The strict training of Zen priests, the daily physical chores, the undifferent wrestling with koans, the long hours of sitting in meditation, and the special intensive periods of exercise are all directed toward this end.

Some days we gracefully ride the crest of the wave all the way into shore, and the next day it crashes over us and takes us under. Which waves we catch and which ones catch us is anyone's guess.

I had to land with a dead stick.

The Proton's second stage avoids ullage issues by hot-staging, allowing the engines to ignite while still being pushed by the first stage, but this necessitates the use of a special open trusswork in the interstage area to prevent the superheated second-stage exhaust from blowing up the rocket.