Prelude To The East

As of 9:30pm I forfeited my position as bookseller and menial customer service laborer. Yes, tonight marked an end of an era. I cleaned out my cubicle, hung up my apron, and turned in my badge at the bookstore. Despite a couple congratulatory handshakes and free beer on my lunch break, Thursday was a typical business affair. Nothing really to uphold. Tomorrow morning I will readjust to civilian life and register for classes with Syracuse University. It's strange to think I will assume the role of student again after such a lengthy break, but it feels appropriate and I anticipate the maturity of the new environment with a lot of enthusiasm. One could surmise that Michael Jordan felt these similar kinds of emotions after returning to the game for the second time.

I wanted to mention this yesterday when it was more fitting, but NASA reached its coveted 50th anniversary. Only now as a young man have I started to appreciate the beauty we've achieved with human spaceflight and the process of scientific discovery. The manpower and dedication scientists and researches have made at NASA for the past 50 years is infinitely inspiring. We sure have come far as a human race. Surprisingly, news was pretty tight-lipped about this impressive milestone. That bothered me, so I thought I'd use my humble internet space to observe the occasion with a clip from one of my favorite documentaries, For All Mankind. The wonderful score is composed by ambient King of Kings, Brian Eno: