is only 5 miles away from the airport, not an hour away like everyone says). I've gotten 2 weeks worth of "Why'd you pick that hotel, Jen, there's cheaper ones....there's closer ones....it's gotta be an hour away....I live here, I should know...." Well, then you should have booked the hotel yourself, and next time I'll let you. But shut up and live with it now.
Sorry for the rant. This mini-tour would be great except for that I keep getting s--- about the hotel here in Vegas. I know, I should just let it slide off my back... But it gives me an excuse to go out and have extra fun tonight. No tequila, though. :-)
This morning we were in Burbank, CA. The flight went extremely well. No one got sick. OJ's lawyer Robert Shapiro was on the flight. And Tim's buddy from Plantronics, Jennie. She got some inflight pictures of people wearing Bluetooth headsets.
After the flight we headed here to Vegas. Tim stayed behind in LA to attend ISDC. He's presenting 2 papers on Saturday!
After 1 flight in Vegas tomorrow, we head off to San Jose to fly for Google. It's a whirlwind trip.