Divide by cucumber error.

I had dvr'd it when it first aired, but just now watched it. Man, I miss that 'new fandom' feeling, like I had finally met other people who understood when I got excited over a television show. I kinda got veklempt watching it, especially when I saw the lamps on the table. Maybe I'll do a Firefly marathon over the holiday weekend.

I just finished watching The 13th Warrior on one of the cable channels, which I love doing because there's no editing of the gore and no commercials. I love this movie so so much. It has that old, hoary, sitting-around-the-campfire feel to it. I really like the beginning scenes, though, when Antonio Banderas' character doesn't understand their language yet; if you listen close you can hear the bits and pieces that were incorporated into English over the centuries of Viking raids. You can tell the set director tried really hard to keep true to the time, as well. It makes the anthro geek in me very happy.

Plus, on a completely shallow note: lots and lots of pretty long-haired men. *g*

I decided to have a drink tonight; so I stopped at the liquor store and bought 2 airplane bottles of orange vodka, and a bottle of raspberry & black currant sparkling water.

I haven't even finished my first drink, and I can already feel the buzz. One measly airplane bottle! Does anyone have any idea how much I used to drink in college?! This is pathetic! I'm pretty disgusted with myself right now. *g*

Something to look forward to this summer.

Mars



This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification



Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.

It's so cool to think about the fact that no one alive will ever see this again.