Elegy for a Jet Pilot
By A.R. Ammons
The blast skims
over the string
of takeoff lights
and
relinquishing
place and time
lofts to
separation:
the plume, rose
sliver, grows
across the
high-lit evening
sky: by this
Mays Landing creek
shot pinecones,
skinned huckleberry
bush, laurel
swaths define
an unbelievably
particular stop.
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Not a great deal to report. Took an hour-long walk in the gorgeous late morning weather and looked at all the flowers in the neighborhood. Wrote a review of "Justice", the terrible Next Gen episode where Wesley Crusher is sentenced to die and Picard almost lets him, based on the world's most idiotic misreading of the Prime Directive. Had dinner with my parents, discussed the week's events, almost became irate when my father tried to blame ME for the fact that my sister is being totally unreasonable about celebrating my mother's birthday anywhere but the phenomenally expensive resort where she wants to go. Told him to deal with her himself. Watched the news, saw the NASA stuff, listened to Bush defend Gonzales, wanted to cry some more, switched over to coverage of Aishwarya Rai's wedding and then, to my astonishment, saw a report that the Catholic Church has declared that there is no Limbo. Wow! Am fascinated that a concept that has endured for so long can be swept away with one document.
1. How did you hear about the shootings at Virginia Tech? Went to Google News to look something up, saw the headline before they had a final death toll.
2. Do you know anyone who was directly affected? I don't think so. I know alumni and friends of friends.
3. Will you be observing a moment of silence at noon to honor those killed on Monday? I was home alone most of the day, so it wasn't really an issue. I've certainly thought about those killed.
4. How do you feel about NBC's decision to air portions of the shooter's manifesto? If NBC had aired a few seconds one single time, so people could draw their own conclusions about whether the shooter had been influenced by video games, movies, etc., I would not have objected. Now that it has been played endlessly, I think NBC has done a great deal of damage.
5. When you are hurting, do you have people to turn to? Yes, for which I am profoundly grateful.
1. How are you stereotypically female? I loved being pregnant, which is something I have never heard a man say, though I also know lots of females who hated it or never wanted to experience it so I have no idea how to answer this.
2. How are you stereotypically male? Um, I'm not afraid of bugs and I curse a lot while I'm driving? Whose stereotypes are we talking about?
3. What parts of you do you consider unclassifiable as either gender? Most of them, since I pretty much never think of them as specifically gendered unless they're sex-specific body parts...my breasts are too big to be considered androgynous.
4. Do you think you are primarily male, female, or neither in characteristics? I've never wanted to be male, I tend to think of myself as entirely female.
5. If you could be born as any gender, knowing the gender prejudices as they are now, which would you choose to be? Having already lived as a woman, I wouldn't mind being male, but if I only get one go-around, I'm glad I'm female.
1. Kira/Odo, Deep Space Nine
2. Winn/Dukat, Deep Space Nine
3. Xena/Gabrielle Xena
4. Spock/The Romulan Commander, Star Trek
5. Janeway/Chakotay, Voyager (just because they took it back mid-third season doesn't mean it never happened)
1. You're allowed to use a love potion on one HP character, but it will only last a few hours. Who do you choose? Lucius Malfoy. He's the only want I want whom I wouldn't feel bad about coercing.
2. Who is someone you started out liking more than you do now? Nymphadora Tonks. I can't even bear to think about her now.
3. If Arthur Weasley came to visit you one day, what's the first Muggle object you'd show him?
4. If you were able to visit the Weasley house for a day, what's the first thing you'd like to see? One of those tents from the Quidditch World Cup that's three times as big inside as outside.
5. At the end of Book 3, Dumbledore tells Harry that he may be glad someday that he saved Pettigrew's life. Do you think Pettigrew will somehow return the favor in the final book? Oh hell yes. Chekhov's Rule.
These bridges were constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries to cross the many small rivers that traverse Dartmoor and are unique to the area.
Hundreds of sheep, rams and lambs wander free all over Dartmoor...
...as well as ponies.
No one is certain why these long rows of stones were built, since they are apparently not aligned astronomically.
One finds standing stones and circles among the scattered piles of rock.
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