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Dial-up sure is nice...
Jun. 21st, 2004 10:16 am...when the alternative is to trek somewhere to an internet café, which nickels and dimes you to death.
So far today, I've finished checking the translation due today (in the States), and have sent it and its invoice, so technically, I am free as a bird for the rest of the day.
However, before I finish getting ready to go for a long walk in Moscow, I just wanted to recap the last day (or actually, night) in Baikonur, spent shepherding the Astrium folks at the Luna Club.
I'm not much of a dancer, so I basically come along on such trips to (a) fulfill my primary purpose, which is to stand by to interpret for whomever, in case my services are needed, and (b) observe. I brought along my camera and mused about what kinds of shots I could get in the murky, smoke-filled darkness, where the only illumination comes from baby spots, ultraviolet fluorescent lights, and a couple of laser accents. Well, after taking about 60 shots, it came down to only a couple or three that are of possible interest.
Here's one I call "Study in yellow and red":
As I mentioned before, the folks I was with stayed until the place closed. That event was hinted at by raising the house lights. When that occurred, I caught the following shot of Ulrich -- who's a former Legionnaire that's a part of the French security team -- dancing one last dance. If you look closely at the young lady's face, she appears to be having a good time.
A few hours later, we were all on the plane headed for Moscow. I managed to take the following shot as the aircraft zoomed past Area 95, which is where we had been living and working for the past 6 weeks.
The only really recognizable feature in the picture is the large building that appears about a quarter of the way in from the right edge of the shot, with what appear to be four "columns." That's the полтинник, where launch vehicle processing took place. Our hotel area is about a third of the way in from the left edge, in the dark area above what look like a couple of sand traps on a really dry fairway.
Anyway, that's the report for now. I'm off to do a long leisurely walk, to try to burn off some of the excess calories I've accumulated during the campaign.
Cheers...
So far today, I've finished checking the translation due today (in the States), and have sent it and its invoice, so technically, I am free as a bird for the rest of the day.
However, before I finish getting ready to go for a long walk in Moscow, I just wanted to recap the last day (or actually, night) in Baikonur, spent shepherding the Astrium folks at the Luna Club.
I'm not much of a dancer, so I basically come along on such trips to (a) fulfill my primary purpose, which is to stand by to interpret for whomever, in case my services are needed, and (b) observe. I brought along my camera and mused about what kinds of shots I could get in the murky, smoke-filled darkness, where the only illumination comes from baby spots, ultraviolet fluorescent lights, and a couple of laser accents. Well, after taking about 60 shots, it came down to only a couple or three that are of possible interest.
Here's one I call "Study in yellow and red":
As I mentioned before, the folks I was with stayed until the place closed. That event was hinted at by raising the house lights. When that occurred, I caught the following shot of Ulrich -- who's a former Legionnaire that's a part of the French security team -- dancing one last dance. If you look closely at the young lady's face, she appears to be having a good time.
A few hours later, we were all on the plane headed for Moscow. I managed to take the following shot as the aircraft zoomed past Area 95, which is where we had been living and working for the past 6 weeks.
The only really recognizable feature in the picture is the large building that appears about a quarter of the way in from the right edge of the shot, with what appear to be four "columns." That's the полтинник, where launch vehicle processing took place. Our hotel area is about a third of the way in from the left edge, in the dark area above what look like a couple of sand traps on a really dry fairway.
Anyway, that's the report for now. I'm off to do a long leisurely walk, to try to burn off some of the excess calories I've accumulated during the campaign.
Cheers...
