Tom's Blog today: OBAMACARE FINES EXPLAINED

Tom explained to me how the fines under the Affordable Care Act work, and what it means to people and businesses. I found it educational and enlightening, and think everyone should be educated. - Rob  Here's Tom's Blog: 

OBAMACARE FINES EXPLAINED

  The rollout of the President’s healthcare law, affectionately dubbed “Obamacare” by its detractors, will begin next year; but the full effects and benefits of the law will not be realized for many more years to come.  There’s so much misinformation out there, and the law is so voluminous and so complex, that it’s difficult to sift through and make sense out of it all.  What is true is that beginning next year, businesses that employ more than 50 employees that work at least 30 hours per week will have to provide health insurance or be subject to paying a penalty (called a “mandate” by the politicians).  Likewise, individuals that are employed, but do not have health insurance through their employer, will be responsible for finding their own health insurance policy or be subject to paying a mandate.  

   You can sure bet that there are employers out there that are already “doing the math,” and deciding whether it will be more beneficial to them to just pay the fine rather than provide health insurance coverage for their employees.  So here’s a really quick primer on the fines.

INDIVIDUALS

Beginning in 2014, individuals WITHOUT health insurance will be subject to paying a fine of $95 per adult, up to a maximum of $285 per household or 1% of a families’ total household income, whichever is greater. 

In 2015, individuals WITHOUT health insurance coverage will be subject to paying a fine of $325 per adult, $162.50 per child, with caps of $975 and 2%, whichever is greater.

In 2016, individuals WITHOUT health insurance coverage will be subject to paying a fine of $695 per adult, $345.50 per child, with caps of $2,085 and 2.5%, whichever is greater.

The mandate would be paid in installments over a 12 month period.  Households that fall below the IRS poverty thresholds of $10,000 per individual and $23,050 for a household of four will NOT be subject to paying the fine.

EMPLOYERS

   As stated above, Obamacare requires that employers with 50 or more workers must provide health insurance for employees who work at least 30 hours per week. The fine for not doing so will be $2,000 per worker with an exemption for the first 30 employees.  Doing the math, this means 20 employees times $2,000 per worker equals a fine of $40,000 levied on the employer.

Let’s say that an employer complies with the law and offers a health insurance benefit, but the premiums are just too expensive for the employee to pay (defined as more than 9.5% of the employee’s pay).  In this scenario, the employer will also be subject to paying a fine.  Here’s how it will work:  the employee will receive a tax credit to help pay for the premiums; the tax credit will be funded by a fine levied on the employer of $3,000 per subsidized worker.   So, you begin to see the wheels turning in the heads of employers as some of them will begin to figure out ways to scam the system:  $2,000 per employee versus $3,000 per subsidized employee. 

   Just a few years ago, the architectural firm that I (Tom) worked for was paying on average, $14,000 per employee for basic health care coverage.  That figure represents a significant expense to a company.  You can begin to see the tremendous cost benefit to an employer’s bottom line to STOP offering health insurance and just pay the fine.  The downside to this decision will be that a significant number of individuals will be forced out into the market place to figure out very complex policies for themselves - policies that were previously analyzed by well qualified human resources personnel.   

   We’ve been going to the Hair Cuttery in Crofton for several years now, and have befriended a couple of the hair stylists that work there.  Last weekend, Maggie (not her real name) was telling me that her employer has decided to comply with the new healthcare law and begin to provide health insurance for employees that work more than 30 hours per week.  Here are a couple of the policy’s provisions:  $20 per doctor visit up to 6 doctor visits per year, and $200 towards any hospital visit up to 1 visit per year. 

  Somehow, I have to wonder if all this is what the President really had in mind.  

Come see Rob at the Frederick Book Festival Sat. May 18th- TOMORROW!

COME BY TOMORROW and say hello to Rob at the Frederick Book Festival!
WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 2013
TIME:  9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
*Free to the Public*
Rob will  be doing a Meet and Greet/ Book signings
WHERE:  The E-Centplex at Frederick Fairgrounds, Frederick, Maryland.
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.frederickbookfestival.com/

NPR Report: Man Of Tomorrow: Superman, Orson Scott Card And Me

**I enjoyed listening to this NPR story, being a big SUPERMAN fan. I totally agree with Glenn Weldon, the author of Superman the Biography and interviewee that writer Orson Scott Card should never write a Superman novel.  Card is a known fiction novelist, but also a right-wing activist who certainly doesn't embody what Superman is all about - caring for everyone. This is an interesting story from NPR: 

NPR: Man Of Tomorrow: Superman, Orson Scott Card And Me

LISTEN TO THE NPR STORY: http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2013/02/20130217_atc_06.mp3
Glen Weldon is a freelance writer and regular contributor  
   Let's make this perfectly clear at the outset: I don't work for NPR, and what I'm about to say doesn't represent NPR. I'm but a lowly freelancer they're dumb enough to publish a bunch, and what I say now I say as me, which is to say:
1. An inveterate Superman nerd, and
2. A gay dude.
DC Comics has hired Orson Scott Card to write the first two issues of a new digital-first Superman comic. I won't be reading it.
It will be the first piece of Superman-affiliated pop culture that I will bypass in my 45 long and geeky years on this planet, and I am a man who saw Superman IV: The Quest For Peace in the damn theater. (Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor's bitchin' New Wave nephew Lenny! Superman repairing the Great Wall of China by STARING AT IT, because suddenly "spackle-vision" is evidently a thing he's got now! A banana-yellow villain in a gold-lamé codpiece!)
(... Okay, the codpiece was pretty rad, actually.)
Why will I be giving Card's Superman a miss? Three reasons:
First: Card isn't just a guy whose opinions I happen to disagree with. Trust me, the comics industry is rife with writers, artists and editors whose politics I don't share, who hold views they're quite public about in interviews and various internet forums, and I would defend — to the mild inconvenience — their right to hold those views. This isn't about that.
Card is different. Card is an activist. He sits on the board of the National Organization for Marriage, an entity entirely devoted to attacking and defeating marriage equality and spending millions of dollars lobbying to do so.
(One comics site has warned that boycotting Card's Superman book represents the kind of thinking that "leads to witch hunts." OK. I mean, I generally associate the term "witch hunt" with innocent people getting falsely accused and pressed to death by stones, not with one hugely successful millionaire bigot having to explain to his accountant why a side-project made an infinitesimal amount less money than he'd hoped it would, but let that go.)
Second: If Card were writing any other character — Ant-Man, Matter-Eater Lad, Batroc the Leaper — even a high profile character like Iron Man, whom he did write for a while — you wouldn't see this reaction.
Because Superman is different.
Superman is not just a superhero. He's the superhero. He created the very concept of the superhero, and everything that's touched on that concept for the past 75 years — we are talking vast swaths of popular culture — exists because of him. Regardless of how you feel about Superman and superheroes, you can't deny the cultural impact the character has made, and continues to make. Why, someone could write an entire book on the subject. And call it Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, say. And have it published by Wiley on April 1. And make it available for pre-order now.
The third reason I'm skipping Card's Superman is to me the most central, and most personal, and it has less to do with how popular Superman is, and much more to do with who he is. And what he stands for.
Superman is an ideal. He represents our best self. That's what he's for.
He's not the hero we identify with — that's what Spider-Man is for. Spider-Man worries about rent, and girlfriends, and his sick Aunt May still, again, some more. In him, we see ourselves as we are.
In Superman, we see ourselves as we hope to be. It's right there in the name — he's not "Pretty Good Man" or "Doesn't Suck Man"; he's Superman. He personifies our noblest ideals, ideals we believe in, and strive for, but only inconstantly attain: Truth and Justice, but also Fairness and Compassion.
He is a man born with tremendous gifts, who could do anything he wants. Anything at all. And what he chooses to do, first and always, is to help others.
In Action Comics #1 from 1938, Siegel and Shuster slapped together a one-page origin story in which he discovers his powers. We don't actually see him in the baby-blue longjohns until the very last panel of this introduction.
But when we do see him for the very first time, these are the first words that appear directly below, the first epithet applied to this newly-minted creation as it was unleashed upon the world:
Champion of the Oppressed.
There it is, coded into his creative DNA from the very beginning: He fights for the little guy.
And that's why this bugs me, and why I'm not the least bit curious about what Card's Superman might be like.
DC Comics has handed the keys to the "Champion of the Oppressed" to a guy who has dedicated himself to oppress me, and my partner, and millions of people like us. It represents a fundamental misread of who the character is, and what he means.
It is dispiriting. It is wearying. It is also, finally, not for me.
One of the other nicknames that accrued to Superman right away – that predates "Man of Steel" by a good amount – is "The Man of Tomorrow." And much of his early iconography bears a distinctive Socio-Realist, Diego Rivera vibe: a lot of burnished golden sunrises, eyes raised to the horizon, gazing into the future.
Because that's where he lives, Superman. And that's what he says to us: We can do better. We can be better, to ourselves, and to each other.
Hey, DC Comics? Be better.

Tonight! Rob's Radio interview with Shelley Wade -Paranormal Mayhemzone

TUNE IN TONIGHT! -Thursday, May 16 at 9 p.m. -11p.m. EDT
Rob's Radio interview with Shelley Wade  -Paranormal MayhemzoneRadio Interview: Rob guests to talk about his paranormal experiences and 2 books
TO LISTEN:   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormalmayhemzone

Rob profiled in "Conversations with Goddard" article

I (Rob) was profiled recently in NASA's "Conversations with Goddard" and thought I'd share it with you. You can find the actual story here: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/about/people/RGutro.html

 

Rob Gutro, deputy news chief, manager of breaking news and the NASA Hurricane and Fire websites, is Goddard’s “Master of Disaster.”

Name: Rob Gutro
Title: Deputy News Chief, Office of Communications
Formal Job Classification: Public Affairs Specialist
Organization: Code 130, Office of Communications, Office of the Director

What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I am the deputy news chief. I have degrees in meteorology, English and broadcasting, and I used to work as a forecaster for The Weather Channel. At Goddard, I work with the news chief to review everyone’s press releases and features, coordinate issue dates and approvals with NASA Headquarters, and I use NASA satellite imagery to write about breaking news on hurricanes, wildfires, volcanoes, severe storms and other natural disasters. I coordinate the day’s releases first thing each morning and check to see what natural disasters are occurring in the world. I am known as the "Master of Disaster" in the office.

› Larger image Photo of Rob Gutro. Credit: NASA/W. Hrybyk

Each day, I access satellite imagery on various mission websites from NASA’s fleet of Earth science satellites. I then interpret the satellite imagery and write about what it reveals on any breaking news story, like a hurricane. For example, NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite shows us the rate rain falls in a storm, but NASA does not forecast the actual storm.

› Larger image Rob with his furry family. Photo courtesy of R. Gutro

I am also a science writer for the James Webb Space Telescope and the coordinator for Hubble, and NASA-NOAA joint mission releases and features. Coordination is time consuming; it requires good record keeping, editing and being detail-oriented to obtain the many approvals involved. I also coordinate press releases for events, education and technology. In addition, I manage the NASA Hurricane Web page, the NASA Fire Web page and the NASA Facebook and Twitter Hurricane pages. On average, I write about 20 or so stories a week, but during a busy hurricane season I could write as many as 40! I also edit press releases and features from all of the other science writers every week, so I have to know a little bit about science ranging from supernovas to melting glaciers. Our releases cover Earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, technology, education and other events. I have learned a lot of science on the job. When I edit, I try to be helpful but not critical. My edits are suggestions, not demands. The trick to good editing is to edit like a teammate. Who is the most interesting, inspiring or amazing person you have met or worked with at Goddard? There are several who come to mind but the first four are Jeff Halverson, a research meteorologist; Amber Straughn and Paul Geithner, both astrophysicists on the Webb telescope; and Dr. John Mather, our Nobel laureate. All of these people are funny, personable,

passionate and energetic, which are things that motivate me. They can all covey complex idea in an easy to understand way.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done as part of your job at Goddard?

In 2005, I helped create the NASA Hurricane Web page and became the manager and writer of it. It is my passion! I love hurricanes! I have always been fascinated by hurricanes since Hurricane Belle hit New England in August 1976 when I was 13 years old. Hurricanes are powerful and not fully understood. You cannot easily get out of a hurricane’s path, so preparation and advance warning are critical.

What lessons or words of wisdom would you pass along to somebody who wants to be a writer?

Everybody wants to be a writer. I recommend reading a lot about many subjects. Always be open-minded to everything. Start a blog and blog daily about things that interest you and about which you are passionate. Share it with your friends.

My dad inspired me to be a writer. He read books every day. My dad bought me comic books, which inspired me to read, write and draw my own comic books. I still collect superhero comics and graphic novels. I feel like a character who belongs on “The Big Bang Theory” – a scientist, a geek and a superhero fan.

If you weren’t in your current profession, what would you be doing?

I would probably be a TV meteorologist.

Is there something surprising about you, your hobbies, interests, or activities outside of work that people do not generally know?

My partner and I work with two dog rescue organizations, the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue Group from which we got our 16-year-old and 1-year-old dachshunds, and the Wolf Creek Weimaraner Rescue Group of Tennessee, which is how we got our 8-year-old Weimaraner. We also have another dachshund who is 9 years old. We foster dogs who do not yet have homes, which is how we got three of our four dogs. We also help transport dogs and donate money to several other rescue organizations. Do you have a favorite superhero? My favorite superheroes are Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Spectre and, of course, the Red Tornado. In 2012, I attended the Baltimore Comicon as Green Lantern and teamed with two other Green Lanterns to win second place in the costume contest.

› Larger image Matt Christensen (Left) as Guy Gardner, Green Lantern; Rob Gutro (Center) as Hal Jordan, Green Lantern; and Mike Mason (right) as John Stewart, Green Lantern. Credit: 2.bp.blogspot.com

Related Links:

› More Conversations With Goddard

 

 

Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Tom Debunks Mass Email: Example of How the Right Wing Slants Things

Today's Blog is written by Tom about an email and right-wing slanted Photo gallery page that his mom received from right-wingers at her church. The way that right-winger slant things to serve their "religious" purposes is sickening. Read Tom's posting and his Email following to his mother, and see how he debunks their propaganda.  - Rob 
 ***************************************
From time to time, my Mom sends me things that she receives from her church's listserve. Usually, I just respond by telling her that she shouldn't believe everything that her conservative, hate-filled church tells her, but this one was just too much to let pass with such a casual response.
     I find it truly disingenuous when people clip the President's speeches without allowing him the opportunity to finish making his point. In this video clip, you can even hear the inflection in his voice letting the viewer know that he wasn't finished making his point.
    Then they carefully frame the camera angle so that it clips the rest of the quotation from the Jefferson Memorial, because God forbid the reader were allowed to read the ENTIRE inscription, because then their point would lose its validity.
Anyway, I could go on and on about what's wrong with this: http://hawthornephoto.com/walk.htm

BTW, if you're interested, here's what the full quotation from Panel 2 of the memorial ACTUALLY SAYS (the stress is mine):  "Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion. NO MAN SHALL BE COMPELLED TO FREQUENT OR SUPPORT ANY RELIGIOUS WORSHIP or ministry OR OTHERWISE SUFFER ON ACCOUNT OF HIS RELIGIOUS OPINIONS OR BELIEF, but ALL MEN SHALL BE FREE TO PROFESS, and by argument to maintain, THEIR OPINIONS IN MATTERS OF RELIGION. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."
   This is exactly the same point that the President was trying to get across in his speech which was so maliciously clipped.
*******************************

Here's Tom's  reply to his mother about the email and video gallery: 

Focus on the Family is a right wing wacko organization filled with hate, and filled with a bunch of crazy people.  Did you catch the misspelled words along the bottom of the video? 

More importantly, note how they selectively clipped not only the president's words, but also the words on the Jefferson Memorial to frame their argument. 

In reality, Jefferson was a deist, who actually bordered very close to being an atheist.  As individual age, mature, and read more - their belief structure changes.  I suspect this happened to Jefferson over time.  His writings during the time he was president are different from when he was not in elected office.  Note how in the video, they carefully cropped a quotation from one of the panels in the memorial.  Here is what the full quote actually says: 

"Almighty God hath created the mind free.  All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion.  No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.  I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."

How come the video didn't want you to read that part?  Because the Founding Fathers believed that NOT EVERYONE was going to see things the same way, that not everyone was going to be a Christian, and that we must be careful in preserving the freedom for ALL PEOPLE to worship (or not worship) as they choose in their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. 

The people behind this video don't want this.  They want everyone to be Christian, and to worship the way they do.  President Obama believes as Jefferson - that we must be careful to not infringe on, or restrict the rights of others.  Even atheism is a religion. 

The fact that "In God We Trust" is over the dais in the Capitol reflects the thinking of the country in the 1950s when it was installed - the same time that it was put on our money, and added to the pledge of allegiance.  I don't believe that the Founding Fathers would have approved of these inscriptions.  We may actually see movements in the not so distant future to have these inscriptions removed because they are in direct conflict with the U.S. Constitution. 

Mom, I encourage you to not believe these things that are sent to you.  They are meant to persuade you to a line of thinking that is very dangerous.

Video: The Daily Show: John Oliver's Australia & Gun Control's Aftermath

From the Daily Show- It would be funny if it weren't true. America needs to learn from Australia. John Oliver learns it's pointless for America to study the Australian gun control experience because the situations are just too similar.

Rob's Internet Radio Interview Tonight at 8pm EDT!: Primarily Paranormal

Rob will be the guest on an Internet Radio Interview: Primarily Paranormal tonight- to talk about his books and experiences.
Monday, May 13, 2013 from 8:00 to 9:00 PM EDT
LISTEN HERE: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ggmradio/2013/05/14/psychic-tena-marie-primarily-paranormal
General Website: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ggmradio
    ABOUT THE SHOW AND THE HOSTS: 

Psychic Tena Marie is a gifted Psychic and  Psychic Medium that performs Psychic Readings and Paranormal Investigations in the Sunshine State of Florida in Fort Walton Beach. Tena is internationally recognized and respected throughout the Psychic & Paranormal world and has assisted people all over the globe; England, France, Holland, Canada, Australia, Mexico and here in the USA.

    Tena invites you along on her journey weekly on "Primarily Paranormal" every Monday night at 8PM Eastern. Join Tena, along with her husband Bob Weber and their special guests each week, learn about paranormal happenings and psychic mini readings in the second half of the show.
To learn more about Tena & Bob visit www.gulfcoastparanormal.com & www.misstena.com
 

Mary Ann's Visit: Part 5: The Washington Mall: Monuments

This is the last entry on Mary Ann's visit and the second part of our trip to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
   In an earlier blog, Tom talked about the state of repair of the monuments and the reflecting pool, etc. so you can flip back a couple of days to see that if you missed it.
KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL -  We stopped at the Korean War Memorial, which I think is one of the best memorials. It consists of soliders marching through what looks like underbrush, and the expressions on their faces show the emotion of war.

Mary Ann and Tom join the FDR memorial bread line

THE FDR MEMORIAL -  Another of my favorite memorials (and Tom's, too) is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Tom told Mary Ann and me that the 4 different rooms, each signified the four terms of his administration. The waterfalls in the exhibit were designed to convey the turbulence in office. As one moves from room to room, the waterfalls become larger and more complex, reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marked by the vast upheavals of economic depression and world war.
  Sculptures inspired by photographs depict the 32nd president alongside his dog Fala. Other sculptures depict scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio and waiting in a bread line (where Mary Ann and Tom stood in the picture here).

Fala and his "dad" Franklin Delano Roosevelt

THE GEORGE MASON MONUMENT - George Mason University is famous in northern Virginia, but we didn't know that there was a monument in his honor, and it's part of the National Park Service system. But, during our walk around the tidal basin, we stumbled upon it. It's near the Jefferson Memorial. The monument is located at Ohio Drive, S.W. in Washington, D.C. For information about it, visit: www.nps.gov/gemm/index.htm‎. 

Rob testing the camera next to Mason's statue and Tom's pose!

   If you don't know much about him, as we didn't, he helped draft the Fairfax Resolves that recommended a “continental congress” to preserve colonial rights. According to the National Park Service, in 1776 Mason wrote the landmark Virginia Declaration of Rights that not only inspired the American Declaration of Independence, but also France’s 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the United Nations’ 1954 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
    The memorial is actually a little garden of flowers with a walkway that circles it. At the back of the memorial is a stone semi-circled bench with a statue of George Mason. A trellis overhangs the cement bench, painting a picture of a nice, quiet, relaxing area to admire the flowers. So, we stopped, sat and took a couple of pictures!

Rob, Tom and Mary Ann

 OUR TEE SHIRTS - You may notice our tee shirts in the picture and wonder what they say. My (Rob) tee shirt says "All My Children Have Paws," Mary Ann's tee shirt has drawings of the Avengers superheroes (she wore it because I love superheros, like her grandchildren do); and Tom's tee shirt says, "I love dogs, it's people that annoy me." :)

 THE JEFFERSON MEMORIAL - The last monument we visited was the Jefferson. It's amazing to walk up the marble steps and gaze at the huge statute of Thomas Jefferson. What's even more interesting is the things that the former president said, that are etched in the walls of the memorial. If only ALL of our legislators re-read what Jefferson said, and followed them!
   This quote is on Panel Two in the Memorial, and should be adhered to:  
Panel Two
"Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens...are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion...No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."
For all of the quotes under the dome of the Jefferson Memorial, click here. 

    We had a fun, adventurous and fantastic time with Mary Ann, as we always do- and look forward to her next visit. If you want to see Baltimore and Washington, D.C. come visit and we'll show you around!  

Mother's Day: Reflections and Dementia

Happy mother's day to all the moms out there. Most of us are fortunate enough to have good mothers. Others don't (if you watch TV shows like Judge Judy where horrible mothers appear like in a parade).

2008:Rob's family: Mom and dad in the middle

      Sadly, Mother's day this year for me (Rob) means dealing with the mother that isn't the one I grew up with. That's because dementia has brought out really bad qualities in my 86 year old mother. She used to help others all the time, take elderly friends and neighbors on errands or visit them, she always hosted birthdays, holidays and graduations at my childhood home. Neither her brother or sister's families every hosted anything, and my dad was an only child- so the burden always fell on my mother. She loved to draw and painted "Winnie the Pooh" on shirts and our bed sheets when we were kids. She made my 2 brothers and me shirts (she was good at sewing and could make clothes). She made me a Batman costume , cape and cowl- that I cherished for decades. She used to make draperies for the house. She could cook anything.  Holidays were well-decorated, but dinner making was always stressful... and not always peaceful. Mom loved being out in the yard, and today even still gardens...
but she's had dementia for about 4 years, and her personality has changed.
   Dementia is a horrible thing - it has transformed my mother into an oftentimes mean, angry person. Once out of every 4 or 5 conversations, she'll be lucid and not irritated or angry. However, most times she is. She's mad at my dad for dying in 2008, and she takes her anger out on me and my brothers who are the only ones around for her (which makes it difficult for us to be around). Oftentimes my mother creates an "argument" in her head to get angry with me and my brothers and slam the phone down in our ears. She's been on a downward slide for the last couple of years, especially this year. She's refused invitations and then gets angry at us for not being there. It makes it difficult to call her, but we all call her daily (and brace ourselves for being yelled at). I miss the mother I had as a kid. - So, if your mom has all her faculties, give her a hug, tell her Happy Mother's Day for me.
 - I will say that I'm SO thankful for the world's greatest Mother-in-Law (Tom's mom) and other moms that I've adopted like Mom Feldhaus in Maine. Happy mother's day to all our friends and my sister-in-law Sue, and Tom's sister Lisa.

Mary Ann's Visit: Part 4: The Washington Mall: Museums

Tom and MaryAnn @ the Apollo lander

During our friend Mary Ann's weekend visit this month we took her to Baltimore (which we've already posted about) and Washington, D.C. We spent hours walking the length of the Washington Mall, and fortunately, the temperatures were near 70 degrees F and cooperated!
  PARKING PREDICAMENT - We learned that the city of Washington, D.C. no longer offers free parking on weekends on street meters. Instead, there's a 2 hour time limit, and it's impossible to pay for 2 hours and walk to a museum, see it all and get back in that time.  SO, we had to find a lot to park in, which charged $12 (which is cheap for Washington, D.C.). So parking is only free on Sundays.
  SMITHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM - We stopped at the Air and Space Museum first - to look around and okay, well, to use the bathrooms. Walking the Washington Mall takes HOURS and we needed to make sure we could do it without going off-course. :P  We took some fun pictures near the Apollo lander, and in the lobby with the displays of the rockets. We thought it appropriate since we both work for the nation's space agency.

"That's a big rocket you have!" :)

Rob & Tom at the inside Rocket display

Tom and Rob at the Apollo- hey, who is that astronaut?

 SMITHSONIAN CASTLE- We didn't go inside the castle or any of the museums, because this was a "Monument tour" day. However, we stopped long enough for me to get a picture of the Smithsonian starburst symbol that was created out of flowers.

The smithsonian starburst symbol in flowers

Tom asks MaryAnn, "where next?" in front of a Hubble model

NEXT AND LAST BLOG ON MARY ANN'S ADVENTURES: The Monument Tour of Washington, D.C. (in a couple of days after some other fun stuff)

Our Yoga Try Out was a Gas!

Our friend Amber is not only an astrophysicist for NASA, but she's now also teaching yoga locally, and Tom has always wanted to try it out. So, on Tuesday night, May 7th we attended Amber's local class. Amber is a warm, funny, easy-going person who makes a great instructor. 

We couldn't balance to do this!

   The class lasted for about 1 hour, and Tom and I were bending and stretching things that we didn't know existed for the last 20 years!  It sounded like we were having breakfast with all the "Snap, crackle and pop" going on! 
  About half way through the class I heard someone "poot" near me, and Tom quietly said "Ooops!" I immediately thought it was him and started laughing (quietly) tucking my head down. It took about 5 minutes for me to stop.  Apparently, yoga really does relax, because it helped the "pooter!"
  The class was great, and the relaxation exercises at the end really did bring us a calmness that we usually don't experience during the week. We recommend it and look forward to coming back next week!