throughout human history, scientists, philosophers, theologians, and others have pondered this beautiful gem called earth floating in the seemingly empty blackness of space. the most influential of the early greek astronomers believed that the earth was at the center

of the universe. this view prevailed in the western world until the 16th century when copernicus advanced the radical notion that the planets orbit the sun instead. then, in the 17th century, galileo pointed a telescope skyward to study the heavens. in his observations of the moons of jupiter, the phases of venus, and the craters of earth's moon, galileo provided startling new astronomical data that strongly supported a heliocentric or sun-centered view of the universe. meanwhile, in central europe, johannes kepler further refined this notion by demonstrating that each planet orbits the sun in a noncircular orbit known as an ellipse. but not until the work of isaac newton was the mystery of planetary motion

finally unraveled with absolute mathematical certainty. in the years since then, countless scientific breakthroughs have provided still more clues about where our planet sits in the celestial scheme of things. yet questions linger as we seek to better understand planet earth. how exactly did this world of ours form, and why is it so different from the other known planets? one characteristic that makes earth unique in our solar system is life. living things can be found virtually everywhere on earth-- high on mountain peaks, in deep ocean basins, in the hottest deserts, and at the icebound poles. life has even been found in such seemingly inhospitable environments as active undersea volcanoes, iand hot, acidic esulfur springs.

the presence of life clearly distinguishes earth from its neighboring planets, but life hasn't always existed here. in fact, when the solar system came into being, an event we estimate occurred about 4.6 billion years ago, earth was a very different planet than the one we know today. the most widely-held scientific theory of the origin of the earth and of the entire solar system was first advanced by the german philosopher immanuel kant... and later by french mathematician pierre simon laplace. they held that the sun and planets condensed from a nebula. support for this idea came with development of more powerful telescopes and spectrometers, which can detect the composition of material deep in space. nebula are created by the explosion of stars

which have exhausted their nuclear fuel. by studying the compositions of nebula, astronomers have found evidence that stars and planets can form from these interstellar clouds. 99% of nebular material is composed of hydrogen and helium gas. but about 1% consists of tiny bits of solid matter-- silicon compounds, iron oxides, carbon, and a host of other materials, all of which are found in the sun and planets. if the force of gravity between the gas and bits of cosmic dust is strong enough, this matter is gradually pulled together. as the nebula contracts, it starts spinning, with heat setting its particles in motion. the further it condenses, the faster it rotates.

the process is something like what happens when a skater condenses himself by drawing in his arms until his body becomes a blur. gradually, the gas and star dust become more and more concentrated at the center of the nebula, heating up to form a star. the material spinning around a new star flattens into a disk, drawn there by gravity from the equatorial bulge created by the star's rotation. over tens of millions of years, dust gathers as clumps in the hot disk. these collide and weld together under the influence of gravity, forming larger objects called planetesimals, which in turn come together to form the planets. the precise details of this accretionary process remain unclear. ultimately, the gases themselves partially crystallize and condense

to form balls of ice. the cloud of material from which the planets form started out as being mostly gas with a small amount of dust. that dust was very fine indeed, but the particles collided with each other, and during those collisions, they stuck with each other so that material started to coagulate into still bigger bodies, so you have to imagine that we went from dust particles all the way up to objects that were kilometers across. those objects were colliding with each other, making still bigger bodies, so that we think of the formation of solid planets like the earth as being a hierarchical process-- a process that starts off with very small things very large in number, towards intermediate-size things smaller in number, and eventually ending up with a very small number of large objects.

as an intermediate stage in this process, we could imagine that the region where the earth formed contained hundreds of objects that were about the size of the earth's moon. most of those objects then coalesced to make a single planet-- the earth. the most ancient landscapes in our solar system still bear the scars caused by the violent impact of these objects as they were swept up by the orbiting planets. indeed, impact craters are a dominant feature on the surface of most bodies in the solar system. when meteorites slam into our planet, they travel at speeds between 11 and 70 kilometers per second. virtually in an instant, the underlying crust can be shattered to a depth of several kilometers and heated to temperatures as high as 15,000 degrees.

the resulting material is a mix of pulverized debris and black melted rock fragments. this canadian crater seen from space is over 60 kilometers across. lakes fill the troughs near its rim. but unlike the rest of the planets, erosion and sedimentation have removed the craters of most impact sites on earth. other important differences exist between the planets as well, and these also provide clues about the formation of the solar system. the nine planets differ greatly in appearance. from gas giants like jupiter... and saturn... to the much smaller terrestrial or rock planets such as venus and mars.

the nebular hypothesis provides an explanation for this diversity. the planets have a variety of compositions-- chemical makeups, and we think that came about because when the solar system formed, there was a range of temperatures from very high temperatures close in to the sun, to much lower temperatures further out. the main difference in the solar system is between the planets which are earthlike-- by which we mean mercury, venus, earth, and mars, and the more distant planets-- jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune, and pluto. these more distant planets are rich in ice and gas. the ice in particular is material that would not be able to condense close in to the sun in the region where the earth formed, so at first approximation, the dominant difference within our solar system

lies between the earthlike planets and the more distant planets, and this in turn is related to the gradual decline in temperature as you go outward from the sun. in addition to the nine familiar planets, between mars and jupiter there lies a belt of drifting rubble-- the asteroids. fragments of rock are set free by collisions among these asteroids. this is the source of most of the meteorites which strike earth in present geological time. these rocks from the asteroid belt are over 4 1/2 billion years old. they're typically rich in silica, alumina, iron, and nickel. such elements are common inside the earth.

the overall density of the earth is also close to the average density of meteoritic material, so it seems likely that meteorites represent the same type of raw material which accreted to form the earth. but rocks forming the outermost layer of earth today are much different in composition from that of many meteorites. for example, a common continental rock is granite, which is lighter in weight than meteoritic material. this suggests that this planet must have originally had a very different structure than it does today. scientists believe that initially it was a homogeneous blob of silicon compounds, iron, magnesium oxides, and lesser amounts of all the other natural chemical elements.

understanding how earth was transformed from a homogeneous mass to a planet with distinct internal layers is fundamental to understanding earth history. this process, known as differentiation, is responsible for dramatic changes in earth's physical identity since the formation of our planet some 4.6 billion years ago. these changes include volcanic activity, the formation of continents, the ocean and atmosphere, and even initiation of the earth's magnetic field. the even which triggered the differentiation process was a dramatic heating of the earth early in its history. several factors may have contributed to this heating. the most important was the presence of radioactive elements in the rocks of primitive earth. as these elements decayed, their atoms emitted vast quantities of energy, which was rapidly converted to heat. as the temperature of the earth rose, the rocks began to soften and partially melt. while it's unlikely that the earth became entirely molten, the heating and melting allowed the rocks to flow

and change position or differentiate according to density. the lightest material floated to the surface, forming a scum or crust on the earth. denser rock and magma sank, concentrating the heaviest material in the earth's core. the young earth was an irregularly shaped ball of rock adrift in space. as meteorites were pulled into the planet by gravity, it grew larger and gradually acquired a spherical shape. at the same time, a layered structure began to evolve. no one knows how long it took for earth to differentiate into its present structure. some of the oldest known terrestrial rocks resemble rock types forming today, suggesting that earth's layering had begun to develop within the first half billion years of the planet's history. geophysicists have developed a remarkably clear picture

of earth's interior. at the very center of the earth we have a solid inner core which is frozen iron, about the size of the moon. it's a crystalline ball floating at the center of earth. outside of that is the molten outer core. this is liquid iron-- very low viscosity. the inner core is floating inside this molten iron ball. as we get to half the radius of the earth, we enter the solid mantle. this is a silicate rock. most of the earth-- about 70% of the earth is the mantle. this is inaccessible except by seismic waves. occasionally, a piece of the mantle gets shoved up on top of the crust. everybody's familiar with the crust. that's what we live on. that's where we get our resources, but it's only a very thin scum on top of the mantle. even today, more than 4.5 billion years

after the formation of the earth, there are two layers of the planet that remain molten or partially molten. the uppermost mantle beneath the crust has now solidified, but a zone beneath it several hundred kilometers thick approaches the temperature of melting. this is where the lava in most oceanic volcanoes comes from. the outer part of the earth's core is also still completely molten, but the inner core, although even hotter, remains solid. this is due to the fact that when rock melts, it expands. but at the center of the earth, the pressure of the 5,000 kilometers of overlying rock is so enormous that no expansion is possible, and as a result, the superheated iron cannot turn liquid. the great amount of heat still present in the earth

is demonstrated by active volcanoes. the volcanoes of today are an awesome spectacle. but more feverish convulsions affected this planet when the earth was young. in the present earth, the amount of liquid rock is really quite small at any time, but in the early earth, a big fraction of the volume would have been molten, so we imagine that the very earliest earth had an extremely high level of volcanic activity. when this volcanic activity takes place, gases which are dissolved within the liquid rock are expelled, put into the earth's atmosphere. in this way we imagine the early atmosphere of the earth was built up by volcanic activity. our early atmosphere was something you and i would not want to breathe. we wouldn't, even today, want to breathe the air-- the gases coming from volcanoes. it's rich in sulfur, carbon monoxide,

carbon dioxide. the same things emitted from cars' exhaust pipes are coming out of volcanoes. they did then. they do today. it's a very acidic and toxic gas, so our early atmosphere was pretty hazardous. volcanic activity also released vast amounts of water vapor. many geologists argue that this condensed to form the world's oceans. recent work, however, suggests that factors other than volcanism may also have played a role. another very interesting possibility is that the water came in comets, in bodies that formed in the far reaches of the solar system and were scattered into earth-crossing orbits. we now see, of course, comets that cross the earth's orbit, like halley's comet, and very rarely, objects like this even hit the present earth. but in the early history of the solar system,

these collisions would have been more frequent. the amount of water on the earth-- although we might think of it as large-- is actually quite small compared to the total mass of the earth, so you don't need a large number of comets to explain all the water we see in the oceans. earth's distance from the sun and the presence of an atmosphere which kept surface temperatures warm, allowed water to collect in a liquid state, submerging the young planet's raw basaltic lowlands. no other planet combines all the factors required for the existence of a watery ocean. an ocean may also explain the presence of life on earth, for liquid water is an essential ingredient of biological reactions. the oceans played a further role in nurturing life, however, for earth's early atmosphere

was probably full of deadly solar radiation. water would've screened out such radiation, enabling the fragile process of life's origin and early development to take place. the most significant difference between earth and the other planets is that earth has the conditions to support life as we know it. the abundance of water on earth was critical to life's origin. water also helped moderate the temperature of the planet's surface to a range which enabled life to evolve. oxygen gas wasn't part of this primitive atmosphere. not until the development of primitive algae, about 1.8 billion years ago, that free oxygen became an important part of earth's atmosphere. this allowed the development of more complex life forms. primitive blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, survive by taking one of the most abundant gases released by volcanoes-- carbon dioxide--

and combining it with water in the presence of sunlight. the result is carbohydrates used for food and an important waste product called oxygen. so, through time, early life forms helped to change the carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere to one rich in oxygen... thus permitting the evolution of modern life. in addition to biological activity, another major difference between our planet and most other terrestrial bodies in the solar system is that the earth still experiences a great deal of radioactive decay. mercury, mars, and the moon are essentially dead worlds, too cold inside to create new volcanoes or great crustal movement. it's largely due to internal radioactivity that the earth is a geologically active planet. our earth is alive.

i just don't mean biologically alive. it's physically alive. it has an internal heat engine that is fueled by radioactivity. without that, there would be no volcanoes. without that, there woulbe no earthquakes. without that, there would be no ocean, no atmosphere, no running water, no biologic life. the earth is very hot inside and cool on the outside. this means there is a large temperature difference. when you have a temperature difference like this, you can drive a heat engine. this engine is not too much different conceptually from an internal combustion engine or any other engine that operates with two different temperature reservoirs. in the case of the earth, what happens is that that temperature difference is sufficiently large to drive convection-- an overturning of the fluid within the earth rather similar to what happens when you heat a bowl-- a pot of soup--

heat it from the bottom and produce convection currents within that fluid. a similar cycling motion seems to occur within the earth, but at a far slower pace-- over tens or even hundreds of millions of years. local concentrations of the earth's heat cause some parts of the mantle to expand, become less dense, and float upwards as far as the earth's outer skin will allow. the warmer rock then spreads out and gradually radiates its heat through the overlying blanket of more brittle crust. as it cools, the rock contracts, once again becoming dense enough for gravity to pull it back down into the mantle. this constant churning of material within the earth eventually buckles and breaks the crust, producing earthquakes...

volcanic activity... and majestic mountain ranges. in ancient greece, a builder was called a tekton. science has coined the term "tectonic forces" to describe the internal processes that move mountains and unleash earthquakes and volcanism. our gradual understanding of these processes has led to the formulation of what is perhaps the most profound concept in geology. from time to time, theories result from scientific inquiry that fundamentally alter our view of the world. these scientific revolutions are elegant in their simplicity and demonstrate new connections between phenomena that had once appeared unrelated. some of the better-known examples include the theory describing the structure of the atom in chemistry, the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity in physics, and the discovery of genes and dna in biology.

within the last few decades, the theory of plate tectonics has revolutionized our understanding of the earth. the theory ties together a wide range of geologic phenomena and makes it abundantly clear that the earth is indeed a vitally active planet. the central idea of plate tectonics is simple. the earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into about a dozen large rigid plates, somewhat like segments of cracked shell on a hard-boiled egg. these gigantic slabs of rock slip and slide as they are carried about by the convection currents in the partially molten layer of the upper mantle. a similar pattern of crustal plate motion is sometimes observed on the surface of molten lava lakes. the cooled skin of lava across the lake

is broken into plates by the turbulent liquid beneath. the earliest earth was vigorously convected as it tried to get rid of heat. the surface of the earth at that time would have had some stiffness to it because it was colder, but as time went on, that surface layer became thicker and still more stiff. we see this process even taking place today in lava lakes, for example, on the big island of hawaii. the stiff surface layer of the earth becomes so stiff that it breaks up into plates. and so we expect as part of the convection process of the earth, that the surface becomes a set of mobile plates which are able to be continually created and recycled within the earth, and this process is now known as plate tectonics.

in the earliest earth, it must have had some similar behavior-- perhaps more complicated, perhaps more dynamic, perhaps more plates-- but the plate tectonic process that we now see as the guiding principle of so much of geologic evolution, had its beginning right in the early history of earth. although scientists sometimes disagree about the details of our planet's origins, there is little argument that earth is unique in our solar system. the fantastic diversity of life, the abundance of water, and our oxygen-rich atmosphere are all the direct result of this planet's unusual history-- a history of physical, chemical, and geological evolution, as well as the evolution of life. what's especially compelling is that this process of change is not just part of earth's past. it continues without interruption. this restless planet,

with its interplay of tectonic forces, is as turbulent and dynamic as ever. captioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc. captions copyright 1991 the corporation for community college television

annenberg media ♪ for information about this and other annenberg media programs call 1-800-learner and visit us at www.learner.org.

funding for this program [with captioning] was provided by: additional funding is provided by:

and: narrator: each video episode has three parts. watch the program, read your book, discuss the program and... rebecca: ♪ that would be enough, enough for me ♪ ♪ everybody needs a dream catcher ♪ ♪ catch me!

dad? yeah? we have to talk. uh-huh. i have some good news. oh? this music school accepted me and they're offering financial aid and a partial scholarship. i... they want me to be a student there. when did you get this letter? this morning. this college is in san francisco! yeah, i know. my god, that's the other side of the earth! rebecca: come on, dad. it's only 6 hours by plane. dad: it's too far away. we'll never see you. why don't you go to school around here? all the music schools in boston turned me down. what about a nice community college... a good teacher's college?

i want to study music. this is the only music school that accepted me. what about kevin? what about us? kevin's almost 18. he can take care of himself. and with a little help from him you'll be fine, too. this is my big chance. so, what do you want from me? i... ( sighs ) nothing. just your approval. you want my approval? no way. what? n-o. no way. that's it? end of conversation? what do you want me to say, that i'm thrilled? i gave you my opinion, but you don't care. but dad, this is something i really want to do. there's a lot i want to do, too. but you don't always get what you want in this world. rebecca: but i'm not going forever. i'll call. i'll visit.

visit? who's going to pay for that? i will. and where are you going to live out there? rebecca, do you know how expensive it is to live on your own? yes, i do. i have a place to stay. i dot understand. rent free. where? at nancy shaw's. that woman! were's my cane? i know you don't like nancy but she is my godmother. does your brother know about this? not yet. i'm going to bed. that school in san francisco accepted you? yeah. gave me financial aid, too. so what are you going to do?

dad really wants me to stay but i'm going. when do you have to leave? in a few weeks. kev, the truth. is it all right with you if i go? go for it. thanks... you're a pal. don't worry about dad. he'll get used to it. you think so? i'm sure of it. besides, then i can have your room. my room! you little... my room! i'm not even out of here yet and you want my room?

it's 10:00. come on. it's break time. you want to get a soda? no. i need a cigarette. no, you don't. yes, i do. sandy, when are you going to quit smoking? tomorrow. so? what did they say? i haven't told matt yet. kevin thinks it's great. my dad is definitely not happy. he's mad, huh? yeah. well, today's the day. it's time to let the boss know i'm leaving. you're going to quit... just like that? well, i have to give a two-week notice, right? then i'm out of here. oh, i can't believe it. well, it's true. ( sighs ) hey, i need some new clothes...

you want to go shopping after work? o.k. what are we looking for? i've got plenty of jeans and casual stuff for class. what i really need is something dressy for california. i've got zilch. how about this? mmm... too formal. this is pretty. where's the price tag? $200! and it's on sale. who can afford this stuff? this is 30% off-- only $60. i like it. do they have your size? mmm... size 6, perfect.

i'm going to try it on. listen, i have to tell you a big secret. my mom doesn't even know. rebecca: what? i'm moving in with jack. you're what? the two of you are always fighting! well, things change. yeah, but people don't. look, i'm going to do it. period. i know you don't think it's a good idea so let's just change the subject. sandy, i just want you to be happy, that's all. this thing with you and jack is... i think i can make it work. all right. it looks great. i don't know. maybe it's too... it's perfect. all right. well, i'm glad we got your stuff. yeah.

when do you have to leave? in a few weeks. do you have your plane ticket? no, of course not. you'd better hurry up. it's cheaper if you buy your ticket a few weeks in advance. i'm not flying; i'm driving to san francisco. drive? all by yourself? are you crazy? no, practical. i'll need a car in san francisco, right? anyway, i want to see the southwest. so, why not buy a car here and drive it out there? you are nuts! so, what kind of car are you going to get? the best car i can get for $1,500. rebecca: no, i don't like that. hey, this looks nice. how much is it? oh... ( laughing ): hello. can i help you folks? we're just looking, thanks. are you looking for anything special? she's looking for a car to drive across country.

gotcha! so you want something you can count on. yeah. i have something for you right over here. it's in a-1 condition. new tires, excellent engine... it's a florida car. rebecca: oh, no that's much too expensive. well, for you, i can come down a little in the price. how much do you want to spend? 1,500, max. ( chuckling ) 1,500, max. i don't think so. i haven't really got anything for you. but i've got a friend who sells cars... kevin: i need something to eat. do you want anything? no, thanks. hi. hi. kevin and i went looking at used cars... for my trip.

they're all so expensive. uh-huh. this is silly. would you please talk to me? o.k. everyone has to leave home sometime. dad, i'm leaving pretty soon. i know. i don't want to leave with you angry at me. i'm not angry. try to be happy for me. i just don't see why you have to go so far away. dad, it's something i really want to do. i know, i know. but i don't have to like it, do i? narrator: now let's review and discuss the story. rebecca is quitting her job because she decided to go to a... school of music. well, today's the day. it's time to let the boss know i'm leaving.

you're going to quit... just like that? it may be a bad time from an economical standpoint. it's a steady job. but, again, what about her dreams? i think rebecca is very brave. i think she should go. sandy tells rebecca that she's going to move in with jack. i'm moving in with jack. you're what? is it o.k., is it a good thing for them to move together? is... well, moving together gives you a chance to know about each other, so... but it's only a chance. true. i don't agree live together. i think you have to marry before. kev, the truth. is it all right with you if i go go for it. speaker: i think it was really important to rebecca to have kevin supporting her. and she would like to get a car and drive on her own to california. she's looking for a car to drive across country. rebecca's father is really angry about rebecca's decision to go to school in san francisco.

he's worried about her, he loves her. i want to study music. this is the only music school that accepted me. you want my approval? no way. what? n-o. no way. that's it? end of conversation? what do you want me to say... that i'm thrilled? i gave you my opinion, but you don't care. but dad, this is something i really want to do. there's a lot i want to do, too. but you don't always get what you want in this world. i think they could sit down and just talk more, really get to know each other's self better. yeah, i think communication is very important. i think this man is... he has very mixed feelings about the whole thing and he probably even feels a little bit guilty about clipping her wings and trying to hold her because he wants to keep this role of a mother in the house. i think the problem is she is the only girl in the house

and he loves her. and she is the housecleaner of the house. who's going to clean the house? i don't believe it's because of the housecleaner. ...and the father is... poor one. yeah, but don't say that she is the housecleaner; she is the daughter she is the person who has been loved. and she is also the housecleaner. excuse me. thank you. hi, miss casey. i'm sorry i'm late for my lesson. hi, melissa, how are you doing? fine. good. listen, before we begin, i have to tell you something. what? i'm going back to school. you are? why? to study music. but you're the best music teacher, and you know lots of music. thanks, but i want to be better... but i'm sad because the school is far away, and i won't be...

where is it? san francisco. where's that? we're here... and san francisco's all the way over here, in california. i won't be able to see you? yes, i'm leaving, but, let's see, we have oneore lesson. i'll try to find you a good teacher, o.k.? o.k. what do you want to play first? can we play the blues? sure. you know "travelin' blues," right? yeah. let's play that. o.k. "a" major. ( plays a-major chord ) ( rebecca adds blues riff )

what do you thin frank... am i nuts? no, you're not crazy. rebecca's 28. i mean, it's about time she got a car. hey, what do you think of this one here? no way, look at the price! she needs a small car-- something she can drive around boston. frank, she's driving all the way to san francisco. san francisco? yeah, alone. she's going to drive 3,000 miles... by herself? is that safe? i think she should fly if she insists on going, but she said she'd rather put the money in a car that she can use when she's out there. i'd never drive that far by myself. you know, that daughter of urs is pretty independent. hey, now here's a car to drive across country in. she got into a good school, frank-- the san francisco college of music. music school? that'll never pay off. you can't make any money in music. you're telling me! i thought she should go to a local college. well, that makes more sense to me.

so why does she have to go all the way to san francisco? well, the school out there accepted her... and they offered her financial help. well, that's good, right? i guess so. hey, if you're so worried about this, why don't you talk her out of it? i can't change her mind. she's all fired up about the idea. says it's her dream. yeah, but dreams don't pay bills. yeah, well, there's nothing i can do. if this is what she wants, maybe i can help her with a car. well, if she's going to be driving, you know, all the way across country, she's going to have a decent car. hey... hey, here's one of those-- what-do-you-call-it -- oldsmobile deltas? yeah, oldsmobile delta. hey, looks in tiptop shape, look. oh, you don't know about used cars, frank. whew! what? 80,000 miles. oh, that's a lot of miles! we have to take a close look at the engine, the tires, the doors, everything...

it's a lot of money, frank. i don't want to get ripped off. you have to watch these used-car salesmen. i don't know... do i want to do this? she'll love you for it. you think so? yeah... there, come on, let's take a look. whew, watch that one... hey, looks clean, no oil leaks. ( groans ) that's a lot of mileage, frank... let's have that mechanic of yours, what's his name... sammy? yeah. yeah. we'll tell the salesman we want our mechanic to take a look at it before we pay anything. and we take it for a test drive, too. you got it. o.k., let's make a deal. ♪ out behind my house there's a field ♪ ♪ you might feel there's... ♪ what's the score? three to nothing. three to nothing? ♪ i rode for days ♪ ♪ and i never looked back... ♪

( cheering continues ) all right, mary! come on, mary. put it right by her now, mary, come on, she's no batter, let's go, mary! ♪ ...movin' so fast, you've got to hold on tight... ♪ ( cheering ) that a girl, becky! come on, beat the bums! so how do you feel about rebecca leaving home? uh, i don't know. i'm o.k., i guess. you're going to miss her, aren't you? yeah, but at least i get to move into her room. hey, don't take all my potato chips! don't be so stingy! rebecca: come on, girl, put it in there, one more out! let's go, mary! safe! ( protesting loudly )

she is not! is, too. is not. safe. end of discussion. oh, this is ridiculous, she was... she was out, there was no... ( sighs ) kevin: 22 to 2, what happened to you? hey, how about a little sympathy? i lost my last softball game. poor you! you can't do it all by yourself. if it wasn't for that umpire... yeah, i think he was working for the other team. what the heck, it's only a game, right? i think i'm heading home. i'll see you later. all right, thanks for coming. oh, it was fun... seeing you get beat! you're supposed to be cheering me on... tomorrow night we go car hunting again? absolutely... bye. bye, sandy. bye! thanks for the potato chips! hey, the team's going to the sports bar, do you want to come? i can't. jack and i are going to the movies. i still don't know what you see in that guy. you're not me, o.k.? now, when are you leaving for san francisco? a week from saturday. i drive out real early.

let's hope you have a car by then... i will! oh, make room, move that glove. oh. oh, my gosh! you guys, you didn't have to do this, this is too much! open the card first. o.k. "you're in our hearts, as you well know... "we'll think of you, wherever you go. you'll be a hit in san francis-co!" thanks. o.k., hurry up, hurry up! what did you guys get me? cool! a red sox jacket! this is great! what a great present. thank you, guys! ah, what to say... well... we didn't win many games... ( laughs ) but we did have more fun than any other team in the league... and i'm never going to forget the silver stars. i'm going to miss you guys.

thanks. don't replace me too soon, o.k.? ( laughing ) ( laughing, talking casually ) from the beginning and the get-go... that's what it said. ( laughing ) hey, i'll catch you later, o.k.? bye. hey, matt! what are you doing here? i got out of work late. i called your house and kevin told me you'd be here. nice jacket. thanks, it's a present from the team. they're going to miss you. you're their star player. i wasn't today. we lost, 22 to 2. ouch. i think we need to have a talk. look, if it's about my decision to go to san francisco, i'm not going to change my mind.

i realize that. but i'll be back to visit... and you can come and see me. no, let's not kid ourselves. four years of college in california will pretty much end our relationship. lots of people have long-distance relationships. not me. i'm not a long-distance kind of guy. all our friends are getting married, they're having kids. i thought we were next. see, becky, you and i... we have different dreams... i think it's better to call it quits. is it? i think so. look... i'm sorry you feel this way, but i'm never going to be happy if i don't try this.

i'm sorry. narrator: rebecca's boyfriend, matt, reflects on the story. you know, i really love boston. it's a beautiful city. it's really beautiful at night. rebecca's a terrific singer. her music is her passion. and i respect that, i really do. ♪ i've got my suitcase and i've got my coat ♪

♪ i've got my reason to ride ♪ i've got some dreams i'm going to hold on tight ♪ ♪ i'm traveling light... but that doesn't mean she has to make a career out of it. i mean, other things are important, too... maybe more important. so, about our date on thursday...? i'll pick you up at 7:00, o.k.? sounds good. good night. this is really crazy, rebecca casey. it really makes me mad sometimes, you know? i mean, i don't get it. why isn't she satisfied with her life? she has great friends, a good job... oh, rebecca, i'm so happy for you! oh! can you believe it? besides, rebecca's got responsibilities... to her dad and kevin. what about kevin? what about us?

kevin's almost 18. he can take care of himself. and with a little help from him, you'll be fine, too. this is my big chance. ( sighs ) you know... we can't always reach for the stars. sometimes it's better to just keep your feet on the ground. dreams are fine, but they're not real life. i just hope rebecca realizes this soon. bh educational foundation]

wgbh educational foundation] funding for this program [with captioning] was provided by: additional funding is provided by:

and: