Tonight we should be able to see the Perseid meteor shower if today's bank of heavy clouds goes away and light pollution doesn't spoil the show.

I remember the first time I saw the Perseids. I was at a drive-in with a friend during a university break. The movie was too stupid to capture my attention, so I was scanning the sky for constellations. Tim thought I was nuts when I distracted him from the on-screen action to look at the meteors.

It was a good display that year; I saw about 20 in the remaining hour of the movie. I hope I catch a few this year. I like being reminded of my place in the universe--a tiny speck of animate carbon on a pebble orbiting a spark of fire.