just an ordinary goddess…

…Pluto, I mean.

Y’all know I have some Pluto issues. I don’t know why I’m so attached to that lil’ planet, but I am. In December I took HSTeacher and his kids on a tour of JPL, where I discovered in the observation gallery of the mini-mission control room that someone had removed Pluto from the solar system display. I just about lost my mind over it (though calmly – no need for the kids to think their father’s girlfriend is a complete nutjob).

Oddly enough, Pluto seems to be taking it better than I did.

Venus may be my ruling planet, and I love her and all, but I knew Pluto was a cool celestial body.

No wonder I’ve been taking this demotion so hard.

…it was nice knowing you. And I mean that sincerely.

2006 marked an interesting time, I have to say. For the first time in a long time, the good outweighed the bad by such a huge margin that I almost can’t remember the bad.

It started out on a somber note, even though I was a little excited about it – unemployed, scared for the health of my mother as she struggled with newly diagnosed breast cancer, coming to grips with the likelihood that I’d be alone for the rest of my life in my little one bedroom Valley apartment with my cats.

Somewhere along the way I picked up as a publisher’s assistant for an Irish newspaper and webmaster for an incredible congressional candidate. Mom’s lumpectomy was wildly successful and now she’s doing very well. I decided that everyone else was right and that George Clooney was damned hot. Somehow my love life was jumpstarted and I went on a lot of first dates (though none of them were with George Clooney). I gained a roommate and a new apartment, though I lost my beloved neighborhood.

Unfortunately, I also lost my dearly beloved Noel, he who was my dearest companion – feline or human – for thirteen years. I’m still filled with extraordinary sadness and I wonder if I’ll ever stop missing him. Also, BabySis moved to Florida, which frequently causes the corners of my mouth to turn downwards. My health has been giving me quite the scare as of late, though nothing has yet been diagnosed. Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status.

And now? I’m working at JPL, which excites me to no end. I’m making pretty okay money, which is nice for once. In a few weeks I’ll be running to be delegate to the California Democratic Party, which would be very interesting if I get it. I’ll be part of a progressive slate, which will up my chances of being elected.

But most astounding for me? I have a boyfriend. One I’ve been seeing for almost six months. And we’re still getting along very well. Like any couple, we have moments where there are arguments, but we talk it out and try to come to some sort of resolution. We love each other like crazy, which is a wonderful feeling. But we also have enough history between the two of us that our feet remain on terra firma even when our heads are in the clouds.

Turning 40 seemed to have worked out for me. Thank you, 2006.

Here’s hoping that 2007 is even better for all of us.

Yesterday I was walking about the lab, as I am wont to do during lunch, and I spied a board announcing an upcoming talk. Imagine my interest when I read the title:

The copy reads:

The IAU and the Pluto Affair

Join Lars Lindberg Christensen for a glimpse into last summer’s biggest astronomy story, Pluto’s fall from planetary status.

Lars Lindberg Christensen is a press officer for the International Astronomical Union. He tells a tale of intended and unintended out comes – of what was expected to be a simple judgment by an august scientific body, that turned into a major global story generating huge headlines for day.

It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s definitely chaotic. It’s the process of scientific review and arbitration and public communications, all colliding on a worldwide stage. The result: Maybe the most public conversation about space science in decades.

You bet your bippy I’m going to be there…

One never knows what an IM conversation will yield. It may inadvertently place the fate of innocent planets in the hands of madmen. Or bored office workers:

me: How’re ya holding up?
jim.etchison: Good!
jim.etchison: PM Hey, did you read my friend’s idea about submitting a bill where the FCC would mandate that no news programs be subject to ratings?
me: I did read that, actually, I think that would be an excellent idea. I wonder if the Congress as it’s currently forned would go for it, though. Hopefully Dems will take at least one (if not both) the House and Senate in a few weeks. *crosses fingers* Then it might have a chance at passing.
jim.etchison: So how do I write a bill and pass it through congress? LOL
me: Hee! Good luck with that! Got any congress folks you can blackmail? That’ll be a good start.
jim.etchison: ROFL
me: I work at a place that is one of top technological institutions in the world. You think they’d get the air conditioning/heating working.
jim.etchison: which institution is that?
jim.etchison: Oh yeah, JPL
me: Unfortunately I think they’re using something that was considered space-age back in the 60s. Maybe even the 70s.
me: Damned non-profits.
jim.etchison: But still. You work with Mars and shit.
me: Dude, Mars rawks! I still miss Pluto, though. My poor, poor Pluto…
jim.etchison: Take heart. Pluto won’t know of its status change for 3 or 4 Pluto-years.
jim.etchison: He’s happily orbiting our sun thinking he’s a planet.
me: Yabbut, it’s still wrong.
me: But what about all those poor Scorpios? They’ve lost their ruling planet!
jim.etchison: OMG! I totally never thought about that!
me: See? I mean, when’s your b-day?
jim.etchison: Jan 14
jim.etchison: I’m a Capricorn, but all my planets are in Uranus.
jim.etchison: heh
me: Capricorn! Rawk on!
me: Hardee har har.
me: BTW, my new BF? Also a Cap – Jan 11.
me: My dear friend [MusicianMan](whom you met at my b-day party last year) – also a Cap at Jan 12.
jim.etchison: WooHoo! we rock
me: Imagine if they said Saturn was no longer a planet. Wouldn’t you feel unrooted?
me: At least no one’s gonna touch my Venus…
me: Wait, that came out wrong.
jim.etchison: heheh
jim.etchison: My planet is Saturn?
me: Yep! You’re saturnine.
jim.etchison: But wait … there are 12 zodiacal symbols. Do I share Saturn with any non-Capricorns?
me: Nope, Capricorns get Saturn all to themselves.
me: The sun and moon are also included. Sun=Leo and Moon=Cancer.
jim.etchison: And we have the prettiest planet.
jim.etchison: That’s still only 11
jim.etchison: Is the earth one?
me: Nu’uh! Venus is way prettier.
me: I can’t remember – hang on…
me: It looks like Mercury does double duty, which I didn’t realize: Gemini and Virgo. That surprises me.
me: That’s right – Earth wouldn’t be a ruling planet because we’re born on Earth – it’s not in the heavens/starscape when we’re born.
jim.etchison: If the universe were a corporation, it would assign all the Scorpios to Mercury as well.
me: Poor Mercury is overloaded as it is! Which is why you’re right.
jim.etchison: Mercury is obviously the planet that is “picked on.” Can you imagine if Pluto had had two zodiacal groups to care for?
me: It’s just a teeny planet – it couldn’t have taken it. Now, Jupiter – there’s a plant that can take on multiple signs.
me: Check this out: http://www.astrology-numerology.com/symbols.html
jim.etchison:Anyway, taking on a 3rd group would represent only a 33% increase in duties. For any other planet, it would be a 50% increase, so obviously that would have the lowest impact.
jim.etchison: I smell a blog posting.
me: For you or me? Because I was thinking about posting this lil’ chat, if you don’t mind…
jim.etchison: Whaaaa!
me: What?
jim.etchison: OK, you can have it.
jim.etchison: I had already started writing the e-mail from the universe to Mercury. LOL
me: You can write that and post it and I’ll be lazy and post this chat and link to your email!
jim.etchison: heheh
jim.etchison: deal
me: We’re playing with the futures of planets, ya know…
me: But I’m sure Mercury will thank you.
jim.etchison: we’ll see. LOL
jim.etchison: Oh but wait
jim.etchison: didn’t we inherit a new planet?
me: Nope, don’t think so.
me: Xena (aka UB 133 – I think) is in the same classification as Pluto.
me: BTW, you Caps? Big ol’ thumbs up from me.
jim.etchison: Capricorns are the best … and I have the added complication of (honestly) having ALL my planets in the opposite part of the universe, which gives me an extremely high-level viewpoint, but able to be extremely balanced.
me: Well, I don’t know about the best (we Taureans rock the hizzouse, baby), but y’all are cool.
jim.etchison:I should be the freaking president.
me: Go for it!
me: See, I tend to be pretty balanced as well. I used to think my rising sign was Libra, because I can usually see both sides to the majority of issues, but I found out that I have four planets in earth signs, four in water, one in air and one in fire. So basically I’m mud, but I’m very balanced mud. And my rising sign is Virgo.
me: Well, gotta be going now – have an excellent evening!
jim.etchison: posted

Pluto is Now Just a Number: 134340

KHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *takes deep breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!!!!!!

(I just don’t have Shatner’s breathing control.)

A big congrats to my inadvertent blog daddy, John Scalzi, for winning the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer at LAConIV. An award well-deserved, I might add. If you like SF – especially Heinlein-influenced SF – check out Old Man’s War . It’s pretty damned good.

*************************
Upon reading my Pluto entries, CuteNerdBoy sent me the following email:

Subject: the Pluto-spawned protest you’ve been looking for

Metroblogging Los Angeles – Pasadena Pluto Protest.

It’s no rioting or looting in streets (where are my overturned golfcarts and flaming trash cans?), but it’s a start.

More protests against Pluto’s demotion can be found at:
Worth 1000: Save Pluto
Make Very Excellent Mnemonics: Just Start Using Noggin!
A Glimmer of Hope for Pluto?
PleaseSavePluto.org
Reinstate Pluto as a Planet
Little Pluto

See what happens when ya start messin’ with Pluto, IAU? I’d be carefully reconsidering that vote, if I were you…

Pluto is no longer a planet.

To paraphase Mike Brown: “Pluto’s dead, Jim.”

Athena Scalzi said it best: “Pluto’s been demoted? That’s crap!”

*looks out building window*

WTF? Still no rioting? Freaking physicists and engineers. Don’t have a clue of how to protest a major upheaval like this.

Probably Pluto-Haytas, one and all. Don’t worry, Cthulhu will get you. You and your little dog, too.

So there’s been all sorts of discussion as of late regarding Pluto’s place in the planetary scale of the galaxy, as in, “Is it really a planet? Or just a comet?” (Check out John Scalzi’s Whatever for some serious Plutonian hub-bub, including a video in which a Pluto-Hayta gets his just desserts…)

Well, the International Astronomical Union has declared that, not only is Pluto still a planet, but under the new rules, we have another three planets to boot: Ceres, Charon and 2003 UB313. Previously Ceres was classified as an asteroid, Charon was considered a Plutonian satellite and 2003 UB313 (nicknamed Xena) apparently was just known as a far-out Pluto-sized object.

And yes, this is causing a hell of an uproar in the scientific community. Frankly, I’m surprised I’m not seeing rioting in the halls of JPL.

Maybe I should set a trashcan on fire. Just so folks realize what we’re dealing with here…

NOTE: This was just a proposal put forth by the IAU – the actual vote by the IAU membership won’t be until next week. I love this line from the Space.com article: “IAU members will vote on the proposal Thursday, Aug. 24. Its fate is far from clear.” (emphasis mine)

That sounds pretty ominous. What’ll happen if the proposal is voted down? Are we going to Death Star Pluto and the other bodies in question out of existence?

Maybe, once the vote comes down, then I’ll see scorched overturned golfcarts throughout the lab.