The Force and the Fifth

MAY THE FOURTH: We had lots of fun observing Star Wars Day on Sunday, May the Fourth (be with you). 

The kids donned Star Wars t-shirts, we put Annabelle's hair in Princess Leia buns, and the kids played "The Saga Continues," a clever ditty by Weird Al Yankovic. He manages to tell the story of "Star Wars I The Phantom Menace" to the tune of "American Pie." Here's the kids' take on it: http://youtu.be/3uCCag6zGC0


We hit up a local 'cantina' and played some games. Christian quaffed a "Wookey (sic) Jack" CDA from Firestone brewing in California. 

At home, they played Star Wars Operation. When you miss, R2D2 sound effects and a couple of C-3PO lines are the alarms. Very entertaining.

My Facebook feed was full of Star Wars Day references. This one from NASA was one of my favorites. ...

We also watched the masterful "John Williams is the Man," a tribute to the composer of the wonderful Star Wars soundtracks' music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4

52: It was two score and 12 years ago, on this day, that the United States first launched a man into space. Alan Shepard was that man, aboard the Freedom 7.

Shepard spent a long four hours in the tiny cockpit of the capsule. Growing a tad impatient, he famously urged mission control to "fix your little problem and light this candle." And that's just what they did!

Speaking of spaceflight, we missed Friday's live "Music in Space" broadcast, but the program is now available online, here- http://youtu.be/jvESKWJYCJg


CINCO DE MAYO: We didn't do much to observe the day, other than have delicious chicken tacos for dinner. Not sure that's a fitting way to 'celebrate, a Mexican army fighting off French invaders at Puebla in 1862, a victory that became symbolic of Mexican resistance to foreign domination, but that's what we did. 

IN REVIEW: This evening, we went over the practice tests the kids took in preparation for the Measurement of Student Progress state standardized test they're taking Tuesday and Wednesday. They're ready, now fingers crossed that they perform up to their abilities on the tests.  We also made a triple batch of the 'cookie dough' dip to take for the snack sharing table at school tomorrow.  (It's blended garbanzo beans, oatmeal, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of baking soda and salt. The kids love it!)