Come, sweet chaos

Interesting reading tonight. From Fox News on 6/28:

Asteroid Near-Miss Set to Happen July 3
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

An asteroid possibly as large as a half-mile or more in diameter is rapidly approaching the Earth.

There is no need for concern, for no collision is in the offing, but the space rock will make an exceptionally close approach to our planet early on Monday, July 3, passing just beyond the Moon's average distance from Earth.

Astronomers will attempt to get a more accurate assessment of the asteroid's size by "pinging" it with radar.

And skywatchers with good telescopes and some experience just might be able to get a glimpse of this cosmic rock as it streaks rapidly past our planet in the wee hours Monday. The closest approach occurs late Sunday for U.S. West Coast skywatchers.

The asteroid, designated 2004 XP14, was discovered on Dec. 10, 2004 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR), a continuing camera survey to keep watch for asteroids that may pass uncomfortably close to Earth.

Although initially there were concerns that this asteroid might possibly impact Earth later this century and thus merit special monitoring, further analysis of its orbit has since ruled out any such collision, at least in the foreseeable future.

Size not known

Asteroid 2004 XP14 is a member of a class of asteroids known as Apollo, which have Earth-crossing orbits. The name comes from 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group to be discovered in 1932. There are now 1,989 known Apollos.

The size of 2004 XP 14 is not precisely known. But based on its brightness, the diameter is believed to be somewhere in the range of 1,345 to 3,018 feet (410 to 920 meters). That's between a quarter-mile and a bit more than a half-mile wide.

Due to the proximity of its orbit to Earth and its estimated size, this object has been classified as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" (PHA) by the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There are currently 783 PHAs.

The latest calculations show that 2004 XP14 will pass closest to Earth at 04:25 Universal Time on July 3 (12:25 a.m. EDT, or 9:25 p.m. PDT on July 2).

The asteroid's distance from Earth at that moment will be 268,624 miles (432,308 km), or just 1.1 times the Moon's average distance from Earth.

Spotting 2004 XP14 will be a challenge, best accomplished by seasoned observers with moderate-sized telescopes.

On April 13, 2029, observers in Asia and North Africa will have a chance to see another asteroid, but without needing a telescope.

Asteroid 99942 Apophis, about 1,000 feet (300 meters) wide, is expected to be visible to the naked eye as it passes within 20,000 miles (32,000 km), inside the orbits of geosynchronous communications satellites.

Astronomers say an asteroid that large comes that close about once every 1,500 years, although 99942 Apophis will likely swing by again in 2036.

***

Remember, the Mayans predicted the end of the world -- or the end of the Fifth Sun -- on December 23, 2018. (Lori's birthday...go figure). That 2029 asteroid may just be running a decade late, who knows?

I've always had a weird fascination with the end of the world. Or at the very least, a total shift of being. Maybe aliens, maybe a catastrophe. Having kids makes it less appealing (well, aliens are still appealing) but after you watch the endless stories of war and corruption and self-obsession and fanaticism and disease and status quo...the thought of shaking it up somewhat is kinda novel.

Particularly in Southern California.

Got me thinking of song lyrics:

Aenema (Tool, 1996) **CAUTION: explicit lyrics to follow**

Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this

Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of
Freaks

Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call L.A.
The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
Any fucking time. Any fucking day.
Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay.

Fret for your figure and
Fret for your latte and
Fret for your lawsuit and
Fret for your hairpiece and
Fret for your prozac and
Fret for your pilot and
Fret for your cable and
Fret for your car.
It's a
Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of
Freaks

Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call L.A.
The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
Any fucking time. Any fucking day.
Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay.

Some say a comet will fall from the sky.
Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves.
Followed by faultlines that cannot sit still.
Followed by millions of dumbfounded dipshits.

Some say the end is near.
Some say well see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will cuz
I sure could use a vacation from this

Silly shit, stupid shit...

One great big festering neon distraction,
I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied.

Learn to swim.

Mom's gonna fix it all soon.
Mom's comin' round to put it back the way it ought to be.

Learn to swim.

Fuck L.Ron Hubbard and
Fuck all his clones.
Fuck all those gun-toting
Hip gangster wannabes.

Learn to swim.

Fuck retro anything.
Fuck your tattoos.
Fuck all you junkies and
Fuck your short memory.

Learn to swim.

Fuck smiley glad-hands
With hidden agendas.
Fuck these dysfunctional,
Insecure actresses.

Learn to swim.

Cuz I'm praying for rain
And I'm praying for tidal waves
I wanna see the ground give way.
I wanna watch it all go down.
Mom please flush it all away.
I wanna watch it go right in and down.
I wanna watch it go right in.
Watch you flush it all away.

Time to bring it down again.
Don't just call me pessimist.
Try and read between the lines.
I can't imagine why you wouldn't
Welcome any change, my friend.

I wanna see it all come down.
Suck it down.
Flush it down.

***

Sounds all ominous and angry, I know. Sharing it isn't subtext for any angst I'm veiling. The thought simply crossed my mind after reading the asteroid story.

Just making connections and documenting this for what it is: a thought I had on June 28, 2006 in the waning years of the Fifth Sun.

An eye patch and a missing tooth

Today we took the summer-breaking girls to Pirate's Dinner Adventure. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's the swashbuckling sibling of Medieval Times. Sydney's obsession with a pirate's life was highly inspirational in us planning the afternoon.

The entire affair lasted about 3 hours, including preshow entertainment and the entire show itself. The whole crowd sat in six different, color-coded groups and whooped and hollered like Pavlovian maniacs every time a spotlight hit them or their matching colored pirate leader pointed at them. Sword fights, gun shots, acrobatics and lots of barely decipherable dialogue all accompanied by a chicken and beef dinner -- just like the real buccaneers. All in all, good fun.

Earlier in the day, Emelie lost her first baby tooth. Her bottom right incisor, which had been precariously rooted like a dandelion in a hurricane for about the past three weeks, succumbed to a final prod and came out without incident. Emelie was thrilled and proceeded to tongue her little gap happily the remainder of the day. She now sleeps quietly, awaiting her first visit from the Tooth Fairy. Sleep well, little bunny.

And all of you.

Father's Day and miserable metrics

Another Father's Day has come and gone. Despite my reluctance to give in to the silly Hallmark day, this Father's Day managed to seduce me with its charm. More specifically, my family did. All the school-made cards and coupons the kids showered upon me, plus the tokens of esteem from my wife ($100 iTunes certificate, a nice dinner, and a Sunday morning of uninterrupted sleep) managed to get me in the spirit of the day. Unfortunately, most of the festivities bookended a six-hour stint in the office...kind of sadly ironic it should fall on Father's Day, but what ya' gonna do? I am actually quite optimistic that my weekend days are numbered as things start to set themselves right at work.

And it couldn't happen soon enough. I found myself calculating some quality of life statistics last week (i.e. hours at the gym, hours reading, hours with the family, etc.) In the process, I was horrified to determine that, from Monday to Friday, I see my children for a total of one hour.

In five days, I see my only two children awake for sixty minutes. Maybe ninety minutes if I'm lucky.

And I see Lori maybe only four or five hours.

Those, my friends, are startling statistics. Miserable metrics. Frightening factoids.

And things I shall have to remedy.

I refuse to see my kids grow up in fragmented increments. I sense the increasing tension (bordering on desperation) in Sydney on the weekends. She wants to do something with me at every given moment and actually gets pretty upset when I tell her we can't possibly do everything she wants to. Emelie doesn't communicate her craving for connection in the same, overt ways, but finds ways to drop hints (sometimes via pictures or fleeting comments) that are poignant and telling all the same.

Without sounding morbid, I don't want to die without witnessing (no, experiencing) my daughter's growing up days. This is their last week of school, and I'm on the brink of having a first- and third-grader. If I hear another person warn, "They'll be graduating high school before you know it," I'll lose it. Primarily because I know they're right.

It's almost July and, if you kept a straight face when you told me, I'd probably believe you if you said yesterday was Christmas. My life is a blur and my family has become indiscernible whirs of trees along this frantic freeway.

That is not to say that I don't love them or avoid being with them. Quite the opposite. I am absolutely starved for their company. Every moment I'm with them becomes that more precious. And I hope that's the good thing that comes from this trying period: that when I have more time to be with them, that I'll cherish it rather than become complacent. When I can actually do homework with them during the week, or take them to practices during the week, or just sit and read with them during the week, I'll remember these days of fear when I thought I might never have the opportunity again. I hope to have one of those wake-up-from-a-bad-dream spasms and smile, knowing I fixed it before it was too late.

Checking for limbs

Thought I'd take a moment to prove I still have arms and fingers at the end of them. Sorry for the delay in blogging. So busy at work (yeah, we know, what's new?)

Made it to the gym tonight and feel pretty good about it. (Baby steps back to fitness.)

The girls had end of the year awards yesterday and today. Em got one for reading excellence and Syd got one for all-around superstardom (plus one for Read Across America...to earn it she read 50 books about each state.) Proud of them both. I'll probably get some Pics of the Litter up of them for June.

That's it. Back in the blog saddle. (Blogaddle?)