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anarchist_nomad Jul. 6th, 2010 12:51 pm)
anarchist_nomad Jul. 6th, 2010 12:51 pm)Had a really nice date with my beloved ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cheshcat. We started by going to see a play called One Small Step at the Burton Taylor Studio -- a small blackbox theatre run by the Oxford Playhouse. This delightful little show was commissioned by the Playhouse and has since toured the world; the current run is at least its fourth in Oxford. In almost exactly one hour, two actors take us through twelve years of the US/USSR space race, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and ending with the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. Produced on a tiny budget, the actors each play over a dozen rolls and make amazing use of a variety of junk props, telling a tale that is extremely funny... yet, at times, also manages to be poignant and inspiring! We have seen the show once before, but it was well worth a second performance. Indeed, if it returns to Oxford again, I shall try to catch it once more!
Following the show, our date continued to a nearby Thai restaurant where we enjoyed a dinner most delicious. Then home for cuddling on the sofa as we finished volume three of the Heroes DVDs, ending the night with some quality alone time. All in all, an excellent evening! It made me think of a conversation that was had atfire_kitten's party last weekend, about how important it is for primary partners -- especially those who, like cheshcat and I, fit into the role of "old married couple" -- to consciously make time to go out on dates. Being polyamorous, it can be too easy to let this slip by, especially when there are shiny new people to see and chores to be done. However, that would be a shame... not least of which because it would mean missing out on lovely evenings like this one!
Whilst watching the show, I was particularly struck by the last quarter, where the focus is on the Apollo 11 lunar landing. I find in all-but-inconceivable[*] to comprehend how Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin must have felt. Particularly Neil. I love basking in the warm glow of achievement when I have a particularly good day at work, or when I learn a new skill, or when I set a new personal record. I can only presume that this is the same emotion... but magnified to the Nth degree! I cannot even imagine that winning the US presidential election could feel so good. After all, other people have achieved that before -- or reached the height of power in previous empires of similar prestige. To be the very first person in history -- after so many tens of billions have lived -- to step on the surface of the moon? Truly, the mind boggles![**]
In a sense, I got a small taste of Douglas Adams's Total Perspective Vortex. I consider myself to be a reasonably accomplished individual. I expect that I will do more, and I still have hope of achieving great things in my lifetime. However, there is no way that I will ever do anything as exceptional as being the first person to walk on the moon![***] Mr. Armstrong, my hat is off to you!
Bizarre, though, to think about how much was accomplished in the twelve years between 1957 and 1969, especially when compared how little has been done in the four decades since! Indeed, no person has set foot on the moon during the entirety of my life...
[*] Yes, I do know what this word means.
[**] Indeed, even now only twelve men have accomplished this... which is less than the forty-three who have been President.
[***] Extremely small caveat: In the past, when NASA has had openings for astronaut candidates, I have applied. If I am someday accepted... and if the program to send a person to Mars is revived... and if it is actually achieved in the next two to three decades... and if I am chosen to participate... well, then I might be able to match Neil Armstrong's feat. All in all, I think it best not to hold my breath on such a longshot. Whilst more likely than the Large Hadron Collider destroying the Earth, the odds are, indeed, truly astronomical!
cheshcat. We started by going to see a play called One Small Step at the Burton Taylor Studio -- a small blackbox theatre run by the Oxford Playhouse. This delightful little show was commissioned by the Playhouse and has since toured the world; the current run is at least its fourth in Oxford. In almost exactly one hour, two actors take us through twelve years of the US/USSR space race, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and ending with the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. Produced on a tiny budget, the actors each play over a dozen rolls and make amazing use of a variety of junk props, telling a tale that is extremely funny... yet, at times, also manages to be poignant and inspiring! We have seen the show once before, but it was well worth a second performance. Indeed, if it returns to Oxford again, I shall try to catch it once more!Following the show, our date continued to a nearby Thai restaurant where we enjoyed a dinner most delicious. Then home for cuddling on the sofa as we finished volume three of the Heroes DVDs, ending the night with some quality alone time. All in all, an excellent evening! It made me think of a conversation that was had at
fire_kitten's party last weekend, about how important it is for primary partners -- especially those who, like cheshcat and I, fit into the role of "old married couple" -- to consciously make time to go out on dates. Being polyamorous, it can be too easy to let this slip by, especially when there are shiny new people to see and chores to be done. However, that would be a shame... not least of which because it would mean missing out on lovely evenings like this one!Whilst watching the show, I was particularly struck by the last quarter, where the focus is on the Apollo 11 lunar landing. I find in all-but-inconceivable[*] to comprehend how Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin must have felt. Particularly Neil. I love basking in the warm glow of achievement when I have a particularly good day at work, or when I learn a new skill, or when I set a new personal record. I can only presume that this is the same emotion... but magnified to the Nth degree! I cannot even imagine that winning the US presidential election could feel so good. After all, other people have achieved that before -- or reached the height of power in previous empires of similar prestige. To be the very first person in history -- after so many tens of billions have lived -- to step on the surface of the moon? Truly, the mind boggles![**]
In a sense, I got a small taste of Douglas Adams's Total Perspective Vortex. I consider myself to be a reasonably accomplished individual. I expect that I will do more, and I still have hope of achieving great things in my lifetime. However, there is no way that I will ever do anything as exceptional as being the first person to walk on the moon![***] Mr. Armstrong, my hat is off to you!
Bizarre, though, to think about how much was accomplished in the twelve years between 1957 and 1969, especially when compared how little has been done in the four decades since! Indeed, no person has set foot on the moon during the entirety of my life...
[*] Yes, I do know what this word means.
[**] Indeed, even now only twelve men have accomplished this... which is less than the forty-three who have been President.
[***] Extremely small caveat: In the past, when NASA has had openings for astronaut candidates, I have applied. If I am someday accepted... and if the program to send a person to Mars is revived... and if it is actually achieved in the next two to three decades... and if I am chosen to participate... well, then I might be able to match Neil Armstrong's feat. All in all, I think it best not to hold my breath on such a longshot. Whilst more likely than the Large Hadron Collider destroying the Earth, the odds are, indeed, truly astronomical!
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