A Boy's Dream

If saying that I've been obsessed with Australia my entire life is hyperbole, it isn't far off. I've wanted to go there... to live there since I was 7 or 8 years old.

I come from the kind of town where people are born, they live and they die without ever leaving. New Orleans is only 20 minutes and a river crossing away, yet even that seems too far for some of them. They don't know how big the world is, and they could care less. But for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to see the world. Scotland, Japan, China, Italy... but for whatever reason, Australia has always intrigued me most.

I love the idea of Australia. As a child, the story of its settlement conjured images of a country teeming with outlaws, like stories of the Wild West, but here and now. Even now, in my mind's eye its spirit still feels a little wild and untamed; a vast beautiful land waiting for me to explore it. It enraptured me. Maybe it was how cool Crocodile Dundee seemed. Or it could be the crush that I still have to this day on Olivia Newton John. Or the constant episodes of Looney Tunes that led me to write a Second Grade report on the tiny island the Tasmanian Devil supposedly came from. That report actually earned me a chance to talk about Tasmania on a local television station.

I haven't made it to Australia. There's always been life or time or money between us. It sits at the top of a list of unfulfilled dreams that I will not rest without.

Send me to Australia. Send me away to the Beaches and Reefs. I'll ride horses in Cairns. I'll brave the rapids of the Tully River. I'll trek across Fraser Island on an ATV and cruise the beaches of Surfer's Paradise on the back of a Harley. You'll probably even get to see me crash and burn on a surf board at Coffs Harbour. I want to ride and surf. I want to delve into the country and take in all it has to give.

There's an image in my mind. It's me and my Nikon exploring a world I've only dreamt of. This is an adventure; the kind I've imagined since I was a boy. It comes only as a close second to finding true love or driving an Aston Martin. I can promise you, no one would appreciate this opportunity more than I would. This isn't just a vacation, it's the journey of a lifetime and a story I've waited my whole life to write.

Send me to Australia.

And if you don't... that's okay too. I'll just have to do it on my own.

Last Train to the Stars

I've been a little sad for the last few weeks leading up to today. Not steadily, but enough. When I lived in Florida, Cape Canaveral was just a stone's throw away. I'd always intended to see one of the Space Shuttle launches, but for whatever reason, I never got around to it. Now I never will.

July 8, 2011. The Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-135 is the last shuttle into space.

Maybe I'm being overly sentimental, but the exploration of Space represents the best of humanity. It is the pinnacle of all we hope to achieve, the symbol for what we can do with determination, ingenuity and faith.

Seeing it end is a crushing blow.

There's certainly more important things for the US to do with it's money, such as paying off our massive debt. Yet I'd hate to see this as the end.

I've heard some talk about NASA having a future if we privatize space exploration. I don't fully understand how that works, but I support it. Federal space exploration is no longer a viable option.

The only way to achieve greatness, is to reach for it. Maybe someday we'll see the stars again.