NASA is holding a contest to name their infrared Great Observatory.

Brian Aldiss, author of the short story which the movie A.I. was based on, wrote up his thoughts after viewing the film. A.I. opens in Britain today. Speaking of which, when will Enigma be released in the U.S.? It premiered at Sundance ages ago.

Hometown Favorites sells “old-time favorites and regionally exclusive foods. Perhaps you’ve been craving something they carry.

I’ve finally purchased some magazines that didn’t have the words “wedding” or “bride” in the title. (What a relief to be out of the wedding planning process.) First was Vanity Fair because someone recommended their profile of Martha Stewart (whose omnimedia empire fascinates me in an almost morbid way; talk about leverage!). Also there was Gourmet‘s 60th anniversary issue, which included old gems from M.F.K. Fischer and Ray Bradbury (no kidding). I also just picked up House & Garden‘s 100th anniversary issue. You may think that I’ve transitioned from wedding planning into marriage and housekeeping, but I actually went from the home arts to wedding planning and back to the home arts. Food and interior design have always been avocations of mine. It is nice to have someone else to feed and decorate around though. The cat really doesn’t care if her salmon scraps are scented with dill or rosemary, and her prerequisites for upholstery are that it be textured to facilitate scratching.

I’m still fascinated by the logistics that go into search & rescue operations. An Oakland firefighter, logistics specialist for his rescue team, wrote about his preparations to go to NYC and included a link to a PDF file detailing the 17,000 pieces of equipment. Aspirin to nitroglycerine, pencils to computers, socks to Goretex, rations to dog food, it’s all in there.

It’s time to take another look at this old Astronomy Picture of the Day. Some key portions of the text: “Welcome to Planet Earth, the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. …Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins and humans. Please enjoy your stay on Planet Earth.”

I’ve read a number of stories about weddings that took place this past weekend despite the tragedy, even with victims amongst the family members and guests. The participants wanted something to celebrate, and so encouraged the hesitant brides and grooms to go ahead with their plans. I can feel that sentiment, and I think I would support it as well.

I really wish I hadn’t missed TLC’s Human Face series with John Cleese. Surely they will show it again soon?

Someone (hi Toni!) just mentioned that they wouldn’t let her take her crochet hook on the plane, and I realized that there won’t be any more knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sewing, any activities that need sharp objects on the plane. I am assuming they won’t allow knitting needles of any kind. I’m wondering about fountain pens with sharp points. I will definitely need to carefully think through my luggage next time I fly.

I feel minutes of normalcy and then a thought will intrude and I have a sudden pang as I remember again. Then I think about it for a while, wonder through some things, then try to go back to doing something that needs to be done. Laundry. Making dinner. Cleaning the cat box. Sometimes the intrusion of the re-realization is so strong that I want to push it away, knowing that there isn’t more I can think of. So I try to distract myself with TV (comforting shows from an innocent childhood, like “The Brady Bunch”, or the strict, ordered elegance of Martha Stewart). Then I forget, and channel surf, and it all comes back. Someone’s talking about war. Someone’s showing that video again. Some station is showing an American flag. I do want to keep learning more, so I get on the web. I read what’s new. Lots of people have a lot to say. As they should. I look through the latest list of victims. Someone from my hometown died. John Iskyan. I don’t know him. I probably know someone who knows him. But I feel that everyone knows someone who has died, even if they don’t really. It was that harsh and loud. It’s time to pet the cat again.