All of you who know Guinness know how he loves to chase squirrels. Now let me preface by we don't want him to actually catch a squirrel but watching him spaz out at the window when he sees them is quite entertaining - the noises he makes are beyond hilarious! And I must say watching him flat out sprint after them is pretty funny too. We feared with it being winter here we might not have any squirrels in the yard to entertain Guinness so we decided to put up a squirrel feeder. That said Ken wanted the squirrels to have to work for it and for them to have the ability to get away from Guinness so he dangled it from the eve of the garage and there is a tree right next store. I finally managed to catch the squirrel eating the corn on camera.... HILARIOUS! And you can hear Guinness and his funny noises he makes... Sorry for the lousy camera work but I had limited capabilities since I had to zoom way in to get the squirrel....
Not sure which I am more amused by... the back flip or the Tilt-a-Squirrel ride ;)
Since my space on the blog is somewhat limited by the data plan I have to pay for I decided to upload my video to Youtube instead - click here to check it out!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33fp1m7i1ac&feature=youtu.be
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The New Face of Fritos?
Even Guinness thinks that Fritos are delicious.... well to be fair he thinks the one Frito and all the crumbs at the bottom of the bag are!!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Annapolis Area Bucket List
Updated these quite a bit so I decided to get rid of my colors for the rounds of updates for now... The complete items however are now colored aqua! (Why this color? Because it's one of my favorites!)
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So I realized that there is so much to see here in the Annapolis area (which to me includes DC & Baltimore and other surrounding areas as well) that I better start a bucket list to start to work on. It's not like we are going to live here permanently (and who knows how long we will actually be here... a little less than 2.5 years left on the orders but could be more could be less - who knows!?) so I figure the sooner I get started the better. It's a random assortment that includes things to see as well as places to eat/drink.
I figured I'd blog about it so you (my dear friends and readers) can help me out with anything I may have missed!
DC Area
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I realized that there is so much to see here in the Annapolis area (which to me includes DC & Baltimore and other surrounding areas as well) that I better start a bucket list to start to work on. It's not like we are going to live here permanently (and who knows how long we will actually be here... a little less than 2.5 years left on the orders but could be more could be less - who knows!?) so I figure the sooner I get started the better. It's a random assortment that includes things to see as well as places to eat/drink.
I figured I'd blog about it so you (my dear friends and readers) can help me out with anything I may have missed!
DC Area
- National Zoo
- Portrait Gallery - Done Once and I think that's enough for me
- White House at Christmas (the inside)
- See something at the Kennedy Center - Saw Book of Mormon - can you say HILARIOUS!
- See the Bureau of Engraving & Printing
- Holocaust Museum
- Stay at the Intercontinental Willard Hotel - COMPLETE! It's amazing!
- Tour Mount Vernon - Complete. It was good to go but once is definitely enough
- Georgetown
- Dinner at 1789 - For our Anniversary!
- Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcakes or Baked & Wired (The cupcake from Baked & Wired were delisious! I am calling this item complete but if I happened to be near Georgetown Cupcakes of course I'd have to grab one of those too!) Oh wait I was by Georgetown Cupcakes and did grab a few of those and have to say I was disappointed. Give me Baked & Wired any day over Georgetown Cupcakes! COMPLETE!
- See the Cherry Blossoms COMPLETE!
- Dinner & Beers at ChurchKey Okay technically it was lunch but it was DELISH! I highly recommend this! COMPLETELY!
(Things I've seen: The Capitol, Air & Space, pretty much all the monuments, National Archives, Natural History Museum, American History Museum, Nationals Game, Old Town, National Harbor)
Surrounding Areas
- Maryland Blue Crabs Game _ went to Bark in the Park and it was such fun!
- Travel to Rohoboth Beach & go to Dogfish Head (Done!! Still no tour but in time..... For now I'll call it COMPLETE!)
- Aberdeen Ironbirds Game
- Potomac Nationals Game
- Frederick Keys Game - (Great game! Great Park! Fun Fans!) COMPLETE!
- Fly to Tangier Island and have crab dip at Lorraines
- Go to Philly and have cheesesteak with Marissa
- Jersey Shore - Visit Nan!
- Wilmington Blue Rocks Game
- Atlantic City - Headed there for the Tonic Concert in early May COMPLETE!
- Take the Train to NYC - COMPLETE! Love the convenience!
- Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick Maryland (Great brewery! Love the philosophy and the beer!) COMPLETE!
- Hershey Park in all it's Summer Glory :)
- Yankee Stadium
- Tour Port City Brewery - Loved the beer!
(Things we've done: Bowie Baysox Game)
Baltimore
- Union Craft Brewing
- Dinner at Brewer's Art
- Tour Heavy Seas Brewery
(Things we've done there: Aquarium, Orioles game)
Annapolis
- Herndon Climb - COMPLETE! Talk about an interesting & entertaining tradition
- Golf at USNA course - COMPLETE! (I was absolutely awful but it was fun!)
- Croquet Match with Saint Johns COMPLETE! And to say it was epic is an understatement!
- I-Ball COMPLETE Had a blast!
I am sure there is a heck of a lot that I am missing but this is my start... I'll add to the list as I think of them. If any of you have suggestions I welcome them!!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Guinness Pictures of the Week 17 February 2013
Guinness had some guests at our house this week - Ghost & Lulu. It was quite the pack of dogs at Chock's Inn for a few days!
And I am still not quite sure what made Lulu climb onto the furnace back in the corner of the basement! Silly dog! :)
Somehow we all managed to lounge on the couch together!
Ghost & Guinness decided to help me make the bed....
Monday, February 11, 2013
Seeing a Taping of "2 Broke Girls"
While I was in LA I decided I wanted to try and do some of the quintessential touristy kind of things... perhaps my definition of this is different than others but what I came up with was that I wanted to go wander on Hollywood Boulevard, tour one of the studios and see something being filmed. Now my LA friends might say that none of this is quintessential LA which is why they are actual LA people and I'm just the silly tourist :) I'm okay with that!
I had no idea what to expect when it came to the show taping. I googled online and found several places that offer free tickets to tapings. You do have to reserve them and print them out. The site I used only allow 1 per person so if you plan to go with a friend they will have to get their own. I was super excited to find out that one of my new absolute favorite shows films in front of a live studio audience. "Two Broke Girls" is a fairly new show that is absolutely HILARIOUS! I have never not laughed while watching it! The comedy is sarcastic and a little off-color sometimes which is exactly why I love it. One of the main characters is named Max and I am convinced that if Max were a real person her and I would absolutely be besties!
I showed up early like the ticket said to do. For example taping started at 5 but they said to arrive no later than 4 so I did. Clearly some people had shown up much earlier to get front row seating however. (I instead spent my "extra" time before that having a drink with my buddy Matt which I think was a much better use of my time!) They lead you into the studio but you must leave all phones and cameras in your car so sadly I got no pictures of this fabulous experience. Prior to taping starting they show some episodes on overhead TVs so you can get a feel for the show given that many of the people who come to a taping have never seen the show before.
I had no idea what to expect in general so when I realized that it's almost like a party I was totally jazzed! They have a "warmer" who is a comedian and keeps the crowd entertained and energetic. There's also a DJ - bottom line they want to make sure that in between takes you are having a good time because if you are having fun then when it comes time to engage in the comedy you are prepped and ready to go! So in between takes we laughed, danced, sang and had a blast! And this fun all started before the taping even began! Prior to the taping they bring out the whole cast and introduce them as well. Once they start taping obviously you have to be quiet while they are taping but they want you to react to the show as you naturally would (except for the talking to the TV sort of thing!) even when they do the same scene multiple times. To be honest I found it very easy to continue to laugh even if they were running the same lines multiple times because they are such funny lines and delivered so well that you almost don't realize that you are hearing them multiple times! Sometimes the writers will get a different idea as they are taping and will have the actors try different lines to see if they work better. Sometimes yes and sometimes no - but always funny!
The sets are much smaller than you might think when you watch them on TV. I suppose this is to be expected given limited space on a soundstage. (Of course if you've ever been to the Press Room at the White House you would be astounded at how tiny it is in comparison to what it looks like on TV!) I thought it was so neat to see the inner workings of a taping - there are so many people required to make it all happen. Talk about teamwork!
I HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting the LA area to go and see a taping. Be sure you've got an entire evening though. I was there for a bit over 5 hours and all but an hour of that was actual taping (well the process of with some breaks in it obviously.) They did give us some food and drinks along the way as well. I had an absolute blast with this and was lucky enough to take home some swag - a "Two Broke Girls" t-shirt. Who says being the peppy ex-cheerleader doesn't pay off!?! Also worth noting - to make sure that they have a full studio audience they give out more tickets than there are seats (because let's face it some people just won't show up especially since the tickets are free) so if you want to guarantee your seat make sure to get there on time or early.
The episode I got to see being taped is on tonight! Here are some photos and a trailer for it http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/photos/1000153/-and-just-plane-magic-/34666/
I can't wait to watch it tonight with Ken knowing how it all came together!
Enjoy folks! And I hope I get you addicted to the show... it is epicly funny and I wish them millions and millions more viewers!
Oh and Kat Dennings - you are one of the funniest women alive!
I had no idea what to expect when it came to the show taping. I googled online and found several places that offer free tickets to tapings. You do have to reserve them and print them out. The site I used only allow 1 per person so if you plan to go with a friend they will have to get their own. I was super excited to find out that one of my new absolute favorite shows films in front of a live studio audience. "Two Broke Girls" is a fairly new show that is absolutely HILARIOUS! I have never not laughed while watching it! The comedy is sarcastic and a little off-color sometimes which is exactly why I love it. One of the main characters is named Max and I am convinced that if Max were a real person her and I would absolutely be besties!
I showed up early like the ticket said to do. For example taping started at 5 but they said to arrive no later than 4 so I did. Clearly some people had shown up much earlier to get front row seating however. (I instead spent my "extra" time before that having a drink with my buddy Matt which I think was a much better use of my time!) They lead you into the studio but you must leave all phones and cameras in your car so sadly I got no pictures of this fabulous experience. Prior to taping starting they show some episodes on overhead TVs so you can get a feel for the show given that many of the people who come to a taping have never seen the show before.
I had no idea what to expect in general so when I realized that it's almost like a party I was totally jazzed! They have a "warmer" who is a comedian and keeps the crowd entertained and energetic. There's also a DJ - bottom line they want to make sure that in between takes you are having a good time because if you are having fun then when it comes time to engage in the comedy you are prepped and ready to go! So in between takes we laughed, danced, sang and had a blast! And this fun all started before the taping even began! Prior to the taping they bring out the whole cast and introduce them as well. Once they start taping obviously you have to be quiet while they are taping but they want you to react to the show as you naturally would (except for the talking to the TV sort of thing!) even when they do the same scene multiple times. To be honest I found it very easy to continue to laugh even if they were running the same lines multiple times because they are such funny lines and delivered so well that you almost don't realize that you are hearing them multiple times! Sometimes the writers will get a different idea as they are taping and will have the actors try different lines to see if they work better. Sometimes yes and sometimes no - but always funny!
The sets are much smaller than you might think when you watch them on TV. I suppose this is to be expected given limited space on a soundstage. (Of course if you've ever been to the Press Room at the White House you would be astounded at how tiny it is in comparison to what it looks like on TV!) I thought it was so neat to see the inner workings of a taping - there are so many people required to make it all happen. Talk about teamwork!
I HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting the LA area to go and see a taping. Be sure you've got an entire evening though. I was there for a bit over 5 hours and all but an hour of that was actual taping (well the process of with some breaks in it obviously.) They did give us some food and drinks along the way as well. I had an absolute blast with this and was lucky enough to take home some swag - a "Two Broke Girls" t-shirt. Who says being the peppy ex-cheerleader doesn't pay off!?! Also worth noting - to make sure that they have a full studio audience they give out more tickets than there are seats (because let's face it some people just won't show up especially since the tickets are free) so if you want to guarantee your seat make sure to get there on time or early.
The episode I got to see being taped is on tonight! Here are some photos and a trailer for it http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/photos/1000153/-and-just-plane-magic-/34666/
I can't wait to watch it tonight with Ken knowing how it all came together!
Enjoy folks! And I hope I get you addicted to the show... it is epicly funny and I wish them millions and millions more viewers!
Oh and Kat Dennings - you are one of the funniest women alive!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Guinness Pictures of the Week - 10 February 2013
I don't think I posted these before... Guinness was insistent when we drove up to New Hampshire for Christmas that he just absolutely had to ride in my lap pretty much the whole way! He was nice enough to let Hedgie snuggle in the front seat too!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
It's All a Matter of Perspective
While I was in LA I was struck by something... no not lightning! I was struck by the fact that so many things in life are so entirely dependent upon your perspective. Is this a novel idea? No of course it's not but in the context of how this occurred to me it made me realize that all of us need to stop and think about this sometimes even though it's a common idea/thought.
Let me explain...
Before I went to work at NASA I put astronauts on pedestals and thought them to be in the same company as the Greek Gods... okay so I am exaggerating a bit but you get the idea. However after working with them (and eventually marrying one!) I quickly realized that they are just regular people who happen to be extraordinarily good in their field who have worked hard and ended up with a cool out of this world job. (Sorry couldn't resist the pun there... I've been with Ken - aka the Punmaster - too long!) Don't get me wrong - I was giddy as a school girl when I ran into Gene Cernan a few months back because in my eyes he's still a bit of a rock star.
Does it mean that the other astronauts aren't rock stars? No, not at all. But I realized it's a matter of perspective and where you are "sitting" and in what context. But let's face it if I treated my husband and all our friends who happen to be astronauts like "rock stars" in the star-struck fan essence then we wouldn't have much of a relationship. Generally when we get together we talk about anything but space or maybe just a little space.
So there I am in LA. I am not generally the star struck giddy school girl (okay well except when it comes to Glee - I am a little crazy about them!) but here I am in a city that is known for it's glitz, glamour and stars..... and I wanted to see some stars! I kept my eyes peeled everywhere we went because I certainly didn't want to miss a star sighting opportunity!
Got a dose of "perspective" when we went to hang out with our friend Dan who happens to be a musician in a pretty famous band. I had to laugh when I realized that in addition to typical friend talk I wanted to hear about the awesomeness that must occur in the music business whereas he wanted to hear all about space! Perspective!
Went and hung out with another buddy of mine who is an incredible actor (been on Broadway and recently was on NCIS) and a wonderfully talented musician. Found that while I was interested in that he was also interested in space... in addition of course to our myriad of random topics we went through as typical friends :)
Bottom line is it's all about perspective! People are as star struck with an astronaut as I was with movie stars and it gave me a recage on just how cool astronauts (Even my husband!) are.
That said - when I was at Paramount Studios for the tour I was beyond beside myself when I saw Chris Colfer ride by on the back of a golf cart! To say I was "Gleeful" (sorry had to go there with that pun!) was an understatement even though I couldn't get a good picture because it's frowned upon I did manage to snag this shot discretely. (Chris is the guy in the black shirt with his back to the camera in the left area of this picture as you look at it.) Yes I am THAT person who just had to manage to get a picture anyway...
I was beyond excited just to see where Glee was filming that day too. And it wasn't just "Glee" stars I saw... I also got to see the cast of NCIS LA - in fact we drove right pas them but couldn't get a picture then it would have been to obvious so I got a shot (again discretely) as we were driving up. Stacey this one is for you... can you tell who that behind belongs to? ;)
So I am not ashamed to admit I was star struck and had a blast with it! Personally I think it's okay to be star struck now and then because it's a fun feeling! Just remember it's all about perspective... a star to one is just another dude/gal to someone else and that's okay! Life is all about variety!
Let me explain...
Before I went to work at NASA I put astronauts on pedestals and thought them to be in the same company as the Greek Gods... okay so I am exaggerating a bit but you get the idea. However after working with them (and eventually marrying one!) I quickly realized that they are just regular people who happen to be extraordinarily good in their field who have worked hard and ended up with a cool out of this world job. (Sorry couldn't resist the pun there... I've been with Ken - aka the Punmaster - too long!) Don't get me wrong - I was giddy as a school girl when I ran into Gene Cernan a few months back because in my eyes he's still a bit of a rock star.
Does it mean that the other astronauts aren't rock stars? No, not at all. But I realized it's a matter of perspective and where you are "sitting" and in what context. But let's face it if I treated my husband and all our friends who happen to be astronauts like "rock stars" in the star-struck fan essence then we wouldn't have much of a relationship. Generally when we get together we talk about anything but space or maybe just a little space.
So there I am in LA. I am not generally the star struck giddy school girl (okay well except when it comes to Glee - I am a little crazy about them!) but here I am in a city that is known for it's glitz, glamour and stars..... and I wanted to see some stars! I kept my eyes peeled everywhere we went because I certainly didn't want to miss a star sighting opportunity!
Got a dose of "perspective" when we went to hang out with our friend Dan who happens to be a musician in a pretty famous band. I had to laugh when I realized that in addition to typical friend talk I wanted to hear about the awesomeness that must occur in the music business whereas he wanted to hear all about space! Perspective!
Went and hung out with another buddy of mine who is an incredible actor (been on Broadway and recently was on NCIS) and a wonderfully talented musician. Found that while I was interested in that he was also interested in space... in addition of course to our myriad of random topics we went through as typical friends :)
Bottom line is it's all about perspective! People are as star struck with an astronaut as I was with movie stars and it gave me a recage on just how cool astronauts (Even my husband!) are.
That said - when I was at Paramount Studios for the tour I was beyond beside myself when I saw Chris Colfer ride by on the back of a golf cart! To say I was "Gleeful" (sorry had to go there with that pun!) was an understatement even though I couldn't get a good picture because it's frowned upon I did manage to snag this shot discretely. (Chris is the guy in the black shirt with his back to the camera in the left area of this picture as you look at it.) Yes I am THAT person who just had to manage to get a picture anyway...
I was beyond excited just to see where Glee was filming that day too. And it wasn't just "Glee" stars I saw... I also got to see the cast of NCIS LA - in fact we drove right pas them but couldn't get a picture then it would have been to obvious so I got a shot (again discretely) as we were driving up. Stacey this one is for you... can you tell who that behind belongs to? ;)
So I am not ashamed to admit I was star struck and had a blast with it! Personally I think it's okay to be star struck now and then because it's a fun feeling! Just remember it's all about perspective... a star to one is just another dude/gal to someone else and that's okay! Life is all about variety!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Guinness Pictures of the Week - 3 February 2013
The best dishwasher in the World!
(Yes we are those people who allow our dog to do this. Don't worry we really do wash the dishes afterwards...)
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