When I was 9, I observed my first eclipse. It was a partial, it was uneventful, and I missed recess. Lowell Elementary School herded all the squirrely children into the library and gym because they didn't trust little kids not to look at the sun. (They're right, kids are stupid and I totally would have burned my retinas by gazing into the sun). As the librarian held up a cardboard sheet with a hole in it, a handful of kids huddled around to watch a dime-sized shadow on the