Crystal

Tom and I went to see Cirque du Soleil's "Crystal" this evening.

This show was unique in that it was an ice show, like Ice Capades, but with a Cirque du Soleil twist. The acts were woven into a storyline about a girl who doesn't fit in, and while she's out ice skating one day, falls through the ice into a different world. I was very impressed with how they were able to showcase their usual types of acts (juggling, straps, balancing) into this format, and still add new acts, keeping it fresh. Tom commented that he would consider this one his favorite, after Allegria. For me, Kà and Dralion hold top spots, mainly because of the powerful music, but I think they've all been very good.

Orioles vs. White Sox

Tom and I went to the Baltimore Orioles/Chicago White Sox game tonight. Back in October, we got tickets for a game that was rained out, and we weren't able to attend the rain date, due to work, so we got our rain ticket for tonight. I must say, it was really weird. The last time I was at an Orioles game to just watch the game must have been fifteen years ago, any time since then has been with the band, and we had a role to play, be it playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game started, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for the 7th inning stretch or just playing outside the stadium while fans arrived for the game. I couldn't get used to just sitting there and watching the game!
After the game (which was a win for the O's), we walked down Eutaw Street, the area between right field and the B&O Warehouse, to see the plaques where home run balls have landed, or even hit the warehouse!

APG Oktoberfest

Tom and I enjoyed APG's Oktoberfest celebration last year, so we decided to attend this year, too. I was able to be cut from work tonight, so we headed over after I got off of work. I tried the weinerschnitzel and bratwurst that were being sold, and well as two beers (Victory's Festbier and Shock Top's Twisted Pretzel Wheat).

Of everything I tried, the Shock Top beer was my favorite. It was dark, which I didn't expect, and had a slightly salty flavor. Delicious! We stayed until the Edelweiss band finished playing for the evening. Tom was a little disappointed, because there weren't a huge amount of people there, but I rationalized that it was Friday night, and last year we attended on a Saturday night.

GER Day 1

I flew in to Germany today for a family vacation. My flights all went well, despite little turbulence from Baltimore to Atlanta. As was the case last year, I was impressed by the meals on the Atlanta to Amsterdam leg of the flight. For dinner, I selected the Beef Borgonne with rice and carrots, a salad, warm roll and carrot cake.

Breakfast was a cheese omelette with turkey sausage and diced potatoes, fresh fruit, yogurt and a warm roll.

During the flight, I read a lot, but I also watched Kingsman: The Secret Service. I was hoping it would be a funnier comedy, but it was more schticky.

Cherry Blossom Festival 2015

Well, I had a pretty fun day in Washington, D.C. with some girlfriends today. A month or so ago, Mel talked up the idea of going to see the cherry blossoms with a group of co-workers. She asked me to get some info, and from there, I earned the title "Cherry Blossom Watcher." I looked up transportation options, info on the Holocaust Museum, as well as trying to find the optimal time for us to go. Because of the more severe winter we had, it was hard to arrange, but eventually, we did it!

We took the MARC's Penn Line from Aberdeen to Washington D.C.'s Union Station, and then traveled by MetroRail to the Smithsonian Station, which exited at the National Mall. It was my first time travelling by train, and it was surprisingly easy. I was scared at first, but luckily, all of my preparation paid off.
We walked around the National Mall, then the Tidal Basin for cherry blossom pictures. Finally, we visited the Holocaust Museum. That was especially cool, because before you enter the exhibit, you get an identification card for a real person from the Holocaust. Each page corresponds to a different time frame/floor of the Holocaust/museum, and in the end you learn if they lived or died. It really personalizes the experience.
Here are some attempts at selfies from the trip:

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

All of us in the Lincoln Memorial

Cherry Blossoms at Tidal Basin

Jefferson Memorial

I tried to get more of the building in with the Jefferson Memorial, but Chy jumped in, so...

Fort Delaware Paranormal Investigation

As a "birthday gift," Tom and I had discussed going away for the weekend - either a train ride in Pennsylvania or a bus tour in New York City. Then, Amy turned me on to ghost hunting tours held at Fort Delaware in the month of October. I looked it up and discussed the option with Tom, and we decided to do that instead.

We took the five hour tour, over the midnight hour, and had a few items of interest in our investigation; Officer's Kitchen - K2 meter readings, Prisoner's Barracks - nothing, Tent - nothing, Officer's Quarters - K2 meter readings, Enlisted Men's Quarters - nothing, Endecott Section - K2 meter readings, the Casemates - nothing. The whole evening, while enjoyable and nice to get out for a change, seemed a little anticlimactic. But upon further consideration, I think our encounters were more substantial than I initially thought.
Our first encounter was in the Officer's Kitchen, and there were just K2 meter readings that seemed kind of random. In the Officer's Quarters, I had one really big K2 meter reading, but it was when two people had just walked into the room. I initially figured that they hadn't turned their cell phones off, and that caused the spike on the K2 meter. There were also a few smaller blips on the meter. On to the Endecott section. Three of us in our group had simultaneous K2 meter readings that were pretty strong that continued for several minutes. They stopped after we discounted the readings. Now, after getting home and thinking about it, these K2 meter readings could have been more than we realized. If I held the K2 meter right up to my phone or to an electrical outlet, I got a really weak reading. What we got in our investigation was considerably stronger on several occasions. Knowing what I know now, I would go on another tour with more sensitivity and better questions and suggestions on how to interact with any potential spirits.

APG Oktoberfest 2014

After work today, Tom and I went to APG to check out their Oktoberfest celebration. A few years ago, we participated in the inaugural Volksmarch, and I was excited to check out their Festhalle.

Edelweis Band

It was nice, but I wish I would have been able to enjoy it earlier. There was a band playing German sounding music, several types of beer and wine were available - most of the beers been local craft beers celebrating Oktoberfest - and there was a food tent with barbeque pork sandwiches, bratwurst, knockwurst, potato salad, sauerkraut and rotkraut.

Like the Seafood Festival in Havre de Grace, I think I'd like to revisit it in a few years - to see what improvements have been made.

Flight 93 Memorial

Tom and I drove up to PA yesterday to visit with Mom and Dad for the day, and pick up trees from the Laurel Nursery in Latrobe. On the way home, we stopped at the Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, PA.

It was very moving. There was a lot of construction going on, and I think the memorial will be beautiful when it's finished.

Amaluna

Donnie noticed that Cirque du Soleil was back in town, so after some discussion, we decided to get together to see the show.

I thought that the costumes were awesome, and the music and make-up were great, too. The set was pretty cool, with it's graphic elements and colors.

The acts were neat, my favorites being the lady balancing sticks to extend about ten feet from her, and the aerial straps act with the three Valkyries.

Assateague Adventure

This morning was a busy one. We got up extra early to walk down the Boardwalk to the Inlet to get some sunrise pictures with the pier in the picture. I think some of them turned out well.

Afterwards, we took the Assateague Adventure cruise. It started with a ride to West Ocean City's harbor, where we saw many fishing vessels and heard about Ocean City's history. Next, we went to Assateague Island, where we disembarked in order to look at the wildlife.

We saw wild hermit crabs and little schools of fish. It was great! Then we traveled up the Inlet and saw the wild ponies on the ocean side of the island.

Then, back on the beach, I finally finished reading "The Templar Salvation" by Raymond Khoury!

I acquired it last year ago, after one of my knee surgeries, and didn't start reading it until July 5 of this year. It had a good story line, but it wasn't an easy read.

Seafood Festival

It's been a long time since I've attended the Havre de Grace Seafood Festival, and last night, Tom and I decided to take some time this weekend to check it out.

We only allotted a few hours before I had to go to work, and now I wish I'd planned for more. We ended up getting seafood from Captain Dave's -

the fried seafood platter and lobster roll.

The atmosphere was pretty neat, and from what little we had time to see, there were some pretty cool craft vendors. We think we're going to visit next year, too.

Cherry Blossom Festival 2013

Today, Tom and I spent the day with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. We went to Washington, D.C. to see the cherry blossoms.

Unfortunately, the cherry blossoms were not in bloom.

That didn't stop us from enjoying our day togehter. Ava signed the Japan America Friendship Mural,

and, although we missed their performance, we heard these performers from across the Tidal Basin.

We went to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History

and saw the Tyrannosaurus rex,

a triceratops,

and the Hope diamond, among many other things.

Then, Tom took Ava on the carousel at the Smithsonian.

Afterwards, we stopped by a Pizza Hut in Odenton for dinner. We had a really nice time with them.

Casino Run

After work tonight, Nicole and I ran over to Hollywood Casino in Perryville. We had made plans to go last Thursday, but they fell through. We went mainly to play roulette, but when we got there, we learned that the table minimum was $15! And I was only planning on spending $50. So, we found the video roulette machines and played a little, then went on to my favorite slot machine in the world, Invaders from the Planet Moolah. I was so glad to see them! I lost, but Nicole won, and she loved the cows. She thinks that her grandfather will enjoy it, too. Even though I lost, I still enjoyed my time out. I might even run over from time to time to play Invaders

Oppa Gangnam Style

Why do I only hear about these great things months after they happen? On Wednesday, one of the girls in band told me about this song, which I swear I hadn't heard before. I looked it up today, and I love it! This past Sunday, at the game, this song was played in the stadium, and several of the younger, more hip, band members were doing the dance that goes with it. I had no idea what they were doing, but they were fun to watch. I just have to share my newest fascination.

APG Oktoberfest Volksmarch

On Sunday, I was telling Tom about APG's Oktoberfest, and the activities that were planned for the event. When I mentioned the Volksmarch, he told me what it was, and talked about his prior experience participating in one. We thought it would be something fun to do together, so we registered for it.
I had a good time, despite some setbacks. Our day started by getting gas, then going to McDonald's for breakfast. We arrived on APG in time for the "safety briefing," and the start of the Volksmarch. Would you believe it, it was a 6 km course, and there were no port-o-potties along the course?
We started, and as we were walking down the first street, my left shoe started to give me a weird feeling. After a few minutes, I lifted up my boot (which was a steel-toe, over-the-ankle boot which I've had for maybe ten years), and noticed that the sole was falling off of the boot. I asked Tom to pull it off, and we continued to walk. After we crossed the street, my right shoe started to make the same squishy sounds and feelings, and after looking at the sole, it needed to be removed, too! After Tom pulled my second sole off, he offered for us to go back, but I said I would continue.
Our walk went well. Tom spent time talking to a medic and the Garrison Sergeant Major as they walked along with us. I can't tell you how much my feet hurt by the end of the walk, I could fell every stone I stepped on along the way. Now I know how the American Indians felt walking across the country in their mocassins!
At the end of the Volksmarch, we each received a pin with APG's Oktoberfest logo on it. I will wear it proudly, and if this event turns into a yearly one, I will gladly participate again.

Live! At APG, it's...

Okay, I admit it, I stole the graphics off of their respective websites, but how cool is a concert with all of those bands?!?! I haven't been to a concert in forever, and this was pretty cool. I got to hear most of the songs I wanted, but unfortunately we had to leave before the concert was over because of the contract with the van we took to the concert.

Ovo

So, for my birthday, Mom & Dad got tickets for me and Donnie to see Cirque du Soleil's Ovo.

What a night it turned out to be. It started out where I kind of panicked on the drive to Washington, D.C., because on the route I took. Traffic was heavy, and then I wasn't sure where I was going. The only other time I'd driven down there by myself, I went interstate all the way, but this time I thought I knew a better way, the way Dad takes us when we visit. Not as easy as I thought. When one road ended, I turned the wrong way onto the next road. When I got myself turned around, I was so hopelessly flustered, and I was upset because I was so late that Donnie had to cancel our dinner reservations. Then, I decided to find the interstate, but I wasn't sure which direction was the right way to go. Argh, turning 40 hasn't helped my sense of direction at all. When I finally got to Donnie's place, we walked two blocks to a local eatery and ordered take-out (I got a turkey, Havarti, and green apple sandwich on 9 grain and a side of potato salad). Then we made our way to the National Harbor for the show. It was really cool. The costumes and make-up were fabulous, I especially liked the grasshoppers. My favorite acts were the Ants and the Wall, but they were all great.