Pioneers of Mars

How very very cool. From Karen Linsley earlier today:
"Every Martian morning, the staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory participating in the Mars rover project start the day by playing a song as a wake-up for the rover. Today I am proud and a little overwhelmed to announce that this morning the wake up song for the rover Opportunity was Pioneers of Mars. One small step for a robot, one giant leap toward a dream and maybe even a legacy." As some of you already know, Karen's co-author and partner, Lloyd Landa, died days before the song was debuted to a standing ovation at the Mars Society conference in Toronto four years ago.

From the Mars Exploration Rover Mission site:
"Observations by the panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer were completed successfully on sol 20. The sol's wake-up music was 'I Like Dirt,' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and 'Pioneers of Mars,' by Karen Linsley and Lloyd Landa."

You can find links and more information in Allison's Livejournal entry here. Thanks to Eli Goldberg, who put in many hours researching the JPL tactical uplink managers and other staff members who were in a position to make this dream actually happen. You can find the full RealAudio stream of the entire song (and more information) available at http://www.totouchthestars.com (the song is from the "To Touch the Stars" CD).

I discovered a few days ago that ViaVoice doesn't work so well when I'm laughing (Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff's fault, during an iChat session). Now I find it doesn't work so well when I'm crying, either. :-)

Congratulations, Karen! Lloyd would have been so very proud.

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

leaning on friends

(updated 4:00 p.m.)

So I admit that I was not the happiest camper earlier this week.

Monday was the worst, when I had to call Air Canada and cancel my flight to California, and also was forced to look ahead and acknowledge that it might be a while until I could type normally again, needed to rethink my short-term goals. My friend Andrea called to see how I was coping; I thought I was doing pretty well at being optimistic and perky until partway through the conversation when, inexplicably, I started crying.

I am fully aware that my situation is nothing compared to what some other people have gone through and are going through. But it's still an enormous comfort sometimes to be able to lean on the shoulders of people who care about you when you get tired of always having to look for silver linings, of having to be cheery. After my brief cry with Andrea, for example, I found it easier to see things with a fresh perspective, find my sense of humor again, move on.

I've never been the greatest at asking for help when I need it. It's the pride thing, you know, wanting to always appear in control and unafraid, fear of obligation and dependence. Over the years, however, I've learned the value of leaning on others I trust when I need to. I'm always careful about how often I do it; I see it more like stashing away a bar of a very good and expensive chocolate, nibbling away a bit at a time, not wanting to waste any of it or take it for granted that there always will be more.

As I've mentioned before, I very much appreciate the phone calls and e-mail messages from many of you out there. I feel very lucky to have the friends and family that I do, and of course, Jeff has already been so supportive and patient for the past year during my tendinitis.

Just a few recent acts of kindness:

- My sister helped me find waterproof shoes/boots that are easy to pull on and take off with one hand, new track pants (I suspect I will be living in track pants for the next while), brought over some food today.

- Craig gave me a padded arm sling which is much more comfortable than the one I got from the emergency ward.

- My mom-in-law (owns a restaurant) is bringing over a cooler full of homemade cooked and frozen food that I can just stick in the oven.

- Allison is coming over tomorrow night since it's too difficult for me to make the trek out to Richmond Hill these days. Really looking forward to hanging out with her.

- During his visit next week, Rand is also taking me to the fracture clinic, keeping notes for me during my appointment since I can't. Thank you so much, Rand!

Speaking of fracture clinics, looks like Luisa and Reid were also finally able to get a fracture clinic appointment for their son Michael, who is in a full leg cast after a skiing accident.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Don't break anything.
:-)

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

broken arm :-(

(updated Wednesday February 11th, 11:22 a.m. )

So on Friday night while ice skating with my nieces up north, I fell and broke my right arm. Or to be specific, I fractured my radial head, a spot near my elbow. It didn't really feel all that painful, at least not what I always expected with a broken limb (I've never had one). I was most worried that I had torn my tendons again.

Ruth walked me back to our hotel; I watched TV until the others came back from skating. We played a card game (Guillotine), had a snack, did bedtime reading. When I tried lying down to go to sleep, however, the pain got a lot worse. Ruth came in to check on me, and insisted on taking me to the emergency ward of the hospital. Fortunately it was a quiet night at the hospital, and we didn't have to wait. After X-rays and a temporary diagnosis (I was told to make an appointment with my regular family doctor), I was given some painkillers, an arm sling, and sent home. I've been told to do "absolutely nothing" for a week. The emergency room doctor seem surprised that I wasn't more relieved or happy about this.

Apparently I should be pain-free in two weeks, healed in about six weeks. Not sure how this is all going to affect my tendinitis, but at least it will force me to completely rest my right arm for a while. I wish it had been my left arm rather than my right, though... at least then I could draw and write.

As you can imagine, it's somewhat of a frustrating situation. I was just starting to type a bit more each day, and had just finished physiotherapy. Now I'm back to not being able to cut my own food again, or tie shoelaces, using zippers or buttons, or easily hold a book. I'm also aware that I have to be very careful of overusing my left arm and aggravating the tendinitis again. It would really really suck to lose the use of both arms.

I had also been planning a 2 week trip to California starting at the end of the month; I have not mentioned this in Blatherings because I wanted to surprise Dave Clement and Tom Jeffers, who are guests of honor at Consonance this year. I was going to be visiting with Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, Andrew and Jenny, Beckett Gladney and Paul Kwinn, and had been planning to room with Joey Shoji at Consonance. I was also going to meet Sal Towse in person for the first time; she was an incredible help to me as my markets editor when I had Inkspot. After much agonizing, I have decided it's wiser to cancel and postpone a trip to California to a time when I won't have to ask someone to help me get dressed in the morning. :-) and :-(. To those going to Consonance: I would be very grateful if you gave Dave and Tom an extra hug from me, OK?

On a positive note, at least I already know how to use ViaVoice.

One of my challenges is not to go stir crazy over the next while. So I'm asking you all for suggestions on how to cope with a few activities:

- Going to the health club is out for now as is running, but I really want to get outside for at least a walk every day. Problem is, I can't tie shoelaces, zip zippers, use buttons. I'm currently thinking of leaving my hiking shoes tied loosely so that I can get them on, but I'm worried about the looseness making it easier to trip on winter sidewalks. Not sure what to do about a coat since it would slip off unless I fasten it somehow.

Update: my sister went out shopping with me and helped me get a reasonably priced pair of waterproof pull-on boots and a pair of track pants. Jeff is lending me one of his old winter coats that I can fasten in front with snaps. My current challenge: trying to get an appointment with a fracture clinic in Toronto to figure out exactly what I should be and not be doing right now, especially re: my tendinitis recovery...somewhat frustrating trying to navigate through the maze of automated messages, answering services, bureaucracy (emergency doctor sent me to my family doctor who sent me to a fracture clinic). Thanks -so- much for all the advice and support offered in the message boards, e-mail, phone calls. And thanks so much to my friend Craig for the loan of his "Rolls Royce" of arm slings! :-)

- I welcome meal ideas for one-handed cooking, or no-cook meals. No can openers, for example, or chopping.

Thanks for the supportive e-mails as well as the filker photos. :-) I will be posting another filker photo poll in the future, but I will probably wait until it's easier for me to manipulate graphic files again.

Answers to the previous poll: Jodi, Katy Droege, Nancy Freeman, Rand, Monica Cellio, Beckett, and Jodi again.

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

jeff birthday

Who is this filker?


Happy birthday, Jeff! Among a few other silly things, I gave him a box of Fast Break chocolate bars (thanks, Rand). Answers to the last filk picture poll: Rand Bellavia, Terence Chua, Paul Kwinn, Rand again. Any guesses on today's pics?





Enjoyed hanging out with Allison and Jodi last night. We have no gigs for a while, so our get-togethers tend to be purely social these days. We went out for sushi and then saw "Big Fish" at the Elgin Mills Theatre. It usually takes me about an hour and a half to get to Richmond Hill. Meeting in the winter is a bit tougher (it took me two hours to get to our sushi restaurant a few weeks ago ... the bus ride to Buffalo would only take 15 minutes more!), so we tend to only meet a couple times a month rather than every week.

Again, and for so many reasons, I wish someone would hurry up and invent transporters.





What I'm really missing right now: playing my guitar and harp. My setback several months ago was partly caused by guitar playing (when I worked on new songs like The Question), so I've decided to hold off until the spring. Since I'm used to songwriting with guitar in hand, I haven't been writing anything, at least musically.

Perhaps I need to learn to write with the piano keyboard again.





Nearly a week into the 6th Annual Idita Walk , which Allison has inspired me to join. The official goal is to walk 1,049 minutes before March 21, but I modified the goal for myself to be 1,049 minutes of exercise of some sort, whether it's running or walking or doing the elliptical machine, whatever.





Amused by the responses to my filk picture poll, and delighted by the photos that people have been sending in.





Are you a filker willing to submit your childhood photo to a future poll? Please feel free to send it! (spam-filtered address; the first time you use it, you may need to manually enter a code in a follow-up e-mail)



(filker is on the left)

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

more filker photos

Any guesses?


I'm pretty happy with my novel prep so far, plan to start revising the text soon. Somewhat nervous about that since it is still a major pain trying to do any editing with ViaVoice; I just have to remind myself to be patient.






Hey, I've lost 8 lbs. since Christmas! Back to my normal weight now. For me, it's not so much about the numbers as it is about how I'm feeling physically. Even without stepping on a scale, I can tell when I haven't been exercising or eating very well. After a week of slacking off, I feel crabby and restless. After a few weeks, my mind seems to slow down and I have less energy. I get stressed out more easily.





What I find works for me re: weight -- get regular exercise and don't eat if I'm not hungry. Sounds obvious, but it's a challenge sometimes. For me, real exercise has to involve sweating and puffing; it's just not enough otherwise. And the eating if I'm not hungry goes against the "always clean your plate" rule I was brought up on. I always tend to feel guilty leaving food on the plate. My solution: save the leftovers and use it for another meal. Sometimes it's also a challenge to stop eating if what you're eating tastes really good even if you're already sated.

Speaking of exercise...Went out for run/walk at lunchtime today. Cooold, but invigorating! It's tough to catch my breath sometimes in very cold wind, but I like the challenge. :-)






Answers to yesterday's filk picture poll: Bill Sutton, Rand Bellavia, Brenda Sutton and Adam English. Saw the Suttons' photos when I was visiting last month, and saw Rand's and Adam's college photos when I was visiting Rand earlier this week. I've posted some more today...any guesses?

Are you a filker willing to submit your childhood photo to a future poll? Please feel free to send it! (spam-filtered address; the first time you use it, you may need to manually enter a code in a follow-up e-mail)

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ