I had the drive from HELL this morning. I took Kennda to pick up her car that was getting repaired at the Mitsubishi dealership. Apparently the only shop she "trusts" is over an hour away! We left the house at 7 a.m., I arrived at work at 9:30 a.m. It was solid highway driving the whole way. I couldn't believe it - who would think it was even within the realm of reason to get your car repaired that far away? Its not like she drives an exotic import! I mean, I know a good repair shop in Philadelphia, but I don't take my car all the way up there to get it fixed. This is only slightly less unreasonable than that...

In other news, I'm really glad that debate is starting on manned Moon & Mars missions. Though the amount of funding required for an endevour would eventually require bipartisan support, I think a public debate is just what people need to get interested in the space program again. Did you know that during the '60s, the Apollo progam barely maintained over 50% approval ratings? But it was something people felt passionate about, either for or against. I think that's what the space program needs to re-energize it. Of course, we'll see where this all goes, because I've become (depressingly) a space cynic. I'd prefer to be working on programs that are already flying into space than working on advanced programs that will, in all likelihood, get cancelled before they get off the ground.

This was my favorite quote from an op-ed about the President's upcoming proposal for new exploration initiatives:

In strictly practical terms, manned space missions make little sense. But Americans, thank Heaven, do not always think in strictly practical terms. They are a restless, inquisitive, pioneering people. The concept of exploration, of an ever-expanding frontier, is central to their identity in a way that some Europeans find hard to understand.