Our clock radio is set to NPR, so we woke up
yesterday morning to the news.  It was a huge
shock and an emotional blow -- every time those
shuttles fly, they carry our hopes for a better
future with them.  Scientific advances... a better
understanding of our own world... pushing the
boundaries of exploration... the sheer thrill of
human beings doing something truly extraordinary.
These brave souls are the best that humanity has
to offer the stars, and their contribution will be
well remembered even though they themselves will
be mourned and missed. 

In a strange twist of personal fate, at nearly the
same time as the disaster, a cel auction ended in
my favor on Yahoo Japan.  I found out a few hours
later when I finally went web browsing.  It seems
an appropriate image somehow -- although something
tells me I'll never be able to look at this cel
now without thinking of yesterday's tragedy.