The Silent "I"

Annular Eclipse: May 20, 2012

2012-05-28T14:13:33-07:00

We traveled up to Redding, California last weekend to pursue one of our favorite family activities: viewing a solar eclipse. This time, we didn't need a fancy cruise ship or a trip to the Sahara Desert or even an airplane to get to the site. We just drove our trusty, dusty Lexus RX300 about four hours north.

An Annular Eclipse is one in which the moon covers most, but not all, of the sun. What's left is known as the "Ring of Fire". You don't get the same twilight effect or the diamond ring of a total eclipse, but it is still a pretty spectacular sight. The moon moves slowly over the sun, leaving only a golden ring shining through. The center line of this particular annular eclipse ran through Oregon, Northern California, Nevada, New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle. It's a once-in-every-forty-years sight at any given location, so it was worth the drive north to see it in all its glory. The last annular we viewed was in Costa Rica when Alex was 18 months old.

We headed out on our 2012 eclipse adventure on Saturday, May 19, after a rushed packing job that left us without sunscreen, lawn chairs, or hats. As much as we travel, you'd think we wouldn't forget essentials, but it happens to the best of us. We made do with what we had, which included a golf umbrella in the car, and even a grocery bag that Frank fashioned into a hat so his head wouldn't roast. Thankfully, I found an emergency supply of sunscreen in my purse.

Sundial Bridge

We met up with some local friends who are also eclipse buffs the night before for dinner. We weren't quite sure where the best viewing spots would be, so we debated the various spots that were recommended by the local astronomy club as good bets. We decided to play it by ear, waiting to see what the weather would be prior to making a decision.

On Sunday, we woke up to cerulean skies and little cloud cover. The news reported that it would be hot, so we thought that being near water would be a good bet. We spent the morning touring Redding, which is a lovely little town with view of Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta off in the distance, surrounded by lakes made from the hydro-electric dam nearby. The Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River is something of an architectural marvel, with a tall spire swooping above the river like a tall-masted ship flowing in the wind. We walked across the glass-tiled bridge and enjoyed the views of the river and hundreds of tiny birds swooping over and under the bridge.

Frank Views the Eclipse Through a Solar Filter

Frank thought the bridge might get too crowded for the actual eclipse, so we set out for Whiskeytown Lake, about ten miles out of town. We found a spot along the shore and set up our make-shift camp for the day under a towering pine tree, with our golf umbrella, beach towels, and snacks. Alex swam across the lake and back a couple of times, and only complained a few times that "this eclipse was taking its sweet time."

The shoreline filled up over the course of the day with telescopes, cameras, tripods, serious astronomers and first-timers waiting to see what all the fuss was about. Finally, we heard some cheering down the beach and looked through our handy solar filters to see First Contact, or the exact moment when the moon's shadow starts to take a bit out of the sun.

Partial Eclipse

About an hour later, we could see the mid-way point of the eclipse. Tiny smile-shadows danced on the ground through various pinbox cameras, cardboard, and anything people could find to create a pinhole to see the shadow. In parts of the US, this was as good as it got. At the centerline, we were waiting for more.

Ring of Fire

The big show finally arrived at around 6:30 pm, when the moon perfectly centered itself in the middle of the sun. This created a bright ring of glowing light called The Ring of Fire. It was well worth the wait in the roasting sun to see it.

One thing I missed about the total eclipse experience is the 360 degrees of twilight and darkness you experience for a short time. During the annular, the sky was visibly darker, but more like it was cloudy rather than twilight. It wasn't quite as mystical or mysterious, but a lovely effect all the same.

As always, it is not safe to look directly at the sun during an eclipse, even through sunglasses. You have to use a heavy filter to see anything. I placed the filter over my camera to get the shots above.

PS Vita: Living in a Gamer's Paradise

2012-05-21T18:25:15-07:00

Alex Checks out the PS Vita

A few months ago, I was honored to be asked to join PlayStation Family, a group of tech-savvy mombloggers who were invited to work with PlayStation. I have to admit, we just bought an Xbox last summer, and already had a Wii for several years. I wasn't sure if we really needed another gaming system. PlayStation was kind enough to loan us a PS 3 for a year, so I figured we would be a good test family since we had some inside scoop on the competition. Over the years, we've had more than our share of Gameboys, PSPs, DS, DSI and other small handheld gaming systems. Honestly, I thought I'd seen it all.

In February, PlayStation released its new handheld gaming system, the PS Vita, to the US Market. The PlayStation Family group was offered loaner units to try out. My 11 year-old son thought he'd hit the jackpot, since none of his friends have one yet. Unfortunately for him, mama had other plans.

I never really considered myself a gamer. Sure, I spend hours on Facebook shooting balls out of a frog's mouth and playing solitaire, but I've always thought of gaming systems as things for kids. We had Pong when I was a kid, which was a little more exciting than watching TV static late at night when the broadcast signal ended for the day.

I decided that the PS Vita was going to be mine first, because I knew that once he got his grubby paws on it, it would disappear into the chasm of doom known as his room and I'd never see it (or him) again. Fortunately, I have a kid with a great respect for property rights, and he has not absconded with it yet.

The only problem with this plan is that I have no idea what I am doing on a gaming system. It took me at least a week to figure out how to play Wii bowling without making the remote fly across the room and take out a lamp or two along the way. Despite being someone game-challenged, I decided that the Vita was my baby.

I carefully opened the package and read all the inserts. My son hovered around me like a hyperactive bumblebee descending on an azalea festival, asking repeatedly if he could play with it, help me set it up, or just observe what I was doing. I banished him to his room and completed my task. I was quite proud of myself that I was able to set it up in about ten minutes, with no swearing and no tears (except for the kid's).

The first game I dove into was ModNation Racers Roadtrip, a madcap racing game in which you can choose a location and race around some scenic courses all over the world. I've played this type of game in arcades and thought I would know what I was doing.

I was wrong.

I had no idea how to use the tiny joysticks to steer the car and crashed into walls, viewing stands, directional signs and everything else along the way. My little driver ended up in last place, with a possible concussion. I realized I needed some coaching on how to use the controls.

Elise, one of the other PlayStation Family moms, mentioned how much she liked Escape Plan. This game was designed to help novices like me learn to use the various controls and become comfortable with the set-up of the device.

Escape Plan is a puzzle game, with gorgeous, moody, black and white animation that reminded me of a classic 1920's silent horror film. In it, two characters, Lil and Laarg are trying to escape from the evil Bakuki's factory, where they will be recycled into some kind of rubber material. You move them from room to room, and try to figure out the trick to escape. The game is a great deal more fun than it sounds and I have to say I laugh out loud so often that my son keeps begging for a turn. He often stands by me while I'm playing, offering helpful advice or to advance me to the next level if I get stuck. I've told him he needs to keep his hands off my game, and when he brings home an "A" on a test, he can have a turn. He bitterly started calling me "Tiger Mom" and stormed off. Oh, well, more time for me.

The PS Vita also features numerous internet options for social gaming, connecting with Facebook and Twitter, and downloading movies and videos. I downloaded the movie "Contraband" starring Mark Wahlberg and was surprised at the incredible video quality. Event 2 inches high, Wahlberg can bring it. I was actually glad that some of the more violent parts of the movie were so small. It was easier to look away when it got to be too much for me.

I like the size of the PS Vita. It's compact and can easily fit in your purse or backpack and can be taken along for traveling. We took a roadtrip this weekend, and I had fun trying to figure out the next phase of Lil and Laarg's adventures, as well as use Google Maps to figure out our destination.

Even though I'm not a gamer, I'm quickly becoming one. I am learning about new features on the PS Vita every day, and am almost ready to go back to ModNation Racers and give it another go. My son will just have to wait his turn.

Disclosure: I received a loan of a PS 3, PS Vita and copies of the games at no charge, courtesy of PlayStation. I did not receive any other compensation or incentive to write this post. All opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of PlayStation or Sony Corporation.

Happy Mothers Day 2012!

2012-05-13T14:42:06-07:00

I woke up this morning and found a lovely bouquet of orange, yellow and pink roses on the table by my computer. I guess the Mothers Day Fairy must have landed here last night and just happened to know that my son's favorite color is orange and my favorite flowers are yellow roses. Such a sweet gesture from my husband and son, along with cards and hugs and reminders of why I love being a mom.

I called my own mom, who marveled at the fact that for the first time in years my card arrived on time, along with a personalized card from my son to her, courtesy of the amazing Treat.com.

I will forgive him the notion that her cooking (and not mine) is the best, because he is exactly right. I hope your Mothers Day is filled with joy, laughter, love, and great cooking.

The Silent "I"

Annular Eclipse: May 20, 2012

PS Vita: Living in a Gamer's Paradise

Happy Mothers Day 2012!

Happy Mothers Day!