a tin can and some shoestring...

[saturn]

After this year's Gil/Sara debacle I needed to take a break from CSI. I just went back and watched the final six episodes of the season and remembered all the reasons I love the show Grissom. I particularly enjoyed the episode written by the "Two And A Half Men" writing team. The writer swap was a gimmick but it worked perfectly for one episode. As for the season finale, I knew Warrick was going to die but I kept hoping for some sort of miracle reprieve. I'm not sure that I buy the Under Sheriff as the mole and, even if I do buy it, I don't see the point in killing Warrick. All that's going to do is ensure the CSIs solve the case and the Under Sheriff would know that. I hated that Warrick died alone. I hope next season picks up right where this left off because part of grieving for characters is tied to grieving with the characters who loved him.

Man, I'm going to miss Warrick. Does anyone know if it was Gary Dourdan's choice to leave? I know he's had personal issues lately but I'm not sure how that relates to his leaving the series. (And, wow, did they ever close the door on a possible return.)

Is anyone else still watching CSI?

Also on my current viewing schedule is the Discovery channel series, When We Left Earth:

When We Left Earth is the story of mankind’s greatest adventure, leaving the earth and living in space. For the first time this series has digitally re-mastered the original film and audio recordings from NASA’s vault, including and all the key on-board footage filmed by the astronauts themselves. From John Glenn's Mercury mission to orbit the earth, to Neil Armstrong’s first historic steps on the moon, to the unprecedented spacewalks required to repair the Hubble telescope, these epic stories are shown in stunning clarity and told by the astronauts and engineers who were there.

The narrative is forced into digest form simply as a function of the time allotted but the footage is spectacular as is the first hand commentary from the astronauts and flight directors. What really gets me, though, are the images of civilians watching the earliest launches. There was one shot of a woman in her 50's clutching her breast as she watched a Redstone rocket launch a Mercury astronaut into space. This is someone who was born before air travel was possible and here she is, with awe and wonder, watching a man leave Earth.

If anyone is watching and is interested in more details about the early days of NASA, here are some book recs:

Failure Is Not An Option by Gene Kranz. I've always been very focused on the early days of space flight from the astronauts' POV but Failure Is Not An Option gives voice and heart to the cast behind the scenes of the NASA program.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. This is the classic story of the earliest days of space flight.

A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin. A Man on the Moon is specific to the Apollo missions and was the basis for the HBO series, From the Earth to the Moon. It's probably the best book you'll find about the Apollo missions.

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton. Moon Shot isn't quite up to par with A Man on the Moon but it's from the perspective of two of the firsts – who had their own interesting journeys in the space program – and it's a nostalgic favorite of mine.