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Monday, April 11, 2011

Overheard in My Backyard: A Space Odyssey

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR:  My scout ship just landed on Mars. If you're landing behind me, watch out for this dust storm I just picked up on my radar.

SIX-YEAR-OLD:  It's okay. The dust storm won't affect me. My ship just landed on a planet far, far away from Mars, in a different universe. The planet has a name, but that name wouldn't make any sense here.

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR: Another planet? A far away planet? What, you mean Pluto?

SIX-YEAR-OLD (patiently): No, not Pluto. This planet is not in our solar system. My ship just landed on a planet in another universe.  Beyond our solar system. Beyond the Orion Nebula. Beyond the Crab Nebula. Beyond the farthest arm of the Milky Way. Beyond all known galaxies. Beyond the expanding edge of time.

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR: Oh. okay. Well, whenever you're done with that, could you help me out with this dust storm on Mars?