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Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-06-04
Every once in awhile, I need a break from both “the world sucks” news, and “here is a feel-good story” news. Once in awhile, I just need something weird. And I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one on DKos who feels that way.
So I thought I’d tell you a story tonight.
A couple of months ago I got back into Pokémon Go. I’ve been walking in my neighborhood at night because it’s just too damn hot in the day (welcome to the Sonoran Desert, King of the Hill was absolutely right about us and the hubris of man), and while the light pollution is pretty terrible, there are some stars you can see, especially if you live near the rez like I do. Thing is, when your stargazing is limited to a couple dozen, you get very familiar with them, very quickly.
UFOs in the literal sense of the word—they’re objects that are unidentified and they fly—are actually pretty common here. Yeah, yeah, the weird orbs and zippy lights, we’ve all seen them. We sort of assume either 1) aliens really like the desert or 2) the Air Force base is up to shenanigans again, and we get on with our lives. It’s still kind of cool to try to figure out what this stuff is, though—I actually think I might have spotted something similar to those Chinese spy balloons last year, maybe some kind of anti-Chinese-spy-balloon aircraft or something. Aliens? Probably not. Extremely weird-looking and I’m still mad my camera borked out? Big yes.
Anyway, I was out playing Pokémon Go. I wear glasses, but I can get around my own neighborhood well enough and I actually see my phone better without them, so I wasn’t bothering.
And then I looked up and saw this light zipping around like a dragonfly, at 2am, on a weekend, not on the airplane flight path that goes over my house, when absolutely nobody is going to be testing anything.
What in the hell—?
Here is a spoiler alert about being nearsighted: everything in the sky is a UFO when you’re nearsighted.
So I closed out of the game and opened my camera to try and zoom in for a closer look, cursing myself all the while for leaving my glasses at home and then cursing whatever genius made up streetlights that aren’t focused downward, jogging home and watching this thing just go “whee!!!” off in the direction of the Air Force base.
I got in the house, grabbed my glasses, ran outside…
….and it was gone.
Probably ten minutes I watched this thing and in the thirty seconds it took me to get my glasses, it dipped. And thanks to the light pollution, nothing showed up on my camera (not even the very verifiable stars that should have been visible).
It was probably an advertisement light or police helicopter. Maybe it really was testing down at the base, just at a very odd time of night to avoid prying eyes.
But when you know the likelihood that we’re alone in the universe is basically zero…sometimes you’ve got to wonder. And maybe hope just a little bit that Trump is the next abduction.
Got any weird and unusual stories of your own to share? Stuff you know there’s probably a logical explanation for, but you have no idea what that explanation is and no suggestion so far has quite covered all the bases? Sound off and let’s go into Monday with a little wonder to make the “ugh” that much more bearable.
(And then call your representative about something you want done, because it’s quick and easy and makes a difference.)
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/4/2173358/-Close-Encounters-of-the-Nerd-Kind
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