Supernova, Red Giant

I watched a show on the National Geographic channel last night about the Hubble telescope and, man, the pictures it's sending back are awesome. And the things I learned! I know I've heard all this before but, for some reason, it didn't stick. Until now. What I learned:

* The Crab Nebula (who hasn't heard of this, right?) is the result of a supernova that occurred in 1054.
* The stuff flung out into space as the result of a supernova contains the building blocks of new stars, new planets, new galaxies.
* Supernovas occur when a star (like our own sun) runs out of fuel and explodes.
* Estimates are that our sun will run out of fuel in about 5 billion years. Seems we ought to have figured out how to hop a spaceship to another galaxy by then!
*Our sun won't explode, though, because it's too small (supernovas result from stars that are - at a minimum - 4 times larger than our sun). Instead, our sun will turn into a Red Giant: it will heat up and expand outward, causing temperatures on Earth to reach 1000 degrees. As it continues to expand, it will incinerate the planets, one by one, until it engulfs the entire solar system.

I know this stuff isn't for everyone (my husband walked out of the room after watching just 5 minutes!), but it flips my trigger as they say. The possibilities! The things we don't yet know! The things we can't yet see: dark matter (the stuff that holds galaxies and universes together), dark energy (the stuff that's causing the universe to expand). Maybe I should have been a scientist.

Winter

Two days ago I was in the family room watching TV. I happened to look out the window and saw a daffodil shoot poking through the soil. I was thrilled for surely that meant spring was coming. Do you hear that loud, obnoxious laughing? Do not be alarmed... it's only Mother Nature. It snowed yesterday for nearly 24 hours straight, dumping 12 or 14 inches of snow (I lost count but, really, does another couple of inches matter at this point?) on us. We had to shovel the driveway 3 separate times. THREE!! My poor little daffodil.




Last year's hydrangea bloom still hanging on...

Musings

Here are a couple of random musings from the day:

- I was running on the treadmill (okay, running might be an overstatement...jogging? yes, jogging), something that cannot be done without music. Picture original Aerosmith, 90's alternative, vintage REO Speedwagon, Kings of Leon, and this: Jason Mraz's "If It Kills Me." Man, there is something so pure and honest about this song - his voice, the melody; it floors me every time I hear it. And what a marvelous thing music is, isn't it? It's like magic: the way it transports you, immediately and with preamble, to an event, to a person, no matter how many years have passed; the way it instantly makes everything you've ever wanted or needed feel like it's attainable; the way it deposits you in a great place emotionally, makes you feel that all is right with the world.

- Authentic living: I like how this sounds, like the deeper meaning and implications. But. Does living one's life authentically mean sharing all the awful/traumatic/embarrassing/emotional/overwhelming doings of your life with everyone in a preemptive strike sort of way? Does it mean sharing these things only when asked? Perhaps it's a combination of the two - finding a way to be real and open, a way to speak one's truth with grace.

Great read:

I am reading the latest issue of The Los Angeles Review (volume 6, Fall 2009) and, wow, am I having a good time. It's the first time I've ever read the journal, but it won't be the last. It's filled with terrific stories, stories by Alicia Gifford (one of my favorite writers), Ethel Rohan (another favorite of mine), Michael Czyzniejewski (a writer I've only recently discovered and am completely enamored with his work), Steve Almond (a writer who, of course, I've heard of but never had the pleasure of reading before now), and a ton of others I can't wait to read.

Character names

I was reading through some old stories, stories that I wrote 2 and 3 years ago, and a funny (or maybe interesting is a better word) realization hit me: the same character names appear again and again. The characters, themselves, are different, but the name Pete or Peter shows up a lot, as does Lily (Lilly) and Claire. I have no idea why. Maybe these were MY names in a different life. Ha.

Reconnecting

Over the past two weeks I've reconnected with not one, not two, but THREE old friends. For one, it's been over 25 years since I last spoke with her. The planets must all be aligned because, although I'm a Leo, I tend to be on the shy side, reserved. Reaching out is normally not my thing, but I have to say that it feels really, really good.

Who do you need to reach out to?

Great reads:

I am going through my backlog of literary journals and this past weekend I came across 2 great stories in Cream City Review. They're from the Spring 2009 issue (I know... they're a little "old" but I gave fair warning with the word "backlog" - heh) but don't let that stop you. These are well worth the read:

"Hunger" by Clifford Garstang: This central character-only story includes a few key interactions and is wonderfully full and has terrific depth.

"This Way I Don't Have To Be" by Shelly Oria: The format is one I've not seen before - mini sections within 3 larger sections. But the story is intriguing and told with an openness that's compelling so that by the time you get to the 4th or 5th mini section, you skip right over the section breaks as though they're not even there.