As I drove up the winding road to Twin Peaks, I idly mused upon the popularity of my life's work as I contemplated the El Nino weather patterns. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 15 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 76. It seemed just like a glimmer of the Big Bang. After that, I tracked down B 642 in Corvus. It looked a bit like Santa Claus. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I had a chance to see IC 387. It seemed just like a swarm of bees. Then, for a real challenge, I stumbled upon IC 631 in Draco. It was easy, just like the eternal nothingness of being. After that, I checked out NGC 5253 in Lynx. It appeared at low power like black pearls on flocked paper. With that checked off my list, I checked out Abell 96 in Sagittarius. It sparkled like a Black Rider hunting for Frodo.
After a short break to have a smoke, I tracked down M 71. It appeared as a faint puff of nothingness, with a suspected, but not confirmed, central star.
Finally, it was time to pack up and leave. As I drove home, I contemplated the events of the night, and realized that any night out under the sky with good friends is better than phone sex.