60 Minutes in Space
Transcript read by a machine from the typewritten page. The typos are mine or the machine’s.
I went to 60 Minuted in space last night, a free lecture put on by the museun of nature and science once a nonth, It was a personal invitation from a neighbor that I met as he was stargazing at Jupiter. He dih't think I would come, It seems like he has invited a great many people in his life to take part in this particular sovourn, But, he saved a spot for me after I texted that I would be coming.
The speech was quite good adI learned a bunch of things I did not chow, like that there are conpanies that would liketo reflect unlight from taffrism one sideof the earth to the other in order to create perpetual daylight for specifica reas of the world that pay for it. Like the fact that we still know so little abut the origins of life. Like that I am among the last generation of humans that will have an unobstructed view of the night sky.
I wish I could say that I could have predicted the Q&A sectior or the evening, but I definitely could not. I had assumed that people interested in science and space would all be interested truth-based orientation to research and that they would not be up for asking about chen trails amd spouting other conspiracy theories as they sat and askedthe man who has been giving planetarium talks for 20 years. I thought I might be able to guarentee the audience was interested on the science of# the sky morethan they were about holding on to their own beliefs. But, I was wrong. So, I walked out on the questions. I wasn't the only one.
But, my night wasn't done. I had ## made it throughthe first crucible of friendship with Jean-luc. The second test was going to IHOP: Because I left early, I was tasked with reserving a table for 10.
I havent been to IHOP with 9 other people in my entire life. It was an experience I will not soon forget. The everage age of the people at our table was probably 10. These were my parents, even though they looked like what I remember my grandparents looking like. Other than Jean-Lur, who is 50 and ome ofthe members of this crew's son, who seemed about my age, each person was knocking on the last room of their lives. And yet, they were all so full of life. So filled with activities and stories and things to lite fœ .
They vere contra dancers. They were paper airplane folders. They were welders. They were docents at museuns. They were translators and teachers. They were emgineers. They were navy soldiers from vietnan. They were watchers of youtube.
Daniel spoke the most, but he was also probably the most interesting man I've ever met. HO 1s 81 and he teaches in chinese most days to lst-3xd graderd. When he ism't doing that, he is writing in any one of his 9 languages. He is dressing as a klingon and speaking in their language too. He is driving all over the Us and dancing with his friends in long lines with a caller who tells him which way to go. He 1s delivering phone books to make a few dollars beforehe goes to the next place. He 1a spying on mainland china for the military. He is eating an enormous omelette. And I was miraculously, once arain, the youngust person in the room.