First let me say what a tragedy. I am sympathetic so no matter what you hear in this rant don't think I'm not... Several days ago I blogged about the Challenger explosion damn I feel prophetic almost! On Saturday morning I got a call from G about 8:10am telling me that we had lost communication with the space shuttle. I flipped on the TV and immediately had a flashback to the Challenger incident. I was amazed to see the video of shuttle streaking across the sky about Dallas. With reporters wondering what if anything was wrong. I called a my friend in Dallas and told him about it and as I did the showed the video of the streak and there was decidely 2 streaks now and little puffs as well. There seemed to be no doubt what happened the shuttle had come apart. A few phone calls to family (mom and dad in Vegas!) and I was back in front of the TV watching in amazement. Soon enough reports are rolling in about debris on the ground and then there is the amazing weather radar shots of the debris! Incredible! I was supposed to be working on a web site that day but I could not work. It was like I was drunk?!?
For the first time since the invention of the internet I could not get enough data!
I wanted more more more! and I all I could get were little bits of this and that. With Challenger I got plenty because I was not jaded by the bandwidth the internet gives me. I have become acustom to finding the data I need almost instantly and as much as I want. With Challenger we saw the explosion, it was there and then it wasn't. Then there was 911 so many things were happening so fast and you saw the buildings come down. They were there then they were not. I found myself inventing fantasies about escape pods and intact crew compartments. I could not get enough data! The feeling of frustration was coursing through me and it induced drunkeness. I cannot explain it, even as I write this I feel it to a degree.
Now before you say it, every station was on and every station had the same things and every station showed the same thing over and over for way to long. I know it is a spectacular event but it was only 7 people. 10 times that many have died on our raods from drunk drivers since the incident. yet I do not see people, myself included, caring about that?!? why is that... I feel unworthy as a human.
That night I took Dade to see the Monster trucks again. I wasn't going to but they were having a very good line up and they did not dissapoint! Three rollovers and some pretty impressive crashes and near misses. Maximum Destruction was all the way 90 degrees sideways and saved it! Fun night for Dade and me. Funny thing is I felt guilty for enjoying myself after the shuttle deal. I guess that is the definition of bittersweet.
