747 with Shuttle Atlantis

I’m at the vaunted Canandaigua YMCA today (Monday, June 1, 2009), blasting away on a fabulous Precor® AMT; one of three.
The northmost wall-mounted plasma baby is tuned to the weather-channel, as normally.
“Atlantis” is atop the 747 Shuttle-carrier, taxiing out to the end of the runway at Edwards.
It turns and points down the runway; PUT THE HAMMERS DOWN!
The 747 begins its slow takeoff roll — it’s taking forever to get any speed.
We’re off to the side, and the 747 is about to pass; and what’s this? The nose is angling up.
It looks like that sucker is actually gonna lift off!
IT’S IN THE AIR, everyone — gear up and climbing. HOLY MACKEREL!

Sadly, in 65 years on this planet I have never seen a 747 take off — that is, not from inside an airplane. We were once inside a Jet Blue jet at Kennedy, and a cargo 747 took off in front of us.
I’m sure a 747 taking off would equal a Connie, or the insanely long takeoff roll of a B-36.

I work out in the Canandaigua YMCA exercise-gym.

“Plasma-babies” are what my loudmouthed macho brother-from-Boston calls all high-definition wide/flat-screen TVs. Other technologies beside plasma are available, but he calls them all “plasma-babies.”

A “Connie” is the Lockheed Constellation, the prettiest airplane ever. (The Convair B-36 was a gigantic bomber with six pusher propeller engines [at first; then four supplementary jet engines were added]. It was the backbone of the Strategic Air Command [about 1950] until jets.)