I just wish I could get them to talk to me over the radio. I keep calling them when they pass over my house but so far they've only been doing scheduled radio contacts with schools.
The astronauts' schedules are part of the reason, and some use their free time to do other stuff than get on the radio. Captain Doug Wheelock, who recently returned from the ISS, used to be on all the time. You can imagine the pileup though. Once i got a partial copy of my call, but the pass was over, so sadly no QSL...
I got my license just as Wheellock was coming back home. Had I known no one would be on the radio like he was (or at all) I could have easily passed my test sooner. You're right about the pile up, he did a video of it once. (WARNING: poeTV adds spaces to long URLs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h73EYcyszf8&feature=player_detailpa ge#t=638s
A Russian supply capsule failed to achieve orbit so the next three guys who were supposed to go up are still sitting on the ground. Dr. Satoshi Furukawa tweeted that he feels lonely with only himself and Mike Fossum and Sergei Volkov on the ISS. I can't remember which one of them made the video but I remember them tweeting about it.