Juggling

BEEN A LITTLE BUSY: MPA is behind in posting this week, and what a week it has been. Busy, busy, busy.

A few highlights ...

Wednesday morning we made a field trip to a local kindergarten classroom to act as space ambassadors, of sorts.

We were invited to share a presentation on something space-related. I thought about it for a bit and I wound up settling on astronauts - how they're alike and how they're different and how each is an inspiration in their own way. And so, I spent some time putting together a PowerPoint to introduce 5-year-olds to a *whole* bunch of astronauts.

I got the kids' attention right away by talking about Buzz Lightyear, the animated astronaut of "Toy Story" fame. I asked them if they knew he was named after a real live astronaut. ...

And that Buzz is one of just 12 humans who have walked on the moon!

We noted that Buzz was not the first American astronaut. Here was the first group - the Mercury 7, from 1958.

I asked the kids to look at the photo. What did they notice about all these astronauts. There were comments about their different boots, their spacesuits ... then one child noticed that they were all men. I agreed, and noted that they were all white men.

I then introduced them to the newest astronaut class, named in 2013.

How the times have changed! Half the group is women, and "one has dark skin" as one student noticed.

From there, I noted that the U.S. isn't the only country with a space program, and told them about Valentina Tereshkova, the world's first female astronaut. She flew way back in 1963.

It wasn't until 20 years later, 1983, that America had its first female astronaut, Sally Ride.

We also talked about the first African Americans in space, Col. Guy Bluford. He has a doctorate in philosophy and studied laser physics before becoming an astronaut. He flew to the ISS in 1983.

And the amazing Mae Jemison was the first female African American in space. Here, she's seen on board the ISS in 1992. Jemison is a medical doctor who left her practice to join the Peace Corps. She is also an accomplished dancer and an actress.

We shared this awesome photo and gave the kids a chance to make guesses about where the astronaut was. (Answer: Doing a space walk outside the International Space Station.) It's a cool photo because you can see the blue line of the Earth's atmosphere, and the Soyuz capsule docked to the ISS, as well as the solar arrays.

I told them what you couldn't see in the photo was that the astronaut inside the suit was John Herrington, the first Native American NASA astronaut. Below is a photo of him we took when meeting him at The Museum of Flight a couple years back.

I let them know about other nations' space programs, including China and Japan. And I told them about the first Cuban astronaut in space, Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez. Mendez was the first Latin American, the first person of African descent, and the first Cuban to fly in space.

Another amazing astronaut we've had the chance to meet is South Korea’s one and only ever astronaut, - Yi So-yeon. She’s a biotechnologist and lives just outside of Seattle now.

And I told them that right now, as they sat there in that classroom, the man below, France's Thomas Pesquet was in space, living on the orbiting space laboratory.

And we told them that they could stand out in their own backyards and watch Pesquet and his 'room' mates fly over their home if they knew when and where to look, and they were given handouts for NASA's Spot the Station site.

Winding down, I told them about one of our favorite astronauts, Col. Chris Hadfield. In addition to being an accomplished test pilot and astronaut, Hadfield's a musician.

We shared his recording of "Major Tom" with the kids. They loved it!

I ended the presentation by noting that Hadfield is also an author, and read his children's book, "The Darkest Dark" to the kids. Before doing so, I asked the kids to think about some things these astronauts of varied ages, countries, races and interest have in common. We noted they all had to go to school, they were all determined and brave. But I pointed out each of them had some obstacles to overcome, and for Chris Hadfield, a fear of the dark was one.

The book really helped the talk come full circle, because ultimately, it's Hadfield watching Buzz Aldrin on the moon that propelled him to conquer his fear and pursue his dream of being an astronaut.

Pretty cool.

Neverland

SWEET SHOW:  Last night, on kind of short notice, we went to see "Finding Neverland" at the Paramount theater in Seattle.

We knew next to nothing going in, other than it was about the author of "Peter Pan," J.M. Barrie. In about two hours we learned a lot about Barrie, and came home and read a whole lot more.

I'll let CJ tell you more about the play. ...

Occasionally, my family visits the Paramount Theatre, a historic theater located in downtown Seattle. We usually visit to attend live plays, and this time, we attended the final Seattle performance of Finding Neverland (the last performance on the last day).
According to the program distributed at the event, Finding Neverland tells the true story of playwright J.M. Barrie, who befriends a widow (Sylvia Davies) and her four young sons (Jack, George, Michael, and Peter), and, through those friendships, finds the inspiration and courage to become the writer - and the man - he longs to be.
In the real world, J.M. Barrie is most well known as the author of Peter Pan, a legendary story, adapted into countless forms, about a boy named Peter Pan who lives in Neverland, a magical place where children never grow up. On a darker note, Barrie conceived of Neverland when his older brother, David, died in an ice skating accident. J.M. Barrie imagined Neverland as a place where David could live an idyllic afterlife where he never grew up.
Throughout Finding Neverland, J.M. Barrie entertains the imaginations of Davies' children by playing pretend with them (less creepy than it sounds), helping re-spark a sense of joy in Peter, the namesake of Peter Pan and the oldest son of Ms. Davies.
Late before the premiere of the Peter Pan play, Ms. Davies suddenly begins suffering from a "chest cold" (a euphemism for a cancer in the chest), creating a foregone conclusion where her children are going to be orphaned. Barrie promised to Ms. Davies that he would take care of her children, and she managed to see the  debut of Peter Pan's play, alongside her children.
Finding Neverland, in contrast to the last stage play I reviewed (George Takei's Allegiance), has very good choreography and music. The visual effects, physical and digital, are beautiful, even when you are sitting hundreds of feet away from the stage. Nearly every actor delivered an excellent performance, getting (me at least) wrapped in and interested.
Finding Neverland is a fantastic theatrical production, but I am curious of how historically accurate it is.

And here is Annabelle's summary. ...

Finding Neverland is a play about the life of J.M. Barrie and how he made friends with a widow and her 4 boys , found inspiration for Peter Pan. It all starts on a sunny day in London, where Barrie meets Peter, George, Jack, and Michael when they attempt to make him walk the plank off the bench. He meets them time and time again, and learns to play again, like he did as a child. He brings this to the theatre and is initially shooed away, but eventually they see the spirit in “playing” and the show is Barrie’s most successful yet! The story really shows how, even in hard times, a little fun can make a big difference. Life doesn’t have to be elegant and serious all the time, as was believed back when the play is set. The play is really beautiful, and the music is great. Fair warning, though- as this is a musical, there is a lot of singing and it can be a bit hard to understand at times. Luckily, there was an open captioning board in the corner to help deaf or hearing-impaired people enjoy the play just the same.  I loved the play and would highly recommend it. It can be sad at times, but it really sends the message that a little fun isn’t all hat bad.

My impressions of the musical? I thought it was lovely. I don't know that I've ever seen a more beautifully staged touring production. The lighting and simple but striking sets were terrific. And the choreography ... this wasn't a big ol' dance number show, but within the first two minutes of the production, I was struck by the thoughtful, artistic movements of the people on the stage. After the show, at home, reading Mia Michaels was the choreographer explained that. I know her work from "So You Think You Can Dance," and she is phenomenal.

I left the show wanting to read biographies about Barrie. I think that's a good sign. Leave the people wanting more!

AD ASTRA, ASTRONAUT:  Super sad news today. Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last human to walk on our moon, has departed Earth.

Several years back, we went to the San Diego Air and Space Museum during a special exhibit several years ago. There was a wall with this graphic and quote. I took a photo (below). For whatever reason, it actually made me tear up on the spot.

Awhile back, we watched a biopic movie about Cernan. "The Last Man on the Moon." It's a compelling portrait, and highly recommended.  https://vimeo.com/92046183

THE LAST MAN ON THE MOON: TRAILER from Mark Stewart Productions on Vimeo.

REVEREND KING: Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day.  Now, as much, if not more, than ever, his words ring true.