In 'packing For Mars,' I Tried To

Sharing A Room With A Cadaver Is Only Mildly Different From Being In A Room Alone. They Are The Same Sort Of Company As People Across From You On Subways Or In Airport Lounges, There But Not There. Your Eyes Keep Going Back To Them, For Lack Of Anything More Interesting To Look At, And Then You Feel Bad For Staring.

I Dont Fear Death So Much As I Fear Its Prologues: Loneliness, Decrepitude, Pain, Debilitation, Depression, Senility. After A Few Years Of Those, I Imagine Death Presents Like A Holiday At The Beach.

The Suffix 'naut' Comes From The Greek And Latin Words For Ships And Sailing. Astronaut Suggests 'a Sailor In Space.' Chimponaut Suggests 'a Chimpanzee In Sailor Pants'.

The Terms "idiot" And "lunatic" Were Acceptable Diagnostic Terms In England Up Until 1959. "imbecile" And "feeble-minded Person" Were, Likewise, Listed As Official Categories In The 1913 Mental Deficiency Act. England Has Always Lagged A Bit Behind In Discarding Outdated Terms For The Disadvantaged. When I Was There In 1980, It Was Still Possible To Shop For Used Clothing At The Local Spastic Shop. That Is, Compared To The United States, Where It Takes, Oh, About Twenty-five Minutes For A Diagnostic Euphemism To Become A Conversational Faux Pas.

Sexual Desire Is A State Not Unlike Hunger.