Good News for Space Aliens October 12, 2005 – Posted in: Aberrant Normalcy

We’re coming. That’s right. This week has been an exciting one for space enthusiasts. Gregory Olsen, a civilian who paid $20 million to go up to the International Space Station and experiment on himself has now landed safely. China has launched the Shenzhou IV into low Earth orbit with two astronauts for a five day mission. In response to criticism that the US was trying to lure China into a space race to drain the country of resources, a Chinese commentator said, “China’s space mission is solely based on peaceful purposes,” he said. “We are devoted to the peaceful use of space and are ready to extend out cooperation to other countries.” And Tom Hanks has released an IMAX film called “Magnificent Desolation” about the Moon in order to inspire children and adults, and, Hanks said, “To make it look absolutely cool.” And finally, the Personal Space Fligh Expo this past weekend showcased the future of private space enterprises. Little green men watch out, us humans are coming!

Here’s a link to the Franz Ferdinand video, “Do You Want To,” where my friend Cognac Wellerlane plays a snobbish museum guest. You can see her dancing hair in the background in a few of the scenes. I really like this video, not just for the music, but for the excellent direction. These guys, though it might be trite and cliche to say of an English band, remind me of the Beatles. Of course, they’re Scottish, so it’s not quite the same. Here’s an interesting Village Voice article on them too.

After the death of radio, where does one go to listen to new music? I tried WFUV for a while, and though I love their sunday night Big Broadcast of the Jazz and Pop of the 20s and 30s, during the week the music is a little slow/folk/countryish for my tastes. Well, a girl once mentioned to me this internet radio station called WOXY.com, which is the internet cousin of the “BAM!, 97-X, the future of rock and roll!” — the same one that Dustin Hoffman was endlessly repeating in Rainman. And there I discovered a band called Maximo Park. I’m still digesting their album(s) so to speak, but I like what I hear so far.

I have to cut this blog short today because I am heading out to my folks for Yom Kippur. A day of fasting and synagogue awaits, but — alas! — I have prepared for my eventual suffering by eating (mostly) properly, and avoiding caffeinated products for several days. According to my brother-in-law, who is a gastroenterologist, fasting doesn’t clean the system as some people believe, but I always feel really good once I eat again, more sated and elated than after any meal of the previous year. I suppose it could be all the endorphins that have flooded my system in the previous 24 hours to prevent me from feeling my body slowly digesting itself. Fasting is fun!