I wasted two hours yesterday watching shuttle prep only to have it scrubbed at a T-5 minute hold. Today everything went perfectly and there was a beautiful launch. The sun had just set and launch complex 39-B was in shadow. But just after the roll maneauver, the shuttle passed through the terminator and the exhaust plume changed from a deep grey to a bright sunset orange. Really cool. It almost looked like the boosters had changed propellants or something.

So I'm sitting here waiting for Helen to get home from work because she has offered to cut my now very long and nappy hair, and asked if there was some silly neumonic that she could use to remember my office number. I had never thought about it before, so I looked over at my phone to discover that my on-campus extension is....

DUM-ASS

The wide-ranging implications of this I don't yet fully comprehend.

Update: It's also FUN-ASS; no comment.