austerian petra -Now I can, he said, and walked toward the cabinet. He opened it and pulled out a can of soup. Walking back to the stove and glancing down at his naked body he had a sudden premonition that he would somehow burn one of his more sensitive parts on the stove. He decided to save soup for later. He took the long winding staircase up to the observatory. It was a clear night, excellent for stargazing. He activated the switch for the nuclear telescope and the reactor hummed to life. He aimed the telescope toward Orion and watched. -Beautiful, he thought aloud. The image of the middle star of Orion's belt suddenly disappeared. He thought the lens must have fallen off again. He dashed down the stairs and out the door, not caring if his snobby neighbors saw his naked frame. He searched for several minutes, not finding any sign of the lens on the thick, scratchy grass. He looked up at the nuclear telescope, and saw that the lens was, in fact, still attached. Puzzled, he glanced up at the sky, and saw that the stars were going out, one by one. 000530 ... phil time to get out the mixed drinks 020513 what's it to you? who go blather from