You Never Know How the Past Will Turn Out

First off, happy birthday to docbrite. Maybe we hardly see each other anymore (last time was 2004, I think), but I can still have the courtesy to wish you something less than an utterly dreadful birthday, you old bastard.

Er...yesterday, we (wait for it)...packed. Surprise. But time is running out. Fortunately, so are the things we have to pack. I'm ready to be done with this. I want to be there, in Providence, and have the South forever behind me, and no more cardboard boxes or newspaper or bubblewarp or biodegradable packing "peanuts" or masking tape or worries about things breaking. I am too damn old for this shit. I have never gone into a move with so little enthusiasm (and this is something like move #50 in my lifetime; no, really), which is odd, as I don't want to be in Atlanta and I genuinely do want to be in New England. Just exhaustion, and panic, because I should be working on The Red Tree. I just want this over and done with. Anyway, the paleontological knick-knacks are launching a revolt against all future moves, as you can plainly see by the photo of me struggling with a Smilodon skull (behind the cut). Also, let this serve as an antidote to anyone who still thinks I'm a glamour puss. Hell, my jeans aren't even fastened. Of course, if you wish to cling to your delusions, just don't look:

( When Smilodons Attack )

Expect Sirenia Digest #30 tonight. Well, if you're a subscriber.

Last night, after Thai food, we watched Todd Haynes's I'm Not There (2007), and I, for one, liked it enormously. Cate Blanchett's "Jude Quinn" and Richard Gere's "Billy the Kid" were the best of the lot. Dylan was one of my first musical loves, and, in fact, the first concert I ever attended was a Bob Dylan show, sometime in 1978, after the release of Street Legal (so, after June 15th), at the Birmingham Civic Center. Anyway, yes, wonderful, brilliant film. I love that Blanchett looked and moved more like Dylan than any of the male actors (even though she actually looks nothing like Dylan).

And here's one more reminder that in only a few short hours the Phoenix will touchdown near the Martian north polar ice caps. You can watch the whole thing on the Science Channel this evening, from seven until nine pm (EST).

Late-Nite Science: The Phoenix Has Landed

Packing and exhaustion from packing aside, it's been an exciting night, Mars-wise. And I'm hugely relieved that Phoenix is down and transmitting from 68.22°N 234.3°W on the lowlands of the Vastitas Borealis. There are already photographs from the Martian arctic — a distinctly different Martian environment than we've seen before from surface images — just check the NASA Phoenix mission homepage.

I still have very clear memories from July 20th, 1969, sitting on the floor, watching the black and white images being transmitted back from the Apollo 11 mission. I was only five, and my mother made me stop whatever I was doing and watch as Neil Armstrong descend to the lunar surface. "This is something you'll always want to remember," she said. And here I am, almost 39 years later, and I do remember, and tonight I waited while Phoenix rushed towards the surface of Mars. 1969. 2008. The Moon. Mars. Wow.

There are many, many things that humans do which are not worthy of praise. And then there are things like the Moon, and Mars, the exploration of the solar system beyond Earth. Not because I personally think it's very likely human beings will ever live on those other moons and planets in significant numbers. But just to see, just to learn, just to know. Just to wonder at the vasty Cosmos. Wow.