I have an odd morning ritual. When I arrive at work and boot up my computer, one of the first things I do is visit the 'Astronomy Picture of the Day' website (apod.nasa.gov). I always wanted to be an astronaut, but since that isn't possible, I try to take a minute each morning to marvel at the cosmos vicariously through images. Some of my favorites are of nebulae, the enormous clouds of dust, hydrogen, and plasma that over many millennia become stars. This dragon was inspired by nebulae and my never lost dream of spaceflight. The quote is from Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and mystic.
