Huge dilemma

Tonight is the first night with clear skies and good seeing we have had here
in back woods Carroll county Maryland in weeks. The sky is clear, the stars
bright, and only 40some degrees with a high dew point.

Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning. I know a 21 year old
should be able to withstand the lack of sleep, but I put in 6 extra hours
today.

Should I...
1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would help
now and then)

Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....

Joseph Adams:
Tonight is the first night with clear skies and good seeing we have had here
in back woods Carroll county Maryland in weeks. The sky is clear, the stars
bright, and only 40some degrees with a high dew point.

Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning. I know a 21 year old
should be able to withstand the lack of sleep, but I put in 6 extra hours
today.

Should I...
1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would help
now and then)
Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....

This is an easy one. No. 3, even if you know tomorrow night won't be as
good (and the outlook at the Naval Academy and for Anne Arundel County
is for poor skies tomorrow night -- chance of rain the next five days).
Reason: career advancement means better toys, earlier retirement, more
nights under the stars.

Well, gotta run. Skies are great in Anne Arundel Co., too, and I made
some good career choices, and was able to retire at age 49. It's back
outside for me, even though I do need to be up by noon tomorrow ;-)

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

You're lucky to have good skies. Chicago has been clouded for weeks. We
missed the eclipse, the Saturn transit, everything. I'd get out there...you
never know when the next clear day is coming in this season.


"Joseph Adams" wrote in message
...
Tonight is the first night with clear skies and good seeing we have had
here
in back woods Carroll county Maryland in weeks. The sky is clear, the
stars
bright, and only 40some degrees with a high dew point.

Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning. I know a 21 year old
should be able to withstand the lack of sleep, but I put in 6 extra hours
today.

Should I...
1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get
a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would
help
now and then)

Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....

"Joseph Adams" wrote in message
...
Tonight is the first night with clear skies and good seeing we have had
here
in back woods Carroll county Maryland in weeks. The sky is clear, the
stars
bright, and only 40some degrees with a high dew point.

Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning. I know a 21 year old
should be able to withstand the lack of sleep, but I put in 6 extra hours
today.

Should I...
1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get
a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would
help
now and then)

Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....


Your age has much to do with your "dilemma", which should not be a dilemma
in the first place. At the risk of sounding like your father (I'm sure you
must get plenty of that anyway), my advice to you is to develop good habits
and TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS FIRST! There will be _many_ cloudless nights in
the future, but you don't get too many shots at developing a good, strong
career. So I'll take number three...go to bed now.

Al

"Joseph Adams" wrote in message
...
Tonight is the first night with clear skies and good seeing we have had
here
in back woods Carroll county Maryland in weeks. The sky is clear, the
stars
bright, and only 40some degrees with a high dew point.

Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning. I know a 21 year old
should be able to withstand the lack of sleep, but I put in 6 extra hours
today.

Should I...
1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get
a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would
help
now and then)

Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....


First, have a few cold ones while playing Johnny Paycheck's version of
"Take This Job and Shove It" over and over. Then, take course of action
#5. Screw it all. Quit the damn job that makes so many demands on your
time, move to DelMarVa peninsula where there are dark skies, get 20-30 hours
a week at WalMart and another 20-30 at Lowe's, buy a single-wide in any
number of little towns on the DelMarVa, and do what makes you happy.

--
----
JAS

"Al" wrote in message ...

Your age has much to do with your "dilemma", which should not be a dilemma
in the first place. At the risk of sounding like your father (I'm sure you
must get plenty of that anyway), my advice to you is to develop good habits
and TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS FIRST! There will be _many_ cloudless nights in
the future, but you don't get too many shots at developing a good, strong
career. So I'll take number three...go to bed now.

Al

Great advice Al. Except he won't sleep anyway worrying about his
meeting. Secondly, there's an "earth grazing" asteroid coming right
this way on Thursday! vwg
I think I'd still take your advice though. Life is an endless chain
of small decisions. If only we could re-take most of those we took in
our early years. Before we were stuffed full of wisdom from making all
the wrong choices and learning from the experience...

Chris.B

Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....

Too late now but in your situation, I would probably just take a scope out for
an hour or so and then hit the sack.

jon

Sorry I didn't get this 'til morning. I sure hope you picked number one,
otherwise you are a definate Nancy Boy and should have all your scopes
revoked. You'll be old before you know it and regret all the missed
opportunities. You're out observing, not going on a bender and showing up
with a hangover. If you did pick number one, you have permission to
purchase a new eyepiece. Otherwise list everything on
Astromart....IMMEDIATELY.
Greg


"Joseph Adams" wrote in message
...
Tonight is the first night with clear skies and good seeing we have had
here
in back woods Carroll county Maryland in weeks. The sky is clear, the
stars
bright, and only 40some degrees with a high dew point.

Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning. I know a 21 year old
should be able to withstand the lack of sleep, but I put in 6 extra hours
today.

Should I...
1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get
a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would
help
now and then)

Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....

"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...
Know all of you have had this same dilemma in the past....

Too late now but in your situation, I would probably just take a scope out
for
an hour or so and then hit the sack.

jon

For future reference... me too. Some events are worth trashing yourself
over, but they are few and far between, and although it may seem so over the
course of a year, a clear sky isn't really one of them, given a lifetime. I
go all out once every season when the conditions are good at sometime during
new moon week, and then I'm good until the next season (the reason I like
having DSCs). The early spring and late summer are sublime when those
conditions are met.

As for the short sessions, I'll never forget how much I enjoyed one early
October morning in 2001, when it was in the mid-50's F (unseasonably warm).
Orion was in the southeast and Jupiter was overhead. There was a tropical
feel to the air, and the seeing was excellent. All I had out was my little
ST80, a barlow, one low and one high power eyepiece. M42 stood up well, and
although encased in the violet fringe of the F5 achromat, Jupiter looked
sweet. But more importantly was just how good it felt to be outside for the
hour before sunrise in such pleasant conditions.

Hobbies were invented because people need mini-vacations. If the conditions
aren't right, it isn't worth it. I've forced myself out enough times to know
that if it's forced, it just isn't fun. On a related note, I met my new
neighbor (I'm new to the neighborhood), he's building a 1932 Ford coupe from
the ground up using aftermarket parts. It's his hobby. He's currently got
the frame rails, wheels and suspension in place and a 350CI Chevy small
block on an engine stand. He said it was going to take him 5 years to
complete.

Relax.

Stephen Paul
Shirley, MA

Joseph Adams wrote in message ...

Tonight is the first night with clear skies ... in weeks ...
Problem is, I have a huge meeting in the morning, should I:

1.) go out for a good long session, and suffer through the meeting (could
change my career for the better)
2.) go out for a little, meaning only taking my 80mm ST refractor and get a
half way decent night sleep(5 hours or so)
3.) go to bed now and hope tomorrow night is just as good
4.) say f**k it and go out all night like I should and call in sick in the
morning (I mean I already have a good job, but a little more cash would help
now and then)

It's a little hard to take this post at face value, but I'll do so anyway.

If it was me, I would probably do #2. But you have to put that in context;
I can function very close to 100% efficiently on 5 hours of sleep. But
you have told us only half the story, and the less relevant half at that.

What is this meeting, and what does it mean to you? If the only thing
that makes it important to you about it is career advancement, I suggest
looking for a different job; life is too short to devote it to earning
money and spending money -- not if you have any choice whatsoever.

What will happen if you don't go to the meeting? Is somebody depending
on you? Will you contribute something of genuine value if you do go,
or will you just be a pretty face? How important is it for you to be
completely awake and alert? Those seem like the real questions.

- Tony Flanders