So tonight I had drinks at the Gage Bar with the head of a certain pivotal division of NASA who I think it would be stupid to name for security reasons. We had conversations about all sorts of silly things like the the moon possibly being hollow, the crazy fish tongue eating parasite, hopi candles and other things he didn’t quite believe in. He told me stories about a South African relative of his who rode her bicycle through India, South East Asia, South West China and Tibet, then wrote a book about it. Good times!

He mentioned he’d be retiring in 2012, the same year all 3 space shuttles would be retired. So of COURSE my head started making loud computational sounds internally with the full orchestra of beeps and bops, and I naturally enquired without any hesitation as to what they were planning to do with these space shuttles after they are retired! He must have received the raw data dump via telepathy or perhaps my bulging eyeballs as he noted that there is clearly plenty of space out here in the barren desert of Marathon TX, and I pointed out that if I was lucky enough to get hold of one of the only 3 shuttles to actually LIVE IN, I’d give up my dream of a treehouse. Jeez, I’d throw in a few other dreams too. But also that if the suction toilet ever failed it might be a problem finding a space toilet mechanic, however I am happy to overlook such a minor detail to realise the dream of actually getting to live in a space shuttle.

Out here in the remote Chihuahuan Desert where there is no light pollution at all, the black night sky is treacle thick with stars and the milky way. I can imagine looking out of my portals and feeling like I am up in space, floating around somewhere out there. And without any of the risks of being penetrated by radiation from the sun, or being hit with space junk. I could rest easy at night.

Ahh… I’m going to have such great dreams tonight! Even if it doesn’t ever happen I can live my whole life knowing that this is possible. It could actually happen if nobody else wants one, right?! Just living with the possibility is more than good enough for me.