Geektacular Adventuring

Whoops. This blog has fallen by the wayside a bit as I've gotten deeper into Youtube. Sorry. Hoping to fix that in the next few months.

As you may know, I've been using this year to read through ALL of Roald Dahl's books. I've been posting updates over on my Youtube channel. For July's wrap up, I also made a special announcement...I will be going to the UK in September to join in the events happening for Roald Dahl's 100th birthday! And adding in other geeky things! If you missed the announcement, click here. 

I. AM. SO. EXCITED. 

I will be there for nearly two weeks, hopping around to a few cities and events, and I thought I would share what I'll be going to, in case you're curious (hi Mom and Gran!) or are in the area and want to join in. 

These are in no particular order, other than being grouped by city. Links are in the title of each event.

LONDON AND VICINITY 

Stonehenge

Okay, so this isn't necessarily geeky. But I've been to England twice, with Stonehenge up on my list of things I want to see, and I still haven't done it! So I'm making it a priority. I'm going the day I get in, so I'll be EXHAUSTED and sleeping on the bus, but whatever. I am going to see Stonehenge this time.

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre 

This is about an hour outside of London and is the official "home" of all things Dahl. It seems to be mostly geared towards children, but I still think it will be fun. And worst case, I can explore a new town.

Dinner at the Twits

Besides hotels and flights, this is the most expensive part of the trip, but I could not pass it up! It's an adults only dinner theatre put on by the disgustingly gruesome Dahl characters Mr and Mrs Twit. It sounds absolutely amazing and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to see this.

Dahl Afternoon Tea

I almost didn't get in on this. When I found out there was a true English Afternoon Tea service, at The Shard, with a Dahl theme, it was at the top of my list! But when I went to book, the website wouldn't let me book a party of one. So I sent an email playing the YouTube card (not that I think that mattered), heard back within 15 minutes, and one international phone call later, I've got a reservation. This looks amazingly delicious and whimsical, and I absolutely can't wait.

Harry Potter Studio Tour

I did mention "other" geeky stuff. I figured if I'm going to England for one geeky reason, why not just capitalize on the geekiness and do it all? So I am fitting in Harry Potter. I have not heard a single bad thing about this tour, so I'm excited to get my Hogwarts Pride on. I really wanted to get in to the Cursed Child play, but tickets are NOT going to happen :( 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical

How fun does that sound?! I also managed to score second row seats for about $30 because it has "limited leg room". But all the reviews of the seat online said if you're under 5'5'' you'd be fine, so...yay me! 

CARDIFF

City of the Unexpected

This is the biggest thing happening in Cardiff for Dahl's birthday. The weekend of the 17th will have all kinds of activities and readings all around town- including a Pyjama Party! There are a few things listed on the website, and others will be announced as we get closer. Plus, I think a lot of it will just be up in the air (to visitors like me). 

National Museum Cardiff

There's a special exhibit on Quentin Blake at this museum, so a trip is in order!

Wales Millennium Centre

The Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl is taking place here. I don't know what it means, but there's a photo of James' Giant Peach with kids playing in it, so I'm totally game.

Cardiff Castle

I've heard this is wonderful, so I'm going to work it in somewhere. I have two full days currently with "nothing planned" so we'll see how it works out. I've also read that with a ticket to my next adventure, you can get a discount to the castle.

Doctor Who Experience

There was no way in the multiverse I was going to Cardiff and not going to the Doctor Who Experience. I even reworked my itinerary to include a day when they do walking tours to filming locations. I may have also splurged for the merchandise pack, which includes a t-shirt, tote, other goodies, plus- the part I'm most excited about- A COMPANION TARDIS KEY. I get to be a companion! I also read on their website that sometimes the BBC allows ticket holders for DWE to go tour the ACTUAL, CURRENT TARDIS set. So, prayers that it happens the day I go :)

Ianto's Shrine

This is an unofficial landmark that is a must for the Torchwood fandom. And warning-this entry contains spoilers. When character Ianto Jones was killed on the show fans left flowers, notes and the like on the pier. Now 7 years later, the tribute remains as a wonderfully weird memorial to our coffee boy.

Wonderman: Cardiff
I literally JUST learned about this while getting the link for something else. It seems to be a show of some kind (?musical?) based on Roald Dahl's adult stories. That is all I know at this point; going to do more research and see if I can squeeze it in.

CHESHIRE (I THINK??)

I say I think because I've seen it listed as Cheshire but also Knutsford, so....whatever.

Tremendous Adventures at Tatton Park 

From what I gather, Tatton Park is a fancy old property with a grand house and garden and...a farm? Around the property are all kinds of Dahl-related exhibits. For example, the Enormous Crocodile is lurking on the grounds and Danny is hunting pheasants with the guests. It sounds totally magical. 

Write Like Dahl

Also taking place at Tatton Park is a special daylong workshop for adult writers to learn to create characters and stories like Dahl. There are two different dates for this, and I believe I did see a children's course at one point, too.

Phew! I think that's everything...at least for now. They keep adding events! I'm going to run out of time and money before this is all through, but I'm really excited about this trip. 

It's going to be deliciously geeky in all kinds of ways.

Which of these events would you like to see covered in depth on this blog? 

Do you have a favorite Dahl story?

Mr Grey Attacked My Dog

Last night, I went to bed early. I've been exhausted lately, and the past week or so has been crazy at work. So it was lights out just after 9:30p and I was on my way to dream land...except at 9:45 I heard something. 

Our dog Jack barked, but it wasn't his usual bark. Then I heard banging, and yelling, and Jack yelping, and squealing. I ran upstairs to see what was going on and found the kitchen in chaos. My dad was looking around for something, my mom was trying to close the sliding door, and they were both yelling. I looked down and saw a raccoon IN the door, my mom pinning it in place, trying to keep it from getting into the house. My mom yells at me, "This isn't Jack! It's a raccoon!" (because I obviously couldn't tell that) and is yelling at my dad to get a bucket, but he's trying to deal with Jack. 

So I grab the recycling bucket next to the door and put it over the raccoon, who is half way in the house, while my mom keeps holding the door. My dad finally caught the dog, who had been attacked and bit by this raccoon while he was outside for his last pee break before bed, and ran upstairs to put him in his crate and get my brothers. (By the way, Sam, I've taken to calling you my brother lately instead of "the guy who lives in our attic." It's basically true anyways, and easier than explaining.)

So the boys and Leah all come down, I'm holding a bucket over a raccoon who has half his body in our house and is squealing and scratching and thrashing. My mom is too nervous to open the door to get him out of the house, thinking he might flip himself around into the house and bite or scratch us. My brothers are offering to kill it with a giant stick they just happened to have with them. 

Being the voice of reason, I sent my brother (blood brother, Miah) to put on boots, then he took over holding the door for my mom. Mom went to examine the dog, while Miah and I took a few seconds to regroup and plan (while everyone behind us is yelling "helpful" things).

We took a three count, Miah slid open the door, I threw the raccoon and barrel up, out, and to the right (to make sure it wouldn't get caught on the lip of the door), and Miah slammed the door closed again. And locked it, per our mother's request. Just in case the raccoon knows how to open slider doors, I guess. Then the raccoon earned his new name: Mr Grey. We nearly killed him in the door, and he came right back trying to get in for more. And he was definitely injured, because he was limping around, and there was blood on our door where we had pinned him. This is how far into our house his front half was:

We called Animal Control, but they were closed, so we called the police who sent two squad cars. Called the vet and my mom took him over to the emergency clinic to get checked out. We spent the next hour watching Mr Grey root through the trash on our porch, crawl into the barrel to chew on his tail, go wander in the snow, and come back to try to break into the house and start all over. 

The police just stood around for a few minutes, then got back into the cars and one waited for the on call Animal Control guy to show. I guess raccoons have been a big problem lately, even attacking a police officer recently who had just stepped out of his squad car.

All the trash is because it was in the recycling bucket when I trapped him in it. I just tossed the whole thing out the door to get him out.

For an HOUR this animal limped around our yard, making circles around the porch. Then we watched him shimmy up a pole, attack the bird feeder, play with the bell, climb down the railing, hide under Sam's car, and disappear. The Animal Control guy showed up minutes later, and Mr Grey wasn't found. He was on our porch for an hour, and then he disappeared less than five minutes before the AC guy showed up. 

Jack went to the vet, got his injuries checked out and cleaned. He's got a bite on each hind leg, and a little scratch on his nose. He's a drugged little guy this morning, since they had to sedate him last night to clean him up, and now he's on pain meds. He's back at the vet right now getting a rabies booster, and he has to be on quarantine for 45 days, since the raccoon wasn't caught so we don't know if it had rabies. 

Mr Grey may look cute, but don't be fooled. He's a monster.

Let's Be Spies

For 2015 we are re-resolving the "Do New Things" resolution, like we had in 2013. Today we took our first adventure of 2015: We became spies. (We also posted it all over the internet. We're not the best spies.)

5 Wits at Patriots Place in Foxboro is this really cool place. They've got two adventures: Espionage and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We, of course, did the Espionage option where, essentially, you spend an hour being a spy.

You go into a "shop" that turns out to be a front for the CDA, your agency. After exchanging code words and destroying the hidden bugs, you are briefed by the senior agent (we had the fantastic James). We learned that COBAL had stolen valuable blueprints which, if built, would put an end to all electronic communications on the planet. No phones, internet...NO NETFLIX!

And of course, it was highly probably that there was a mole in our agency. After making it through the laser security system, you and your group (of twelve or so) as you are led by your senior agent through the Disney-quality sets of enemy headquarters as you try to find the blueprints and stop the bad guys. We even had to (try to) dismantle a bomb! (We survived, but barely.)

Here's where our senior agent encouraged some "Satellite Selfies" so we could prove to our higher ups that COBAL did, in fact, steal the blueprints and begin a prototype of Project Gridlock.

The lighting in the lab wasn't the best for selfies, but I still like this. I don't have other photos. I was too busy having a blast being a spy and trying not to blow up from the bomb. 

This was SO. MUCH. FUN! I would highly recommend it, and would totally go back! Everything is interactive and high quality. Our senior agent was great. Did I mention this was really fun? Because it was. You should go do it. Where else can you, an adult, go run around like a spy for less than $20?

And finally, because Gillette was right outside the door....GO PATS!

My Intro to Iceland, and Gorgeous Gullfoss

One year ago, I went to Iceland for an awesome whirlwind of a long weekend. And for some reason, I never shared it here on the blog! So here's my first post about the gorgeous country of Iceland! There's not a whole lot of information in this post. But there's a bunch of pretty pictures. The adventures and stories will be coming in future posts.

This first photo is right around the corner from our hotel (Icelandair Reykjavik Natura).

Obligatory money shot (Icelandic Krona):

Picturesque random street downtown Reykjavik:

Our giraffe friend:

The Hallgrimskirkja. This church holds the record as the tallest building in Iceland, at 244 feet.

The interior is pretty sparse and basic, but houses a beautiful pipe organ. It's rumored that the bell tower has the best views in the city, but we were too late in the day to find out.

This may seem like a random photo, but it's the one that best captures the strange feeling I had the whole time. Unlike any other place I've been, the sky in Iceland seemed so close, the clouds so low, like I could reach out and touch them if I wanted to. Like the sky loved Iceland too, and was giving it a big hug.

After this little walk our first day in town, we were exhausted, but it was too early to go to bed. The hotel TV only had 5 channels (only 2 in English), so we were going to crowd around the Kindle except...

Sad day!  We wasted away the hours flipping the channels and trying to figure out how to order a pizza. That was our first adventure in Iceland. The website was only in Icelandic, so we called, and the man who answered the phone didn't know our hotel by name. So he asked for the address....which we couldn't pronounce and I attempted to spell....until: "umm, I don't have that letter in my language. It's like a curvy 'd' with a cross?" Thankfully, someone there knew where we were and we got our pizza!

Our first excursion was to the Gullfoss waterfall. But even before we got there, we had beautiful sights! Like these random hot springs seen from the bus:

The tour made a quick bathroom and coffee stop at this little strip mall that happened to be the victim of an earthquake several years back. The powers that be made the best of it by lighting the crack, laying some thick glass, and making it a tourist attraction. I felt super brave standing over this 6-foot-deep crack!

Then it was onto Gullfoss!

Fun story: see the first group of people in the above photo? That's approximately the spot where I slipped on the ice and slid downhill a good 10 feet, briefly wondering how Chrissy and Kathryn would explain my death-by-icy-Icelandic-waterfall to everyone back home (this would not be the last time this trip I had that thought...but those stories are for another post).

It's easy to see why this place is one of the top tourist destinations in Iceland. It's stunning.

So. Stinkin. Beautiful.

So I leave you with a group shot.

Have you been to Gullfoss (or Iceland in general)? What did you think?

BookCon 2014 Recap

The last weekend in May found me on a day trip to NYC for the greatest event in bibliophile history: the first-ever BookCon! I heard about this through a friend of a friend on Facebook and had to go. So I recruited some friends, and off we went! It was held at the Javits Center, home of this gorgeous entry:

Oh my gosh...I'm at BookCon!!!! My people!

So what is BookCon? A full day of book-lovers and authors hanging out, talking about books, with free books and book-related paraphernalia. Also? Famous people. Going into this, there were two people I had to meet. The first? The Dread Pirate Roberts himself, Mr. Cary Elwes! Sadly, our bus was running behind, so we were too late to get in line. I was so bummed that I had to settle for a few quick photos (including this awesome one) as I walked by:

 BUT, he decided to stay longer, and they reopened the line just as I was walking by. I hopped in line and was meeting Westley in a matter of minutes. Because of the demand, we weren't allowed to take photos with him, but I snapped this one while he was talking to the person in front of me (complete with epic photobomb), and this selfie as I walked away.

He was so nice! He apologized for having allergies and being sniffly. As I was wandering down an aisle, I spied a book called "Fun with Kirk and Spock" and figured that would be a great gift for my brother who couldn't make it to BookCon due to a really bad sciatica flare up. The author, Robb Pearlman, signed it "Get to the sick bay!" when I told him who it was for.

By the way, BookCon had some GREAT lighting for photos! You may remember I said there were two celebrities I wanted to meet at BookCon. The second? TOPANGA (aka Danielle Fishel), who was also very sweet and hasn't aged, like, at all.

BookCon was a BLAST! I came home with free books, bags, pins, pens, posters, an awesome "I Read YA" cup, and all kinds of book-related promos and stuff. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go back next year! Except, I'm going to get a hotel overnight so I don't have to miss anything!

Did you go to BookCon. What was your favorite thing?

Techless Ten COMPLETE!

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The first (and probably last) ever Techless Ten Challenge here on Aspiring Ashley is now finished!! I cannot tell you how happy I am about that! This has been a very tough and loooooong Ten Days Without Technology.

Before I get into the good stuff, let me apologize for the lack of posts during this challenge. You might be surprised to know that it's very difficult to post by proxy. Especially when you're working opposite hours from your designated poster. Also, my brother works retail, and this challenge happened to fall over the Christmas season madness. He was barely home to rest, let alone do much else. I had given him another post, but it seems he wasn't able to get it up. Sorry about that, readers! If I ever do this again (though that's highly unlikely), I'll make Blogger my one exception so I can post myself.

Going without phone, computer, and TV for ten days is, in fact, just as crazy as it sounds. While maintaing a normal work schedule and Christmas social life, Christmas shopping, and observing early bedtimes, I read the longest Harry Potter book (900 pages) and another normal-length book (190 pages). I also spent a lot of time just sitting on the couch or table and staring into space. I did not, however, get so bored I cleaned. I planned to use some of my free time for cleaning, but my house is super cold, so snuggling under a blanket and going to Hogwarts was a much more alluring activity.

You don't realize how much you use the phone and computer for until you go without them for ten days. The TV part wasn't too bad. Especially since I had the rule that I could watch if invited to join someone, which happened a few nights. But going without my phone and internet was so hard! People would be talking about the latest weather or news or Facebook gossip and I was completely clueless. Can't tell you how many times someone would say, "Did you hear about....oh, wait...."

Didn't know about the whole Target identity theft thing until I had already shopped there twice. Couldn't look up movie times when the family decided we'd all go. Had to get a battery in my old watch, since I usually just use my phone. Same with flashlights and alarm clocks. If I had a question or a fleeting thought, I couldn't just Google it. Didn't know what the weather was going to be for the next day. Had no way of contacting friends if I wanted to tell them something. Had to print a hardcopy of my calendar, since I usually use my phone. Couldn't document the mundane things of life with an artfully edited photo. No TV in the background while I made crafts, just silence.

The biggest complaint was the convenience factor. Staving off boredom with a little powerful device became impossible. While I was sewing Christmas gifts, it was just me and my brain. No entertaining show in the background. Instead of looking up a med real quick on my phone at the medcart, I had to go dig out the actual drug book and hope it was in there. Couldn't text my dad to ask him to bring home ice or whatever on his way home. Nothing to do while on lunch break, or standing in lines. Just me and non-technological means of entertainment.

The second facet of the challenge was the feeling of being disconnected. With my family, I see them every day, so I didn't feel too disconnected there, unless I was out and wanted to ask them something. But not being able to talk to my friends was tough. Not being able to share the events of the day, or something silly that happened that only they would understand is something uncommon in today's world. We're so used to instant communication, to the ability to immediately convey what's happening or what we're thinking with the world, that to take that away is very strange. Especially when you realize that ten years ago, cell phones were just starting to become popular. I didn't even get my first one 'til about nine years ago! Before that, if I was out there was no contacting home, unless I was at a friends house and used their land line (ha, remember those?). Yet today, it's odd if you don't have a cell phone. We're so over connected it's crazy!

Then, there's the whole reason I did this. Not just for bragging rights or so everyone could call me crazy, but to help children on the other side of the world find connection with people who love them. So their voices could be heard and their little hearts can find peace. The Kealey Family is heading to Thailand in approximately one week to work with kids who have been victims of human trafficking, or who are risk of being trafficked. I gave up my connections for ten days to connect this awesome family with these kids. Have you donated yet? If not, click here to make a difference.

I know that I am a bit addicted to my phone and the internet, but I made it through this challenge! Walking away from it, I am going to try to make a more conscious effort to put the technology down more often and focus on the now. In some ways, it was nice to be unplugged. Knowing that if anyone really needed me, they'd find a way to make it happen. Not feeling the need to check out what was happening on Facebook. By the end of the experiment, I had finally stopped having that mini panic attack when I didn't feel my phone in my pocket.

So while I'm glad I did this challenge, I am also so glad it's over! Going without technology for ten days was insanely difficult, but definitely worth it to help fund connection for the kids of ZOE.

This challenge was inspired by Daniel Ryan Day and his new book Ten Days Without, which is now available. I'll be posting the review hopefully tomorrow, definitely over the weekend.

The Time I Got Rad

September's adventure was so great! 

We drove down to Seekonk, sat in traffic, and made it just in time for our corral to start at the Color Me Rad 2013 event! What a BLAST!

This is our Before Picture. Notice the very white shirts? Color Me Rad is a 5K run where along the course they throw colored powder (and occasionally liquid) at you, like this:

Now, I've mentioned before that my friend and I signed up for a half marathon. Because we're crazy. So this was a nice intro to organized racing (even though it wasn't a race. It wasn't even timed.) But, it was hotter than I usually run in. And I learned that eating breakfast at 6:30am, when you don't start running til 10am is a bad idea. At least for me. It was a very tough run in that sense since I was basically running on empty. But I made it! It was so exciting to see the finish line come into view:

We got a little separated from each other in the last color pit, so we didn't finish together, but we all finished!! And then we walked back to get a finish line shot. I love this picture. 

Once we finished (and doused each other with additional color), I don't think was there any white left on our shirts. My glasses were covered, there was color in my ears and nose, and I had nice little colorful sweat rainbows at my elbows...and I couldn't have been prouder! 

After the run, we rubbed off as much as we could and went to the mall in our finisher t-shirts. And somehow we must look like respectable grown-ups now, because even though we were sweaty and colorful, the man at Tiffany's still offered to let us try on the diamond rings! It's probably a good thing we didn't go in to the store like we did to the Color Me Rad Color Blast:

This was such an awesome event and I would highly reccommend it! It's designed to be a fun event, so anyone can do it! There were people in wheelchairs and moms with strollers. Definitely a really really fun time that you should do if you have the chance! This may be my favorite picture from the day, my first-ever completed organized run:

Sadly, Color Me Rad doesn't have medals, but they do send e-badges:

I am a finisher!! WOO HOOO!!!

Anyone ever do Color me Rad or something similar? How'd you like it?

Makin' Ketchup With My Body

August's adventure was a bit smelly, a lot messy, and really fun! We did The Tomato Bash! While I don't think I'll do it again (did I mention smelly?), it was a blast and I'm so glad we did it! 

So what is the Tomato Bash? Well, hundreds of people decided to spend a very warm summer day in a field. There is beer, if that's your thing. Also chocolate milk. And nearly two thousand pounds of non-edible tomatoes (read: too ripe, rotten, or otherwise unfit for consumption).

 It stinks. There's some time before the action starts, but there's music and costumes and a tomato foam machine to help make you red before the ketchup making begins. Also, the Nesquik Bunny.

Then, finally, the fun begins. The field that was simply a patch of earth a few minutes before becomes a battlefield, and everyone runs onto the tarp to start smashin' tomatoes! The rules say you must squash it before you throw it, which resulted in this epic shot:

(This photo made me love my new waterproof, life proof camera. It survived the bash, and look at that detail! Those drops of tomato juice! EPIC!!)

Kathryn and I were abandoned left on our own to fight this battle after a few minutes. It was both terrifying and amazing. (Please note the tomatoes flying in the background.)

Before too long, the ground was covered with the blood of angry tomatoes

And we sauntered off the battlefield, victorious. Here is the photo commemorating our epic bravery at the great Battle of Tomato 2013:

This is the stuff of legends, my friends.

July's Adventure: Stand Up Paddleboarding!

Guys. I went SUPing. I'm a SUPer...ish. Okay, maybe I'm not a SUPer, but I did it and didn't fall off! Also, I'm not actually sure if SUPer and SUPing are real words....but I'm using them anyways.

What is SUPing, you ask? Stand Up Paddleboarding! And let me tell you, So. Much. Fun!

We went to Nashoba Paddler's in Groton, MA. They only have four boards right now, because they're testing to see how well they do. If others have as much fun as we did, they will definitely be getting more boards! They had great prices, and the staff was super friendly and helpful. Tiny little place, but I would definitely go back.

I hate watersports. I hate and fear jumping or falling into water. I like swimming, but that's about it. So I didn't expect to like SUPing. I didn't expect to be able to stand up. I expected to fall several times. I expected to have some horrifically hilarious mishap and come home bruised and bleeding. But none of that happened!

That's me on the right!

Yes, it took me a little while to work up the courage to actually stand up on the board. Yes, I freaked out a few times. But then...I did it! I even survived and kept my balance when a giant bug attacked me. By the end I was even getting adventurous and trying tricks. In case you were wondering, yes. Yes, I can do front squats on a SUP.

So if you have the chance, I highly recommend Stand Up Paddleboarding. It was a blast!

Start Experiment

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(Guys, I have a .gif in my post. I feel all special and stuff!)

But seriously, I'm going on an adventure with Jon Acuff! And I'm not even leaving my house! A few weeks ago, Jon posted a short-lived invitation looking for people to go on a 24 day adventure, no questions asked. Of course, I applied, and thought I wasn't chosen until I got my email yesterday inviting me to the super secret Facebook group for our adventure. 

Over 2,500 of us answered the call for adventurers and will be spending 24 days encouraging and challenging each other as we each risk something. That something will be unique to each of us, something that will help us get closer to our dreams. 

I had a hard time deciding what to pick. Originally I had decided "kick butt at the gym and in the kitchen", but since I've already been doing that, it felt pretty lame to make that my risk. But after journalling and praying a little bit, I found my risk. The details are a secret for right now, but suffice it to say that I will risk by taking time out of my busiest month of the year to work on a HUGE project that I'm really excited about. It combines two of my biggest passions seamlessly and is something bigger than me. I may will need some of you to help me make it happen. 

But I'm excited. Most of you know how much I love Jon Acuff's stuff, and to be a part of this experiment is super awesome. Even though I know I will be exhausted this month anyways, I am determined to spend some time on this project to see what God does in and through me with it.

Also, I may be in need of a white board.

Do you have any adventures and risk on the horizon? Please share!