Rocketman.

 

“And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find

I'm not the man they think I am at home

Oh, no, no, no

I'm a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone.”

I have never been in space, nor do I plan to do it anytime soon. If you read a recent “Snap. Shot.” about how when I spin around I get sick, you can probably understand how much I would enjoy being weightless, confined in a small space, and propelled forward at 25,000 miles per hour. I can’t even imagine the fun. NOT.

Growing up, space travel was really something special. We would watch the take off on one of the networks (they all showed it) and until a safe return, the entire nation would follow their journey. Astronauts were celebrities that most knew by name, and if they didn’t, just mentioning the word would capture attention. 

I believe the same was true with airline pilots—-just on a smaller scale. If you have seen the movie, “Catch Me If You Can,” I really believe pilots were on a pedestal that was pretty much on the same level as a doctor, politician, or dentist. (Okay, maybe not a dentist…at least not in my book.)

The way we as kids felt like we were part of the space program was by building miniature rockets that could fly with the help of an engine or a toss. However, the amount of time and energy that went into their creation did not warrant the result. Often there would be a mishap when taking off, or the engine would catch on fire—the result was pretty much the same…a loss.

A number of years ago, when I was working at Smithsonian Magazine, we hosted an event where a “real live breathing astronaut” was the guest of honor. His name was Leroy Chiao and he not only showed up, he was grateful to be there; in other words, he was very humble and we were in awe. I looked him up on line and he is now 60 years old; it’s apparent that flying was good for him as he really does look very similar to the day we met him. Okay, he has aged a bit, but we all have! One thing I remember…he walked in space. Can you imagine how that must have felt? I would have been sick.

The photo above was taken recently at “All Chocolate Kitchen”…as you might suspect, they are a chocolatier. In addition to the chocolate astronaut, they have a dinosaur, a jazz saxophonist, and right in time for Valentine’s Day—“Eros: The Greek God of Love.” In case you are wondering…the “Greek God of Love” weighs 948 pounds. In other words, there’s a lot to love about Eros!

Thanks for stopping by.