Parts of the space telescope operation have been supposedly operated on under the influence of alcohol and ambien. And it worked, damnit.

And I'm pretty damned sure that Hubble data has been analyzed by high and/or stoned people. I know the field, I know the odds.

ION, found myself on some stranger's phone, talking to his girlfriend, picking out the mascara she wanted. It was surreal. He couldn't even figure out which was the mascara in the makeup section, even given the brand, tube color and mascara color. It wasn't hard (though she learned there were new curly options from me) but man. Dude was in for a thumping when he goes home. Simple logic narrowed it down quickly.

One of the authoritarian sorts that I work with (who I really like, good guy, just authoritarian) explained to me that it's all about security, and how if someone were to like, capture me and put me in a horrible prison and try to torture me into giving up my power point secrets by threatening to tell NASA about that time I took it in the ass from that Irish exchange student back in '93, I can just say, "oh they already know."

So I explained that if the boogeymen want me to spill secrets, they just have to take a naked pic of me in bad lighting and threaten to upload it to reddit.

Nice bootay!

Thanks! I need to work on my hip hits. I'm not very good at throwing them out there. I work with my shoulders more since I care most of my weight in my middle and upper body--but that can lead to problems if I don't watch my elbows.

I'd love to read a good modern biography of Aleister Crowley.

Or, you could read a really cool bio about Jack Parsons - Crowley acolyte and founder of JPL.

One of the authoritarian sorts that I work with (who I really like, good guy, just authoritarian) explained to me that it's all about security,

A friend of mine is a city planner for lower Manhattan, including Ground Zero. He said the amount of Security Theater in this country is nauseatingly dangerous.

I was a narc buddy for a friend who was moving to a higher level in the Fish & Wildlife Service. The interviewer asked me if she would ever have any reason to commit a treasonous act or if she could ever be compelled to turn against the US (I forget the exact wording of the question), and I said no, and then laughed and said "unless someone threatened her cats!" The interviewer put on a sort of funny smile and said, um, another friend said the exact same thing. So then I had to reassure him that I was joking and no, she wouldn't become a traitor to the US even if someone threatened her cats. I wasn't entirely sure he believed me, but she got the job, so I guess it worked out OK.

There's going to be a new iPhone this month, right?

But ... I want to read about Crowley.

I mentioned Crowley to my editor. She didn't know who he was. I wept briefly. (Wow, nice Freudian slip there. Jesus.)

Also, authoritarian guy's explanation sounds like a massive rationalization to me.

We here at the Narc Program do not have any sense of humor that we are aware of.

I mentioned Crowley to my editor. She didn't know who he was.

I mentioned Sally Ride to my psychiatrist. She didn't know who she was. I told her that was unacceptable and didn't see her again.