Plano Balloon Festival 2012

So today me and Tien went to the Plano Balloon Festival near Quad C. First time ever. I mean, it was pretty neat even though I was rather cranky at the beginning. It was really hot and we couldn't stay long cuz Tien was called in for work. The whole thing was kind of like a mini state fair. There were food booths, rides, a concert stage, toys, face painting, and games. The only thing different was that instead of Big Tex there were hot air balloons. Just like the state fair, the food is pretty expensive. A cup of lemonade at Conway's cost $5 and it wasn't even that good. I feel like we got juiced. Parking was $5 when you parked at the Plano Centre and then you had to walk a mile (literally) to get the festival grounds. I wished they had some sort of bus transportation like they had at the Red Bull Soapbox thing. Oh well. Would I go again next year? Maybe. Maybe not. It'll depend on my mood and probably the weather. It'd be nicer if it was a bit cooler outside.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Plano Balloon festival so if you want to check it out, you still have time to! The hot air balloons launch at 7:00am and 6:00pm.

For more info along with a complete event schedule, click the link below:
http://www.planoballoonfest.org/

Watching the balloons launch was pretty neat. Very colorful. Everything was a lot more impressive in person, but I tried to capture the moment nonetheless.

You can see the rest of the photos by clicking the link below:
https://plus.google.com/photos/112994609708042405063/albums/5791241346667748129

Late Night Learning: Why Does My Nose Run When I Eat Something Spicy?

So for a late night snack I decided to eat hot and spicy shrimp cup noodles with lime, and my nose started running like it always does whenever I eat something spicy. Curious as to why, I decided to Google the reasoning behind the occurrence. This is what I found: "All hot peppers contain capsaicinoids, natural substances that produce a burning sensation in the mouth, causing the eyes to water and the nose to run, and even induce perspiration. Capsaicinoids have no flavor or odor, but act directly on the pain receptors in the mouth and throat. The primary capsaicinoid, capsaicin, is so hot that a single drop diluted in 100,000 drops of water will produce a blistering of the tongue."

And this is the positive result of curiosity: I learned something new and educational and probably won't remember this next week. But that's okay. Good thing I'm not curious about other things. Like drugs.