It Turns Out Space Is Still Cool When You're Not Weird About It
I watched a rocket launch into space while sitting in a Skyline Chili.
That sounds so personally on-brand as to be a joke, but it's not. This Wednesday, my son and I got haircuts, and our tradition is to adjourn to the Ohio Valley's finest regional fast-casual dining joint after being sheared. This routine began when our barber worked at a location next door to one of Louisville's handful of Skyline locations; said adjacency no longer exists, but the chili-eating persists.
It's Dudes Night, and how can you argue with a plate of pasta as attractive as this?
(Please do not actually argue with me about this. You know I'm not changing my mind, and I don't expect you to change yours, either.)
The chili parlor had an array of TVs, and one was fortuitously tuned to the Artemis II launch, an event I'd feared we might miss. About ninety seconds before liftoff, it occurred to me that this would be an especially-weird lifelong memory for my son if things went wrong, but I stuffed that thought down along with the half-pound of cheddar melting over my noodles.
We're watching a space launch!
I've been personally quite cynical about space-related stuff in recent years, and not without cause; most of what's been in the public eye of late has been unpleasantly-closely associated with some the world's worst people. We've seen Elon Musk talk about making colonies on Mars in between blowing up rockets and looting our government, and we've seen Jeff Bezos launch Katy Perry into ten minutes of sub-orbit and call it "space".
It's sucked!
As the Artemis II mission rocketed toward actual space, though, I realized I do still care about this stuff. I know there are a lot of other things that we could be spending money on as a country, and I know that those aforementioned worst people and their enablers will probably find ways to spin the mission to suit their needs as soon as it's completed. Still, it's a joy and a salve to be reminded that there are still highly-competent people out there, still capable doing remarkable things; a chance to set aside our current Idiocracy reality for a bit of Apollo 13 or Hidden Figures.
(I do think we should launch Musk and Bezos into space, though maybe we point the rocket at the sun instead of Mars.)
Friends, it's Friday again at The Action Cookbook Newsletter.
Whether your plans involve a Good Friday feast or a normal supper with the fellas, it's the weekend either way, and the ACBN is here as always to usher you in.
Today, I've got some great tunes, a fun new book, a tasty cocktail, holiday food ideas and more!
Let's dive right in.
