There are people - many, many people, I am sure - who are right now lining up to take a trip into space.
These many people will have heard of the plan by Virgin Galactic to take folks aboard its SpaceShipTwo on a sub-orbital journey high up in the atmosphere.
The cost of the 3.5-hour mission? A mere $200,000.
Now maybe I'm a tad on the stingy side, but I am not inclined to go on a trip any time soon that costs almost $1,000 a minute. And besides, when I go on a trip, I generally like it to last at least two nights and involve a swimming pool, a queen-sized bed and a lobby bar.
But then again, I imagine I do not have a lot in common with the eventual SpaceShipTwo travellers. They are people who will have an abundance of what's called "disposal income."
They will have had their fill of Mediterranean cruises and African safaris. They will not necessarily pine for a trip that involves a swimming pool, because they will already have grown bored of their own pool - the one that's beyond the tennis courts and the gated nine-hole golf course and 10,000-square-foot caretaker's residence.
They will have heard about Virgin Galactic's offer, of course, and thought to themselves: "Well, now, that might be a moderately enjoyable way of passing an afternoon. Sure beats another dreary week on Crete."
Well, here's what I'd like to say to all those folks: "You can have your tennis court and your golf course, which is probably ridiculously challenging, anyway, and has WAY too many water features.
"You can also have your caretaker's residence, and your caretaker, who is probably sick to death of cleaning up after your horses and your house guests, who are no doubt also sick of Crete and planning to go with you on that sub-orbital journey."
And when it comes to sub-orbital journeys - well, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
If I could, I would tell these folks that a sub-orbital journey sounds just so, well, stupid.
SpaceShipTwo is not likely to be equipped with the things I value in aircraft (i.e., flight attendants pushing snack trolleys), and I am betting passengers will not have the opportunity to watch some really riveting movie. Like Dumb and Dumber, say.
If I could, I would tell them that nothing rivals a weekend in Seattle - or even an overnighter in Bellingham.
Who wants outer space when one can deal with fun things like border crossings?
Chances are, of course, the would-be SpaceShipTwo travellers would peg me as silly.
Or misinformed. Or - yikes - maybe even jealous.
Not so, I'd like to tell them.
I don't envy them their space flights. Not when Seattle awaits.
