I woke up this morning because IT IS TOO HOT! If it weren’t for the bugs already squatting in the downstairs living room I’d be sleeping on the futon where the thermostat lives. If you don’t remember science, kids, heat rises. That means the cool air from the wonderful central air likes being downstairs. The upstairs stays warmer. There is no thermostat upstairs to say, “hey! AC! yeah, could you just keep it going up here… please? pretty please?” This situation is made worse with the heat wave sticking around worse than lint on sweat.

My brain decided that it was too warm to keep sleeping. Even with the fan now on and cooling things off, it’s like “oooo that feels good! But, since you’re up, here is everything you should think about to stress you out!”

Damnit brain.

He was lucky enough to attend STS-135: The last shuttle launch. Even though I wasn’t in Florida to see it for myself, I was still able to experience a taste of what was happening because of Twitter. It was because of that I decided to enter the next NASATweetUp lottery as soon as one came up. When I entered and won a spot, I was ecstatic! I tweeted at @Lartist mentioning I won, and if he had any advice. He replied saying to look up the TweetUp info sites and to get involved with the facebook group that will inevitably be created for it.

For the past year and a half I had really become a hermit. I was on break from grad school, I didn’t have a job, and most of my friends had moved away. I was stuck in Rochester. I was freelancing a bit but it was no where enough to support myself. I had some crumby self esteem. Locked up in the apartment, I was suddenly an introvert – the complete opposite of myself from high school. This sucked! Winning the spot at the MSL TweetUp was finally a way to break out of this hole I placed myself in. I wanted to get involved and make this a great experience!

Turns out that part of the experience was to create a shirt design that people could wear to feel part of the group. Another part was to have a “Thank you” poster to sign and give to NASA and JPL to show our appreciation! To make it a lot more fun there were also patches and pins. I wanted to be a part of it. @Lartist created the poster for STS-135 TweetUp and I wanted to make one, too! As a group we submitted ideas and designs then voted to the designs we liked the most.

To have my designs selected by my peers and then to see them worn and printed felt really good. I no longer feel stuck at the bottom of the hole. I’m not completely free of said hole but I feel hopeful that I can get out of it. Thank you for liking what I had to offer and allowing me to be part of the TweetUp.

And thank you NASA for one of the greatest experiences of my life! I hope you keep this going.

My store is still open for whose who still want a TweetUp shirt. I am in the process of trying to design a TweetUnion MSL shirt for when she lands in August. Maybe design a few shirts that are completely random. who knows…

MSL Curiosity Poster

I was exhausted but I had to drag myself out of bed. Had to pack since I opted to sleep once I had returned to the hotel the night before. Drag everything back down to the car. pack that. Double check I didn’t leave anything. I left the burrs, though. Those fucking burrs.

It was only at this point did I realize I should have stayed one more night. I could explore Florida a bit more. There was the nature preserve near the KSC. Alas… didn’t think, didn’t plan.  And I had already picked these little bastards off my shoes…

Sharp prickly Sand Burrs

Plastic fork, people. Seriously. Wedge them into the tines of the fork and pull. Works wonders. Too bad I only thought of that when I was almost done and my fingertips were numb. Evil little things…

Oh look! A palm Tree!

Brunch at the iHop. Pictures of the palms in the area. That was about it. I hopped back onto I-95 north and drove all day until I made it to my parent’s house back in North Carolina. Stayed a few days to rest and spent time with the ‘rents, then a few days with my sisters back up on Long Island. Soon, I was back up in Rochester. Was it worth missing out on Thanksgiving? Yeah. Will I try for another TweetUp? Hell Yeah!

Will be a TweetUp Reunion in August when Curiosity lands on Mars? Maybe…

MSL Curiosity Poster

It was more like a nap by the time my mind took a break from its marathon of thoughts and the butterflies in my stomach settled from hours of anticipation. Or was it indigestion from the really bad Chinese food I had the night before? No. Anticipation. I was like a kid who wasn’t allowed to leave the dinner table until I ate enough of my veggies. Three hours of sleep enough? good.

Up and in the car well before the sun, drinking really awful hotel coffee, I drove back to the Kennedy Space Center for what ended up being the last time. We had been waiting for this day for weeks. Others had been waiting  for months, years! This was Launch Day!

We had to arrive by 6am. Again, most of us arrived early. Few slept at all. I was excited, but it didn’t hit me until I saw the clock on and counting down. Weather permitting, this was happening.

Launch Day - The Countdown Clock.

Again, another morning planned. Our large group was split into two. Mainly because the media building couldn’t handle all of us at once. I walked with the first group to witness the the work Doug Ellison had been doing for JPL. A project called “Eyes on the Solar System” – anyone with a computer can “see” what we’re doing in space. Our satellites and where they are, where they were, and where they will be. All 3D models. All beautiful. And for those who own a pair of red/cyan 3D glasses, the experience can really “pop out”. ugh. Sorry.

After that, the groups switched and I made it back to the Twent where Astronaut Doug Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) spoke with us. Followed by Bill Nye The Science Guy! Part of me knew he was going to be part of this Tweet Up! I had seen his talk at my Alma Mater where he spoke passionately about Mars and Sundials! I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t there.

Then our special guest came up. Seriously… who could top Bill Nye? Well, Will.I.Am of course! Wait… what?!

Turns our Will.I.Am is a huge supporter of Space exploration and STEM/STEAM. He has launched his own project called SYSTEM (stimulating youth for science, technology, engineering and mathematics). His current single T.H.E (The Hardest Ever) kinda hints at how awesome space and technology is. He also said that the day Curiosity lands on Mars he will release a song in honor of it and STEM.

Doug Wheelock!

Bill Nye The Science Guy! Ahhh!!

Another astronaut made it, Leland Melvin (@Astro_Flow). He and Wheels totally air-chest bumped. It was awesome. We were also surprised with the head of NASA – Charles Bolden. Wow. All the crazy. All the awesome. And it wasn’t even 10am yet!!

The head guru of NASA - Charles Bolden

Will.I.Am and Wheels!!

Once the group photo had been taken, we had some time to kill. So, what better way to kill time than to have a spontaneous Q&A with Wheels and Bill Nye!? Yeah. I can’t think of anything better. Questions asked. Answers given. Autographs and photos with our heroes later, we slowly made our way outside where the clock was getting very close to zero.

There she goes! WOOHOOO!!!

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. How have I gone 25 years without this?! One second hidden beind the treeline, sitting on the Earth’s surface and then up, with what seems like the light of the sun lifting it up, Atlas V is forced up into the air, breaking through our layers of atmosphere and racing towards the stars. All the while it is quiet. Around the second this picture was taken was when you could finally hear it – A rumbling thunder. It’s hard to describe. Next time you’re in the shower, blow into the streams of water. It’s weird I know, but trust me. It sounds something like that, but a lot more awesome, and less wet. And to blow your mind just a bit more, the sound reached us before it reached the ears of other spectators.

Cheers. Tears. Yells. There was happiness and a rush like nothing else. There was hugging. There was talk of what just happened. I played with the controls on my camera to do a bit of stop-motion replay. We wanted to see it again! Once wasn’t enough!

We made it back inside the Twent to see the replays of the launch there. Other views that only cameras can share. Moments later we witnessed the separation of the rocket body. Curiosity was on her way!

It was around now that people started to leave. We were invited to stay and watch the Post-Launch news conference in the Twent so a few of us stayed for that. A few helped clean up. The crews came to start dismantling the Twent. It was over. Suddenly, it was over. I made it to the car, not wanting to but having to leave. I took my time. Drove slowly away. Windows down, I wanted to take it all in. 150+ of us and suddenly I was alone in the car with just my memories.

Not having eaten, I stopped for lunch. I was back with the public going about their day. Had a mediocre lunch and made it back to the hotel room. I called my fiance and shared everything. I had to share what I just experience. I needed to keep it alive.

While my computer processed images, I watched some tv, exhaustion settling in. Dozed a bit. I had a sofa in my hotel room and I napped on that versus in the bed three feet away. Soon, it was time to see a few of my new friends for the last time at the EndlessBBQ. Drove from Titusville to Cocoa Beach. My GPS getting me lost and had me walk the last quarter mile to the bar. Had a great talk with a few people. One amazing talk with someone that gave my self-esteem a jump in MP (Magic Points. Yeah. I went there. Speaking of game references. Pat – #YouGotAThing.)

They day I wish would never end, had to end. Dinner consumed with a great group of new friends. hugs exchanged. And a dark, lonely walk back down that quarter mile to my car I drove back to the hotel. The last night. And I slept so well…

EndlessBBQ Shells on the table.

Still feeling a bit overwhelmed from all that happened today.

This morning we had to arrive in time for the 9am start of events. A well structured full-day of awesome. I arrived a bit early, much like everyone else, to explore the area where we’ll be spending the majority of that day and next. The VIP site was well inside the property of NASA. And yes. I almost got lost even with all the signs posted. I’m just that special.

Oh.. you know that clock? The iconic countdown clock? THE clock… yeah. I can already tell you’re jealous.

The famous count-down cock! It's HUGE!

Just to warn you.. this post is just as huge as the clock. I won’t feel bad if you skip the reading parts and just scrolled to see the pictures.

9AM started with introductions of those who organized the event, then a pass-the-mic introduction of all the participants.  What’s your name, Twitter handle and something about yourself. Simple and to the point as there were 150+ of us. I sat in the corner at the “left-over” table which was inconveniently outlet free. Fortunately, our table neighbor was more than willing to share their power strip.  As unloved as this table was I couldn’t complain- I had a direct line of site to the podium, sat next to the AC unit (which worked the latter half of the morning ) and a speaker right behind me. I never missed a word. The best part of my seat? I didn’t bother anyone when I stood to take pictures. Being by the entrance where the VIP speakers came in didn’t hurt either. Best seat in the house… er.. #Twent, in my opinion!

Full Twent of Tweeps at a Twitter TweetUp Event!

Are you Curious about this wheel I'm holding?

With introductions over with, we were right on schedule to hear from people whom worked on the project. I’m not going to lie. I felt like I was the only one there that didn’t understand a lot of the techie/science stuff. I try. I’m really interested in everything, but some engineering jokes. whoosh. right over the head.

I will say, however, when we were told about the Plutonium-238 that was required to power Curiosity, I couldn’t help but think about this:

Dr. Emmett Brown: No, no, no, no, no. This sucker’s electrical. But I need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity I need.
Marty McFly: Doc, you don’t just walk into a store and-and buy plutonium. Did you rip that off?
Dr. Emmett Brown: Shhhhhh. Of course. From a group of Libyan nationalists. They wanted me to build them a bomb, so I took their plutonium and in turn, gave them a shiny bomb-casing full of used pinball machine parts! Come on! Let’s get you a radiation suit. We must prepare to reload.

Oh Back to the Future… But I need to state that we did obtain the Plutonium-238 legally. From Russia, sans pinball machine parts. XD

Once the talks were over we broke for lunch. A Water and a blueberry Cliff bar later, I packed up my laptop and my big camera gear to get ready for the 4-hour tour. This is when I began to hum the tune to Gilligan’s Island. My mind is weird.

Bus number 4 Tour guide!

Our first stop was the VAB or the Vehicle Assembly Building.  This building is huge!  How huge, you ask? Volume, we’re talking about 3.5 Empire State buildings. Still don’t understand the crazy girth of this building?

VAB

A single star on the American flag? SIX FEET TALL! Wait for it. Wait for it… There ya go.

That's... kinda tall...

Inside the VAB - looking up.

I seriously wish someone was up there looking down so it would demonstrate scale. This place was seriously huge. Scary huge. Did I mention huge?!

As many know (actually, many people do NOT know this) but the Shuttle Program has ended. As sad as it is,  it is also a great opportunity to start something new. That said, the old must make way for the new. Endeavour was there parked inside the VAB. It was being decommissioned and prepared for immortality at the California Science Center. Though it will have a good home and be viewed by many at its new resting place, I still couldn’t help but cry a little. I wasn’t the only one.

Endeavour - As it sleeps, we will remember.

Tears shed, we continued on with the tour. Back on the bus we travelled deeper into Cape Canaveral. Past an infamous Beach House which has probably seen a lot of action over the years. They say there is a room full of empty wine bottles with the signatures of every man and woman that has been set to launch into space. I said prove it. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to see.

If walls could talk...

More tears were shed. The Apollo 1 launch pad.

“They gave their lives in service to their country in the ongoing exploration of humankind’s final frontier. Remember them not for how they died but for those ideals for which they lived.”- Written on a plaque commemorating Apollo 1

We were a bit early when we arrived at the next stop on our tour that we never got a chance to get close. But we could still feel it. This is part of the beginning chapters of Space Exploration. This is the past that helped bring us to where we are now. As the bus turned around and left we literally traveled the road to the present… to the reason 150 strangers were brought together that day.

The view from the bus ...

Dearest friend Zach, standing a football field's length away from the Atlas 5 holding Curiosity.

All set and waiting for the start of its journey the following day, the Mars Space Laboratory sat patiently in the Atlas V rocket. Separated by only the span of a football field, an electrified fence, and a man with a specific authority holding a weapon I am not familiar with and didn’t wish to be on the wrong end of, we stood in awe. Another wonderful gentleman was there telling us about the rocket and his part in this mission to Mars. I wish I remembered his name. Why am I so horrible with names?! Maybe because I was focused on the rocket that was going to be shot into space in under a day that I didn’t pay attention. Or was it the 5 ft margin of space that we were warned not to enter or we’d be in the rifle-man’s cross-hairs? No, I think I was yelling at myself for not bringing my telephoto lens so I could have better shots of the rocket. Yeah, that’s probably it.

Back on the bus we had one more stop to make – The Saturn V center. Filled with a lot more tourists than the rest of the tour, we walked through this building, watched a movie, and sat through the recorded countdown of, I think, the Apollo 8 launch. But what was awesome was the Saturn V rocket they had on display. My jaw was on the floor.

Saturn V - Blast end

“These beings, with soaring imaginations, eventually flung themselves and their machines into interplanetary space.”-Carolyn Porco

Time was up. We all filed back onto the bus and, with a setting sun, traveled back to the parking lot between the VAB and the Twent to leave for the day. I stood by my car and couldn’t move for a long time. Nothing I could do or say would accurately describe how I felt. From when I woke up that morning to when the sun set I was involved with so many people, sharing with them excitement and sadness and hope. So much history. I felt an overwhelming pride for what we, as a people, had accomplished. However, there was also a small pain deep in my chest. So much of that pride is only shared by a fraction of the population now compared to back then…

Thus the existence of the NASA TweetUps! To spread the word of how awesome and important this endeavor is! We have barely made a scratch into the depths of space and we are still so young! I hope that this pride and inspiration will return, and I hope to be a part of it!

VAB after sunset

right?

Well, I decided to create a new series called “Failed Attempts at Photography!” This is a new segment of my blog that I just made up about two minutes ago as an excuse to post pictures of things I currently feel proud of. The blog is like the giant fridge and you are the poor saps that have to look at it when you browse the kitchen for something to snack on!

The moon is bright and full tonight. I thought for sure Rochester would be mean and be cloudy all night long, but no! No! Rochester decided to be nice and break the cloud cover for an hour… long enough for me to run out and take pictures.

A balmy 28 degrees, I ran out in nothing but my Curiosity hoodie, PJ bottoms and untied converse shoes. A couple walked past bundled up in their warmest to walk their small dog (which, with a quick google search led me to think it was a Papillon or similar) once again labeling me as the weirdo in the neighborhood. Taking pictures of the moon. Standing and looking up waiting for the ISS. Do I care what they think? No. I observe the world and beyond. Deal with it!

So back to the photos. I should know more than I do, but I don’t. I try – and that’s what counts. So, enjoy, dear readers, a sample of pictures I took of tonight’s wonderful Full Moon!

Full Moon one

Full Moon 2

Full Moon 3

I was never a Handegg fan. I’m still not a handegg fan. I only have a thin grasp on the concept and rules of the game but I still question ‘why’. It’s a game, but it’s still a dumb game. Now hockey. That’s a sport! The players play the sport in Hockey. Handegg (sorry.. but football is a game you play with a ball and your feet. American football is handegg. Soccer is football.) is a game that is played by the coaches using the players as pawns in chess.

And why is it that NFL coaches always look like hobos? if you want respect, wear a suit LIKE ALL THE OTHER COACHES IN EVERY SPORT1! (Where a tie, ya bum!)

Anyway, I never paid attention to football but I’ve watched the SuperBowl almost every year since the 6th grade, why? Commercials. I love great and creative advertising. I hate selling your soul to abuse the consumer, but creative advertising where the product is second to the entertainment… that’s awesome.

So we feast to enjoy awesome commercials.

I had originally planned to take progress pics of the making of this feast but… ooops. But I will share the recipes I used.

Nathan Fillion’s 7-Layer Bean Dip of the Gods!

As long as those gods are in your image, Cap’n.. :: grins ::

Yes. Captain Hammer/Captain Mal Reynolds/Richard Castle himself shared a bit of his culinary secrets with his “Dip of the Gods”! Oh, and it is very mighty. Granted I made a lot of food, but Joe and I still barely put a dent in this dip. Oh. There is so much dip. He shared the recipe as a series of tweets. I shall now recite it for you, dear readers-

I would like to share with you all my very special Seven Layer Bean Dip recipe. Get out a pen and paper. Or fave the following-

This will be the Bean Dip of the Gods of song in Dr.Horrible’s COMMENTARY! Ready?

Layer one: Large can of fat free vegetarian refried beans.

Layer two: mix taco seasoning into low fat sour cream and spread over beans.

Layer three: four large diced tomatoes (use your jug dement for adequate coverage.

Layer four: Guacamole. (I use avocados mixed with Herdez mild salsa). Tomatoes will anchor the sour cream layer.

Layer five: one cute little can of diced green chilies. Suggest wee flinging through fingers for even spreaddage

Layer six: one cute little can of black olives. Same technique for spreaddage.

Layer seven: shredded Mexican cheese mix. Or to taste. I use a whole bag.

Casserole dish for dip, and a strong chip like Mission Rounds. Dip is thick- will destroy lesser chips. Maybe stock up on Beano, too.

I use my 9″x13″ baking dish for this crazy mofo. Two cans of ‘normal’ beans to make up for the fact that I can’t find a large can around here. Or small. so. yeah. I mixed the sour cream the night before to “sit” and “meld” mmmm and I used the taco seasoning recipe here minus all but a pinch of cumin. (What can I say, the boy doesn’t like cumin. :: shrugs :: ) People need to stop using flavor packets and actually use the spices in your spice cabinet. Your taste buds will thank you!

I made guacamole with two avocados and a guac flavor packet. YES, I KNOW I just berated you about flavor packets. I haven’t mastered guac yet… sorry! As for the chips? We don’t have Mission Rounds here, either. So we used Tostitos… and they did break under the might of the dip.

Oh Captain, My Captain

Pigs in a Blanket

This is normal recipe you can find anywhere. Get those cute little weenie-dogs from the store. Cocktail wieners? Yeah. Those things. I SO RECOMMEND Boar’s Head beef cocktail wieners. mmm, so good. I love Boar’s Head. I, however, live in a place where Boar’s Head is unheard of and maybe talk of it is sacrilege. :: shrugs :: The other ingredient is a roll of crescent roll dough. I get the pre cut kind but still cut those up even further. I can probably roll four weenies in one pre-cut triangle.

Roll up a weenie in a blanket of dough and place on a greased cookie sheet. I use aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up because i hate doing dishes! 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes. Eat plain or dip with BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Honey mustard, whatever…

Corn Bread

I never made corn bread before. I used to have a corn muffins many years ago as dinner during my part-time job I had in high school. I thought corn bread with chili was crazy. But I didn’t want the usual rice with Chili this year. So… why not. I looked up a few recipes and found this one. I doubled it and baked it in a 9″x13″ dish. It was thick and moist and delicious. If I wasn’t so full I’d toast a small square and melt some butter on it right now. mmmmmm!!

CHILI!!

A game-day favorite (apparently). I only knew chili how my mom made chili. It’s pretty simple. This recipe is kinda close but I made a few alterations to suit my tastes. Light kidney beans and black beans. No peppers. I like peppers but only raw. I’m a raw veggie girl. limp veggies makes me sad. I skipped the tomato juice in favor of two cans of petit diced tomatoes with it’s juice and a can of tomato sauce. I also sauted some really tightly chopped celery with the onion. And, just like the taco seasoning, only a pinch of cumin.

OH! and more than half a bottle of beer. Mmmmm. Can’t make chili without beer. Finish off the rest of that beer while I finished cooking. I deserved that beer, damnit.

Hmm.. I guess the recipe wasn’t close at all! whoops. Oh well. top with some sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Even with all this food and just the two of us, we still had a good time. And the Giants won so it’s all Win-win. Goof food. Good advertisements. Good leftovers!

Full... of food, of game and content.

10 seconds and you have peeled cloves of garlic. A whole head of garlic. Peeled. Done.

Bullshit?

No. I swear.

I was just as pessimistic as you probably are now. I’ve seen the videos and thought it was camera magic. No. And there are no easy payments of $29.95 plus shipping and handling either. All you need are two kitchen bowls.

That is it.

I hear your skepticism. but try it. Believe me, it is amazing.

Start with a head of garlic. From the store.

Now turn it upside down and, with the heel of your palm, smash. All you really need is just to loosen it up a bit. One smash. That’s it. Don’t kill it.

Now, once you have that, place it in one of your two bowls. Cover that bowl with the second bowl.

Now shake that mother for 10 seconds. Do your Mississippis or your one-thousands. maybe 3 shakes a second? a comfortable shake, guys, stop being so technical!

Oh! The suspense!1!

…

And walla!

Check out this sucker!!

A peeled garlic clove! WHAAAAT?!

Now. Do you believe me? I wanna know who the hell figured this out. I wanna hug them.

Now, some cloves will still be in their papery shell, and that’s okay. It’s loose enough to remove by hand. I would advise against shaking again or longer than 10 seconds. The cloves start to get damaged, letting loose their juice and then the paper coverings start adhering to the cloves again.

But Cat? What if I need only one or two cloves of garlic?!

Just do it the usual way. This is probably only good if you are going to use most of it at once. Though, I’m currently testing out the option of freezing the already-peeled cloves. I’ll let you know.

Enjoy!

]]> https://blog.razcat.net/?feed=rss2&p=117 0 https://blog.razcat.net/?p=91 https://blog.razcat.net/?p=91#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 04:29:25 +0000 Cathy Razim http://blog.razcat.net/?p=91 Please don’t hate me. i can’t push the update tonight. So utterly overwhlemed by the day. There was so much history and emotion and excitment that my body and mind is crashing so hard. (That. and I’ve only had 4 hours of sleep a night for the last week!)

So, a full blog post will be done later, but here is a teaser from the day…

Guess who sleeps in there until tomorrow...?

So… reminder. the launch is tomorrow scheduled for 10:02AM. You can watch it online here http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av028/status.html

Today I and a few other Tweeps opted to use our free day pass to the Kennedy Space Visitor’s Center. I woke at 7, having slept abou 4 hours (again) and got to the park at 9 when they opened armed with my tri-pod, camera, and lappy bag of organized chaos. yes. But to quote a new friend who quoted an XKCD comic “We are the Internet.” I wasn’t the only one bogged down with tons of stuff. And as I walked to the entrance I remembered the last time I was there. I think that I had more child-like wonderment now than I did when I was 10.

Welcome to the Kennedy Space Center!

I didn’t make any plans other than lunch with an astronaut. So I just played by ear at first and checked out the rocket garden. It was just so cool to see these towering missiles, rockets and capsules designed for space travel.

It was kinda cool...

Rockets looking up to the sky...

It was around this time I bumped into a few fellow Tweeps. We stood talking and made references to ice skaing on the moon since we saw a KSC employee install then skate on a small ice rink. Why? Why not. I walked around the gaden a bit more taking pictures and then decided to plan my day, having found a schedule sheet.

I bumped into my friends again and decided to look around the Space Exploration gallery. In there were the models of the mars rovers including the newest member of the family which will leave the join them on Saturday. Oh. I cannot wait!

MSL Curiosity!! Isn't he soo cute...?

Checked out an IMAX 3D movie of the Hubble. Picked up the ticket for lunch and headed over to have said lunch. But on the way we met with SPACE STIG!!

Some say...

Lunch was a delicious Thanksgiving buffet. Commander John Crieghton shared his experience as an astronaut and was just so awesome. But after this fun we met with a few more people for the Space Shuttle Experience which simulates what it’d be like to lift off from Earth in the space shuttle. (“Twang!” hehe). We kinda took over the entire pod. which was awesome!

Another 3D IMAX film on the Space Station. played with LEGOs because we had a tweetUp slot.

Look at what I built!!

I couldn’t finish because I had to catch the last Star Trek Live show of the day! It was so silly, but so much fun. There was one girl called up to volunteer and this other kid just ran up with her. From the other side of the room. and wouldn’t leave after the actors were “we only need one volunteer.” I felt bad for the girl.. it looked like she was going to cry because this other kid wasn’t being fair. Oh well. The actors improved well!

And yes. There were Tribbles.

Oh. Such a long day!! took a few more pictures. Shopped. I was looking forward to an awesome sunset and the sky had gone overcast while we were in the Star Trek thing. I was given a hug when I saw that my plans were shot down. Alas… I have TWO MORE DAYS of pictures to take. At least….

I thought that would be the end of my Thanksgiving. I developed a sudden headache on the way home. But took an Aleve and a protein bar. What was a hunger headache had left and I was able to cross the highway to the Cacker Barrel a whole group decided to “occupy” (#OccupyCrackerBarrel). And occupy we did!

Long day. Very long day. And a very awesome day! Now I need to sleep and get ready for the first day of NASATweetUp!

My Tumblr will be update later… but if you want to see a few awesome talks tomorrow, make sure to go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tweetup I believe the feed starts at 11!!