Under the lotus moon, holes like seeds, we flew. We had nothing to our name, we had no one left to blame. We had nothing left to do. So we flew.
And it was lonely, and we cried, and we fought, and we lied, to each other and to ourselves. But we had nothing left to hide. Lies can only get you so far. You need truth and stories to get you the rest of the way to the moon.
Sometimes, when we stared into the dark, we swore we could see the horizon and the rising sun. But there was no horizon, and there would never be one again. Not while we flew. Never again.
Septagenarian Librarian [to me]: I just had to say, have you ever thought of going into fashion design? Because I love your whole style and look. You should be a model.
Me: Oh, thank you! You know, I am attempting to make clothing...
SL: Huh!
Me: It's...interesting...so far, but I'm working on a dress.
SL: Well, that's neat! What grade are you in?
Me: I'm a senior.
SL: So, will you be going to college for clothing design?
Me: No, neurobiology, actually.
SL: Huh.
This may be the best thing about being a dilettante. People find it terribly confusing.
Finally, I've gotten a song other than "Spaceman" stuck in my head. Of course, the song's name is "Astronaut". I don't know what my current obsession with celestial travelers is all about, but it is a gorgeous song, is it not? There really is something awfully poetic about astronauts that most people don't really think about. I mean, the word 'astronaut' literally means 'star sailor'. It doesn't get more poetic than that. Just think - you're in love with someone who's high above everyone, striving for the farthest point they can see, taking the ultimate risk for science, for knowledge...sailing through the stars...
Can you see me getting all starry-eyed over here?
The thing is, so few people think of science as being poetic or beautiful. They think of mad scientists, destroying the world, or at the very least, cold, Vulcan-like, morally questionable government men in lab coats and goggles, testing bombs or cutting up unicorns. In truth, though, science and art aren't incompatible. Both are ways of looking at the world, peeling back the layers, learning about things. Art is just more concerned with expressing, portraying, examining the world as is, while science is concerned with revealing the world, finding new things, and figuring out how it works. Both are beautiful, and both are tied into the pursuit of knowledge, which is a high virtue.
Besides, one of the best things about science is that it finds so many new things for art to depict.
I recently bought a song book of Amanda Palmer songs, and I am learning to play "Astronaut" on the piano. I think I want to be Amanda Palmer when I grow up. Just add that to my list of occupations, okay?
Writer, seamstress, neurologist, punk cabaret pianist...
