CHECKING IN: So, MPA has had a 'little' interruption this week. Rest assured, that has not meant we are doing nothing. Quite the contrary, for sure. This week happens to be Teacher Appreciation Week, and because we appreciate teachers in a huge way, we've been really very busy. It's been five days of special events to celebrate people who work so hard to help kids. One of the things keeping us busy have included helping host a luncheon for around 30 people on Wednesday. We opted for an "all star" theme, mostly because we love baseball and had a plethora of decorations to get the job done!
The luncheon featured ballpark favorites (big hot dogs on artisan buns with an array of toppings, garlic fries, Cracker Jack and other popcorn treats, peanuts, licorice, Big League Chew and more.
For the occasion we made baseball inspired mason jar centerpieces. So quick and easy (tempera paint swished around in a jar, stitching painted on the outside). We brought some rhododendron blossoms from home to stick in them.
I had a baseball-related playlist of songs ready to go, and we had tubs full of root beer and ginger beer (best we could do on school grounds, where no real beer is allowed, of course). Such a small/easy thing to do, but the guests were so tickled by the glass 'beer' bottles.
I feel like I must give the Instant Pot pressure cooker mad props for deliciously delivering 5 dozen juicy hot dogs in about 15 minutes. They tasted MUCH better than boiled hot dogs, for sure. All in all, the baseball party was a big hit! The kids made the cookies for the event.
The baseball cookies were a slam dunk, to mix metaphors/sports.
Fast forward to today, and our project was making over the very sterile staff bathroom. The spartan space looked absolutely institutional in the 'before' photo. (Sadly, I didn't think to take a 'before' shot.) We hung some world map canvases and a quote above them. ... And by 'we,' I mean Annabelle.
We also added a petite mirror above the sink, where there wasn't one before. And by 'we,' I mean CJ and I. ;)
We also added a lovely little cabinet chock full o' donated toiletries and bathroom supplies.
WATCH DOGS: For about 24 hours, we had four dogs, two fish and a cat sharing our space. The 'extra' pets were a pair of Doberman, Pretzel and Strudel.
Sweet and strong, they kept us busy! I'm certain they didn't get anywhere near as many dog naps as they're used to during their visit with us. I'll bet they're sacked out right now, trying to make up for lost time.
INSIGHTFUL: Launch alert! On Saturday, May 5, NASA's InSight Mars lander is set to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California.
Above, you see NASA's InSight Mars lander inside its protective payload fairing and moved to the launchpad to be attached to its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: USAF 30th Space Wing/Daniel Herrera Annabelle can tell you more about the mission. ...
NASA’s InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic
Investigations) mission will launch on May 5th, 4:05 AM PT. It will
be the first interplanetary mission launched from the West coast, specifically California.
The mission will give Mars a “check-up” and perform a deep analysis on its
inner parts. InSight will check Mars’ “vital signs” beneath the surface,
including its seismology (“pulse”), heat flow (“temperature”), and precision tracking
(“reflexes”). The lander will be followed by two smaller satellites known as “MarCO”-
Mars Cube One- due to their cubed shape. The mini-spacecraft MarCOs will arrive
at Mars just behind InSight and help transmit info back to Earth. Once InSight
and the MarCOs do their job, we can learn much more about Mars’ past, how it
was formed, and even a little bit about other rocky planets like it.
An artist's illustration of NASA's InSight Mars lander on the Red Planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
West (U.S.) Coasters will have to be up early to watch the launch, as it's scheduled for 4:05 a.m. our time.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Thanks to a friend of mine and some sweet, discount tickets, this spring we have been introduced to the stunning spectacle that is the Seattle Opera.
Wednesday evening, we attended the epic "Aida." Following is what Annabelle had to say about the production. ...
The Seattle Opera is currently running their production of
Aida, a story where “Conflicted loyalties spell doom for star-crossed lovers”,
as the program puts it. The titular character is a servant in Egypt after her
capture during an ongoing war. She falls in love with a soldier named Radamès,
who is then selected to lead the charge against Aida’s home country. Aida, torn
between love for Radamès or her home, accidentally lets her feelings spill to the
princess, Amneris- who also wishes to win Radamès’ heart! When Radamès returns
from battle successful, Amneris has already convinced her father to let her marry
Radamès as a reward for his deeds! Aida is heartbroken, especially once she
sees, among the prisoners, her father- the king of the rival country.
Aida’s beautiful set was designed by Los Angeles graffiti artist
RETNA, and it has a very distinct style that lends well to the story. There is
almost no dialogue outside of songs- and all of it is in Italian. A lot of
thought obviously went into the costumes, which were intricate and brightly
colored, contrasting the mostly monotonous background of red, black, and white.
It’s a stunning production and the theater gives it a PG rating- meaning you
could bring kids if you’re alright with themes of war and death. The theater
will show Aida until May 19, so if you want a chance to see the show you should
go quickly!
THE SOUND OF SILENCE: While Annabelle and I were busy working elsewhere, CJ and Christian had a chance to visit the historic Paramount Theatre and enjoy a midday matinee featuring a silent movie and live organ accompaniment. CJ will be happy to tell you more about it. ...
Monday morning, I went to the Paramount Theatre in downtown for a Silent
Movie Monday event, where multiple silent films (films generally dating
from 1904 to 1928, according to the host) were shown. I went as part of a
field trip with Cascade Parent Partnership Program students.
The first silent movie we were shown, Alice the Whaler, was actually a Walt Disney project, from his early days in the animation industry. Alice the Whaler was
one of many "Alice Comedies", projects Disney made featuring various
actresses playing the title character, Alice, with animated visuals as a
background. Alice the Whaler was a six-minute long short
featuring Alice, accompanied by several other characters, on a boat and
dancing instead of, well, whaling (until the very end of the short).
The second silent movie we were shown, Love at First Flight, is an obscure live-action short that came out in 1928, the same year the Paramount Theatre opened. Love at First Flight is
mostly dedicated to showing off several attractive women in swimsuits
(gee, that sounds familiar), with the plot serving as an excuse.
Both
films had live soundtracks played by organist Christian Elliott, who
stated that he worked with multiple silent-era film industry people.
Elliott often improvises sections of the soundtracks, according to what
he said at the event.
In addition to the show being entertaining, the lovely Paramount is always a star in its own right.
IN ADVANCE: Tomorrow night we'll be attending Seattle Opera's producion of "Aida." In preparation, we checked out some videos today. One was all about the costumes for the production. It turns out that the wardrobe for Verdi’s epic love story includes over 200 costumes for singers, dancers, and the chorus. We watched an interview with designer Anita Yavich. From it, we learned about the color theory and historical influences behind her design choices. https://youtu.be/KwUXuwREl4g
Verdi’s Aida also includes several dance sequences, so we watched a video with show choreographer and contemporary dance leader Jessica Lang, whose work has been presented by Pacific Northwest Ballet. We learned the show will feature nine dancers. https://youtu.be/1dlQEI9q3Hk
MOVING: Last Friday we found ourselves in downtown Seattle for a cool performance and Q&A with the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I'll have CJ tell you a bit more about the experience. ...
This morning, we went to the Moore Theatre downtown to see an hour-long
performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), a dance
company from New York City. The show was at The Moore Theatre in downtown Seattle.
The company was founded in 1958 by Alvin
Ailey, a dancer and choreographer from Rogers, Texas. AAADT's most
well-known production is Revelations, a three-part dance that was
shown in part at the event we went to.
Alvin Ailey was born in 1931 and
died in 1989 from complications relating to HIV/AIDS.
The
performers at today's show included Michael Jackson Jr. (no, not
related to the MJ you're thinking of), Jacqueline, Danica, Solomon, and
Kanji. Aside from the aforementioned Revelations, AAADT performed excerpts from two other productions, from 1992 and 2005.
At
the end of the show, the audience was given the opportunity to ask
questions. I asked is the backup music was recorded, or played live. I
was told by the performers that in the majority of performances
(including this one), the music was recorded. However, AAADT does an
annual Revelations Live event in New York City, where they have an orchestra play the backup music.
So that's CJ's take. (What he doesn't mention is that there were hundreds of hands up in the theater and he was lucky to get his question answered.) My impression(s)? My goodness, the dancers were so light on their feet! And they were *so* engaging, not just while dancing, but when connecting with the audience. It was lovely.
Below, you can see a video of one presentation of "Revelations," Alvin Ailey's signature work.
CERTIFIED: Wednesday morning we headed north early to get to Queen Anne in time for a very important class. Here's CJ to tell you more about it. ...
Wednesday, I visited the Cascade Parent Partnership Program campus to
attend a two-hour class on how to administer cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR). CPR is a technique generally used to restore
breathing to a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest or a heart
attack.
The instructor set up dummies on stage, to
practice CPR techniques on. Alongside the dummies present on stage, the
instructor began playing a video depicting a man collapsing, and showing
the proper things to do in an event where you need to administer CPR:
1 - Look around you and make sure the place you are in is safe. If so, proceed to the next step. If not, call 911.
2 - Slap
the shoulders of the victim, and ask "Are you okay?" If they respond,
then they are conscious. If they do not respond. proceed to the next
step.
3 - Yell for help. If one person arrives, tell them to call
911. If multiple people arrive, tell one to call 911, and another to
retrieve an automated external defibrillator (AED). If nobody arrives,
call 911 while retrieving an AED to the victim.
4 - Begin
administration of CPR. Remove all clothing from the victim's chest area. Firmly press down on the "CPR spot" (the spot where the line between
the victim's nipples and the line down from the center of their head
cross) using both hands at 100 to 120 presses per minute.
If you get an AED, unpack the device and follow the instructions that you will hear from the device. Do not make contact with the victim while the shock from the AED is being given.
Continue to administer CPR. If police arrive due to the aforementioned 911 call, let them take over the emergency handling.
After
the end of the class, cards that certified us in CPR administration
were given to class attendees. The certifications are valid for two
years.
Annabelle was in on the training, too. Here's her take. ...
Standard CPR practices have been renewed every 5 years,
allowing the American Heart Association to continue developing the method that
gives the best chance of survival. A representative from the American Heart Association came to our
school to teach adult CPR. She mentioned that, for the purposes of CPR or AED
usage, anyone 8 years old or older is considered an adult.
The AED is a unit in
most work buildings that, when the pads are placed correctly on the body, will
deliver an electric shock to the heart if needed. You have to be careful to not
place the electric pads over a pacemaker, though. The AED will give you
instructions on what to do and say out loud when you need to stay clear and not
touch the victim in case of shock.
When performing CPR, there are multiple steps that must be
followed in order: First, check the area to make sure it’s safe. If it isn’t,
you may risk becoming a second victim. Second, tap the person on the shoulders
and loudly ask if they are OK. If they respond, you may not have to perform CPR.
Third, call for help, and have whoever arrives call 911 and grab the AED. Tell
the operator your emergency, address, and that you know CPR. Keep the 911
operator on speaker so they can give you instructions while performing the CPR.
Check for breathing by holding your ear to their face and watching their chest
for rising and falling motions.
Begin the CPR by drawing a line in the middle of the torso
and on the nipple line; this is where the heart is located. Place the heel of your
dominant hand on that spot and clasp it with your other hand, locking your elbows
and leaning over the body. Begin pressing at least 2 inches down at a rhythm of
100-120 beats per minute. A good way to remember this is to stick to the beat
of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Allow the chest to rise to its normal
height before pressing again. A good rule of thumb is that if you hear cracking
sounds, it’s a sign you are pressing hard enough. Continue doing this until
help arrives. Knowing all this can help save someone’s life!
LAST CALL: If you want to visit the sun, well, at least in name, April 27 is your last chance!
We're on board, in the form of our names on a microchip that's on the Parker Solar Probe.
When the probe launches, we'll all eventually plunge through the Sun's atmosphere, closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it. It's bound to get brutally hot, and radiation will be immense. The mission will provide humanity with the first-ever close-up view of a star.
(Illustration from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)
(Image: NASA, ESA, and STScI) GREAT 28: Time to take a moment out of your April 24th to say, "Happy Birthday, Hubble!" That's right, NASA's Hubble Telescope turned 28 today. Back on April 24, 1990, Hubble launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The space telescope was deployed into Earth orbit a day later. Since then, the telescope has been providing we Earthlings with amazing images of our universe. Originally spec'ed to last a dozen years, Hubble has done more than double that amount! In fact, it continues to produce stunning images like the one above, of the incredible Lagoon Nebula.
To date, Hubble has logged over 163,000 orbits around our planet and has captured and transmitted over a million photos. Of course, anyone who follows NASA news knows that Hubble's history came with some drama. In June of 1990, Ed Weiler, the chief scientist with the Hubble Space Telescope program, had the inenviable task of telling a room full of reporters that NASA's new $1.5 billion observatory's 94.5-inch primary mirror had been ground to the wrong shape, rendering it unable to bring starlight to a crisp focus. Oops.
Due to an oversight during fabrication, the concave shape of Hubble's primary mirror was too shallow toward its outer edges by 2 microns, a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair. As a result, starlight was not brought to a focus at the same point, resulting in blurry images. These three images show the same star as viewed from a ground-based telescope, left, and from Hubble's uncorrected mirror, center. The corrected image, after a space shuttle repair mission in 1993, is seen on the right. NASA However, the setback turned into a tremendous story of ingenuity and perseverance, as engineers precisely mapped the mirror's shape, and discovered it was misshapen due to a rather simple math error. Fortunately, fixes were developed in rather rapid fashion, and on a subsequent shuttle mission, some new hardware was delivered and some space walking astronauts installed it, and the rest is history.
Above, NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, with the Hubble Space Telescope at his back, holds onto the shuttle’s robotic arm while working on the space telescope's repairs. A while back, PBS aired "Invisible Universe Revealed," all about the Hubble. You can find it on YouTube. https://youtu.be/GMhXPqUuqnM
