alexpgp | Blue funk mode...

I called the client today about yesterday's assignment and explained the situation to them. They said they'd get back to me.

I took a long walk with Shiloh.

I managed to not get a whole lot done by the time I was called to go help out at a meeting of NASA Advisory Council Task Force on ISS Operational Readiness and Safety that, unsurprisingly, is usually referred to in NASA circles simply as "the Stafford commission." I was told that they needed a translator at the meeting to help wind up today's session, and when I asked "translator or interpreter," I was told "translator."

Not that I care, as I've supported this task force several times over the years in both capacities, but still,... it's nice to know.

Silly me. What I did not ask was into what direction would translation be required, because when I got to the meeting, it became apparent that they needed English-to-Russian, and not what I do, which is Russian-to-English.

We managed to muddle through, though, somehow.

The "Stafford" of the commission is General Tom Stafford, a former astronaut who flew twice on Gemini and twice on Apollo. He did something of a double-take when he saw me, but I haven't been around JSC for so long, his recognition didn't extend to remembering my name. On the other hand, the gentleman who was the Russian lead at today's session remembered me right off and we chatted during a break, where he reminded me of the time, over a decade ago, I had supported a task force meeting at the Kennedy Space Center and - among other things - helped out with ordering for the Russian participants at a Chinese restaurant.

I have a telecon tomorrow morning, so I better shut this computer down and get to sleep. Usually, I wake up every hour or two, anxious not to oversleep, but over the next few minutes I'm going to suggest to my subconscious that I not do that and simply wake up when the alarm goes off.

Cheers...