When the student is ready, Google Earth will come
May 6th, 2006
“I told you about Google Earth. Like, four months ago,” says David. He sounds mildly miffed but he is trying to channel his miffiness into his miserable graphic design job on his laptop, so he doesn’t actually look at me.
“I thought it sounded familiar. But I wasn’t ready then. My brain couldn’t handle it until just last night,” I say.
Nearly imperceptible sigh from the den of graphic design despair. “It’s fine.”
“We looked at my mom’s childhood home. We could see the back porch. We could even see the garage my grandfather died in! Do you believe that! We put the cursor on the roof and my mom said, ‘Wow, my dad died right there in that corner of the carage! Right below the cursor thingie!’ Isn’t that amazing?”
“Really? Huh.” My husband is less than impressed with our macabre application of Google Earth. Mom is in town to see the play, but last night I was sick, so she stayed home with me and we spent an hour and a half looking for satellite images of Remote Places, Places Where People Have Died, and Places Where People Are Buried. This pasttime brought to you by Contrary, who freaked us out with her Google Earth screenshot captures of the cemetery where her grandfather is buried.
We didn’t see any scary faces, but Googling Earth made us feel all Alias and espionage-y even though we were sitting on the couch on an apple-juice–stained Polarfleece blanket covered in dog fur and I was coughing wheezy viral strands all over the computer and my poor mother. Why had I waited so long to explore this miraculous and addictive pasttime? Why had I never flown to the Great Wall of China or the Isle of Lewis or Montauk ON MY LAPTOP?
I was seized with the urge to make a collage for you of all of the places that mean something to me, but then it occurred to me that that would be about as original or interesting as telling you about my very favorite beauty products. Which inexplicably I still want to do really badly but Jane Iredale Pure Pressed Base in Warm Silk I know that RJ and Spot the Wonder Dog Jane Iredale Absence would never come back here after a tedious bit like that DHC Cleansing Oil and I really do appreciate my male readership Blistex so I must not be frivolous. This is a serious blog and pointless frivolity and product endorsements will not be tolerated.
I know where you live and I can tilt your world.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized, Time-out. (General insanity), Boo! (Our resident ghosts)
24 Comments
1. Spot the Wonder Dog | May 6th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
“I know that RJ and Spot the Wonder Dog (blah blah blah) would never come back here after a tedious bit like that (blah blah blah)and I really do appreciate my male readership…”
…AND SIMON GETS -PWN3D-!!!!!!
:P
I do not recognize Blistex as a “beauty product” btw.
2. Jenn | May 6th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
I did not http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwnt Simon. I just thought a sensitive Canadian chap in a cold place like Edmonton would appreciate and echo my love of Blistex. In Canada, Blistex is not a beauty product.
But Blistex is TOTALLY a beauty product in Wisconsin, so there. SPOT’S CHAPPED LIPS GET GIRL-PWN3D!!!!!
3. Contrary | May 6th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Ha. My daughter and I sat there for a good hour pointing out what we saw to each other. Then we watched an episode of Ghosthunters on the SciFi channel. Then, we were so completely creeped out that we never slept again and we had to buy a Starbuck’s franchise to supprt our caffiene habits.
Some people didn’t see anything, which is amazing to me since we could see them so clearly, so I’m about to post them again, only this time with cheesy amatuerish outlines around them. Because I care.
4. Spot the Wonder Dog | May 6th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
j00r 7331 15 teh suk.
ph34r my 733t skilz!
5. Dawn | May 6th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Yeah. We too had a communal obsession with Google Earth for a bit. Then I got wierded out about people seeing me - Like Hey - There she is - send in the vans…
6. JustLinda | May 6th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
It was a little eerie to me, I think Dream Curl by Frizz-Ease but still cool to poke around in…
7. Krisco | May 6th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
And I live in one of those creepy towns that The Government won’t let you Googleview too close.
Just try to zoom in on Los Alamos, NM. I dare ya.
8. Kirsten | May 6th, 2006 at 11:16 pm
But, I come here for the frivolity! (Otherwise, why am I laughing right now?) Just tell the men Frizz-Ease by John Frieda to avert their manly eyes.
Okay, I’ll settle for maps. Because I’m a map geek at heart.
9. Simon | May 7th, 2006 at 10:43 am
$p0t:
¥0µr £33t $k1££$ jµ$t g0t 0wn3Ð.
$µk 1t!
And I had to delete Google Earth from my laptop at work just so, you know, I’d actually get some work done. I can see my driveway from SPACE for crying out loud!! (Need to get that crack repaired.)
10. Sami Zahringer | May 7th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Hey Clare - had a busy jag there for a bit so haven’t been by beaw for a while. I’m glad to hear the play has opened and wish you every luck with it. I’d love to be able to come and see it but this is exactly the wrong weekend for me to think about flying to the Berkshires. Grr. Bloody life, eh?
Very, very good luck, gal!
11. Mom101 | May 7th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
That thing is entirely addictive. Fortunately it’s not all that weird to find your NYC apartments from space. I see it every time I take off in a plane.
12. TreeBob | May 7th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
Blistex is definetely NOT a beauty product!
13. Elizabeth | May 7th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
I love Google Earth. Besides looking up all the houses I’ve lived in, I’ve looked at the Pyramids, Stonehenge, Hoover Dam, and the Great Wall of China. I can see my sister’s swimming pool. Now there’s a new site called WheresYours.com that uses the same mapping to let you pinpoint your favorite places in nature. And waste even more time in front of the computer.
And not to be argumentative, but Blistex/lip balm in general? TOTALLY a beauty product. Is it really going to matter how beautiful the rest of your skin looks if your lips are chapped?
14. Motherhood Uncensored | May 7th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
My huz is obsessed with GE. I on the other hand am just slightly freaked out by it - that and I can’t help but wonder if it’s possible to see my very large, saucer like post-breastfeeding nipples from space. I know - I’m totally egocentric - however, I’m probably not that far off.
15. geogirl | May 8th, 2006 at 6:35 am
No worries on this end. I’ve already looked up where I am living and you can’t see anything because they have the old Landsat imagery which is only 30 meter resolution and makes the area just look like a big green blob. Guess I can keep sunbathing on my balcony.
Be sure to check out Victoria Falls in the northwest corner of Zimbabwe. Amazing!!
P.S. - DHC products rock!! The Olive leaf loation is the only stuff I’ll use on my face!!
16. Jenni | May 8th, 2006 at 6:46 am
I haven’t google earthed for a while, but did you know there’s also a google moon? Check it out, and zoom right in!
17. geogirl | May 8th, 2006 at 7:31 am
Actually, they’ve got a Google Mars out now as well.
http://www.google.com/mars/
18. Vikki | May 8th, 2006 at 10:27 am
I’ve never thought of myself as a user of beauty products but if Blistex counts, my world view just shifted a bit.
19. Sami Zahringer | May 8th, 2006 at 10:54 am
I mean of course, hey Jenn. My bad. Get mixed up as to my whereabouts sometimes. I’m supposed to have a minder with me at all times but she had to stay home today for the plumber.
God. I’m sorry.
I got an email from your Blackpool friend whom I’d been remiss in replying to for a bit, causing her to think she’d committed a terrible Hebridonian faux pas. My bad again. Looks like she made the move!
20. R J Keefe | May 8th, 2006 at 11:12 am
I’m all for beauty products - at least at this wonderful site. It’s fun to think of Jenn playing at being Ava Gardner! Don’t just tease us with names, though. Put the stuff on and let us watch!
21. Spot the Wonder Dog | May 8th, 2006 at 11:44 am
If Blistex is a beauty product then so are band-aids.
22. Janice | May 8th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
I keep hearing about google earth - but I haven’t jumped in yet…I guess like you I am just not ready yet…but I will be soon…i know it is just a matter of time.
Congrats on your play!! - hope you are feeling better soon
23. H.A. Page | May 8th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Weird about the cemetery but Google Earth is really wild and think…we’ll able GPS ourselves and our places with it very soon.
Playing with it reminds me of dreams of flying…
Cheers.
P.S. you sure do get a ton of comments. i’m impressed.
24. Lanne | June 7th, 2006 at 8:09 am
Love GE…. When they snapped the pics, I had my car outside.. and then went to Mums…. so my car appears twice….LOL…
i could see the images properly of the graveyard (contrary).. shame i was really interested. We did the Effiel Tower, Alice Springs and the Rock, all of our homes..pyramids, washington and its features, niagra falls..etc
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