Finally got out and watched an iridium flare yesterday evening. Couldn't miss this one since it's epicenter was basically on the house and it's magnitude was -8. So we ate dinner, me a little motre rushed than everybody else. I paced around for ten minutes knowing there is no use in watching the sky until the appointed minute. Pulled out the old Ranger and measured what altitude to be looking. the bearing was quite easy. At just a couple minutes before we all went outside and looked up.

Now this is always a strange moment. For a couple reasons. Any neighbor could look out at us standing motionless and silent, staring up at the same point in the sky and really wonder. But the more significant issue is "will this dissapoint." I had never seen one before, only read about them. I tried not to build it up. Just described we would see a bright starlike flash for a few seconds. I described what it was reflecting off of and it was just sunlight. And we waited.

Just at the point the neck began to say "okay already", it happened. Bright and silvery, and over about two seconds, the flare appeared in the still blue sky at the appointed time and location. It was not a flash. It built in intensity, peaked and dropped away smoothly.

A small chorus of "cool"s and some excitement behind Ember's eyes told me it met expectations. Chris Peat has a fabulous tool with http://heavens-above.com/

Need to get out of doing every event!

Was not intending to use this feature much. But was thinking about a vivid dream I had last night. This is as good a place as any to record it. Occassionaly this stuff comes true or at least seems like you dreamed it before.

I was pulling into the driveway of what felt like a house I owned. Not my current house though. Ranch style, garage to the right of the front door. Porch along the front of the house. Reds and browns for colors on the house. Don't remember the trim color. Between the garage door and the porch, lined by a walk, was a small landscape planting. The planting has a couple large stones in it, the tallest a dark color and about two feet tall. The driveway is concrete and level. About two cars wide. The car felt like mine but not my current car. It was small, like a compact.

I've been thinking alot about replacing my current Sentra lately.

I was going into the driveway too fast, or at least faster than is prudent. But not crazy fast. I pressed the brake and slowed, but my foot slipped off the brake pedal. I tried to get my foot back to the brake pedal but could not. I steered to the planting to hit the stones rather than the garage.

This all seemed very logical and full of thought. I've experienced that accelerated thought in crisis before. The dream was very vivid.

I remember the impact with the stones but not the impact of my body on the steering wheel. By my dreamed injuries, I assume I hit the steering wheel. I felt a few teeth in my mouth (canine & bicuspid region of lower left side) pushed into my mouth. My chest felt bruised. I was slightly left of the steering wheel and what seemed crowded against it, like the seat was too far forward.

Could this be how Tom was? I think that was a head on. But he made it to the windshield if I remember right.

I was trying to get out of the car, feeling relatively okay. The air bag deployed even at that low speed. My guess is 15 mph. I was a little frustrated with the bag and being up against the steering wheel. I was thinking I thought they deflate quickly, but I guessed there was not much room between the column, me and the seat.

I got out of the car thinking other than the damaged car, everything is good. And then dropped to the ground involuntarily. Lying there, looking up, I recognized that my wife's van isn't home. The kids are home from school. I need to get up so they don't get frantic about this. I was never in a panic, just a feeling of this is important.

About that time I woke up.

Face down on the mattress.