First Dip In The Pool of 2010

Our pool is already good to go this year. We are clear, blue, and delightfully chilly. After some yardwork and yakking with the neighbors, I couldn't help myself. I went back and raked the pool quick and then dove right in. It wasn't quite as chilly as I expected, but still darn brisk! It is looking to shape up as a great year for pool parties...how does every Sunday evening work for everyone? Grilling included of course!

Houseguests!

From Tuesday afternoon thru last night, my parents were in town. They were able to time their visit to get down here for the STS-130 crew debrief. If you haven't heard us talk about those, the debriefs are when the Shuttle and ISS crews talk about their missions and share some amazing video. Before the debrief, I got to help unload my dad's truck that they drove down in. Let's just say that our house is far more pimped out, and we are loving it! After the debrief, we joined in the ritual trip to Mamacita's for good Mexican food, good margaritas, and a lot of good fun.

Lady and I worked on Wednesday, so my parents were left to their own devices...shopping. They only got lost once, so it was a victorious day! :-) We also showed them 'Tin Man', the mini-series that aired on Sci-Fi in 2007. They enjoyed it, and we were reminded how great of a show it is.

Thursday started the super busy portion of the week. We started the day off with checking in on Space Center Houston. We hit up the tram tour of JSC to get the public version of the tour.

(Leroy & Lavonne all ready for the Space Center Houston Tram tour)

(Good ol' tram ride.)

After the tram, we had some time to walk the balance beam and see other exhibits in the current Risk! center stage exhibit at Space Center Houston. We even got to watch some good old fashioned fun with liquid nitrogen...gotta love the shattering rose!

(Don't look down!)

After that, it was time for us to begin the true tour of the Houston space area. Big thanks to those who took time out of their days to give us tours and hang out with us!! Thanks Brian, Jon, Nikki, & Bryan.

We started off the bonus tour up at the Neutral Bouyancy Lab (NBL). That pool is simply magic, weighing in at 200ft long by 100ft wide by 40ft deep, and containing full size mock-ups of the payload bay and parts of the ISS. We also got the run down on on some classroom demos, and got to see Brian's FRAM holder. To finish up the NBL tour we got to see the 4 astronauts who were training get hoisted out of the water in their practice EVA suits!

After that, Brian was able to get us in for a floor tour of the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility (SVMF). The SVMF also contains full size mock-ups of multiple Shuttles and pieces of the ISS, though these ones are not submersed. We even got to hop into one of the Crew Compartment Trainers (CCT) to feel what it's like to be on the Shuttle mid-deck and flight-deck.

(Lady enjoyed being the Pilot. She even waved to folks on the public tour and took on the role of astronaut in training!)

After the SVMF, we headed over to the building that houses the Shuttle Motion Simulator (SMS), and met up with Jon. He showed us around the simulator area, and where he and many others had just wrapped up a long sim. In the long sim, they go through almost all the motions of the real thing, including eating. They also have the practice toilet area, because going number 2 just isn't the same without gravity!

(Lady demonstrated some techniques for using the space toilet)

Thursday ended, and we hadn't seen everything at JSC we had intended.

Friday started with Lady heading to work. We dropped her off, and then we headed off to do some shopping. We miraculously timed it just right to get back and pick up Lady as she wrapped up working. So, we picked her up and headed back over to JSC to finish the touring. We got to stop over and visit our friend Nikki at her office. She showed off her fancy toys and videos, and then took us outside and showed off the rover test landscape. There they have Lunar and Martian surfaces made up to see how the real vehicles may perform.

After that, we stopped by my office. Though after all the other touring, my office was the least exciting of all. However, upon introducing my family to coworkers, we were able to hop on one of the simulators near my office and have everyone try their hand at landing the Shuttle. This sim flys the actual Shuttle flight software. For some reason, I was the only one to land it :-)

Poof, it was Saturday. A Saturday that just so happened to be the Sunmeadow community garage sale. My dad was in rummaging heaven, and I had a good time too. We made a fantastic find when we got a new desk for the office...yes that's right folks, we are moving up in the world. We have an actual desk in the office now instead of doors on stilts :-)

Lady headed off to work, and the rest of us got ready for a grill out.

(Lavonne made a fruit spread, which was accompanied by a fruit bowl brought by Theresa)



(My sister donated her new red chairs to the cause of entertainment, and now they have been driven back to MN)

After the grill out, we headed out to the Comedy Showcase for some wild laughs.

Sunday rolled around, and there was one place left on the "Must Visit" list...Galveston. So, we got some shopping in on the way to the beach, and then we all went our separate ways once there. Leroy took off on his run, Lady and Lavonne walked off in search of fun shells and sea beans, and I set up my lawn chair and pulled out my book. Fun was had by all.

On the way home, my parents decided that they would head home that evening. So, we got to the house and got them all packed up, and suddenly we were alone again.

Wowza! Never short on craziness when we have guests over. We had a ton of fun, and were very glad they could make it down. Thanks Mom & Dad! Also, Yahtzee misses Leroy a lot because she hasn't gotten any table scraps since he left :-) Another big shout-out to all those who we got to hang out with and tour with over the week.

Hey...where did that month go?!?

Greetings again all. It seems that another month has shot past us. Let's have a recap...

• I turned older back on March 3rd. Chipotle made the day great!
• The kitchen was worked on.
• Lady and I went ahead and took a couple weeks to be sick. Not bed-ridden sick, just some quality sinus/cold crap.
• We finally got better, and had to scramble to get the house cleaned up for visitors (next post = more details)

And that brings us to now. Bazinga!