Every once in a while, I get caught up in thinking about the future. You could say that such behavior commands more respect than getting caught up in the past, but in reality, it’s about as effective. Someone said, “You use the past and plan for the future”. The essential thing, of course, is not to loose sight of now. As it has been said: Live now!

Still, I think some about what is coming down the road. I used to say, “I can’t wait until such and such gets here”. Now I just wonder if I’ll be around when it comes around. Achieving advanced age has its disadvantages, subtile though they be. (That was a joke)

When I think of how far the human race has come in my brief time and then push that out to the future, well, I can’t even begin to imagine those headlines.

The space shuttle just made its last liftoff into orbit. It has yet to be determined what the next project will be. Mars? What, in God’s name would we be doing on Mars? To me, it seems like another thinly disguised “social” program for over achieving geeks and salivating corporations waiting to become ultra rich at public expense.

Are you telling me that the advances made in such programs can not be made without some probe into the beyond of Dark Star?

Here’s one for you. Throw off the blinders the automobile industry has placed on the American psyche and get serious about rail service that’s affordable and available. Interstate right of way could be the passenger corridor, leaving existing freight systems in place. I can just imagine this conversation: “I’ll tell you one thing, Honey, this is the last time I’m driving 20 hours to St. Louis to see your mother. We’re taking the Zephyr next time”. It could be a commuter rail on steroids.

The airlines? Get real. Those people have had their shot. I’ve been treated like a piece of third class freight by those jerks for the last time. If you have to be in Hong Kong tomorrow go on and submit to the ordeal, but for continental travel I’ll choose the more human scale rail.

Ah, well, the future is, after all, just a bit of dreaming, isn’t it? I think I need more darkroast.