For Christmas, much to my surprise and delight, I recieved the Cosmos Box Set. I've been slowly watching the 13 episodes (now about a 1/3 of the way through, yesterday's quote was from Ep 3) and am amazed at how well they've held up over the last 20 years. I remember watching them when I was younger, and immediately decided I wanted to become an astronomer.

Alas, that did not happen, as I ended up choosing to persue computer science instead, however part of me is still mesmerized by space. And I guess part of the reason is because it is so...big. Just trying to imagine the enormity of space can give one headaches, but it can also be therapeutic as well. It is very easy to get wrapped up in one's own small microcosm, and forget their place in the world. When you travel outside of this small blue planet and look at it from the outside, you begin to realize how insignificant some things really are, and how much more is really out there than just the daily grind. In Cosmos, Carl Sagan wraps these types of thoughts up beautifully, in ways I don't think anyone else ever has, or really ever could. His subject isn't just about space, it's about being human.