1969

Lots of stuff happened in 1969. Lots. Some would even say an entire years worth of stuff somehow got crammed into 1969. I, however, want to focus on one particular thing. The one thing everyone thinks of when they hear the year 1969. No, not you f-ing hippies who think current civilization would not exist without Woodstock. Seriously, no one cares. The thing everyone else thinks when they hear the year 1969. Again, not free love. They think of the moon. You all think of the moon. Come on. Think of the moon.

I wonder if there was a meeting at NASA prior to mission to the moon that covered etiquette upon landing? Some kind of "we are first, the world will be watching" kind of speech. Maybe I am jaded from having grown up in the world of spin. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that some suit on the ground decided who looked the best and had the best voice. And Neil would be first out the door and would memorize a couple of lines that a speech writer wrote. Maybe that is the way it would happen today. Actually, if we were headed to the moon for the first time prolly Dubbya himself would go and declare it part of the United States and set up some oil rigs to "see what's goin on under there." Either that or one of the Baldwins, Prolly Alec would go. I like to think, back in 1969, that from the time they lived through landing on the moon, it was a race. Who could get that giant suit strapped on the fastest. Shoving each other around, shutting off oxygen hoses on the other guys suit, hiding gloves... anything to ensure you would be the first out the door. Good thing I wasn't there. I would have hid everyone's boots the day before. I prolly would have been sleeping in most of my space suit in anticipation of being the first one outside. Who cares if it could kill me, its the freaking moon son, and I would be the first one on it. I would not have walked out slowly either, I would have jumped over the hand rail, or down the ladder, or whatever it took. I would have proclaimed "I just jumped down the ladder and I am on the fucking moon! I am the first guy here EVER! NASA? Houston? Are you listening to this? I am on the damn moon! Collins? Aldrin? Your boots are in the tank of the space toilet. History will remember my name, and 'where's my boots?' won't even be a footnote, bitches!"