We got MOONED!

 Ok...just Half-Mooned, as in Henry Hudson's ship, but it got you looking, didn't it?  (I'm not above it, people.)

Last weekend we headed down to our old stomping grounds, the Corning Preserve, and stumbled upon ye Olde Half Moon, or for my Dutch readers, d'Halve Maen, docked in the Hudson.

For those of you who never took a school field trip here, the Half Moon is a full scale replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed to survey these here parts to find a good place to put  The Egg. He was also hoping to find a Trader Joe's but was, as we all are, sorely disappointed.

The tour is not very long, because, well, the boat is not that big. However,  it did offer a glimpse into what a landlubber I am.

Cramped quarters, smelly food, limited toilet options...the Love Boat, it ain't.

I tried listening very diligently to the history lessons given by an adorable, creaky voiced student, but my mind kept wandering to pirates.  It's very pirate-y.*

The tour is seven dubloons for adults and sprogs are free.

The ship sets sail on October 14th so you still have some time to walk the plank. You can find out more information, and real history here and here.

Also, check out Albany Kid's visit.  I'm glad someone was paying attention.


*This tour had nothing to do with pirates.

Tiny Bubbles

Fan Yang and his daughter, Melody

What's better than a million bubbles?  A gazillion, of course.
 
Yesterday the kids and I stumbled on the free preview of the Gazillion Bubble show at Proctor's.  Fan Yang,"world-renowned bubble scientist, artist, and performer" gave the audience a little taste of what his shows on October 8th will be all about.
 
And if what we saw is any indication, this is one show that is not going to blow. (blow...bubbles?  get it?) 

According to Proctor's CEO Phillip Morris (I kid you not), it was a 'fun lesson in the science of thin-film technology'.

Ummm... not exactly what the kids got out of it, but what they did get was the sheer awesomess of a smoke spewing volcano bubble and a couple of kids getting encased in a huge bubble.  It was a lot of fun to watch. (His style kind of reminded me of Gob's magic shows, for all you Arrested Development fans out there).

Among his many other accomplishments in the field of 'thin-film technology", he is a sixteen time Guinness Book of World Record holder (he put an elephant in a bubble for goodness sake) and the creator of a line of bubbles and bubble toys.

You can catch one of his two shows on October 8th at Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady.

 Just a little aside, as we were leaving the theater they had several bubble machines going adding to the whimsy of the event.  Sure, that makes sense. But what didn't quite make sense was the mob of young, stylish women, clad in black offering free hugs to everyone passing by.  It turns out they were from the Paul Mitchell school across the street.  I ran into my blogging brethren from All Over Albany who did a great job covering the surreality of State St. yesterday afternoon.  Read about it here.

For the record, AOA's Greg did not accept any hugs so as not to influence his reportage.  Now that's what I call journalistic integrity, folks.  

My son, however, was all over it.

ZOINKS!

Look what I spied for sale on Central Avenue today.

It'll only set you back 4000 scooby snacks AND it has power windows. I know... deal o' the century. 

Meddling kids not included... but I can lend you mine if you want.

Sock Sorting Sympatico

I usually finish up my laundry folding with sock sorting. I never look forward to it because I guess I am subconsciously preparing myself for the inevitable disappointment that comes with mismatched socks. I know it's cliche, but I have an entire drawer FULL of mismatched socks hoping for reunion.

Today, however, was different. Today will live on in my mind as

THE DAY THAT ALL OF THE SOCKS THAT WENT INTO THE WASH CAME OUT WITH THEIR MATCHING PAIR!

When has this ever happened?  NEVER. That's when. Not to me, anyway.

I can only explain it by saying that the feeling of pairing that last sock with its mate was akin to placing the last piece of a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. You know, like the one you bought five years ago when you thought it would be great to start doing jigsaw puzzles, but actually the idea was better the reality and so it just sat on the shelf until you took it out again to sell in a garage sale, but then had second thoughts and just decided it might be kind of relaxing so you ended up finishing it one night when your other plans fell through...

Yes, it was that kind of accomplishment.

And this my friends is as close as one can get to domestic nirvana. 

ॐ

Where's Walbany?

So I got my Waldo doll in the mail and we have been getting in to some crazy hijinks together... so much so that I'd thought I add a couple of photos now and again and let you guess where we have been around the area.

So....Where's Waldo in (and around) Albany?

1)

Wish you were here.  It kept reminding us of the chocolate waterfall in Willy Wonka.

Want to take in this gorgeous view?  Go here.

2)

At first I thought it might be a little disrespectful to Uncle Sam to have Waldo pose by his grave, but then I saw the bejeweled nutcracker someone left there and thought Waldo was just as patriotic and rocking his red, white, and blue with a tad more taste. To find out where Waldo is I WANT YOU to click here. (It is truly one of the coolest/spookiest cemeteries I have visited.)