Space Cowboys
Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards.
-- Sir Fred Hoyle
Sunday, August 13, 2000
Two years ago: Dancing Daughters
Two years ago, my nephew got a joke that I didn't, since he was more up on current soccer news than I was. A man who contacted me from my singles ad thought I was too much of a social butterfly to be a match for him. And, it was "Queer Swing" at the Century Ballroom.
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Jack had wanted to sleep in after our late night, but hadn't said how late he wanted to sleep! I was up, checked email and surfed the web, read part of my current book, ate some mustard-flavored pretzels, then showered and dressed, and he was still sleeping! I was going to go downstairs and wake him at eleven, but he did manage to open his eyes on his own, fifteen minutes before that time.
While we were both sitting at the computer, I pointed him to Windward.org. This is an intentional community that is located near Jack's parents' place on the Klickitat River, but Jack hadn't heard of it. I knew he'd be interested in some of the things they are doing, though I don't think that supporting himself by farming would be the lifestyle he'd want. He likes the rural peace and quiet, though!
We'd talked about going to see a movie this afternoon, so after I made sure Jack didn't need to change plans due to any con stuff, we drove north to the Sunset Shopping Center. We had time for subs for lunch, a few games of Hydro video racing (Jack only), then Space Cowboys.
What a fun movie! Jack laughed a lot, and I enjoyed it, too. I don't know about the rather dark ending, though. I think they did a good job with the younger versions of the team in the beginning, with dubbed voices of the real actors. Must the past always be in black and white? I don't think I remember it that way. This movie gives the impression of being a romp, but it's more serious than that. Hey, why is it called Space Cowboys, anyway?
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Since I'd inadvertantly torn Jack's rearview mirror off the windshield recently, I suggested we stop at "Big K", aka K-mart, for the correct adhesive to repair it. I don't want that mirror floating around in the back seat forever, mocking me! I don't think it was my fault, anyway. All I did was try to adjust the mirror so I could see myself in it! And Jack admitted that it had come off the windshield before.
A stop at a Fairhaven used book store, by my request (I knew the Lindsey Davis novel I was reading wouldn't last all the way to Seattle). Jack didn't even come in, which shocked me! He said he'd been through that store recently. Maybe he didn't want to tempt himself. Then he dropped me off at the bus station. I didn't mind being early, and I didn't want to go back to his place for just a short while, only interrupt him later to bring me to the station. This way he had some time before the concom meeting, to do whatever needed doing.
I bought my bus ticket, then sat outside under the awning, waiting and reading my book. It was a beautiful afternoon! Bellingham has one of the nicest transit centers I've ever seen -- a combined train station, bus station, and ferry terminal. It's a nice brick building, clean and pleasant, and without the shady characters and grime you usually find in such a facility.
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The bus rolled up, and the driver told us to please wait. She'd only been told "Take this empty bus and drive to Bellingham," so she needed to call headquarters (from a payphone -- I don't know why she didn't go inside to the office) and get specific orders. It did turn out that she was to drive us back to Seattle, so we all boarded.
She was a woman in her thirties, with a sense of humor, but she hadn't been driving a bus very long. She admitted that she'd only made this run once before, as part of her training, some months ago. We said we'd guide her. She also said that she thought the bus we had was older than her!
Sure enough, when we got to Mount Vernon I noticed that she'd missed the exit. When I said something, she realized that she was reading the north-bound instructions on our south-bound trip! But repairing the mistake only meant backtracking a mile or so. When we reached Everett, there were many folks who could tell her the correct streets to turn on, so I was able to relax my vigilance.
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When I got to Seattle and took the local bus up to my home on Capitol Hill, I saw that the folks laying the fiberoptic cable in the neighborhood had been busy! The entire sidewalk up the cross-street by my building has been ripped up, and the main street in front has a channel of metal panels. This has the disconcerting effect of sounding like someone is knocking on my door every time a car drives over it -- "thump thump. thump thump." But I'll get used to it soon, I'm sure.
