The kids have both 'flown' in the wind tunnel a couple/three times before, but it's been months and months since we've gone. They were so darn excited on the way there.
After all of the 'pre-flight' activity (watching an instructional video, getting suited up and such), they made their way to the tunnel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Iz89Sr_xI0M
And here's CJ's take (tho his video seems a little off, I must say http://youtu.be/uwoMpsjYEQQ#aid=P9rK0aUg6kI
But that's OK, because Christian captured some video with his cell phone.
Ceej flight 1: http://youtu.be/ntoh0CHLr_A
Ceej flight 2: http://youtu.be/uwW4aSrsgqM
Bee flight 1: http://youtu.be/SozhiqkHQo8
Bee flight 2: http://youtu.be/CwnmflICYvs
And I love the end of Annabelle's second flight, where the instructor purposely parks her short of the door. The result is just like the scene from "The Wizard of Oz" where poor Dorothy is trying to get into the storm cellar with the twister approaching.
Naturally, their favorite part was flying toward the top of the wind tunnel!
Well written, visually engaging, good voice acting, fun music, tons of humor and plenty of sentimentality, too. We gave it eight thumbs up.
Upon arriving home, we checked out the LEGO movie Web site. There, we had fun creating ourselves in LEGO form. Here's CJ's 'self portrait.'
If you want a challenge, I double dog dare you to listen to this song, "Everything is Awesome" and try NOT to sing it for the rest of the day. It's an 'earworm' of the first order.
On Sunday evening, we watched the Oscars. For a chance we'd actually seen some of the movies which were nominated for awards, including "Gravity," which was up for best picture.
It was fun watching various NASA accounts' Facebook feeds during the show. They were picking up on the "Gravity" theme and posting all sorts of great off-planet, microgravity shots, like this awesome one from 1999 of Astronaut Steven L. Smith retrieving a power tool while standing on the mobile foot restraint at the end of the remote manipulator system on board the International Space Station.
Image Credit: NASA
And of course there had to be shots of Bruce McCandless II's adventure wearing the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). Here, McCandless was photographed further away from the safety of his ship (space shuttle Challenger) than any previous astronaut has ever been. Hard to believe this photo, taken on Feb. 12, 1984, is over 30 years old now. Wow.
The MMU was a nitrogen jet propelled backpack. In this free fly (which definitely reminds me of the movie "Gravity," McCandless was 320 feet away from the Orbiter. Talk about trusting your equipment!
Image credit: NASA
SONG CLOSE UPS: We are still enjoying our class "The Music of The Beatles." We're in Week 3 of six, and this week (so far) is focusing on 1965, and the release of the albums "Help!" and "Rubber Soul."
From time to time, the professor will focus more closely on certain titles. Today, he talked about "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." A John Lennon song, it has a distinctly Dylan-esque sound not only in the music, but it's almost as if John is trying to sound like Bob Dylan. The song was written and recorded not too long after Dylan met The Beatles and encouraged them to write more serious and less pop music.
We also learned more about "Yesterday," penned by Paul McCartney. We were lucky enough to get to see him perform it in an encore last summer at Safeco Field. Here's someone in the crowd's video. As you'll hear, it was basically a sing along. http://youtu.be/lNkc2oaMhj4
Speaking of song close ups, here's a closeup of CJ playing a song. :)
Can skydiving be far behind?
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