Ponies and Puppies

MAD MATH: Though the setting looks serene enough, this is a photo of CJ and Annabelle, fit to be tied. On our way down to West Seattle, they were both working on The Easiest Math Question Ever, but they were both completely stymied by it, for whatever reason. It went something like this: Martha bought 4 spools of ribbon for $5 apiece. She used them to make 10 bows. How much did each bow cost?

They each knew immediately to multiply 4x5 to get the total cost of the ribbon, but after that ... crickets. They just couldn't take that next big step from knowing the total cost of the ribbon, and the number of bows made and figure out how much each bow was. As the seconds turned to minutes to darn near a quarter hour, they asked, begged and pleaded for me to tell them the answer. Um ... no. Not gonna do it.

It was just so weird that they were BOTH tripped up by such a simple thing they'd each done dozens of times before.

I told them to label everything and draw pictures, hoping that would help. About that time they both got the answer - $2 apiece. So easy, but so hard ... no idea why.

CLASSY: The kids each started two new classes today down in West Seattle through the Family Learning Program. Annabelle was thrilled to be back to Bollywood, and CJ didn't waste any time creating a funny new animated clip using Scratch software. I'll have to work on a way to post those here.

This afternoon they were in a theatrical class together. The first session was all games, they report. Sounds like they had fun, tho at one point Annabelle had to play the part of a toilet.  LOL.

We took a few dozen Space Needle cookies we whipped up to the first day of classes celebration today. I was happy the trays emptied. Cookies are meant to be eaten, after all.

PLAYING WITH OUR FOOD: We bought some Alpha Bits today, which might not sound like news, but they're surprisingly hard to score in our parts. Target is the only place we find 'em. The kids were eager to get a fistful of them this afternoon, so I let them at 'em - conditionally. I told them they each had to spell a 5-letter word using the cereal before they could eat any. It was surprisingly hard, given the letter combinations the box produced. They finally came up with this. ...

BREAKFAST PONIES:  Don't ask me how we got on the subject, but a couple of days ago in the car, Annabelle and I got on the subject of My Little Ponies with breakfast themed cutie marks. (Sorry if I've lost you already. This link may help ... http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Cutie_mark.)

In that spirit, she created a couple of new ponies using a great Pony generator online. First, she did Butter Pancake.

And up next was Blueberry Muffin.

Still to come are Crispy Bacon and Sunnyside Up. :)

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO OUR HOUSE: We've been talking for months now about an addition to the family. Tonight we took a big step in that direction. Meet (working title) Inky. ... Real name pending.

She's a Havanese, and our current dog Kirby's aunt. Barring the unforeseen, she'll be joining us at the end of the month.

I solicited the kids for names tonight, and without hesitation CJ suggested."Rainbow Puke!"

Um, no. Adorable as that sounds, we will NOT be naming our dog Rainbow Puke.

Good Morning, Good Bye

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander, inside the Lunar Module as it rests on the lunar surface after completion of his historic moonwalk. Image Credit: NASA 

IN REMEMBRANCE: Straight out of bed, the kids huddled on the couch, eating Honey Nut Cheerios and watching the memorial for astronaut Neil Armstrong broadcast on NASA TV.

As he listened to a succession of people talk about what a remarkable man Armstrong was, CJ took pause and said, "This is a really big deal, isn't it?"

Yes, CJ it is.

The memorial was held at the breathtaking National Cathedral. One of its amazing stained glass windows is "The Space Window." Per Armstrong's official memorial program, the window "symbolizes both spiritual and scientific connections to the mystery of the cosmos and is one of the best-loved stained glass windows at
the Cathedral." It's on the south aisle of the Cathedral.

PHOTO: Pgmark at en.wikipedia

One of the things making the window unique is the design continues across all three panels or lancets of the window. Artist Rodney Winfield was said to be inspired by photographs taken during Apollo 11, Armstrong's moon walking mission, for the color palette. If you look closely from these inside and outside vantage points,, you can see a thin white line extending from a dark sphere in the lower corner. That represents a spaceship leaving Earth, shooting toward the stars.

Embedded in a small round piece of white glass in the center of a deep red upper sphere is a 2 3/8" moon rock. Approximately 3.6 billion years old, it's sealed between tempered glass and steel in an inert nitrogen environment. Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Armstrong presented the sample to the Cathedral on July 21, 1974. The window was dedicated on the fifth anniversary of the first steps on the moon.

The inscription at the bottom of the window reads: “Is Not God in the Height of Heaven?” (Job 22:12)

In case you missed it, Armstrong's memorial is archived here:: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25379413
There is about three minutes of NASA fillers preceding the memorial.

TO THE TEST: The kids are starting a weekly math class next week, and had to take "where we're at" (to use bad grammar) math assessment before getting started. The test is called the Diagnostic Online Math Assessment. We logged into a Web site called "Let's Go Learn" in order for the kids to take it.

The kids were about a half hour into the test when CJ declared, "I think I'm going to stop here."

Ummm, no. Sorry. Not how that works, kiddo. I informed them the test is over when the test says it's over, not by their declaration. And so they soldiered on. I tried to reassure them they wouldn't ever have to take the test again after they completed it.

CJ countered with, "Not unless you suck horribly." And when he was done he remarked, "I hope they don't put me in kindergarten math."

I don't think it will come to that.

YOGA-A-GO-GO: Happily, today marked a return to yoga class for the kids, with much adored teacher Nicole Koleshis. And especially happily, we didn't have to drive 45 minutes to Rainier Valley during rush hour to get to class. Instead, Nicole is offering an 8-week series of classes at Shakti Vinyasa Yoga  in Ballard.

It's a large, beautiful studio and the kids both enjoyed being back on the mat and with Nicole.

FACES: We've all seen the face on the moon multiple times, because staring at the moon is something human eyes can handle. But did you know that the sun's surface has facial features when imaged using different wavelengths.

Here is a video progression of 11 different images taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.


OH AND: In a few spare moments this afternoon, we watched a rocket launch. Of course I'm drawn in by any rocket launch, but I have to admit, the blue buffalo mission mascot really captured our fancy. :)

The mission, NROL-36, was the United States National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), taking off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. It was billed as being "in support of national defense."

The Atlas V rocket launched right on time, heading up through fog and mist. Its cargo was , and the United Launch Alliance narrator announced shortly after lift off that "at our customer's request" (that would be the U.S. ) the actual cargo deployment wouldn't be shown. Can you say 'spy satellite' anyone?

To the Moon

HOWDY: We hit Goodwill today. Guess what Annabelle found there? It looks super with her pink guitar.

We also found a couple of board games (one promoting reading, the other is Creationary, a LEGO building game), and several sets of Brain Quest cards at a bargain price. They'll be great for Rick to use in his classroom.

A BOLD PROCLAMATION: We started our day by watching a live rebroadcast of John F. Kennedy's famous "Moon Speech." It played at 8:15 our time, the exact time he gave the speech 50 years ago today at Rice University.

Here, JFK gets an explanation of the Saturn V launch system from rocket man Dr. Wernher von Braun, with NASA Deputy Administrator Robert Seaman over Wernher's shoulder. Photo: NASA, of course

The speech set the United States on a course of space exploration. In part, Kennedy said, "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
RUBBED THE RIGHT WAY: Today was about as close to back-to-school as we get. We returned to the school in Shoreline where the kids take a weekly science class. (They were also happy to see the playground, eat the popcorn and visit the library there again.)

Once class started, it was good to see that they haven't forgotten classroom manners and how to listen and follow a teacher's directions. :)  Annabelle is one of just two girls in the class. She's also the youngest. But no big deal. With three older brothers, she's used to being outnumbered and out "aged."

Today they did some rubbings of coins and textiles. In doing so, they discovered details that they hadn't noticed before about the articles. Interesting ...

Jet Set

Above, CJ and Annabelle check out the cockpit of a Boeing 727

GOING TO BOEING: On Monday we finally knocked one item off our 'to do' list. We took a tour of the mammoth Boeing jet assembly facility and Payne Field in Mulkiteo, WA, about 25 miles north of Seattle.

 The facility is home to the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner production lines.

Our tour was at 2, but we got on site about an hour early. That allowed us time to wander around the gallery in the Future of Flight Aviation Center and check out some displays.

A couple of enormous engines got our attention right away.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the front side of a Rolls Royce engine. RRs are installed on many a Boeing jet.

The side of the engine had a neat-o high tech peek inside, so we could get an idea of what's going on inside the engine's metal housing. Rolls Royce also has an educational, interactive "build your own engine" feature on their Web site: http://www.rolls-royce.com/interactive_games/build/flash.html and a "Journey through a jet engine" feature: http://www.rolls-royce.com/interactive_games/journey02/flash.html

 There was also a pretty Peugeot engine on site.

A few minutes before 2, we wound our way to the tour entrance tunnel. While we waited, we sat (in decommissioned first class seats and watched some video about Boeing's history. At about 10 until 2, they started taking tickets.

We started off in a posh theater in the Future of Flight building where we viewed an 8-minute movie about - you guessed it - Boeing!  Then, we boarded a bus. First, we wheeled around Paine Field for a bit. There we saw jets ready for delivery to dozens of airlines from around the world, everything from China to Cambodia, Japan to Poland.

Next, we crossed the highway and went to the aircraft assembly building.

photo: Maurice King - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boeing_Everett_Plant.jpg

When you drive by it at highway speeds, you think, "Damn, that's big," but when you're actually inside it you think "Damn, that's HUGE!!!" I've been inside the mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, but that place is absolutely dwarfed by the Boeing facility. Our tour guide told us that it's the largest building (by volume) in the world, but Wikipedia says that it's 5th largest. Hmm. ... The Guinness Book of World Records gives it the number one spot, though, so that's good enough for me (472 million cubic feed or 13.3 million cubic meters).  Our tour guide said Disneyland and 12 acres of parking would fit inside the Boeing Everett plant. Or, picture  75 football fields fitting on its 98-acre footprint.

It's definitely like its own city, complete with a fire department and security force, plus on site electrical substations and a water treatment plant, as well as a medical clinic. There are 2.33 miles or 3.7 kilometers of pedestrian tunnels running below the factory. We walked in them to get from one production line to another.

Anywho, the facility opened in 1967, to produce the historic 747 jumbo jet and it has expanded several times since then. Today, it has and I think we were told it has over 30,000 employees, six Tully's coffee stands, and 11 restaurants or cafes, as well as an on site daycare and athletic club.


I wish I had pictures to show you from the tour, but photography of any kind is verboten, darn it!

The tour lasted about 90 minutes. 

We deboarded the buses and exited  through the gift shop (of course!). Before leaving the Future of Flight building, we went back down to the gallery as the kids wanted to try out something our tour guide had told us about - software that would allow them to design their own plane and have it printed out at the gift shop. Bet you can figure out which plane was designed by whom.

FROM ON HIGH: Sept. 11 will forever be a day of remembrance in the United States. Everyone alive then no doubt recalls where they were when the terrorists attacked. Astronaut Frank Culbertson was on the International Space Station as the events unfolded. Here's a photo that captured the aftermath at the Twin Towers.

At the time Culbertson said, "It's horrible to see smoke pouring from wounds in your own country from such a fantastic vantage point. The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are."

Of course, we talked lots about 9/11 and CJ conducted some of his own, independent research online. And last night, we watched a documentary about the second plane to slam into the World Trade Center. Damn hard to watch. Eleven years hasn't softened the blow much, if at all.

Wonderful WiiKend

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LANDMARK: On Saturday, we headed down to Seattle Center to revel in the Space Needle's 50th birthday celebration. There were promises of free rides, food and fun and they made good on those promises!

We headed to the funway, just north of the Space Needle. There, the kids took on the challenge of a neat-o ropes course. It was a little bit sketchy for them in a couple of spots, but they soldiered through, victorious!

They also rode a swing at the base of the Needle. Talk about a ride with a view!

And Elvis was on hand to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his filming "It Happened at the World's Fair" in Seattle. 

The kids also enjoyed some luscious cupcakes in the cupcake competition tent. (Bananas Foster is pictured below. I'm assured by CeeJ and Bee my banana cake is better. ;) )

And they had fun doing some art projects  and physical contests (a sack race and a tug of war) on the Mural lawn.

SUNDAY FUNDAY: Sundays are usually pretty low key around MPA, but this was no ordinary Sunday. A few weeks ago in one of the many Nintendo related emails I receive, we got notice about a preview of the Wii U console, which is set to be released around the holiday season. I thought CJ and Annabelle might be interested (har har!), so I signed them (and Christian) up.

Friday we got notice they were to show up at an event space on Capitol Hill from 1 p.m. to 2: 30 p.m. They were there early and left late and had a great time.

CJ had been counting down the days until his "Wii U Experience and when Sunday morning came, he was raring to go." Annabelle was stoked, too. 

 The kids test drove several upcoming titles, including Just Dance 4, New Super Mario Bros. U, Game-n-Wario, SiNG (a karaoke game), Wii Fit U Trampoline Target and Luigi's Ghost Mansion. They loved them all.

Though being Mario's brother is a full time job, Luigi had enough time to stop and pose with the kids. 

And here CeeJ and Bee are doing their best Mario impersonations - that is, before they ate the chocolate moustaches!

Here's what the kids had to say about the experience. Annabelle is first. ...

Yesterday I went to the Wii U experience, and the games there were very fun. these games included Luigi's Ghost Mansion, Game & Wario, Just Dance 4 (never gonna give you up!) and Super Mario Bros. U. all of these games included the Wii U tablet and used them in different ways as controlling a ghost, selecting a song/level, etc. etc.

The Wii U experience provided cookies draped in fondant, and drinks like berry lemonade. We had our picture taken with Luigi, got chocolate mustaches (yum!) and played lots of games. The games were very addicting, I mostly like Super Mario Bros. U because it was like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but had baby Yoshis(yay!)!
Over all, i would give it a 10/10, i was very good an

And the cookies (and chocolate mustaches!) tasted very good, the berry lemonade too. The Wii U experience was crowded, but still fun. They had contests and trivia, both very fun. Like I said before, I give it a 10/10.

And CJ weighs in ...

I went to the Wii U Experience yesterday. There were lots of great demos, like Nintendo land, and Just Dance 4. There were foods too, such as the cookies, the water bottles, the lemon juice, and the chocolate mustache. For some weird reason, unrelated to the event, there was a Nintendo 3DS that was in the middle of the room, with New super Mario Bros. U in the 3DS, but it was still fun. Also, there was Just Dance 4, which had Never Going to Give You Up by Rick Astley, ( Is Ubisoft rickrolling us?) Rock lobster, and Moves like Jagger. Overall, I think that the trip deserves a 10/10 for the fun games, and the different use of the gamepad for every game.

THEY SEE ME ROLLIN': A great image from the Martian surface popped up in my Facebook feed this morning from several sources. It's Curiosity's three left wheels (complete with their 'JPL'-in-Morse code tread). The shot below is a combination of two images that were taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). In the distance, beyond the middle wheel, is the lower slope of Mount Sharp, the rover's eventual target.  
                           

The MAHLI camera is located in the turret of tools at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. The main purpose of MAHLI is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera can focus on targets ranging from a distance of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity.