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Yesterday's calls led me to a prospect who placed an assignment with me. Hooray! The subject is nuclear magnetic geophysics - which is about as far from space science as you can get (unless you're a xenophysicist) - but it's kind of a high-level article that talks about the status of the technique and trends for its use in the petrochemical field, so it ought not to cause me to tear out my hair.
The assignment almost didn't happen, though. For some reason, my eFax number has a tendency to trash incoming faxes on a random basis (i.e., client said the fax went through like a champ, and to the right number... I never got it... and this is not the first time this has happened... grrr... but I digress...).
I spoke with Drew last night as we sat outside looking up. We got to talking about some strange things he's seen that he can't explain. I tell him that a lot of things we can't explain are just that: things we can't explain. It doesn't mean there is no explanation.
It reminded me of my "hallucination" the other night, when we were coming back from returning my rental car in Houston. I was in the back seat and looking out the window at the string of landing lights on the planes lining up to land at Hobby. We were traveling on a road that would take us right across the final approach path in front of the runway. As we cross that path, I'm looking at the lead aircraft, and it seems to suddenly lose altitude and jink to the left. For a moment, it looks as if it's intent on doing a kamikaze number onto our car; then I think maybe it's going to hit the ground short of the runway. In the end, of course, there was no fireball, no crash... it was undoubtedly a trick of perspective, or an ordinary flight maneuver.
I look forward, however, to viewing any strange lights that might appear in the sky around here. It sounds like fun.
[..off to serve a customer...]
Grrr. Customer gives me an envelope, says "I'd like to send this." I weigh it, announce the postage. Customer gets money while I run a meter tape. I apply tape, collect money, make change.
Customer looks at envelope, asks "Is this book rate? I wanted book rate." By nature not being the type of person who would counter with "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" I keep my mouth shut, unstick the meter tape, run a new one, apply it, and return the difference. Customer is not impressed, apparently, with this service and leaves wordlessly, as if this is par for the course.
[... more customers, gotta go ...]
Cheers...
The assignment almost didn't happen, though. For some reason, my eFax number has a tendency to trash incoming faxes on a random basis (i.e., client said the fax went through like a champ, and to the right number... I never got it... and this is not the first time this has happened... grrr... but I digress...).
I spoke with Drew last night as we sat outside looking up. We got to talking about some strange things he's seen that he can't explain. I tell him that a lot of things we can't explain are just that: things we can't explain. It doesn't mean there is no explanation.
It reminded me of my "hallucination" the other night, when we were coming back from returning my rental car in Houston. I was in the back seat and looking out the window at the string of landing lights on the planes lining up to land at Hobby. We were traveling on a road that would take us right across the final approach path in front of the runway. As we cross that path, I'm looking at the lead aircraft, and it seems to suddenly lose altitude and jink to the left. For a moment, it looks as if it's intent on doing a kamikaze number onto our car; then I think maybe it's going to hit the ground short of the runway. In the end, of course, there was no fireball, no crash... it was undoubtedly a trick of perspective, or an ordinary flight maneuver.
I look forward, however, to viewing any strange lights that might appear in the sky around here. It sounds like fun.
[..off to serve a customer...]
Grrr. Customer gives me an envelope, says "I'd like to send this." I weigh it, announce the postage. Customer gets money while I run a meter tape. I apply tape, collect money, make change.
Customer looks at envelope, asks "Is this book rate? I wanted book rate." By nature not being the type of person who would counter with "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" I keep my mouth shut, unstick the meter tape, run a new one, apply it, and return the difference. Customer is not impressed, apparently, with this service and leaves wordlessly, as if this is par for the course.
[... more customers, gotta go ...]
Cheers...
