The last
time I had the chance to see a total eclipse of the sun was 11 August 1999.
I was in
Belgium with my mother, who it must be noted can be a bit hysterical at times – and
thinks everyone else in the world is a moron.. She proceeds to flip out and
drag me down into the subway so that I would not be tempted to stare at the
event and thus burn my retinas, etc.…
She misses the concept that it was a total eclipse, and that for a few brief moments one could safely view the eclipse with the naked eye, as the sun was completely covered... Also there were hundreds of thousands of special glasses being sold throughout the city.. But do we buy a couple pairs? Nope.
Did I
mention she’s a bit hysterical? [2]
Fourteen years and
some change later.
A hybrid solar eclipse decides to waltz across Equatorial Africa.
And here I am living on
the Tropic of Capricorn in Africa…[3]
Anyway.. My eyesight
is still intact (or at least any damage done to them wasn’t done so today)…
And
unfortunately, I was too far south on the African continent to see a full solar
eclipse…
I'm not bitter... Maybe a little.
[1]
[2] Apologies, Mother, but its the truth. You went a bit cracked on the streets of Brussels that day.[3] And now I’m thinking of Seinfeld and late fees at the NY Public Library..