Breakfast with an Astronaut

Remember when you were a kid, and a teacher asked you to write about what you wanted to be when you grew up? The first time I wrote about it, I picked "Astronaut". How many of you did, too?

I am now a volunteer writer. I obviously changed my mind. Big time.

Imagine my excitement finding out about a free event, where I can have breakfast with Canada's first female astronaut!

"Dr. Roberta Bondar has an impressive resume" is THE understatement of the year. Not only is she Canada's first female astronaut, but when she was on the space shuttle Discovery in 1992, she became the world's first astronaut / neurologist. In 2003, Time Magazine named Bondar one of North America's Best Explorers. She's in the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Bondar is also a prolific speaker and photographer. Holy Sh**.

As an astronaut and photographer, she is often tapped to speak about the environment. On August 1, in the early 7 a.m., I am excited to see that there is a free breakfast and speech by Bondar. Gather in the Planetarium's lobby, eat with fellow enthusiasts, then check out a presentation on our planet.

I'm hoping there will be a chance later in the morning to pull Bondar aside and ask, "What did you want to be when you were a kid, imagining your adult years?" I wonder if she'll say, "Volunteer writer."

Photo of Roberta Bondar courtesy of Roberta Bondar Astronaut Enterprise.