Archive for April, 2009

Benefits of Keeping Your Eyes Open

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

This week I visited the local library on a whim. On my way out I happened to glance at a poster they had stuck on the door. This is nothing special, there’s always something to spam about. But this poster caught my eyes. They had a guest coming today, a real live astrofuckingnaut,  Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, the last man to set his foot on the moon (he was second to last to leave Moon)!

He gave a small presentation about his the Apollo 17 mission he was on with, about his role as a trained field geologist. There weren’t that many interesting revelations, I was expecting a bit more on looking into the future, but the few comments (e.g. it would take a nation about 10 years to get back to moon, a private enterprise might make there in 15. The most likely nations to get there are US, Russia and China ) didn’t really reveal anything special, although he told all kinds of interesting things about their mission. Apparently the fastest way to move of foot on Moon is hopping from one foot to the other. Schmitt, with his mission mate Eugene Cernan hold the speed record on Moon, 18 km/h, downhill on the Moon rover.

There were the possibility of taking your picture with him, but I saw there were far too many, more eager people have one too, so I passed the opportunity. It was a shame he didn’t have any Nasa caps to share…

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Passive Agressiveness

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

My Aikido associaton has classes at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium which houses many kinds of other athletic activities. One of the things I like about the place is the feeling of history of sweating and human resolve in those halls. Some of these other arts have their classes along the corridor I take to the locker rooms. Most along that corridor are various kinds of dance-classes. I usually just walk pass them, merely glancing inside, only catching a glimpse of the dedicated female bodies sweating inside.

Today I wasn’t going to the regular practice but to see the graduation for this springs beginners class. I was early, since I didn’t have to change or anything. I decided to take a more than a mere glance on one of those dancing classes. So be it. I was set.

Only one door was invitingly open. In Aikido, all the classes are open for spectators, anyone can come around and watch the practice. I assumed this applies to other physical arts. Especially one like dance with its ungodly provocative shaking of the pelvis and… you know where it all leads to! Teen pregnancy and broken homes. I stop at the doorway, watching openly, not hiding my intentions, I’m curious to what goes inside.

Less than minute (no, I’m not exaggeratin the time even for the purposes of an anecdote) the teacher of the class approaches me and utters:”Excuse me, I’d like to close the door a bit… I can’t concentrate (with you watching)” and proceeds to close the door on my face.

Instead of approaching me directly and telling me that me standing there was bothering her, she decided to close the door “a bit”.

Passive Agressive.

From now on, when ever I pass those open doors, I will avert my eyes, being careful not to catch any glimpses inside. I won’t make any eye contact with people I see leaving or entering those rooms. I shall also scowl out load when anyone ever confesses to practicing one of those dances.

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