days_unfolding

It always surprises me when a disaster such as the World Trade Center collapse or the shuttle braking up happens when I'm asleep. I don't really believe that the world stops while I'm asleep, but I guess I feel that it shouldn't change that much. And usually it doesn't. My initial reaction to the shuttle was even weirder: that can't have happened; it already happened!

Anyway, I appreciate your eloquent posts, guys. (I was especially wondering about

alexpgp and

rillifane.)

I'm trying to figure out why this seems sad when I don't know these people. Maybe part of it is that they seem like our representatives, somehow. There has been a celebrity cult around space travel that has died down, but I think that a certain glamour still exists. Maybe the failure of mastery also is sad. It's like reaching your hand out and getting burned.

I'm thinking about changing my plans, and going into work to work out and watch CNN. On the other hand, you can sum up the story in two sentences right now. "The space shuttle broke up on reentry. We don't know why." I'm afraid that they'd play the same thing over and over.