Product Placement

Monday afternoon, I took my class of 6- to 12-year-olds from my job to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum in Dulles, Va. This was not my first trip to this museum, but it is the first where I took pictures.

There museum is not far from the Dulles Airport and features a mock air traffic control tower that allows you to watch airplanes as they land and take-off from the airport.


While there are a number of impressive exhibits and displays throughout the museum...




...I was most impressed by the very subtle product placement and advertisements found throughout the museum.





Yes, Bud Light gets two planes and a flight suit!


So that's why the museum is free! I always wondered where they got their funding!

By the way, this post meets my dad's challenge of 20 posts by the New Year, and not a moment too soon!

Our New Baby: Ally

Maggie and I have an announcement to make; Just in time for Christmas we received our first baby...Ally.


We'd been wanting a dog for a good while now. I haven't had a dog (Fred) since Winnipeg almost thirteen years ago, and Maggie hasn't had a dog (Cinnamon) in almost five years, and we both felt like it was time for us to get a dog. So as a Christmas gift, Maggie's parents gave us money find a dog, and after a long, strenuous search, we came across Ally in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a good two hour drive away. But I must say, the drive was worth it.

Ally's a five-week golden retriever puppy who was born on November 15th, 2008. She's very affectionate and playful, and is at that age where she's teething, so she nibbles quite a lot. We got her last Saturday night, and in the first week, we've seen her grow already. Her daily routines consists of rotations of sleep, eat, pee, poop and a little bit of play. We're working on potty training, and she's already slowly starting to pick up on that. Just yesterday, she went to the back door at Maggie's house (where we've been taking her outside) and started sniffing around, knowing that's the area for her to go at. The first night we had her she settled right into her little puppy bed! She's a very brave, curious dog. Maggie's sister has a miniature schnauzer who is normally a bully, but Molly (the mini-schnauzer) is scared of Ally! At one point, Ally was chasing Molly around the living room!

Ally is absolutely CAP (cute, adorable and precious) and she's brought a lot of joy into the lives of Maggie and me. While she is quite a handful, we love her very much and everyone who has met Ally in both our families has fallen in love with her.

We look forward to many years of love and joy with Ally!

The Not-So-Smart Smart Car

I can across this funny video of an attempt by a "Smart" car driver to parallel park. I guess it doesn't matter what the size of your car is, parallel parking is tough!

William Shatner's Tribute to George Lucas

I came across this video a good while back and it didn't occur to me to post it until now. I've always gotten a kick out of this as William Shatner delivers in a way that only Shatner can! I love the looks on the faces of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford as Shatner walks onto the stage! They're trying to figure out just what in the world is going on!

Also, all I can say is; dancing stormtroopers!

A Star Trek IV Blooper Reel

I just watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home this afternoon and while surfing on youtube I came across this video! Enjoy!

2012 Presidential Polls: The Race Begins

Barack Obama isn't sworn in for his first term as President for another six weeks and there is already polling out for the 2012 election. I came across this story while on the Internet and couldn't help but shake my head in disgust.

We've just been through the longest election in history and already the next one is beginning! For anyone keeping track, it started the week after Obama won when Palin starting making the media rounds to repair her reputation, and as my mom posted a few weeks ago, Rudy Guliani has already opened his fundraising website for a 2012 run. It's really sad that this is the state of American politics; a nonstop campaign.

Nothing will ever be accomplished if all people ever do is look to the next election four years from now and spend that entire time campaigning. While I understand that it's all about getting your message out fastest to gain that "front-runner" status, in the end it doesn't matter who the front-runner is. If you look at this election that ended only a month ago, neither of this year's candidates were their party's front-runner a year ago!

It's my honest hope that this constant campaign-mode backfires and forces these people to actually try to get things done and work to solve the problems of their people before they worry about their own political ambitions.

The Christmas Quiz

Time to add my answers to the latest questionnaire floating about the family blogs.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper, but if it's a really small gift or one that is awkward to wrap, I go with the gift bag.

2. Real tree or artificial?
I prefer artificial. The real ones smell.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Whenever Mom and Dad say it's time.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Whenever Mom and Dad say it's time.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I've never really tried it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Hard to say really.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Normally my dad, but also some times that Secret Santa from work you get sucked into.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Maggie; she always says exactly what she wants.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
According to my mom, two.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I just get cards and hand them to people.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A CD player I got from Corps Officers a few years back; it was the third year in a row I'd gotten one from them.

12. Favorite Christmas movie?
Hard to say, but I really like The Christmas Story.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Anytime before Christmas when I have the money to do it.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Mashed potatoes.

16. Lights on the tree.
Yes.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer! Also, like several versions of Jingle Bells.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home.
Whatever my parents say we're doing.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen...but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer!

20. An angel or a star on top of the tree?
Angel.

21. Open the presents on Christmas eve or Christmas morning?
Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Anything to do with shopping; the congested malls, the traffic, the crazy dis-respectful maniac-like shoppers...

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Whatever the color of our tree is.

24. Favorite dessert for Christmas dinner?
Ice cream.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
A GPS and some money.

26. Any special Christmas traditions?
Opening presents.