Forever Mankind

I came across this speech in my Bathroom Reader this morning. I've read it before, but it's worth reading a second time, and sharing with others.

This was written by William Safire, for President Nixon to read in case of a 'worst case scenario' in the Apollo 11 mission. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, but there was always the possibility they might not make it back. Here's what we would have heard the President read if they didn't.

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice. These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

Pictures of our new house

I'm not sure why that map doesn't seem to be working, sorry about that.  Anyway, I stopped and took a few pics of the new house on my way in to work today, so check it out! 

(Sorry for the quality, pics were taken with my cell phone as the wife forgot to charge the battery in our digital camera!)

Once more, with Feeling!

We just got a call from the owner of the house we had applied to rent, and we're to sign papers this afternoon.  At this point, I'm thrilled that the previous deal fell through, as I like this house a great deal more than the apartment we were looking at before.  It's a bit smaller, I think, and the small bedrooms will be an issue, but it's also less expensive, and an all around nicer place. 

I'll take the camera with this afternoon and take some pictures to share.  For those familiar with the area, it's on 11th Avenue, just a few blocks from Ryan's school on 41st St.  It's a 'Molette' house, which apparently means it's a slab house, with floor heat, and with a steel frame. If you want to know more, ask. 

Here's an aerial view of the house, courtesy of Windows Live Maps.  It's the one near the middle of the picture, with the uglyish green house next to it. 

Another possibility

Last night Allison left a message in response to a new ad that had just appeared in yesterday's paper.  The add offered a house for rent, but not a lot of details.  Just before 9pm, the lady called back, described the home, and provided us with an address to drive by.  At the time, we happened to be out at the store, and not far from the address, so we stopped to check it out.

We were impressed enough with the outside to call back this morning and setup a viewing.  Other than fairly small bedrooms, we're quite impressed with the house, and have already filled out an application and faxed it back to the owner.  The landlord owns a local construction company, and as such claims to take a lot of pride in her rental properties.  In speaking with her, she sounded like a very reasonable lady, and even had no qualms with renting to pet owners.  At this point, we're back to the waiting game, but it definitely sounds promising. 

Wish us luck!

And the search continues. . .

We met tonight with the landlady and her husband of the apartment we thought we'd be moving to.  After we put down a deposit on the apartment, the landlady called and said that her husband didn't want to accept our ferrets.  Tonight they came over to see the ferrets and cage.  After a brief meeting with them, the husband offered to allow our pets in exchange for a $500 non-refundable pet deposit.  (More than double the $200 pet deposit initially agreed to by his wife.) 

As such, we've decided at this point not to accept the apartment.  It's a decent place, but not a must have, and with them already jerking us around before we've even moved in, this may not be the landlord we want to work with.  So, back to apartment hunting we go!