Tonight there were more clouds, but not many to the northwest where it showed up, and we were happy to see it as well as we could. As it happened, a woman was walking her dog as our family was standing on a random street corner, gazing skyward and taking photos. Christian told her why we were there and she stopped to watch, too. She was surprised by how well she could see it and how fast it was moving. As she walked away she remarked, "That's really cool." I bet she keeps an eye out for it as she is walking her dog in future evenings. :)
OUT OF NOWHERE: I've got a few (600 or so) images of mine parked on Morguefile, for others to do with what they will. As a result, CeeJ and Bee have been featured in newspapers and magazines around the world and they pop up in all sorts of incarnations online, including this one, where a ballerina Bee is the center of a flower. Sweet. :)
TESTING: We finally got around to having the kids catch up on Accelerated Reader tests for books they have read recently. CJ finished the Great Illustrated Classics version of "Peter Pan." Annabelle had a Geronimo Stilton book under her belt, they both read "There was a Cold Woman who Swallowed some Snow" (take a pass on it) and a book about summer island life in the Florida Keys by Jack Prelutsky (interesting, but long, as CJ pointed out). They also both read a couple of Magic School Bus titles. Their comprehension test scores ranged from one barely OK to mostly 100 percents.
GOOD DOG: Fifty-five years ago today Sputnik 2 launched. On board was Laika, a three year old stray turned dog-o-naut. She was the first animal to orbit Earth and served on a one-way mission. RIP, pup.
MOVIE MATINEE: Since Thursday is when we have the HUGE gap between a.m. music and p.m. LEGOs, I figured we'd fill it today by checking something off the 'to do' list. Thanks to the nonstop ads during programs they watch, the kids have been wanting to go see the new "Puss in Boots" movie. Knowing it was a spin off from a character featured in the Shrek films, I honestly wasn't looking forward to it at all, because spin offs are so often abysmal.
We hit the Thornton Place theater, because it was the closest to the kids' school.
Well hap-hap-happy me, the movie was actually really entertaining! Well written dialog, a beefy story line, compelling characters, fantastic animation, a good soundtrack and really great art direction. The kids absolutely LOVED it, and so did I. Six thumbs up here.
MAKING MUSIC: For the first time, I sat in on, and all the way through the kids' music class this morning. I'm glad I did. The teacher does a fantastic job of keeping things moving along at an always engaging pace. They sang, they danced, they played instruments and often all three at the same time. What a great way to start the day.
MOVING CLOSER TO MARS: Today, the Mars Science Laboratory came one giant step closer to Mars. Early this morning MSL was moved from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Then, MSL on top of the Atlas V rocket.This is what that looks like.
It's just waiting there for me now. In fact, 20 days from now I'll be in Florida for the NASA Tweetup! Not that it's any big deal at all. ;)
Sweetie is Go For Launch.
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