No shuttle launch today

Boo for the low-level cutoff sensors in the external tank! And can I just say, I'm a little miffed that the Shuttle is actually launching this summer. One of the (small) reasons I decided to quit my job when I did was because it didn't sound like there was any way that STS-114 would launch before November, so it didn't matter if I stuck around for the summer. Now that it looks like it's going to happen, I REALLY wish I could be there for it. So, of course, the entire U.S. space program should have consulted my schedule before they decided on launch windows.

This afternoon I went running in Seward Park. It's quite a ways south of where I live, but I had heard that it was another one of Seattle's great parks for walking, running, biking, and just generally being outside, so I thought it would be worth the trip on an otherwise dull Wednesday. It turns out they don't call that area "Rainier Beach" for nothing - as soon as I turned the corner into the park - WHAM! There, floating above Lake Washington in some hazy clouds, was Mt. Rainier. I couldn't have put the scenery together better if I had arranged it myself. I've decided that I need to start bringing my camera with me everywhere I go, because Seattle is such a beautiful city.

Speaking of pictures, this is one that I took several weeks ago down by Pioneer Square. It had rained the day before and left big puddles throughout the square, and so I took a picture of the reflection in the puddle. A friend of mine had taken a bunch of pictures of that same thing and had rotated hers to make it appear that you were actually looking at the city, and I thought it was a really neat effect. Mine didn't turn out quite as well, but you get the idea.