We drove to Universal Studios Florida in 2013, and we stopped by a quaint town called Chattanooga, Tennessee made famous by the song "Chattanooga Choo Choo." For train lovers of any age this would be a good spot to check out as the town hosts a Terminal Train Station and the original Chattanooga Choo-Choo train and many others. In Terminal Station they have an impressive model train display of the area including Look-Out Mountain, a tourist attraction in the town. You can stay in the station in train cars or rooms and have brunch before heading to Florida!
At Universal Orlando, our main focus was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure; there is now an extended Hogwarts Express train that connects it to the Universal Studios Florida that includes the new Diagon Alley which we would like to see. However, this one is worth seeing on its own. First, you enter the town of Hogsmeade which is a replica of the actual town in the books with stores that sell wands, confectionaries, and many other things from the world. They've created a scaled version of the castle which holds props and entire rooms from the movie that makes waiting in line for the ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. After you get done with the ride, visit gift shop in the castle to see the Marauder's Map and other souvenirs. You have to wait in line for Ollivander's Wand Shop to see the show and then you can purchase your own wand, or you can purchase the replicas from the movies. Another thing you can do is send yourself or someone else a postcard from the Owl Post with a Harry Potter stamp. For lunch eat at the Three Broomsticks for butter beer, giant turkey legs, and the Harry Potter atmosphere. Outside the castle you can watch Beauxbatons and Durmstrang perform dances and acrobatics. Also, listen to the choir sing with the frogs. Check out Honeydukes, the Hogsmeade sweets shop, and Zonko's Joke Shop for pranks. Many of the window displays have replica props from the movies like Quidditch Shop, Wizard Chess, and brooms.
Continuing on other places in Islands of Adventure see the Marvel and other comic areas. There is also a Dr. Seuss area and other worlds like Poseidon's Adventure and Sinbad's 8th Voyage stunt show. You can end your day at the NBA restaurant and shop. We spent an entire day there, and you could do more, but our most fun was at Harry Potter.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Tea Rings: our recipe
Every year my family makes tea rings for friends, family, and teachers. A tea ring is a large, frosted cinnamon roll in a fancy pattern that my grandma Judy taught my mom how to make, and now my mom is teaching all of us. My grandma Judy made lots of bread growing up in 4-H and then as an adult. My mom's family used to give the tea rings to teachers and friends to the point where the tea ring was part of some people's Christmas morning traditions. Every time we make them they make the house smell good; they are the essence of Christmas embodied in sweet, delicious warmth.
The first step in making tea rings is to make the dough, which is a sweet dough that can be formed into just about anything from dinner rolls to breadsticks to dessert breads.
To make the dough, first, set aside the yeast mix dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water in a small bowl and follow the directions on the package, making sure that the temperature of the warm water is not too hot so it kills the yeast and not too cool so the yeast doesn't grow and makes your rolls flat.
Next, in a large mixing bowl--a large mixer with a dough hook is the easiest--combine and beat until smooth
- 1 heated cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of shortening (butter, lard, margarine--lard is recommended)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water.
Cool the mixture to lukewarm so that when you add the egg and yeast they don't get too hot. Beat in 2 cups of flour and 1 egg. Add yeast mixture and approximately 4 cups of flour--this depends on how sticky the dough is and how much you will use to knead it later. Transfer the mixed dough to a floured surface to knead lightly for 10 to 15 minutes (unless you used a mixer with a dough hook, so then there is less kneading required).
Once the dough is elastic and has a surface that holds in bubbles, you can place it smooth side up in a greased, large bowl (we use big Tupperware bowls). Set it in a warm place with a dish towel (smooth, not fluffy one) over it while you allow it to rise until it is doubled in size. When doubled in size, punch down to remove some of the air, and pinch off what you need for rolls. We make about 5 tea rings per batch for a decent sized roll. So, divide the batch into five lumps of dough.
Now to make the actual tea ring you first take one of the dough lumps and place it on a greased surface to roll out with a rolling pin in the shape of a square or rectangle. Roll lightly but firmly so it doesn't make the dough too hard or sticky. Leaving an inch or so at the top of the square, spread melted butter over the entire dough surface. Next, take a half cup or so of brown sugar and distribute that evenly across the buttered area. Then sprinkle cinnamon generously over the brown sugar. Now carefully roll up the bottom of the dough to the top, unbuttered part so that it can be pinched to the dough roll to seal it. Now you should have a long roll of dough to place on a greased pan with the seam of the roll down. Make it into a circle or ring. Finally, with a pair of clean scissors, cut a half inch slit in the circle from the outer to inner edge, leaving some space in the center. Turn the cut parts to make a fan in a circle on the pan--make sure pans have edges to catch run-off. Let rise until it doubles again. Sometimes you can add melted butter lightly to the top for browning purposes--we don't always do this.
In a heated oven at 350°F, put in the pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Take out and immediately take out of pan. We transfer to a paper plate to give to others, and then quickly frost and sprinkle with decorative sugars or candy shakers. For frosting, use a bag of powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons of milk, two teaspoons of vanilla, a couple tablespoons of melted butter, and a few tablespoons of softened cream cheese. Mix together well until smooth. May need to add a bit more milk or butter to taste and to make creamy.
After the tea ring cools, place in Ziploc bag, and give to someone you care about!
The first step in making tea rings is to make the dough, which is a sweet dough that can be formed into just about anything from dinner rolls to breadsticks to dessert breads.
To make the dough, first, set aside the yeast mix dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water in a small bowl and follow the directions on the package, making sure that the temperature of the warm water is not too hot so it kills the yeast and not too cool so the yeast doesn't grow and makes your rolls flat.
Next, in a large mixing bowl--a large mixer with a dough hook is the easiest--combine and beat until smooth
- 1 heated cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of shortening (butter, lard, margarine--lard is recommended)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water.
Cool the mixture to lukewarm so that when you add the egg and yeast they don't get too hot. Beat in 2 cups of flour and 1 egg. Add yeast mixture and approximately 4 cups of flour--this depends on how sticky the dough is and how much you will use to knead it later. Transfer the mixed dough to a floured surface to knead lightly for 10 to 15 minutes (unless you used a mixer with a dough hook, so then there is less kneading required).
Once the dough is elastic and has a surface that holds in bubbles, you can place it smooth side up in a greased, large bowl (we use big Tupperware bowls). Set it in a warm place with a dish towel (smooth, not fluffy one) over it while you allow it to rise until it is doubled in size. When doubled in size, punch down to remove some of the air, and pinch off what you need for rolls. We make about 5 tea rings per batch for a decent sized roll. So, divide the batch into five lumps of dough.
Now to make the actual tea ring you first take one of the dough lumps and place it on a greased surface to roll out with a rolling pin in the shape of a square or rectangle. Roll lightly but firmly so it doesn't make the dough too hard or sticky. Leaving an inch or so at the top of the square, spread melted butter over the entire dough surface. Next, take a half cup or so of brown sugar and distribute that evenly across the buttered area. Then sprinkle cinnamon generously over the brown sugar. Now carefully roll up the bottom of the dough to the top, unbuttered part so that it can be pinched to the dough roll to seal it. Now you should have a long roll of dough to place on a greased pan with the seam of the roll down. Make it into a circle or ring. Finally, with a pair of clean scissors, cut a half inch slit in the circle from the outer to inner edge, leaving some space in the center. Turn the cut parts to make a fan in a circle on the pan--make sure pans have edges to catch run-off. Let rise until it doubles again. Sometimes you can add melted butter lightly to the top for browning purposes--we don't always do this.
In a heated oven at 350°F, put in the pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Take out and immediately take out of pan. We transfer to a paper plate to give to others, and then quickly frost and sprinkle with decorative sugars or candy shakers. For frosting, use a bag of powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons of milk, two teaspoons of vanilla, a couple tablespoons of melted butter, and a few tablespoons of softened cream cheese. Mix together well until smooth. May need to add a bit more milk or butter to taste and to make creamy.
After the tea ring cools, place in Ziploc bag, and give to someone you care about!
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
There has been a lot of fear-mongering that Disney would ruin the Star Wars movie franchise, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens completely surpassed expectations--I mean, What a movie! The movie brings back much of the original cast thirty years after the death of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi effectively tying the new generation to the old, connecting the past to the present.
The choice of J.J. Abrams as director was probably one of the best choices they could have made to make it a success. His recent successes in rebooting the Star Trek franchise and his love for sci-fi made him a wise choice of director. He brings good character development with the newcomers and the relationships that they develop. His excellent camera work makes the Millennium Falcon fly again in style. The impressive special effects which are a hallmark of Star Wars movies don't fail with a new, even more powerful Death Star-type weapon.
Like the original Star Wars cast, they chose relatively unknown actors to fill the major roles of the film. Daisy Ridley, playing Rey, stands out from the rest of the cast with her independent strength and adaptability in the face of the First Order. Finn, played by John Boyega, was a non-Clone Stormtrooper who develops a conscience and is drawn to the Light side by connecting with Poe Dameron and later Rey. BB-8 although not a human being, has a personality and life of his own. He's on par with R2-D2 as a creative droid/character. The new adversary Kylo Ren is interesting because he has a conflict inside of him that you didn't see as much with Darth Vader, and he seems to be on the tipping point of possibly returning to the Light. This makes him a lot more human than what Darth Vader was.
My recommendation is to see the movie. If you weren't a Star Wars fan before, you will be after, and then go watch the other movies.
The choice of J.J. Abrams as director was probably one of the best choices they could have made to make it a success. His recent successes in rebooting the Star Trek franchise and his love for sci-fi made him a wise choice of director. He brings good character development with the newcomers and the relationships that they develop. His excellent camera work makes the Millennium Falcon fly again in style. The impressive special effects which are a hallmark of Star Wars movies don't fail with a new, even more powerful Death Star-type weapon.
Like the original Star Wars cast, they chose relatively unknown actors to fill the major roles of the film. Daisy Ridley, playing Rey, stands out from the rest of the cast with her independent strength and adaptability in the face of the First Order. Finn, played by John Boyega, was a non-Clone Stormtrooper who develops a conscience and is drawn to the Light side by connecting with Poe Dameron and later Rey. BB-8 although not a human being, has a personality and life of his own. He's on par with R2-D2 as a creative droid/character. The new adversary Kylo Ren is interesting because he has a conflict inside of him that you didn't see as much with Darth Vader, and he seems to be on the tipping point of possibly returning to the Light. This makes him a lot more human than what Darth Vader was.
My recommendation is to see the movie. If you weren't a Star Wars fan before, you will be after, and then go watch the other movies.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Spectre
So I saw Spectre today which, after seeing it, I think could be the final James Bond film for Daniel Craig. What makes this feel different is that there is a sense of completeness that wasn’t there at the end of Skyfall. They wrapped up the four movie storyline with Bond discovering the organization behind every single plot against him in the last three movies, named Spectre which is also the organization of "evil" in the older Bond movies although it is only mentioned in a couple. Daniel Craig also made comments that suggested this would be his last Bond movie.
The critics have rated it above average, but not as highly as Casino Royale or Skyfall. I would rate it much higher than average--maybe 80% positive. Although I'm not a movie critic, I thought it was a good movie because it explained many things about the four-movie series, and also it tied up most of the loose ends in the past plots. Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux have an interesting chemistry on screen. She seems like the type of person that Bond would settle down with--if she survives. The plot kept you engaged throughout by continuing to connect to the previous movies, and it had a similar amount of action as the other movies. Bond restricted his killing better in this movie, like he was reformed after Skyfall.
Because I've been watching Marvel's "Agents of SHIELD" and the movies, I've noticed several similarities between the "evil" organizations of Spectre and Hydra. They are both international organizations dedicated in one form or another to world domination. Spectre wants to control things in the world behind the scenes, and Hydra wants to be known in the world to create an entirely new world order. In the movie, Spectre has one of their agents try to create a unified intelligence organization that would combine the intelligence organizations of nine of the biggest countries. This sounds like it could be a good idea, but it would be a disaster for the world. In the process of the merger, the 00 branch of MI-6 is shut down. M, Q, and Moneypenny have to find the suspended Bond and help him stop the merger and Spectre.
I recommend this movie to anyone who has seen the first three or like good spy movies with lots of action. If you can, go see it in the theater since the effect of seeing in the big screen is better than on television.
The critics have rated it above average, but not as highly as Casino Royale or Skyfall. I would rate it much higher than average--maybe 80% positive. Although I'm not a movie critic, I thought it was a good movie because it explained many things about the four-movie series, and also it tied up most of the loose ends in the past plots. Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux have an interesting chemistry on screen. She seems like the type of person that Bond would settle down with--if she survives. The plot kept you engaged throughout by continuing to connect to the previous movies, and it had a similar amount of action as the other movies. Bond restricted his killing better in this movie, like he was reformed after Skyfall.
Because I've been watching Marvel's "Agents of SHIELD" and the movies, I've noticed several similarities between the "evil" organizations of Spectre and Hydra. They are both international organizations dedicated in one form or another to world domination. Spectre wants to control things in the world behind the scenes, and Hydra wants to be known in the world to create an entirely new world order. In the movie, Spectre has one of their agents try to create a unified intelligence organization that would combine the intelligence organizations of nine of the biggest countries. This sounds like it could be a good idea, but it would be a disaster for the world. In the process of the merger, the 00 branch of MI-6 is shut down. M, Q, and Moneypenny have to find the suspended Bond and help him stop the merger and Spectre.
I recommend this movie to anyone who has seen the first three or like good spy movies with lots of action. If you can, go see it in the theater since the effect of seeing in the big screen is better than on television.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Benefits of playing LEGOs and Minecraft gaming
There are varied attitudes towards Minecraft and the hours that kids spend playing it, but not so much with LEGOs. However, both promote many skills and learning benefits.
Great things never go out of style, thus is the fact of LEGOs. Playing with LEGOs have a whole bunch of developmental and educational benefits, such as the development of creativity, abstract thought, fine motor skills, confidence, problem-solving skills, patience, persistence, perseverance, individualism, engineering awareness, cooperation, and teamwork. Studies also show that even infants and toddlers benefit from sorting through the varied colors and shapes of the bricks. And as your child gets older, playing with LEGOs promotes creative problem solving and challenges kids to think in 3 dimensions. It's something not everyone does well, but mathematicians and physicists have to think in 3D all the time. Thus, playing with LEGOs could be laying a colored-brick foundation for a career. No wonder many architects and engineers look back on hours playing with LEGO as their first step toward a life-long love of building. Finally, LEGOs are even more rewarding when you’re working with others to build something. Working in a group with LEGO promotes co-operative behavior and good communication. Due to its effectiveness, it is often used as a form of group therapy for kids with autism. It’s been successful in teaching them how to interact with others to achieve a common goal.
Popular belief says video gaming is a lazy, mind-numbing waste of time. Stereotypes like this are common, but they’re not exactly accurate. Building games like Minecraft develop spatial awareness, structural design, and for a sandbox game, resourcefulness. Players have to be aware of space requirements and scale when building large complex structures. These also play into the creation of real/fictional ships or buildings that have specific dimensions. Due to Minecraft's open-endedness as a sandbox game, players must also learn to be resourceful to find information on multiple aspects of the game. Also, through experimenting and working together, kids begin to develop skills in creative thinking, math and geometry, and even learn a bit of geology. And to complete large tasks, they need to plan a strategy, define goals, and work together to execute and see the mission through — sort of like having a real job.
Playing is extremely valuable for kids, considered by many to be the most important activity in the development of children. In fact, the Journal of Adolescent Research published a study comparing children that played video games to those that didn’t. “Video game players, regardless of gender, reported higher levels of family closeness, activity involvement, attachment to school and positive mental health,” Paul Adachi and Teena Willoughby, the authors of the study, concluded. “Video game players also had less risky friendship networks and a more favorable self-concept. Even schools are taking notice, with some classrooms integrating Minecraft or LEGOs directly into their curriculum. Previously, teachers had to form their lesson plan to the game, but with Minecraft, they can form the game to their lesson plan.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Vacation Spots You Should Check Out: Kennedy Space Center Florida
I know I've written about Florida before, but there are so many other things to see that I thought I'd write about another, Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral. One of my main recommendations for visiting Kennedy, especially if you are really interested in the space program, is to go on the upgraded V.I.P. tour rather than the basic package because you get a better tour guide who gives more in depth information, and you get into more areas that aren't always open to the basic package.
When we went we were able to actually go inside the Vehicle Assembly Building--the one where the space shuttle and Saturn V rockets were assembled. It was built to accommodate four Saturn V rockets at one time which would have allowed for weekly launches--a dream of the famous rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun. This limited access tour allowed us to stand on Launch pad 39A where the gantry was set up from the last space shuttle launch and would be converted to a new configuration launch pad for commercial use by Space X which is owned by Elon Musk. We saw the Orion capsule being assembled which has now done an unmanned mission.
On the way to the Apollo-Saturn V Center on the tour we saw alligators, snakes, birds, and wild boars since part of Cape Canaveral area is a wildlife preserve. Look for a decades old eagle's nest along the way. Inside the Center they have an actual-sized, deconstructed Saturn V rocket that you can walk under and around. It also has a mock-up Launch Control Center that simulates the Apollo 11 launch and moon landing. It was pretty awesome to experience the most historic space mission. The Center includes information on all of the other Apollo missions as well as artifacts of the space race, including many training modules.
We made it to the last showing of the day of the Atlantis exhibit which is their newest building, and houses the actual Atlantis space shuttle which was the final flight of the shuttle program in 2011. It includes many interactive exhibits that utilize motion technology to practice skills in space. The Atlantis was amazing to see up close knowing that it was the last mission.
Other exhibits to check out are the rocket garden which has rockets from each generation, and the other movies and hand-on exhibits throughout the complex. There are also decent places to eat and a great space gift shop.
When we went we were able to actually go inside the Vehicle Assembly Building--the one where the space shuttle and Saturn V rockets were assembled. It was built to accommodate four Saturn V rockets at one time which would have allowed for weekly launches--a dream of the famous rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun. This limited access tour allowed us to stand on Launch pad 39A where the gantry was set up from the last space shuttle launch and would be converted to a new configuration launch pad for commercial use by Space X which is owned by Elon Musk. We saw the Orion capsule being assembled which has now done an unmanned mission.
On the way to the Apollo-Saturn V Center on the tour we saw alligators, snakes, birds, and wild boars since part of Cape Canaveral area is a wildlife preserve. Look for a decades old eagle's nest along the way. Inside the Center they have an actual-sized, deconstructed Saturn V rocket that you can walk under and around. It also has a mock-up Launch Control Center that simulates the Apollo 11 launch and moon landing. It was pretty awesome to experience the most historic space mission. The Center includes information on all of the other Apollo missions as well as artifacts of the space race, including many training modules.
We made it to the last showing of the day of the Atlantis exhibit which is their newest building, and houses the actual Atlantis space shuttle which was the final flight of the shuttle program in 2011. It includes many interactive exhibits that utilize motion technology to practice skills in space. The Atlantis was amazing to see up close knowing that it was the last mission.
Other exhibits to check out are the rocket garden which has rockets from each generation, and the other movies and hand-on exhibits throughout the complex. There are also decent places to eat and a great space gift shop.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Vacation Spots You Should Check Out: Washington D.C.
You could spend seven days in Washington D.C. and not see everything. There's something for everyone from science and tech geeks to sports fan to history buffs.
For science and space lovers go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in the National Mall and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum outside of Chantilly, VA. If you are visiting the Mall, then at the Air and Space you can see an assortment of airplanes and other technological wonders that were important to both history and progress. In the First Flights exhibit you can see the Wright Brothers plane, Friendship VII (John Glenn's), the Apollo XXI module, the Bell X-1 (Yeager's sound barrier broken), and more. You can tour Skylab and take a walk along the path of developing rockets and the space race. The aircraft carrier wing is worth exploring offering views of old WWII through Vietnam era planes and memorabilia. At a far section of the building is a newer unmanned drone display where you can see the Pioneer UAV, the Lockheed Martin/Boeing Dark Star, and the experimental Boeing X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System which is being outfitted to go on missions without human oversight, including landing on an aircraft carrier which is very hard for humans, so imagine how hard it is for robots. There are also changing exhibits for every time you visit. For a bit of a trip outside of D.C. it is worth the drive to see the Udvar-Hazy Hangar in an annexed part of the Dulles National Airport. From the Engen Observation Tower, you can simulate being an air traffic controller and watch planes from Dulles land and take off. In the main part of the museum you can see space shuttle Discovery, an SR-71, the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress that bombed Japan in 1945, and more planes and space relics throughout history. Several movies have been shot in the hangar including a scene from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen where the SR-71 turns into an ancient Transformer. Other airplanes you can see up close are the Concorde, an F-14 Tomcat which are used in Top Gun, an X-35B which was a precursor to the official F-35 Joint Strike Fighter., and a Black Widow which my grandfathers always liked to see. If you like planes and space, both of these museums are worth a day each.
For sports fans in the summer head to see a Nationals game in Nationals Park in D.C. (though I recommend that you sit in seats that get some shade or you will be roasted!), but there is a "relief" room with free ice water and air conditioning. The mascots are six past presidents--Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Washington, Jefferson, Taft, and Coolidge who run out and race in the field to the crowd's amusement.
For history buffs you could spend months in the various museums. Some highlights that we enjoyed include touring the monuments and several of the history museums in the National Mall. On one of our vacations we took the Night Bus Tour which stopped at many of the main monuments briefly to see them beautifully lit at night. The tour included the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, views of the Washington Monument across the Potomac, the White House, the newer Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, Iwa Jima to see the statues raise the flag, and return back to the Union Station. It was the most handicap accessible tour for my little brother in a power chair, but you did see many places in a couple hours in the night. I'd recommend going back to some of the memorials in the daytime to investigate them further, especially the Vietnam and the Korean ones.
Another part of the Mall to see are the museums. The Archives houses many of the most important documents to our history including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights. It can be a long wait in the building, and the writing is surprisingly light, but it is worth being close to that part of our history as Americans. The Library of Congress Houses the largest collection of books, newspapers, and documents in the world, and the building itself is a fascinating piece of art. If you are a scholar, you can apply for a library card so you can actually go into the library proper to do research. Other notable museums for us were the Museum of American History which houses the stuff of America's past, but much of it is in storage and the exhibits rotate so much that you never know what will be on display, When we were there, we saw Dizzy Gillespie's custom trumpet, Apolo Anton Otto's skates, GM EV-1 (the first mass produced electric car), and much more. The Museum of Natural History has the Hope Diamond, exhibits of earth science, and fossils with some impressive exhibits of animals from the past.
This is just the tip of the iceberg that is Washington D.C. If you want to see what I mean, spend a week there.
For science and space lovers go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in the National Mall and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum outside of Chantilly, VA. If you are visiting the Mall, then at the Air and Space you can see an assortment of airplanes and other technological wonders that were important to both history and progress. In the First Flights exhibit you can see the Wright Brothers plane, Friendship VII (John Glenn's), the Apollo XXI module, the Bell X-1 (Yeager's sound barrier broken), and more. You can tour Skylab and take a walk along the path of developing rockets and the space race. The aircraft carrier wing is worth exploring offering views of old WWII through Vietnam era planes and memorabilia. At a far section of the building is a newer unmanned drone display where you can see the Pioneer UAV, the Lockheed Martin/Boeing Dark Star, and the experimental Boeing X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System which is being outfitted to go on missions without human oversight, including landing on an aircraft carrier which is very hard for humans, so imagine how hard it is for robots. There are also changing exhibits for every time you visit. For a bit of a trip outside of D.C. it is worth the drive to see the Udvar-Hazy Hangar in an annexed part of the Dulles National Airport. From the Engen Observation Tower, you can simulate being an air traffic controller and watch planes from Dulles land and take off. In the main part of the museum you can see space shuttle Discovery, an SR-71, the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress that bombed Japan in 1945, and more planes and space relics throughout history. Several movies have been shot in the hangar including a scene from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen where the SR-71 turns into an ancient Transformer. Other airplanes you can see up close are the Concorde, an F-14 Tomcat which are used in Top Gun, an X-35B which was a precursor to the official F-35 Joint Strike Fighter., and a Black Widow which my grandfathers always liked to see. If you like planes and space, both of these museums are worth a day each.
For sports fans in the summer head to see a Nationals game in Nationals Park in D.C. (though I recommend that you sit in seats that get some shade or you will be roasted!), but there is a "relief" room with free ice water and air conditioning. The mascots are six past presidents--Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Washington, Jefferson, Taft, and Coolidge who run out and race in the field to the crowd's amusement.
For history buffs you could spend months in the various museums. Some highlights that we enjoyed include touring the monuments and several of the history museums in the National Mall. On one of our vacations we took the Night Bus Tour which stopped at many of the main monuments briefly to see them beautifully lit at night. The tour included the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, views of the Washington Monument across the Potomac, the White House, the newer Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, Iwa Jima to see the statues raise the flag, and return back to the Union Station. It was the most handicap accessible tour for my little brother in a power chair, but you did see many places in a couple hours in the night. I'd recommend going back to some of the memorials in the daytime to investigate them further, especially the Vietnam and the Korean ones.
Another part of the Mall to see are the museums. The Archives houses many of the most important documents to our history including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights. It can be a long wait in the building, and the writing is surprisingly light, but it is worth being close to that part of our history as Americans. The Library of Congress Houses the largest collection of books, newspapers, and documents in the world, and the building itself is a fascinating piece of art. If you are a scholar, you can apply for a library card so you can actually go into the library proper to do research. Other notable museums for us were the Museum of American History which houses the stuff of America's past, but much of it is in storage and the exhibits rotate so much that you never know what will be on display, When we were there, we saw Dizzy Gillespie's custom trumpet, Apolo Anton Otto's skates, GM EV-1 (the first mass produced electric car), and much more. The Museum of Natural History has the Hope Diamond, exhibits of earth science, and fossils with some impressive exhibits of animals from the past.
This is just the tip of the iceberg that is Washington D.C. If you want to see what I mean, spend a week there.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
The Wiz Live! Remake from the 70s
Back in the 1970s Michael Jackson and Diana Ross starred in the movie version of The Wiz which is musical rendition of The Wizard of Oz with action set in Harlem and all African American actors playing the roles. According to Wikipedia, the movie was not well received at the time, but it has become a cult classic with lots of the songs performed even to this day by show choirs and others. This Thanksgiving NBC produced The Wiz Live! a modern remake of the play and movie to follow their holiday show pattern of recent years which included Cinderella and Peter Pan, also live.
My mom decided to watch it on Hulu tonight, so intrigued I watched it with her and my brothers. It was a great cast filled with powerhouse singers of today like Queen Latifa, Mary Jo Blige, Ne-Yo, and other newer actors. The music was upbeat and entertaining as well as very well performed. The stage effects were pretty inventive. They utilized large screens to change scenery which allowed them to create multiple scenes without elaborate sets. The choreography for the dancers was well designed to fit the scenery like the use of dancers dressed as poppy flowers to make the scene more three-dimensional, and the same was true of the tornado dancers. The story is an icon of American culture being well known in the U.S., so it was a good twist on it. I would recommend watching it on Hulu or somewhere if anyone is interested in musicals, good music, or show choir.
My mom decided to watch it on Hulu tonight, so intrigued I watched it with her and my brothers. It was a great cast filled with powerhouse singers of today like Queen Latifa, Mary Jo Blige, Ne-Yo, and other newer actors. The music was upbeat and entertaining as well as very well performed. The stage effects were pretty inventive. They utilized large screens to change scenery which allowed them to create multiple scenes without elaborate sets. The choreography for the dancers was well designed to fit the scenery like the use of dancers dressed as poppy flowers to make the scene more three-dimensional, and the same was true of the tornado dancers. The story is an icon of American culture being well known in the U.S., so it was a good twist on it. I would recommend watching it on Hulu or somewhere if anyone is interested in musicals, good music, or show choir.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall: Leading up to Spectre
Before I watch Spectre, I decided to watch the movies preceding it. The 21st century James Bond reboot stars Daniel Craig as Bond and reprises Dame Judi Dench as M (from the Pierce Brosnan Bond years) and includes Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall.
Overall, each movie was well received by critics with Casino Royale and Skyfall earning above 90% rating from critics. All were big money makers at the box office, so the upcoming Spectre has much to live up to from these movies.
Unlike Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace was more of a revenge movie as a result of the events in Casino portraying Bond during a difficult recuperation from the loss of his love. Thus, the movie was more violent mirroring Bond's anger and pain. He killed a lot more showing that he had less control than was previously thought by M. Because it was kind of a second part to Casino Royale that may be some of the reason for the lower ratings. Also, it had the most acts of violence of any Bond movie according to Wickipedia, so the grittier, more violent nature of the movie might have affected how people rated it too.
Fans were initially worried about Daniel Craig succeeding Pierce Brosnan as the new face of Bond because he wasn't as suave and sleek looking. But, since this was really a prequel to all the Bonds, Craig fit the image of an early Bond well. Craig portrays a rougher, edgier Bond with less experience which gives a different feel to the movies because he seems more eradicate and you aren't sure what he'll do.
Since Skyfall basically wiped the slate clean for Bond and with M gone, a new director will replace her. I think Skyfall was Bond's crucible because he had to face his past and overcome it. This leaves a more hardened, but more refined Bond to begin a new relationship with the new M, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, and the next phase of his journey.
I expect to see a new side of bond in Spectre where he begins the second phase of his career and takes on the organization behind all of the problems he's been through in the last three movies.
Overall, each movie was well received by critics with Casino Royale and Skyfall earning above 90% rating from critics. All were big money makers at the box office, so the upcoming Spectre has much to live up to from these movies.
Unlike Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace was more of a revenge movie as a result of the events in Casino portraying Bond during a difficult recuperation from the loss of his love. Thus, the movie was more violent mirroring Bond's anger and pain. He killed a lot more showing that he had less control than was previously thought by M. Because it was kind of a second part to Casino Royale that may be some of the reason for the lower ratings. Also, it had the most acts of violence of any Bond movie according to Wickipedia, so the grittier, more violent nature of the movie might have affected how people rated it too.
Fans were initially worried about Daniel Craig succeeding Pierce Brosnan as the new face of Bond because he wasn't as suave and sleek looking. But, since this was really a prequel to all the Bonds, Craig fit the image of an early Bond well. Craig portrays a rougher, edgier Bond with less experience which gives a different feel to the movies because he seems more eradicate and you aren't sure what he'll do.
Since Skyfall basically wiped the slate clean for Bond and with M gone, a new director will replace her. I think Skyfall was Bond's crucible because he had to face his past and overcome it. This leaves a more hardened, but more refined Bond to begin a new relationship with the new M, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, and the next phase of his journey.
I expect to see a new side of bond in Spectre where he begins the second phase of his career and takes on the organization behind all of the problems he's been through in the last three movies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)