Felix, Joe, and the Big Jump

I'm too tired to blog tonight, but I just want to say that I thought this big jump was awesome.

Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner became the first man to break the sound barrier in a record-shattering freefall jump from the edge of space Sunday, organizers said. 

The 43-year-old jumped from a capsule more than 39 kilometers above the Earth, reaching a speed of 1,136 kilometres per hour before opening his red and white parachute and floating down to the New Mexico desert.

Because it proves what I've always said eh? After two or three Red Bulls you can do ANYTHING.

And although I didn't dare open my eyes until it was over, in case his parachute didn't open. 

I really loved this replay...



On the other hand, on a more serious note, I was also glad that Joe Kittinger was there:

Mr. Baumgartner’s 100-strong backup team includes retired U.S. Air Force colonel Joe Kittinger, who had held one of the records the Austrian was trying to break: the highest freefall jump, which Mr. Kittinger made from 31,333 metres in 1960.

Because when he jumped out of a balloon he didn't have all that fancy equipment eh?

Just a lot of guts.

And a surfboard...



So although Felix was great today, I still think Joe was the bravest.

And of course I can relate to both of them eh?

For although I sometimes feel like I'm plunging into the bottomless abyss called Harperland, without a parachute. And it's a horrible feeling.

I do have a parachute, and a surf board.

And it feels like FREEDOM...

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