In some ways entry into my 44th year feels no different than all the rest. I'm 20 pounds heavier this birthday and no less neurotic. But there is cause for celebration too. Upon reflection I have a career that was handed to me some decade ago by a friend who probably fails to grasp the magnitude of his act. Most boys have dreamed of being involved with NASA and the space program, even in a peripheral way. I have the pleasure of a job I would likely do mostly for free. I get to know and work with some of the best and most selfless people on earth. 5 years ago I was dealing with the death of my parents, with one gone and the other not far behind. I was bankrupt and depressed with the job the only thing keeping me sane. Now I am well into the black ink and much more secure. I still love the job and the respect it seems to command. I have seen and done some incredible things. Among them, flying a helicopter over the Golden Gate, watching war birds racing around the Nevada desert at 500 mph and watching Formula One cars racing through the streets of Long Beach. I have beheld natural wonders that defy description. Having seen and done all those things you would think I would be satisfied to be totally without any family, especially since there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it. I guess the grass is always greener...
p.s. Special thanks to my good friend Andrew who remembered me today on my birthday
