vignette ~ The Bomb

Climbing ... climbing ... almost to the top ... bingo! She activated the fold-jump drive and crossed light years of space in seconds. She used her grandfather’s spatometer each and every time she made the jump. He’d given it her when she announced at her 12th birthday party that she was following in his footsteps with the space corps. It was her most prized possession and it never left her person, except when she took a bath, of course.

She missed her grandfather. He taught her many things about surviving in outer space and that, along with her own hard work, helped her graduate first in her class. Then she began her climb in the corps and now, at 28, she had her own ship and her own route. True, she flew all her missions by herself, but that was okay. Time enough for all those personnel problems later.

She jumped twice more before she arrived at Teyos. Dropping down to the dark side of the planet she homed in on the landing pad, then disembarked with her set of dispatches. Unlocking the corps’ shed, she got the snow tracker out and took off across the dark, rutted road. The crusty snow combined with a zillion stars to light up the barren landscape, even though there was nothing on the ground to see. It was a lonely planet with only three settlements, all on the dark side and only a hour apart from each other by snow tracker. This side of the planet never rotated into sunshine, but thermal activity not far beneath the surface kept the temperature a bearable 5 degrees, more or less.

She never got tired of looking at the night sky and, after delivering her papers, she enjoyed the stars all the way back to the ship. She took off again, jumped quickly and efficiently, and was back home and in bed a good two hours before her arrival estimate.

The next morning dawned grey and soggy. She was barely out of the bathroom when the order came. “Lieutenant Roperson, report to the Commander immediately.” So she hurriedly dressed and was in his outer office in 20 minutes. “Go ahead, Lieutenant, he’s waiting for you.”

She stepped into his office and saluted. “Sir!”

“At ease, Roperson.” He paused and looked her in the eye. “Did you beat your time yesterday?”

She grinned as she replied, “Yes sir! By more than 124 minutes. Sir!” Her grandfather’s old spatometer was better than any of the latest-and-greatest new-fangled ones, and she consistently arrived ahead of the estimates and the other pilots.

“And was everything fine on Teyos when you left?”

Her smile dimmed slightly as she cautiously replied, “Y-yes sir.”

“Well, it isn’t now. The settlement of Anders ceased to exist about an hour and 20 minutes after you left. It seems the dispatch you carried blew up and left no survivors.”

“But ... how can that be? And how did you find out so quickly?”

“We’ve already sent out a team to find out what we can. And by the greatest fortune, Lieutenant Forbes was on his way past Teyos, just about to start his return jump when he saw the flash of light from the explosion and delayed to check it out. He returned just an hour ago with his report.”

She stood there with her mouth open, trying to figure out what she was hearing.

“Oh, sit down, Roperson, before you fall down. And after you get your gears turning again, tell me your impression of all this.”

Katie sat there a bit, staring at the floor, then looked her commander square in the eye. “They were after me. The bomb. It was meant for me.”

“I wondered how quickly you’d see it that way. That’s my take on things, too.”

“But why ...”

He interrupted her. “That’s the big question, isn’t it. There’s absolutely no reason to destroy Anders, so it has to be you. Who’s threatened by you, Roperson? Do you have any enemies? Have you been promoted ahead of someone?”

“Sir, I ...” She could think of nothing to say. Nothing intelligent, that is.

“My feeling exactly, Roperson. So here’s what I’m going to do. Immediately, without even going back to your room, I want you to take my personal elevator to my private level, get in my ship, and head out of here. I’ve programmed it to take you someplace no one will think of.”

“But sir, how can we find the perpetrator if ...”

“No buts, Roperson. It goes against regulations, but I promised your grandfather I’d watch out for you. And I can hide you and call it an assignment. In fact, take this backpack with you and study the material while you’re away. There’s a new sector we’ve discovered which looks promising. I’ll want a full report and appraisal when you come back. Any questions?”

“But my clothes, my stuff ...”

“I know you’re carrying your grandfather’s spatometer and anything else is replaceable. Everything you need is on board, now get going. Dismissed!”

“Sir! Yes, sir!” She saluted, then stepped into the elevator which was normally hidden behind the paneling. Immediately she was whisked to his private level where the door opened onto a private landing area. She’d seen his ship before. From a distance. She hesitated briefly, wondering if anyone else was around, then stepped smartly to the ship’s entrance, climbed inside and sealed the door. As soon as she sat in the pilot seat the program commenced countdown. In five minutes she was off-planet and headed for sub-space. She watched for awhile, trying to figure out where she was headed, but the Commander was too smooth for that.

Her stomach told her to find the kitchen so she did, ate a quick bite, then came back to watch and learn. She dozed off at some point, because she was having a strange dream when the 30-minute bong sounded. She prepared herself as much as she could, then watched the approach to the small, lush planet. Trees, lakes, mountains -- she wondered if there were any settlements here. The ship set itself down and all the readings, of course, indicated it was safe for humanoids. Using the external camera, she scouted around 10 miles in each direction, trying to figure out what to do next. The camera panned across the landscape as she watched, then she grinned. He had a home here! She grabbed her backpack, secured the ship and climbed to the ground.

The air smelled clean, the trees looked vaguely familiar, and the gravity was just about right. That old dog! How has he kept this place secret? She hurried to the structure which blended in so well with the hillside that she almost missed it. A bermed home! She stopped and admired it, wondering how long it had taken to build. And really, how had he found this place anyhow?

She climbed up to the structure, walked across the stone portico, then stared at the door, trying to figure out how it worked. It actually looked pretty ordinary so she took hold of the handle, twisted it two times, then pushed. It opened right up. She grinned as she stepped inside, thinking that she should call out ‘hello’, then shaking her head at her silliness. The front room was wide, but not very deep and had several comfortable-looking chairs and couches. There were built-in bookshelves on the left, pictures on the walls, and a telescope on a tripod in front of the window.

It was so homey. She walked around the wall toward what she figured were the bedrooms and stumbled into a man. “Eeep!” she squeaked.

“Yeow!” he said, startled.

“Aaah!” she blurted, backing up and struggling to not panic. “Who are you?”

“Who am I? Who the hell are you?” he said, getting louder with every word. “What’s the big idea of barging in here and how did you find this place anyhow?”

“How did I ... how did you find this place, mister? This is a secluded location and you’re trespassing!”

“I’m trespassing? This is MY house, lady and I don’t know you. Now if you don’t want me to throw you down, tie you up, and start torturing you for information, you’d better start explaining.”

“Listen Mr. High-and-Mighty, I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ve been sent here by Commander Walskinsky, and unless you start explaining, you’re going to be the one tied up ... what? What, dammit ... what are you laughing about? Answer me, buster, or you’re going to be in ... oh, get up off the floor and quit laughing, will you. I want to know what’s going on.”

soul massage

i don't know if i've ever mentioned it (yeah, right) but i looooooove listening to Low Mercury. no commercials, no ads, just music -- laid back, down tempo, deep chill. it soaks right into my soul.

i have a list of music i've heard on Low Mercury -- most of the stuff i love, but a few artists i truly hate. at any rate, the list is up to 1355 songs now. one of these days i'm going to get an ipod and put my favs on it.

but the latest neat thing about Low Mercury is that i am doing volunteer work for them now. well, him, really. it's one guy -- just ONE -- who's running the whole show. he must be a genius 'cause i don't know how he does it. i mean, this Groovera.com isn't his day job. maybe he has more hours in his day than i do.

at any rate, check it out. and give yourself love.

a few of my favorite things...

okay, it's time once again to plug two of my most favorite things:

Groovera.com is all music, all the time, on your computer. no ads, no botheration. you have a choice of Jet City Lounge which features up-tempo jazzy stuff. or, Ambient Popsicle which features vocals and mid-tempo stuff. or, my absolute favorite, Low Mercury which is down-tempo, laid-back, soft jazz. ohmygod -- i have it on ALL THE TIME when i'm home. check it out.

i've been ordering clothes from Orvis for more than a year now. without counting i would guess i've spent around $4000 with them so i can be presentable at my job of receptionist/secretary. so you're thinking, wow those clothes are expensive. but no, i've ordered a lot of things. they have this one type of skirt/pant/vest called country suede. this stuff is soooooooo great. absolutely NO maintenance. just what a working girl needs. check them out.

gentle reassurance

imagine this: you're a parent. a responsible person with a responsible job and you're trying to be a good parent but there's no instruction manual. things aren't perfect and at some point you and your wife divorce with the twins (a boy and a girl) going to live with the ex-. you get re-married and things go well with your job, but the boy can't stay out of trouble. over the years the boy is in-and-out of juvie. the girl is killed in a bad car accident. you continue to do well at work and are well-liked. one day you show up at work and your son's picture is on the bulletin board as being wanted by the police for murder. there are witnesses to the confrontation, the fight, the stabbing.

this happened to a friend of mine last week. he hasn't been back to work for a week and the kid is on the lam. everyone feels for this guy but what do we say when he comes back to work? i don't want to pretend things aren't the way they are -- the elephant in the living room thing. i hate preaching, moralizing, platitudes, but i'm just not quite sure what to say.

jouncy, bouncy girl

we went down to visit the kids and grandaughter yesterday. it was lovely -- a sunny day, happy baby, smiling parents. we ate thai food and drove around a bit. spent time talking and laughing and holding a soft, wiggly, smiling, beautiful baby.

it was great.

wash your hands

okay. so i was reading this thing we got at work, about hepatitis c. it was all scary-like and i wasn't paying a lot of attention as i skimmed through. "liver disease ... spread by contact with blood ... don't ever shoot drugs ... if you shoot drugs, stop and get into ... if you cannot stop, never ... do not share ... always follow precautions ... consider the health risks ... you can get infected if the fools that have used them have ..."

?? ::blink blink:: ??

they actually said fools?

uhh no. my eyes got tired of skimming and started playing games. what it said was, "the tools that are used have someone else's ..."

oh.

the way-back machine

remember baby schlitzes? they were only 8 oz, but a lot of the time they were just the right size. the hubby and i actually lost weight on a baby schlitz and peanut butter diet.

really!

le shoes hot

(continued from last post.) at any rate, i am totally disgusted with Aerosoles these days and will not wear them again unless they manage to produce a good shoe with an excellent spongy, supportive heel bed. my Earth shoes, which i've always loved, seem to possibly not have enough heel support so they may be a thing of the past.

this condition prefers you not wear shoes lacking a back (like slides), but my Haflinger's have such excellent support i wear them when i want to and just be careful not to turn/twist my foot. and as it turns out, i found a new, very comfortable, fairly unique pair of spongy shoes which fit my feet beautifully and are a joy to wear. yes, they don't have a back, but i feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

i found them at one of my favorite shoe websites -- planetshoes.com -- and they're a brand i hadn't heard of: Mion. even though they look funky and are incredibly comfortable, i think the thing i like the most about them is that the company is so earth-friendly/environmentally-aware. it's impressive to read about their philosophy and i will be looking for additional styles from them. i urge you to check them out and support them.

pay attention to pain

ever have a splitting pain in your arch? i noticed one about 8 months ago, when i was wearing a cute pair of aerosoles. i've always liked aerosoles, but this pair, though cute, had given me trouble from the start. (we'll skip that story.) i didn't realize at the time that the pain was a clue to change my shoes.

i now have found out that this come-and-go pain, which occurs anywhere from my heel to my arch, is a condition called plantar fasciitis (plan-tar fash-ee-eye-tis). there are some exercises i can do (which i keep forgetting but will try to remember), and the doctor told me to wear tennis shoes all the time (to work? with my suits and dressy clothes? gah!). it will take from 6 months to a year to get over this. yuck!

at any rate, after doing some e-searching i found a really great pair of tennis shoes. they're an ice-aqua color (why do they call it emerald??) and are amazingly comfortable. made by ecco, they are specifically designed for the plantar fascia problem. the pink lines on the picture show the special bridge, which is part of the shoe. it actually is separate from the shoe where i've drawn the pink lines, which means i need to NEVER walk in mud. (story continues in next post.)

le gift hot

lancome is doing their every-three-months free-gift thing. it's 5/7 to 5/25, so you've got some time. i think this is only at the macy's stores in the northwest, so if you need something, just call macy's in bellingham and order $29.50 worth of stuff.

back to the community

i gave blood yesterday. the bloodmobile comes around every two months and people donate. it's something my father always did and i've occasionally thought about doing the same.

since i'm the one at work who posts the upcoming bloodmobile visit, it's pretty easy for me to know when it's happening. i haven't done it for awhile, so this time around i decided to try again.

try again? well, yes. since i had breast cancer 16 years ago, there was a long period of time when i couldn't donate. then, several years back, enough time had passed that i decided to donate when an urgent call went out. as soon as they started the draw, i came close to passing out. they laid the chair back, had me move my feet -- i felt like an idiot while they finished collecting and pacifying.

i didn't like that experience (i'm the oldest of four children, i should be an expert at everything), but thought surely i would be able to donate blood this time without problems. even though my veins are hard to find, roll around, collapse easily, i drink plenty of water and should be good to go.

so i went. there were mostly older people, like you'd expect, but while i was there a mid-20's gal came in and gave, and later a mid-20's guy did the same. i filled out the paperwork, waited for the chair (3 of them in this bloodmobile), climbed in and got comfortable, suffered through the VERY stinging stick, looked out the window and enjoyed the view while my blood drained away. after about 6 or 8 minutes, my body caught on to what i was doing and immediately called a halt. head got warm, body felt strange, vision starting going astral. i mentioned i didn't feel very good and they immediately arranged the chair position, told me to move my feet continuously, slapped two ice bags behind my neck, and gave me a small can of apple juice. i had actually lasted until they were finished drawing the blood (yay, me) and when i finished the apple juice and a cookie, i drank a small can of orange juice and ate another cookie. feeling better i drank a bottle of water and ate a third cookie before completely recovering.

they actually didn't invite me back, but i don't know if that was because they didn't want to push me into something i might not want to do, or if they really didn't want me to come back. i'm O-negative, so i'd think they'd just as soon i came back. maybe they just forgot.

i'd really like to be able to do this thing without the drama. i wonder if i just keep going every two months if my body will realize it's no big deal. sigh.

where you are is where you'll go...

some very good friends of ours are going to hawaii in two days. it's funny how i never really thought of hawaii as a destination until we moved to the northwest. back in the midwest i guess it was a vacation to go to kansas city, or dallas/houston. or maybe chicago. and i remember when we moved from seattle to oklahoma city that a friend of mine kept talking about bill gates and something he was doing. i mean, back in the midwest everyone was, 'wha? who? meh.'

different parts of the country do different things and all that. interesting.

except our hawaii-bound friends are from south dakota. huh .... messes with my theory.

netflix

did i tell you we found another tv series we've been renting from netflix? we enjoyed Jericho a couple of months ago, you remember. well now we've found The 4400.

it's been intriguing -- i've liked some of the actors and i've thought parts of it were hokey or juvenile, but it's kept me watching. we've finished the first season, so i guess we'll keep going until it's time to move on.

if you get bored with what you're doing, you might like to join in.

movie

i meant to share this with you -- hubby watched an irish movie called Once. he loved it. apparently it was made in 17 days, had real singers who were hired to be actors, and won the academy award for best song last year.

at any rate, if you like musicals, you might really enjoy this. i saw parts of it, liked the parts i saw, but know that the ending was bittersweet which is not really my thing. but that doesn't bother a lot of people, so take a chance and enjoy!!

new baby

My Younger Son had a friend in high school who was quite a bit taller than he. D and MYS had a lot of fun together. When D stayed in town for college, he met a really neat gal, they got married, then both got teaching positions way up in the outer wilderness in Alaska.

We just found out they had a baby boy in January. How neat for them! They seem to be totally happy with their lives/jobs/etc., so I don't know when we'd ever see them again, but we are happy for them and wish D, K, and little J every blessing!!