When I was a kid, the space race was in full swing. Project Mercury was over and done with, Project Apollo was still in the future but NASA still had to practice teamwork and docking in space. The learning exercise was a two-man capsule dubbed Project Gemini. It was my favorite era of the race to the moon.
Every day, twice a day, when I climb into my tank, I think about the brave men, with the right stuff, that climbed into pill bottles smaller than the one I’m in every day. The big difference is that my capsule never leaves the floor while theirs were launched into space.
My best friend in those days was Jim. We admired our brave astronauts, so much so, that we wanted to be astronauts ourselves. Every kid did in those heady days. We went so far as to find some large sheets of cardboard and make our own space capsule simulator. We flew simulated missions and called our endeavor, “Project Jim and I.”
Of course, our capsule never left the ground. Neither does my tank, but that doesn’t stop me from comparing my hyberbaric chamber to the capsules of the 1960’s. The big difference is NOT that my tank doesn’t fly. (Neither did the freezer box simulator.) The big difference is the realization that I would never allow my ass to be strapped to a roman candle.
Since Friday, though, my left ear just won’t pop. I’m pretty sure the eustachian tube (my friend, Jim, the other half of Project Jim & I, used to call it the Earie Canal) is inflamed or clogged. I’m going to take two Sudafeds tonight and see if it clears overnight.
I’m reading in the tank as I am allowed to take in a book. I read large print versions because reading through the helmet is like reading through the back window of an old convertible.
10 down - 20 to go. I’m 1/3 of the way there!