about an hour after the star came up, and I joined the others in the staff lounge for breakfast. No meat, of course, but the waffles were fine. I tried the local tea, but I quickly threw it out and found some English Breakfast reserved for the staff.
So far, the trip has cost me about $15,000. The spaceship’s uncomfortable room was $10,000, with all the mediocre food I could eat, and the initial donation to the Fundamentalists of Christ was $4,000. In addition, I spent about $1,000 in Omaha for warm clothes, the kind of garments we never can buy in Texas . The steward on the spaceship wanted a tip, and he left a convenient envelope for it, but I felt I had already paid too much.
I am comfortable knowing my inheritance is in the good hands of the bankers in Austin . If it grows at three percent a year for each of the two years I have agreed to spend here, I will have over three million extra dollars in the bank.
How far I have come, in both distance and comprehension, since I graduated from college in 2129! I know my mother means well with her constant clamoring about my finding a job, but I am comfortable with my life of introspection. And, of course, since I came into my inheritance from my father in 2137, I have been free from the demands of tiresome employers and unsympathetic creditors.
February 29, 2144 – I went into the main street of Overowl today to see what was available. I spent over $500 on some very shoddy goods in the hope that I could fashion a drapery for my only window. The star shines right into my eyes the first thing each day, and I hope I can block it out.
Many curious creatures were there, and I suppose these are our heathens, ready for conversion. Some were dressed in finery and others were huddled in threadbare blankets on the street corners. No one asked me for a handout, but I am sure that will soon come.
I went to both services today, just to get an idea of what will be required. The choir, seven voices strong, sang special numbers and led the hymns. The eight-octave keyboard I was promised is missing an octave, but the organ has three manuals, as advertised. I understand the choir is also self-financed, with only housing and food, such as they are, provided.
The services were sparsely attended by the locals, to start with, anyway. After the organ voluntary and the first hymn, nearly all of them filed out, without apology. Very few stayed for the homily, even though it was in their own language. The Reverend Walters spoke softly and slowly into his translation cube, and the loudspeakers broadcasted his words for all the locals to hear.
Today’s meals were much like yesterday’s, a mixture of common vegetables and pies. The kitchen manager showed me where the staff’s stash of nuts is kept, and I added almonds to the green beans. These nuts are the only non-staple that comes from America , and the manager saves all of them for the staff.
March 1, 2144 – Before I left Texas , I paid for a deluxe cabin. I understand I am on a waiting list, and there are only five people ahead of me, all members of the choir.
Nearly everybody else here seems to be on a plan whereby they work ten or twelve hours a day and are paid a small monthly amount. This was certainly not offered to me. I was recruited as a missionary, to accompany the services and to live in a deluxe cabin.
I have three more days before my predecessor leaves for the spaceport, to return to Indiana or some other small state. She is a lovely woman, of a certain age, and she plays evenly and without much emotion. She has little skill on the organ’s pedals, ignoring the ones too far to the left. The locals seem to listen very attentively while she plays.
A little exploration today around the town of Overowl . This place is very small, with a population of about 25,000 locals and 2,000 Americans. It is very near the planet’s equator, as are most of the population centers here. To the north, even closer to the equator, is the farm
So far, the trip has cost me about $15,000. The spaceship’s uncomfortable room was $10,000, with all the mediocre food I could eat, and the initial donation to the Fundamentalists of Christ was $4,000. In addition, I spent about $1,000 in Omaha for warm clothes, the kind of garments we never can buy in Texas . The steward on the spaceship wanted a tip, and he left a convenient envelope for it, but I felt I had already paid too much.
I am comfortable knowing my inheritance is in the good hands of the bankers in Austin . If it grows at three percent a year for each of the two years I have agreed to spend here, I will have over three million extra dollars in the bank.
How far I have come, in both distance and comprehension, since I graduated from college in 2129! I know my mother means well with her constant clamoring about my finding a job, but I am comfortable with my life of introspection. And, of course, since I came into my inheritance from my father in 2137, I have been free from the demands of tiresome employers and unsympathetic creditors.
February 29, 2144 – I went into the main street of Overowl today to see what was available. I spent over $500 on some very shoddy goods in the hope that I could fashion a drapery for my only window. The star shines right into my eyes the first thing each day, and I hope I can block it out.
Many curious creatures were there, and I suppose these are our heathens, ready for conversion. Some were dressed in finery and others were huddled in threadbare blankets on the street corners. No one asked me for a handout, but I am sure that will soon come.
I went to both services today, just to get an idea of what will be required. The choir, seven voices strong, sang special numbers and led the hymns. The eight-octave keyboard I was promised is missing an octave, but the organ has three manuals, as advertised. I understand the choir is also self-financed, with only housing and food, such as they are, provided.
The services were sparsely attended by the locals, to start with, anyway. After the organ voluntary and the first hymn, nearly all of them filed out, without apology. Very few stayed for the homily, even though it was in their own language. The Reverend Walters spoke softly and slowly into his translation cube, and the loudspeakers broadcasted his words for all the locals to hear.
Today’s meals were much like yesterday’s, a mixture of common vegetables and pies. The kitchen manager showed me where the staff’s stash of nuts is kept, and I added almonds to the green beans. These nuts are the only non-staple that comes from America , and the manager saves all of them for the staff.
March 1, 2144 – Before I left Texas , I paid for a deluxe cabin. I understand I am on a waiting list, and there are only five people ahead of me, all members of the choir.
Nearly everybody else here seems to be on a plan whereby they work ten or twelve hours a day and are paid a small monthly amount. This was certainly not offered to me. I was recruited as a missionary, to accompany the services and to live in a deluxe cabin.
I have three more days before my predecessor leaves for the spaceport, to return to Indiana or some other small state. She is a lovely woman, of a certain age, and she plays evenly and without much emotion. She has little skill on the organ’s pedals, ignoring the ones too far to the left. The locals seem to listen very attentively while she plays.
A little exploration today around the town of Overowl . This place is very small, with a population of about 25,000 locals and 2,000 Americans. It is very near the planet’s equator, as are most of the population centers here. To the north, even closer to the equator, is the farm
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