A Comedy of Errors

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"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Morrow
"Take care of the minutes, and the hours and years will take care of themselves." -Anonymous
"Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." -F.P. Jones

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2003-07-29
Welcome to my world...

4:10 a.m.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my diary! Becca, who has her own diary here, has been after me to finally start mine. Which, I have been planning to do so that I can keep everyone up-to-date on my Great French Adventure without sending off massive e-mails now and then and mortally offending someone by leaving them off of the list. Not that I don't mind receiving lovely, long e-mails (hint, hint), but this allows me to be much more lazy-er, efficient. Anyway, I figure that right now is as good a time as any, and besides, it will keep me from falling asleep and waking up with a voice in my head yelling "ISO! ISO!" that is really an unhappy Flight Director trying to get my attention.

If any of the above makes sense to you, you can skip the next several paragraphs where I try to explain the mess of that first one.

Here's the story. I'm heading off to France in less than a month to spend a year at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France (yes, that's really in France even though it sounds German). My tuition is paid (half by JSC and half by ISU), and JSC is even paying my salary, so I am basically being paid to study. In France. Spoiled? Who, me? You are all invited to come visit. I'll be in Strasbourg for eight months and then spend three months (approximately May-July) somewhere else, probably near Munich, Germany at the European Space Agency, but that last bit hasn't been finalized, yet. Do I know French? Debatable. Do I know German? Only the requisite random phrases that for some reason are the only ones one remembers out of what one has learned. Somehow, I doubt that being able to say "I am a pineapple" and "The boy is outside, not inside" is going to be of much help.

Second, I work at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas as a Flight Controller. Where they came up with that term, I have no idea because I don't control any flights.

I work in the Cargo Operations and Integration Office and we support both Space Shuttle missions and Space Station Increment Operations (which is what I am doing right now). Since we don't have any Shuttle missions, it is all Station. Right now, I am ISO, or Inventory and Stowage Officer, which means that I keep track of all of the stuff that's onboard the Space Station. Usually, I answer to the CIO, or Cargo Integration Officer, who sits in the front room with the Flight Director (think Apollo 13), but I am working Orbit 1 (the first shift) from 2AM until 10AM this week, and as the CIO doesn't come in until 7, I talk directly to Flight. Which is why it is extremely important that I stay awake, even though it is quiet as a tomb up here, no one is around, and even Flight and CapCom (the person who talks to the astronauts onboard the Station) have taken a break.

So, anyway. Now more about my details on France. I know that I'm going to love it once I arrive, but right now, it's a real big pain. I have less than two weeks until I leave to go home, and instead of my list of Things to Do becoming shorter, it seems to be growing. How is that possible? I have my plane tickets, my visa and two passports -- one is an official Government Passport, which I am completely in love with as it makes me feel important -- my storage place, hostel reservations, apartment in France reserved, my dog taken care of, my contacts and glasses ordered, etc. etc. Right now, I am trying to find a good laptop to take with me. So, I am using Katie's husband, Fred, who is an electronic-gadget guru, to help me make sure that I find a good one. Currently, I am liking the Macintosh G4 Powerbooks. Now, if only I kind find one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg...

Incidentally, in my quest to learn French, I have discovered that that English colloquial phrase, "costs an arm and a leg", translates into the French colloquial phrase of literally meaning "costs the eyes out of my head". I love little random things like that. (You will become very used to those types of tidbits if you keep reading.)

By the way, today is the 1000th day of manned presence onboard the International Space Station. There's going to be a big to-do with video downlink and everything. Wonder if Ed Lu will wear his favorite red-with-white-flowers Hawaiian shirt. Last time he wore that, it prompted the following discussion between Flight and CATO (the Communications Officer):

"CATO, is everything set up? Does it [the video] look good?"
Well, Flight, we have video, but I don't know about looking good."

Speaking of Ed, here's another little repartee from a couple of days ago between Ed and another flight controller:

"Ed, does it smell like updog on the station?"
"Updog? What the heck is that? What's updog?"
"Not much down here; what's up with you, dog?"

And who says that engineers don't have a sense of humor?

If you are at all interested in knowing, the name of my diary comes from the mascot of my high school, Del Oro, in Loomis, California. And because I am feeling a burst of school spirit, here is our Fight Song:

Fight, fight, fight for Del Oro High,
Win our Victory.
Black and Gold will always be bold!
Best in the Golden West,
We'll do our level best.
Golden Eagles never give in! (No way!)
Honor and Loyalty will win, will win!
So, fight, fight, fight for Del Oro High,
and VIC-TOR-Y!

Thanks, and I hope that you enjoy reading!

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