Chinese Lantern Festival: The Verdict's In

It was worth seeing.  Not a "must see," but a "hey, that was fun."

Perhaps not worth the full price $19 weekend ticket or $14 weekday ticket + $15 per vehicle to park, but we had coupons for $2-3 off that I picked up from work and as a fair grounds employee, I was able to get us free parking (work plug: you can come visit Texas Discovery Gardens and our tropical butterfly house before you visit the Chinese Lantern Festival...and while you're there, pick up some coupons for the Festival at our front desk).  Besides, Groupon is running a 50% off deal right now.

First off, there are in fact Chinese lanterns, but that's not the whole show.

You'll be greeted up front by some cute silk pandas.  One of them may or may not be "sexy" posing for you.

Hsu?  Is that you?

 And while many displays are made of metal frames and silk lit up, they are also made of other things.  Like the dragon made up entirely of china and teacups.  Those are teacups and not "sake bomb shot glasses."  April might have gotten rather excited and confused.

Or this display of thousands of glass medicine bottles filled with food coloring.  I think it was my favorite.

The Lagoon was transformed.  If you go to the State Fair or hang out on the campus year round, this is the lagoon where you can paddle around the swan boats next to the Bird Show and behind the Museum of Nature & Science (which sadly, no longer lives on the State Fair campus).

 About halfway through the trail there's a food and drink shop to stop at.  We didn't try any food, but I had to stop for a glass of hot chocolate.  It was definitely NOTHING to write home about.  Too small a cup of water with too much of a packet of chocolate powder and the ladies behind the booth may be the kind who definitely ARE talking about you in their second language (who tries to get away with that with Spanish in Texas?!), but I like hot chocolate when looking at lights in the cold!

Brianne organized the outing and she invited our kball friends Simon and April along.  Unfortunately for Simon (that evening), he's Asian.  Which meant he answered and corrected all our goofy assumptions through the evening.  Fortunately for him, he was in the company of 3 awesome girls.  You win some, you lose some.

For example, this might look like ants wearing/taking off with a picnic table cloth, but it's really ants celebrating a Chinese wedding tradition.

These are mythical peaches.  As in, they are not real and they do not really exist that size.  So no, we cannot take a trip to China to eat aforementioned mythical peaches, but if they were ever found and we were so fortunate to eat one, then we would have eternal life.  Obvs.

And this is exactly what it looks like.  The Chinese Lantern Festival ripping off the Little Mermaid Ariel and calling her the Mermaid Lady or something along those lines.  I repeat, that is not Ariel.

And this is NOT Hello Kitty just hanging out.

This is, however, a Longhorn.  HOOK'EM! \m/

And these are definitely bunny heads and hearts on top of a lighted section dedicated to the fungi.  Yes, you read that right, fungi.

We wrapped the night at Deep Ellum's Deep Sushi, which made the evening feel more like a well-rounded evening.

Dallas Chinese Lantern Festival is open every evening (including holidays) from 5pm-10pm through January 6, 2013.  Go check it out if you have the time.

Science. or Science...

Forgive me for oversimplifying the issue and painting either side in broad strokes, but it bothers me when people are inconsistent in their argument.  When the political left talks about controversial topics like teaching evolution in schools or women's health care or drugs or many many other social issues, they often cite "science."  Science is the reason we teach the theory of evolution in schools.  Science is the reason we do not teach creationism.  Statistics say x% of the population lacks access to basic health care services.  Studies prove this or that about pot.  You, over there, on the right.  You "cling to your religion and guns."  We've got science and facts.  We win.

Well fine then, what is it?  Science.  Period.  The end of discussion.  Or is it science........when I like what it tells me?

Cause when we're talking about gun control and mental health care there are scientific studies.  Lots of them.  They control for age, race, sex, socio-economic status, population size, environment, etc.  They span over the last few decades, depending what you're looking at and for.  They tell us the same story and it is not the same story we're hearing from the science loving talking heads on the left who are pushing an agenda based on pure emotion this week.  Namely:

• The 1994 Assault Weapon Ban didn't work.  Sure, you can ask WHY someone would need an assault weapon.  I don't know, I don't want one.  On the same token, I could ask WHY someone needs pot or an abortion. - http://www.sas.upenn.edu/jerrylee/research/aw_final2004.pdf
• Strong civil commitment laws result in 1/3 fewer homicides.  Want to decrease the crime rate?  Make it easier to commit mentally unstable people who are a danger to themselves or others.  Shhhhh!  Don't tell the ACLU! - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-011-0450-0/fulltext.html
• "Gun-free zones" do not decrease crime.  In fact, the biggest deterrent to violent crimes is allowing the public to carry concealed hand guns anywhere they damn well please. - http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/files/41.lott_.final_.pdf
• Every single public shooting since 1950, with the exception of the attack on Senator Giffords, EVERY SINGLE ONE has occurred in a "gun free zone."  The National Review points out nicely in this article that the Aurora Batman Movie Theater shooter did not pick the movie theater closest to him, but the only one within a 20-minute drive that posted signs banning guns.
• Depending on who you listen to and what studies you follow, the crime rate, including crimes involving guns, has gone down since the 1980s and continues to go down or has stayed relatively steady.  Increasing consequences for committing a crime decreases the occurrence of the crime.  Banning guns does not.  Surprise! - http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st229 and http://prospect.org/article/violent-crime-increasing

One of my bio professors in college said something in a lecture once that stuck with me.  He reminded us that scientific theories are often revisited, adjusted, refuted and replaced.  That is the nature of science.  Science is a method, not a set of facts, and adhering to the method was our responsibility, not preaching science as infallible because often the time comes when we find out that a theory was fallible.  His advice was to be careful standing on a high & mighty "science" horse.  As our understanding of our world and ourselves grows, our science evolves.  The best scientist is a humble and critical thinking one.

So perhaps all this science means little.  Perhaps a great portion of the population would find comfort in enacting gun control laws and that alone is enough.  Perhaps another brilliant scientific mind will come around and publish a study that refutes all of the above, but if we're standing on science, then the lefty gun control advocates lose today.  Period.

Jingle All The Way!

This happened yesterday.  Although it almost didn't.

Excuse the blurriness.  It seems to be all anyone could do when we'd ask them to take a picture of the 3 of us yesterday.  This is the least blurry of the bunch.

I've gotten on this 5K kick.  And by kick, I mean, I registered with my brother and some friends for the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving on a whim.  Oh, here we are!

I'd always heard about it.  Seems like everyone in Dallas does it.  I was finally in Dallas this year.  Why not join the crowd?

And I kinda enjoyed it.  Not during the race, mind you, but after the race I was pumped.  None of us trained or prepped.  I finished in 41:22 and all of us were within a minute or two of each other.  Not an impressive time by any stretch, but we were all proud of ourselves for pushing and running the run/rest intervals.  Then we went home and binged on food.  The strollers and dogs annoyed me and I'm not even competitive.  Helpful hint: you are NOT in the back of the race queue like the race guidelines request if...oh...approximately 20 thousand people are standing behind you!

So for the Turkey Trot they give you a race packet and what to my wondering eyes did appear in it?  A Jingle Bell Run 5K for December.  I posted it on facebook.  A bunch of people were interested.  Rah rah!  Yay yay!

And then I forgot to register.  So did most everyone else.  By the time my phone calendar beeped at me to remind me of my impending 5K, I was pretty much decided that I would either 1. skip it or 2. go run it alone.  I was leaning towards the former.

Turns out these two had registered for the race after seeing my friendly fbook post.

So I definitely had to suck it up and run.

My time didn't improve from the Turkey Trot.  In fact, it got worse 30 seconds worse at 41:52.  I was only surprised because this race had far fewer strollers and dogs in the way (aka...these dog owners and strollers stood in the back, thankyouverymuch) and I was definitely able to take off running much quicker after I passed the start line than the Turkey Trot, but apparently that meant nothing.  Still, I did it and took the after race pic in front of the tree to prove it.

Just imagine if I actually followed my "Ease Into 5K" schedule for running! (more on that later)

The Jingle Bell Run was sponsored by, among many sponsors, Corona Light.  The after party was a whole bunch of free Corona Light and delish bites from local restaurants.  The healthy runner crowd couldn't be bothered to drink all those free drinks up, so we stuck around to close the party down and help out.

We also met Rudolph and Santa's Reindeer!

I'm one of those people who needs a target and a goal.  I've been having difficulty finding workout motivation without it and I think that these 5Ks just might be the answer.

My New Year's Goal for 2013 is to run a 5K a month.  Ideally, I'd finally haul my butt through all 6 weeks of this Ease Into 5K app on my phone.  But even if I don't, then I still have to face the punishment of pushing through 3.1 miles each month.

Next Month: The Electric Run!  You know you want it...

Fido & Kitty Request Your Company...

As a person who is allergic to what seems like nearly everything under the sun, this post is rooted in my sympathy for fellow allergy prone friends.  I'm allergic to corn and ragweed and wheat and pollen and milk and dust mites and the list goes on.  The only reason I'm still alive is probably because I am fortunate enough to react in the form of eczema or sinuses to most of these things, not by my face swelling or throat closing.  Some girls have all the luck, eh? 

Funny fact: I am not allergic to poison ivy.

I'm also allergic to cats.

Growing up, my dad was (and still is) allergic to pretty much anything with hair -- cats, dogs, horses, bunnies.  You name it, the man has an allergy to it.  Growing up, I recall arriving at many a party only to find out the owners had a cat or dog.  That inevitably meant our stop would need to be cut short for the evening.  Now, my dad's allergies are so severe that what I'm about to suggest probably wouldn't have helped him any other than to let him know to stay away from your party, but it can surely help some people.

The past few weekends of holiday parties got me thinking though, why don't party hosts and hostesses kindly inform their guests of their furry four-legged roommates in advance?  Before you balk, please keep in mind, this is coming from a dog owner.  Just a thought for your next fbook invite or evite or (heaven forbid!) formal mailed invitation.  The number of times I've been texted or called by a friend from a party asking me to bring allergy meds for them (my reputation as a walking allergy pharmacy precedes me) because they were surprised by a cat or dog is off the charts.  If they had known in advance, they could have popped a pill before visiting or brought their own just in case.  I know many a thoughtful host who has said, "Oh, I put Fido in the other room!" or "I vacuumed and dusted all the hair up before the party."  That's wonderful and I suppose if you don't have an allergy yourself, you don't quite understand, but that only goes a small way to getting rid of the irritant.

Just my two cents.  I know I would appreciate it.

Pooches, Patio, Beers, Live Music & 3 Beers + A Mug For $10?

Yes pls!

I ventured out into Deep Ellum last night with my kball team, Freeballers.  Yes, that's our team name.  This is us.

 Moving along.

We had the late 9pm game and one of our players, Graham, is into the "home brew" scene in Dallas.  By into, I mean he brews himself.  The man also knows how to grill and marinade.  Nom nom.  It doesn't hurt that he likes to share, either.  Anyhow, he knows all the cool little breweries and their owners/employees opening up around Dallas as brewing becomes the latest thing.  We've hit up the Deep Ellum Brewery's Brewery Tour before and it was such a great evening, we decided to hit it up again.

Now when Graham first pitched this Deep Ellum Brewery Tour to us a few months back, it was along the lines of "$10 and you can taste some beer and tour the brewery."  Cool...but taste sounds like a shot of beer and I've toured the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston before and learned all I need to know about beer to navigate my beer ordering world, which is, I don't like hops heavy beers.  Actually, I say that, but there's a lot of science and things to nerd out to involved in brewing if you really want to.  It got me thinking that a root beer brewing factory wouldn't be a shabby way to engage children in science and chemistry and the like, but there I go thinking again.

The team told Graham after our first visit that in his love for all things brewery, he had way undersold some highlights of the evening.  Namely:

• $10 for 3 full beers + a Deep Ellum Brewery Mug from 6-8.30pm

• Live Music

• Patio

• Free Hot Dogs

• Food Trucks

• Bonus (if you like dogs): BYOD (bring your own dog...just not inside the brewery)

This time, his team blast highlighted all of the extra perks.  I have to confess, I have yet to actually take the brewery tour.  I got there too late last time and I brought Bentley this time.  The doggy ban meant I was FORCED to enjoy the wonderful patio weather in December and live music from the hipster who likes country music.  Add that to the list of things hipsters and I have in common -- old school country music a la Old Crow Medicine Show.

Lord Bentley The Dragon Slayer donned his new hoody.  He also made a new "friend," Penelope, who is sadly not pictured.  More on that to come.  Penelope and him got along splendidly, if by splendidly you mean getting frisky and trying to hump each other.  Apparently BDog has a thing for unspayed females.

When we're out and about, people often ask me where I got Bentley and how much I paid for him.  The assumption is: small cute chihuahua must be a purebred.  So I'm doing my part to spread the word.  Rescue and you can pay a lot less to have some little animal pee in your apartment, tear up your crap, and dominate your schedule while keeping you company and saving its life.  Win-win!

Deep Ellum Brewery has 7 beers on tap to choose from.  I figured, since I was going to blog and all, I should snap a bunch of pictures, which I did, so I've become *that* photo girl, but then I deleted them in my upload attempt.  Because I'm special like that.  And whoaaaa was that a run on sentence somewhere there?  I like to type like I talk so I speak in run-ons sometime ok.  Note: When your select 5 photos to upload and your phone asks you if you want to delete them or share them, be sure to select share and not delete. Hey, blogging is tough.

The brewery is shiny and pretty though and the patio is chill.  There were two pics that didn't find themselves on the accidental chopping block because they were the worst of the bunch.  You know what though, this is what you get and you WILL like it.

I prefer the lighter beers and if you do, too, I recommend the Rye Pils or Dallas Blonde.  The rest of the team all enjoyed their seasonal Festivus and some other darker varities.

Tours every Thursday evening from 6-8.30pm and Saturday from Noon-3pm.  $10 Credit or Cash.

A New Blog.

Why?

Because The Facebook (remember when it used to be called that?!) just isn't cutting it anymore.  I've also gotten a half a dozen comments in passing in the past couple months about that blog I used to write back in the day, which is about half a dozen more than I'd received in the past 5 years.  The Blogging Gods, if you will, are calling my name.  There's a lot to see, do, visit and taste in Dallas if you just meander out of the suburbs or off the Uptown bar beaten path (or even stay on them) and there's something more that can be shared about some of these experiences/events/restaurants/attractions than a simple fbook check-in can do.

Besides, I'm no longer scared by my mother's warnings that all of this can be saved and used against me at some future date.  I mean, it can be saved AND used against me, but there's so much dirt out there on everybody, surely my dirt is just average now :)  Hi mom!

So you know, if you're so inclined, check this blog out every once and awhile and learn about local events, attractions, restaurants, non-profits or interesting articles I stumble across every now and then.  Or, you know, just become more effective at stalking me.

My December "Must See" List:

• The Dallas Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park
• Chihuly At NIGHT at The Dallas Arboretum (I was just there to check it out during the day last Sunday on a whim, but I hear it's more impressive at night)
• ICE! at The Gaylord Texan in Grapevine
• Christmas Lights and Hot Chocolate! There are carriage and wagon rides you can book for groups big and small.  Who knows if I'll go all out and get a group together to carriage ride it, but I love the idea...mostly because I LOVE Christmas Lights!

While I will likely be checking these out with a group of fun friends, ladies and gents, these are also good and fun daaaaate ideas, too.  Or you could just go on that boring coffee date.  Whatever floats your boat.

We'll see what I find the time to knock off the list!