Number 24 See a Space Shuttle Launch

November 16, 2009

This was my second attempt at seeing a Space Shuttle launch. I drove five hours to see it three years ago and the launch was scrubbed. I was too sick to travel to see any of the other launches after that so I was certainly disappointed BUT my sister (right) lives in Titusville at the cape so this gave me another opportunity to come for a visit and a launch now that I am in a state of resored health. Of course she made me earn my keep while I was there by helping her put in soffit vents. I don't know what soffit vents are but I got to wear pretty pink gloves and use big scissors.

Then on to the launch!!!!!

We watched the lauch from across the bay on Merrit Island which seemed like it was far away but when the shuttle took off, we could feel it and hear it and smell it.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... LIFTOFFF!!!!

up, up and away!!!!

...and that fast, it was gone. It was really spectacular but I was disappointed at how quicly it was over; it literally only last seconds. My sister, who is a veteran of these launches tells me that a night launch is even more impressive and that I should come back for one of those too. I will certainly try but there are only five launches left in the Space Shuttle program. I wonder what my sister will have me building on that trip.

She was trying to get a photo of me with the shuttle but accidently took this sideways video.

Number 37 Start a Fire without Matches

November 7, 2009

I thought this would be more fun if I actually had a reason to make a fire rather than just creating random flames SO, this fire will occur as part of a camping trip to cook our weenies and smores. This worked out well because my adventure companion, Vivien was recently married and she and her husband, Todd, had received a tent as a wedding present and couldn't wait to try it out.

I've never made a fire from scratch before so I had to do some research. This led to the discovery of nine different ways to make fire:
1) Friction-based methods- These would be your rubbing sticks together, hand drill methods.

2) Flint-based methods - As the name implies, this involves striking flint

3) Lens-based methods - This is the magnifying glass way to make a fire but I learned that it can also include the use of an ice cube, a coke can and chocolate bar and even a condom!

4) Chemical methods - this involves the combination of chemicals and a cool electrical chemical way of making fire with a battery and steel wool.

BINGO!! This is the one I wanted!

So....

Off we went to George L. Smith State Park for our camping trip on the most beautiful day of the year!! Look at that sky!! We had a campsite right on the water; it was gorgeous!!!!

There was still plenty of daylight left when we arrived so we decided to hit the lake before we even set up camp. the water was so still, it looked like a mirror.

Todd sat in the front and steered while Vivien and I paddled. We actually managed to get ourselves wedged between two of those trees in the boat just after this was taken. I'm glad there were three of us. (Right) Todd came dressed appropriate to the occasion

It started to get dark so we set up camp, hunted for wood and got down to the business of the day.

I went with the battery and steel wool method. It was highly effective! I barely had to touch the battery to the steel wool before it started sparking.

Rubba-Rubba-Rubba...

Spark Spark Spark... ...pick up the burning bit...

toss it in the fire ring...

Puffida-Puffida-PUFF! and whaddya we got kids?

FIRE!!!

Of course then we had to use the fire for cooking hot dogs and making 'smores and singing campfire songs

This is a view of our campsite in the morning - still beautiful!

The Happy Campers

Number 28 Learn Ballroom dancing

Date: Ongoing

When you have cancer, there is nothing you want more than having your "normal" life back. Sadly, that never happens. The counselors explain to you that after cancer, you have to find a "new normal." It's more than rebuilding your old life; it's building a life. One of the things I like best about my New Normal is that, in this life, I get to dance!

I wasn't sure I was physically strong enough to take this on yet but I had been given the okay to take on a little more and then spotted an advertisement on Craig's List for a ballroom dance partner. Opportunity was knocking!

Okay, other List-pals, meet Rob.

His dance partner was moving to another town and he needed a new one so I answered the ad. Rob is not an ax murderer. I was concerned about this because it was just after the Craig's List murders so I asked him and he assured me that he was not an ax murderer and I'm sure he was just kidding when he said he preferred knives, right, Rob?...Rob? Unlike the rest of you on the list, Rob didn't volunteer because he didn't even know about the list. It didn't seem fair to be using someone for #28 when they didn't even know there was a #28 so I told him and he was nice enough to agree.

So, I have learned two dances so far, the rumba and the cha-cha. I am miserably bad at both but Rob has been very patient and I'm sure I will improve with time. I understand we are learning the waltz this week. That's my favorite dance and plays heavily into my fantasy about being an international woman of mystery (What??It could happen!) I was also inspired last time by a very intriguing dance that was demonstrated for us - the Argentine Tango! Um...wow. I needed a cold shower just from watching this dance. Good Catholic children are taught, when dancing with a partner to leave enough room for the Holy Spirit between them. I think learning this dance will require some serious squishing of the Holy Spirit! Seriously this is a hot dance! When you add a backless dress with a slit in it and all the very interesting undergarments that must go with it...I cant wait!!
Okay, okay, you have to walk before you can run...for now, the waltz. In order complete this item on my list, I want to learn these dances from International Style Ballroom Dancing (remember...International Woman of Mystery...not Domestic Woman of Mystery):

Slow Waltz
Tango
Viennese Waltz
Slow Foxtrot
Quickstep
Cha-Cha
Samba
Rhumba
Paso Doble
Jive

Stayed tuned...more to come


UPDATE June 17, 2009

I LOVE the waltz!!!! I want to waltz everywhere I go! I love the waltz so much that I bought it new shoes. Okay, I am also finding myself a little too short and having to dance on tiptoes so I hit a BOGO sale a Fioni's and got these for practice (and some really cute sandals too!) . I will try them out at the tango lesson this week.

Here we are practicing the waltz last week.

UPDATE: In July, in addition to the ballroom classes, Rob and I started taking weekly Argentine Tango lessons. We are becoming quite proficient at this and are about to attend our first milonga. Here we are at a recent tango practice

December 5, 2009 The Milonga!!! We made our first trip out of the safety of the pink walls of the dance studio to go to a milonga at Carlito's in Savannah. Wasn't quite sure what to wear so I looked at pictures of other milonga's on the internet and threw this dress together.







Here's a before and after of the dress I put together for milonga. I'm not really into the big flower thing but I saw that most of the dresses with the big slits had one so I went with it.




Here's the dress in action:

Can't wait for the next one!!

UPDATE: Rob and I continued to take lesson for almost two years and then figured we knew enough to get by. We had another project in the works together and decided to devote the dance time to that. Watch for details on this blog...

Number 20 Attend a Science Fiction Convention (in costume)

Date: September 5-7th, 2009

My adventure companion for this one bailed on me. We were going as Star Trek Enterprise women from the original series with the big hair and short skirts. I hardly ever get to wear big hair - I want my big hair! I've got two months to find a replacement! The convention is three days long so I have more than one costume that I want to wear. Friday will be my Enterprise costume. Saturday, I want to be Kaylee from Firefly. Someone once told me that I reminded him of Kaylee so I rented what I thought was Season 1 of the show - turns out it was the only season of the show! Bummer, I was really getting into it. I saw no physical resemblance between Kaylee and me so I guess he was referring to how we are both kind of annoyingly cheerful. Here's the costume on Kaylee (I've got most of it done already, just need to "distress" the coveralls some more)

Here's the BIG one: I want to enter and WIN the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty pageant!!! I'm working on this one... check back.

Update: I now have my Klingon name thanks to the Klingon Name Generator. I am:

Arizhel of Martok

Update, June 10, 2009: Checked out the rules of the contest and the wardrobe of Klingon women. I guess I cannot dismember a human for the talent portion of the pageant as I had planned due to safety considerations. Also, I noticed that all the fashion choices of Klingon women seem to have two things in common: cleavage and weapons. Okay, one down. Better look into Klingon weapons. I also found out who Martok was (just in case anyone asks).

Update, July 31, 2009: I'm IN!! I'm one of the ten contestants in the pageant. I saw the others had military ranks so I gave myself one too. I chose "Commander" since that was my rank at Space Camp. I also gave myself a last name too - Nosilla which is just Allison backwards. Now I have to think of a talent for the competition.

Update, August 1, 2009- Bribed Rick into going to the convention with me but he really doesn't want to go. I'm asking my dance partner if he'd like to go instead. He had loaned me an ethnography he'd written on Klingon culture so I know he might at least be interested in this stuff. Hey, he can probably translate from Geek to English for me. What a plus!

Update, August 10, 2009 - Message from Rob this morning: "Dragon Con is on !" Whoo Hoo! Finally, an adventure companion for this one. It's been like pulling teeth! I know technically, he is double-dipping in The List since he is also # 28 adventure companion but let's think of this as a reward for being such a good sport about being dragged into all of this, shall we?

Update, August 20, 2009: Dance partner Rob had an idea for my talent competition at the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty pageant. I was telling him about my new belly dancing class and he suggested that this would make a great talent and suggested that the Star Trek "fight music" would make it even more arcane. Perfect!!! My belly dance instructor, Jasmine, not only loves the idea but will actually be in attendance at Dragon Con with another group so she can come watch.

Update, September 5, 2009 - It's the day we leave for Dragon Con and despite my early order and many follow-up inquiries, my Klingon headpiece has not arrived from the Halloween Depot. Rick and I are off to the Acme Costume Company here in Savannah for help. INCREDIBLE place!!! The make-up artist there knows exactly what to do and gives me what I need with clear instructions how to use it. They have my business for life!

After the worst game of Count the Cows ever, we arrived in Atlanta about 8 and checked into one of the overflow hotels. It had a shuttle bus to the convention so we didn't have to worry about parking (which was outrageously expensive anyway). I put on my Uhura dress (right) which I discovered to be "granny length" by Dragon Con standards. I'm posing by one of the walls in our hotel lobby which we decided was decorated in "early bathroom." Right next to this pillar were some lovely turquoise chairs.

We spent a good part of the evening in the registration line because of some computer foul-up - Seriously??All those nerds in one place and no one could fix a computer??? Then we went to a showing of Joss Whedon's film/sing-along blog, "Dr. Horrible". I had never heard of this film but it seemed to have an enormous and dedicated following. A very upbeat experience, indeed!!

Saturday was costume Number 2- Kaylee from "Firefly." The night before, I had seen several Kaylee's and was determined on this day to have my photo taken with every one I ran into but could not find one other Kaylee the whole day!(but I saw dozens of Dr. Horrible's) So Rob went to his geeky stuff and I went to my cool stuff and we caught up with one another for dinner. I had gone back to the hotel to practice my dance and change for the Dawn Look-alike contest. I thought I was a pretty modest Dawn but felt quite awkward when I joined an elevator full of teenage boys from a church group from Kentucky who were definitely NOT there for Dragon Con. Who am I supposed to be? I'm Dawn, mistress of Satan, of course. I overheard one say to the other "That's abhorable." Me? Mary Poppins? Abhorable? What teenage boy even uses that word?? I hiked my fishnet stockings and two left sandals (don't ask) right outta that elevator!

The contest was a blast! The costumes were incredible- seriously, some of the girls must have invested hundreds on their costumes. They were stunning! Plus, the contest was hosted by Anthony Daniels who played C3PO in the "Star Wars" films. He was outrageously funny! Who knew? The picture to the right is me with a sword and a severed head of some Amy Whinehouse-looking person who cut me off in the line to the ladies room. After the contest, they gave us all invitations to an after-party for all the contestants hosted by the illustrator of the Dawn comic books, Joseph Michael Lisner. They said I could take a guest and Rob didn't seem to mind being around all the pretty girls so he went with me. It was in a suite at the very tippy-top of one of the hotels (can't remember which) which was incredible. They had a video of the contest going and alcohol was flowing...Rob insisted that I enter again next year JUST so he could go to this party again. That's us on the left on our way to the party. I got rid of that red wig right away. Rob is Lex Luthor and made this really cool glowing Kryptonite that he kept in that box. I got a little "fuzzy" on a lemony-lime concoction and then we headed back to our hotel. On the way, we ran into an old pal of mine from childhood and he let me take a picture with him. He was a little "fuzzy" as well and I'm not referring to that blue fur. I have my sword out because I was using it to push people out of the way who got into our path. Did I mention the lemony-lime concoction?

Sunday- For some reason, we both had headaches when we woke up. Anyway, this was Klingon day! Rob did a super job making me ridges on my forehead with this wax goo and spirit gum. (Yes, ladies, that's right- Rob gives great forehead) Lots of people asked to take my picture. so I guess I wasn't the only one who thought it looked good. This was shopping day for me, I headed to the vendors for trinkets and baubles and T-shirts. Wow! You could get just about anything there. Wish I had brought more money with me! Then on to the pageant!

Okay, I didn't win but like, the Dawn contest, this was SO much fun!! We had celebrity judges but I only really knew two of them, Dwight Schulz from "The A Team" and Alan Ruck from "Ferris Beuller's Day Off." Here are some photos













I'm threatening the audience because they are booing me.



Waiting with the "girls" to go on stage. My belly dance instructor was texting me good luck messages while I waited. Thanks, Jasmine!









(left)Doing my talent portion of the program- a belly dance with daggers.
(right) Some folks we met.

I'm not quite sure what this blue box was (I think I heard someone call it a turd-ass...or was it Tardis?) but I think it had something to do with Rob's religious practice. He came to worship it several times while we were at Dragon Con and seemed to have a kind of nerdgasm whenever near it. He even has pictures of it on his tie. The fact that he invited me to be in a photo with him and this object and even let me get inside made me feel quite special. This doesn't mean that we are married now, does it, Rob?