Friday Filler – Gaining Perspective in TSTO and Life From the ISS

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

Yes, it has been another week of multitasking. Finishing the bathroom(s), doing a ton of client work, and still doing the 24/7 caregiver bit to my wife. But, the fact is, once I found the rhythm, it fell into place pretty well, once I accepted my place in all of the chaos.

And it was made all the easier by the fact that I hardly had to play TSTO at all. As in barely, barely, barely…to finish this chapter.

I’m really not sure how I feel about the game right now. But, I realize that my emotions and opinions are slightly colored by the rest of the craziness around me.  Like accepting the weird choices in the sizes of the buildings in our game (come on…the Stadiums aren’t much bigger than the stores), and just having fun…it’s all just gaining a little perspective.
And man…if you take a look at TSTO, and the world, and way beyond the world, perspective is something that seems to almost overwhelm you.

In TSTO, we long ago have accepted that the cars don’t go on the roads. Loads of water related items can’t go on any water except for the “ocean.” And things are skittish as they pertain to if they will sit on land, or dirt, or concrete.  But, we just roll with it. Perspective. They’re free…they’re fun…and who really cares?

To gain perspective now and then, I look back on screen captures of “My Town” from back when I used to care enough to do countless screen grabs, and stitch them together with PhotoShop.  When I look at my town then, and my town now, I gain a huge sense of perspective.

Click Images to Enlarge

This was before Springfield Heights…just mountains…with no inkling of anything on the other side!

Today- my original town would fit in the yellow area…HUGE difference…and thousands of items later. 

This perspective gives me a sense of gratitude.  I am truly grateful for all of the amazing hours of fun, clever bits of dialogue and all of the STUFF!!  Yes…it is tempered lately when I get the “All Full” screen…and can’t place the newest item without raiding a garden or two. But, as I am now a donut farmer (also grateful that EA makes THAT so easy), I don’t give spending a second thought.

Perspective.  It’s a very good thing.

Lately, when I am feeling overwhelmed (yes…multi-taskers often feel overwhelmed), I have taken to looking at my ISS App to see if the International Space Station is due for a pass. It is extremely cool…letting me know when a viewing is about to happen…where to look…and when the next is happening this week.

This morning, I did a quick movie of the ISS as it passed over mt house.  

I know this seems kind of unimpressive…like a steady moving airplane.  But, it looks way different than an airplane, or a satellite. And through binoculars, it is clearly something very “other-worldly.”

It’s not until you have some perspective of the fact that there are people inside…from a variety of nations…all working together…as they look down on the rest of us. An “average mission” at the space station is more than  2oo days long, during which they orbit Earth 3,264 times traveling 86,430,555 miles.

This is crazy stuff…as the effects of extended weightlessness are just now being understood (they aren’t all good).   But, if you like records, here is a link that covers all of the “Longest, Oldest, etc” in space-
https://www.space.com/11337-human-spaceflight-records-50th-anniversary.html

And Here is a cool video from NASA about the ISS configuration…

Of course, humans being humans (and prone to messing up a good thing) one of the most heralded ISS women, hit the headlines for what may be the FIRST Crime In Space!  Hacking into a bank account (her joint account with her Ex-Wife, during a horrible custody battle).  Luckily for NASA, and her crew members, this wasn’t discovered until after she had returned from a 204 day mission on the ISS.

But, it got me thinking…what if they had discovered something even worse…while she was in close quarters on the ISS. Like some sort of crazy, evil plot, like the kind you see in Super Hero Movies.  And YES…you have to be pretty close to one another in the confines of the ISS!

That is how they sleep…strapped into a seat…using sleeping pills.

So, if someone discovered a serious crime…knowing that you weren’t going to be able to get off of the ISS for another 200 days…how would they deal with it???
It boggles the mind. But, I see some sort a stringent use of Duct Tape involved in the solution…but, I digress.

The fact is, the ISS is one of the most noble, cooperative experiments for all of mankind.  While the assclowns in charge down here, find ways to fight, divide, and posture for nuclear war, the participants on the ISS, from many of the same countries threatening Armageddon, get along great…solving problems, doing research, and basically making the world a better place to be.

Perspective. It’s a good thing.  Maybe the next “Crew” should include some of the nuckleheads who have found power so intoxicating, that they are trying to take us back to a Cold War, and perhaps the prospects of another global war. Assclowns in Space. It has a great ring to it.

Meanwhile…I am taking a break from TSTO for the weekend (I spent donuts to rush). I am on a 4-day trip with my daughter, Ali. This is a Father/Daughter trip that started with Ali giving me a ticket to the Duck game in Arlington, to play Auburn.

As you read this, I am either just getting back from being immersed in all things Chip and Joanna at Silo, in Waco, TX (we came out a day early to be able to see “the miracle that Joanna created).

Or bringing the Hometown Duck Spirit to College Game Day, before the big game at 4;30.  Lee loves the Ducks. We’ll see if he chooses them for this game…and if our Duckies can start the season off right!

Perspective. When it comes to silly game…or getting along globally…it’s a good thing to keep perspective, and remember all of our similarities, not our differences.

Oh. And if you are going to commit a crime in space…it’s best not to use a NASA computer. They are pretty easy to trace.

Download the ISS App!  Give it a spin!  I think you’ll love it…if you keep the miracle of the achievement in perspective.