Follow-Up: I did a web search on Doctor Joy Shaffer, the author of the interesting article on the future of space exploration that I reviewed in my last entry. It appears that she runs a medical practice that specializes in cross dressers and transexuals, offering services such as body hair removal, fat injections and hormone therapy (actually, she is formerly a he herself). She’s based in California, of course. Talk about boldly going where no one else has gone! Are there many astronauts in drag out there? Perhaps David Bowie’s Major Tom?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the snicker. I realize that Dr. Shaffer provides professional medical services to people with “transgender” issues. But geez, what an eclectic set of interests – space technology and transexuality.

And then again, that’s the trend here in modern America. Because of education and television with a zillion channels and big bookstores and the internet, people today have a million different things that they can get interested in. It’s like a great big smorgasbord, where everyone takes a different combination of foods to make a meal.

Almost no one these days has the same set of interests. If you’re taken by Amish quilts and do some quilting yourself, there’s no reason that you can’t also be a big fan of Latin dancing or college hockey. The average slob that you see watching an NFL game while drinking a beer may also be an expert on the construction of the Pyramids. Someone big into NASCAR racing and tennis may also be interested in forest mushrooms. A person who has voluntarily studied the history of Christian monasticism and the anti-poverty movement in America may also be interested in railroads and collecting stamps (hey, sounds like me!).

So what the heck. To paraphrase the old Chinese curse, “may you live in eclectic times”.