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Hello John:
Heard that you stumped Mommy yesterday. Saw and played with your first iguana over at Shannon Lucid's house. When you looked at Mommy with that questioning look of yours, she didn't know how to make the iguana sound. Stick with; you do that one like a champ. And you'll find alot more occasion to use it.
Mommy also said that John Blaha stopped by for a chat yesterday. Shannon and John are two fine people. They completely understand things, having lived it themselves. The next time you see either of them, say wuff-wuff for me, okay?
Friends are important. Without John Blaha showing me the ropes here on the space station during our five day overlap, I'd still be making wrong turns in the "intersection" node. Alright, I'll admit it, I still occasional end up in the wrong module, but I stick with my premise none-the-less.
Eat your food, John. None of that spit out the mashed-up green beans stuff. It'll pay off someday. Here's an example.
I've been working hard on some very complex experiments, re-routing power cables, coming up with some new ways of organizing things on the station-- in general, doing a pretty darn good job around here. Not a word from my Russian crewmates. But today, I ate buckwheat gruel for breakfast, the Russian equivalent of Spam in a can for lunch, and tvordik ("sour cottage cheese"), beet soup, jellied fish, and currant juice for dinner: and were they ever impressed! First American they ever saw put down the whole packet of gruel, they said. And no one else even attempted the sour cottage cheese. I won them over. Mashed-up green beans would be welcomed.
Eat your food. Grow up to be strong, and brave, and true.
Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bugs bite.
Dad.
Back to Linenger's Letters to his Son
Curator:
Kim Dismukes
Responsible NASA Official: John Ira Petty