Cast No Shadow

Really? One of these guys could be President?

2012-01-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

On one hand we have Newt Gringrich. He's had 2 (known) affairs, which broke apart 2 marriages. He and one of his wives owed between $250K-$500K at Tiffany's. He was also formally disciplined for ethics violations by the House of Representatives. His (in)famous quotes are:

"I'm not a natural leader. I'm too intellectual; I'm too abstract; I think too much."

This man could be Commander-in-Chief:

“If combat means living in a ditch, females have biological problems staying in a ditch for thirty days because they get infections and they don’t have upper body strength. I mean, some do, but they’re relatively rare. On the other hand, men are basically little piglets, you drop them in the ditch, they roll around in it, doesn’t matter, you know. These things are very real. On the other hand, if combat means being on an Aegis-class cruiser managing the computer controls for twelve ships and their rockets, a female may be again dramatically better than a male who gets very, very frustrated sitting in a chair all the time because males are biologically driven to go out and hunt giraffes.” —Newt Gingrich in 1995

On the other hand we have Mit Romney. I don't know much about him, but I do know there are some BIG differences between the Mormon (LDS) religion and modern Christianity. Namely, Mormons believe the Bible is incomplete and contains errors. Furthermore, there is no Trinity (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit as one) instead they are 3 separate individuals.

And "One Nation Under God"? Well, God, according to Mormons, "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man..." and "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also."

Regarding Jesus' virgin birth: "Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers"

My Authentic Decals Fall Apart and Disintegrate! (UPDATE)

2011-12-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

I bought a set of 1/72 decals for a Messerschmitt Bf-109F-2 on ebay. When I went to apply them to my project, they disintegrated on contact with water! Fell apart completely! So I had the ebay seller send me a new set, thinking I got a bad batch. Nope. Same issue. The email address on their website is wrong too. contact@olimpmodelsgroup.com does not work, but the packaging has contacts@olimpmodelsgroup.com listed, so I'm emailing them to make things right instead of the seller. If they don't though, I'm gonna have to get a refund from the seller for carrying a crappy product.

No Disintegration! Kinda appropriate given my project:

EDIT: I emailed photos of the decals, and after a few weeks Authentic Decals has sent me a refund of $10 for the decals that fell apart. It doesn't mean that I'll buy any more Authentic Decals, but at least they're a good company. I still have to track down decals for my Messerschmitt project though....

Custom R3-D3 Star Wars 4GB USB Sony MicroVault ClickFlash Drive

2011-11-16T21:44:00.001-08:00

This astromech has TONS of memory!

Custom

R3-D3

Disney Star Tours Exclusive Astromech,
assigned to the Starspeeder 3000

USB Flash Drive

Made with a 4GB Sony Microvault Click Flash Drive--Preloaded with Data Compression Software

Clear dome glows blue when in use!

Shark Navigator Swivel LEAD WARNING

2011-10-09T22:11:00.001-07:00

I was at Costco this weekend and was looking over the box for the Shark Navigator Swivel UV410. On the bottom of the box is the following warning:

It reads: WARNING: This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects and other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.

Scary AND inconvenient

Photos

2011-08-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

As promised, photos of the property concerns at *********, which existed when we moved in. The previous tenant lived at the address for 6 years.

From 27 Boulder Crescent St

To Our Landlord:

2011-08-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Aug 3, 2011

TO: A** Z****

RE: ************** Colorado Springs CO 80903

I have checked all of the sprinklers and increased the watering time for the front portion in front of the house as well as the back yard. However, Zone 6 does not seem to be doing anything at all, despite running for 20 minutes. Where is Zone 6 in the yard?

It is obvious you take pride in the exterior of the homes you rent. Therefore, I thought I’d bring some external property concerns and liabilities to your attention. I have enclosed photos of the concerns which have existed since we took possession of the property.

Photo A The back screen door is clearly beginning to rot on the bottom. This damage can be seen from the front and back of the door. Not pictured is the fact that the screen is held on the inside by duct tape

Photo B There is a shingle on the rear of the house that is coming up

Photo C There is grass growing out of the gutter in the rear of the house. I suspect that the entire gutter is full of leaves and debris, since when it rains, water drips down from the gutter and in the winter, icicles form from the gutters, melt, then ices up on the back porch

Photo D Some flashing is coming up on the rear of the house

Photo E1, E2 The bottom bathroom window is cracked

Photo F1, F2 The living room side window is cracked

Not pictured: The window in the front top bedroom on the side of the house is cracked

Also, addressing the fact that you said you would evict us if our rent is not paid by the end of the day on the 1st, I have researched the following regarding Colorado Rental Law:

When a Colorado Tenant Has Not Paid Rent Before filing a suit in Colorado to evict a tenant for nonpayment of rent, the landlord must post a written, signed demand giving the tenant the choice of either paying the past due rent or moving out within three days. In computing the period of days the first day is excluded. Therefore, the three day time period begins the day following the posting. The notice must be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises. After the notice has been posted and if the tenant has not paid the rent or moved out within three days, the landlord need not accept the rent and may file an eviction suit at your local Justice Center. The time begins running whether or not the tenant discovers it posted. Also the time continues to run regardless if it is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a holiday. The tenant's legal right to this three day notice prior to eviction for nonpayment of rent cannot be taken away by the language in a lease. http://www.rentlaw.com/eviction/coeviction.htm

Do not threaten me.

(Photos to post soon)

Newest Custom Piece British Torpedo Boat

2011-06-17T22:36:00.001-07:00

The newest and latest from Soja Rinn Industries. In mid WWII, after suffering numerous losses in the English Channel to German UBoats, the British launched their new torpedo boat to re-take the seas

Wooden duck base 1/72 PT 212 Torpedo Boat with British Lancaster decals

Dear Obama Naysayers/Credit Denyers

2011-05-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Obama Naysayers: According to your logic, Osama shouldn't have been blamed for the 9/11 attacks. He didn't fly the planes into the Pentagon or WTC. He only financed and masterminded it all. Why blame him?

I'm not taking credit away from the military--credit should go to everyone involved: the SEALs, the operators, the analysts, the personnel at Gitmo, even Bush, whose terrorist round-up produced the intel.

Or, if a sports analogy would work: Bobby Bowden shouldn't be credited with winning National Championships in 1993 and 1999. Instead of "Bowden Field" at Doak Campbell Stadium, it should be "The Players and Coaches of 1993 and 1999 Field" at Doak Campbell. He never put on a jersey and threw a football or made a tackle.

Business analogy: Is Wal-Mart a success mainly because of the cashier at the front or Sam Walton?

I'm not taking credit away from the military--credit should go to everyone involved: the SEALs, the operators, the analysts, the guards and interrogators at Gitmo, even Bush, whose terrorist round-up produced the intel.

However, if the mission had failed, would you be blaming the SEALs or Obama? See also Lyndon Johnson: Vietnam War and Reagan: Lebanon.

To Representative Doug Lamborn and Senators Udall and Bennet Re: NPR

2011-03-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Representative Doug Lamborn, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator Michael Bennet,

You will not receive my vote in any re-election for supporting a bill or amendment to rid NPR of federal funding.

I spent 18 months being under-employed in Colorado Springs. Instead of working on getting jobs here, instead you decide to put your political efforts into defunding NPR? Where are the jobs?

Why don't you spend your efforts fixing the tax loop-hole that allowed GE to make $5.1 billion in profit and not pay a single dime in taxes?

I vote independent. I support public radio and NPR. This one issue could give you or deny you a re-election vote. Do you really want to get rid of Prairie Home Companion and Car Talk and Science Friday? Please support funding for NPR.

As your constituent, I urge you to support full funding for public broadcasting in the budget bills currently being debated in Washington. Federal funding for public broadcasting supports 1,300 local stations, 21,000 local jobs and the 170 million Americans who rely on public media each month.

Public broadcasting is one of the most successful public/private partnerships in America, with $6 in local support matching every $1 invested by the federal government. Cutting off federal dollars would have a cascade effect that would be catastrophic to the millions of people like me who use public broadcasting every day.

There are more than 1,300 local public television and radio stations in America, representing some of the last locally-owned, locally-staffed and locally-programmed media outlets in this country. These stations are in every community across the country and employ some 21,000 people. Public broadcasting is an essential service to the American people.

Without public broadcasting, our communities would lose access to the safe-haven of children's non-commercial educational content, the in-depth news and public affairs programming, access to the world of arts and cultural locally, nationally and internationally, and the local voice that weaves the diverse perspectives of our communities together. In addition to the unparalleled programming offered by local public broadcasters, local stations are maximizing digital technology and their universal reach to provide critical resources to local communities. For example, public radio stations provide reading services for the blind, public television stations partner with state and local departments of education to provide teachers with on-line educational resources aligned with state standards, and both television and radio stations provide critical and targeted emergency communications in the wake of a disaster.

Without federal funding, these critical resources will disappear, disenfranchising millions of Americans who depend on these services. The minimal federal investment in public broadcasting stations ensures free and universal access to a wide array of high quality, educational, non-commercial content and services. These services are too valuable to lose! As a constituent who highly values the programming and services of my local public broadcasters, I urge you to oppose any efforts to cut funding for public broadcasting.

Dyson Authorized Service Centers in Colorado Springs

2011-03-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

There are only 3 Dyson Authorized Service Centers in Colorado Springs:

Vacuums & Dragons (Academy & Vickers)
Nelson Appliances (Fillmore)
Vacuum Cleaner Warehouse (Academy & Maizeland)

Any other vacuum repair location, including AAA Best Vacuum, is NOT authorized. They may charge you for work otherwise covered by your warranty. They may even put 3rd party parts on your Dyson, which voids the warranty. Be aware and don't be scammed!

When in doubt, call 1-866-MY-DYSON

Huckabee's Not-So-Subtle Jab at Palin

2011-03-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

If you can't directly attack a potential GOP nominee, why not go after someone from Hollywood?

Which comment do you think Huckabee is aiming at Bristol and Sarah Palin? The "nannies and caretakers and nurses" or "poor, uneducated" and without "government assistance"?

"There aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie. And I think it gives a distorted image that yes, not everybody hires nannies and caretakers and nurses.

Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care..."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/03/mike-huckabee-slams-natalie-portman-pregnancy/1

ARC Finds

2011-01-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

Picked up Return of the Holiday Hangover Vol III at ARC tonight for a buck featuring Tegan & Sara, Kings of Leon, Flyleaf, and Bowling for Soup.

and a while back, this Homelite 31290 Flood Light. It needs new wiring and a bulb. I have no idea what bulb to get, and don't really need a flood light in my office. Maybe I could find a low-wattage or LED bulb with the same huge base

Finally!

2010-12-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

So it only took 3 or 4 returns, but my new home theater is up and running. First, the mount was the wrong size, and the digital optical cable was too short. Then, and this one's the worst, the Sony BDP-570 Blu Ray player we got has a known technical issue involving Netflix. So that had to go back to Best Buy too. I picked up the LG 570 and am hoping it corrects the situation. Netflix had a buffering issue which made watching even TV shows impossible. No, it wasnt my internet connection. The Wii works just fine, but the quality coming out of the blu ray is so much better. I had to teach customer service at Best Buy how to do the exchange, but other than that, it all went off without a hitch. Here's to happy streaming!

Jeff Lewis on Simpsons Stamps

2010-11-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

KidRobot Dunny 2 Tone Case Layout

2010-10-04T22:45:00.001-07:00

LA and I had a good time opening our case of the new Dunny Series, Two Tone. Here's our case layout. Note that the 2/16s were in very close proximity

Overman USA White Leather Lounge Chair $1200

2010-09-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Love the Mad Men style? Come check out our newest Mid Century Modern item: a white leather lounge chair from Overman USA

The white leather is in wonderful condition. This chair not only would look fantastic in any room, it is also very comfortable, complete with lever which allows you to recline

Overman originally produced pieces in Sweden and Germany before moving production to Tennessee--by purchasing this chair, you're not only buying a Made in the USA product, but also supporting local business

The white stand and flokati rug are also available for purchase

We can sell nation-wide, but you are in charge of arranging for freight. Delivery is available at $.50/mile + additional fees

Buy it for $1200 at

Domino - Salvaged Decor and Modern Wares
10 S 25th St
Colorado Springs, CO 80904

719-963-8916
www.Domino80904.com

Find us on Facebook!

Kelsey Grammer and Sgt Bric

2010-09-18T14:27:00.001-07:00

After watching Star Wars Clone Wars Season 3 "Clone Cadet" I knew I had seen Sgt Bric somewhere....like on Fraiser?

2010 Golden Ticket Dunny = Boring

2010-09-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Really KidRobot? This is the best you can do for a Golden Ticket Dunny? Its definitely no Coralie/Supakitch. What's next for the condiment series? Salt and Pepper? BBQ sauce?

This set should've been packaged together in a neat little wire condiment carrier, put in a window box set with picnic-inspired checkboard graphics and sold for $60.

Oppose Efforts to Impose New Tax Burdens on the Internet | eBay Main Street - Public Policy and Breaking Ecommerce News

2010-08-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Oppose Efforts to Impose New Tax Burdens on the Internet | eBay Main Street - Public Policy and Breaking Ecommerce News

R3-T17 Custom USB

2010-07-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here is my custom R3-T17 Astromech USB. 1GB of flash memory. Dome glows bright red when in use.

Available for sale at my Etsy Shop

Custom Astromech USB

2010-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my vintage R5-D4 (no bad motivator!) 4GB USB Flash drive. Fiber optics make his eyes glow a faint green.

GI Joe SNAKE Repaint

2010-01-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

I think I tried to do too much with this. I wanted something in pop culture colors, but then went with real-world weathering/rust effects. I still don't know what to do with the attachments. I'm not digging the gold color. My next one will be purely one color with decals. Maybe bright green.

Newest Custom

2009-12-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

Takeover: Darth Goblin

Almost a No-Paint-Kit-Bash, but I had to do something about Anakin's eyes. Found both figures at Arc Thrift on the cheap and finally got around to mashing them up. Took a TON of 2-part epoxy.

Backbooth Is Here!

2009-11-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

Most know Seven Mary Three from their 1995 breakthrough debut American Standard and the iconic single "Cumbersome" which continues to receive tons of airplay on rock radio to this day. Those in the know see the band a bit differently. They are drawn to Jason Ross' powerful and often introspective songwriting, to his distinctive voice, and to an impressive catalog of Seven Mary Three songs developed over seven records and a fifteen year career.

This side of the band is captured on Backbooth, a new live acoustic record on Settle Up Records. Recorded in Orlando, FL at a private show for it's most passionate fans, Backbooth documents Seven Mary Three in it's simplest form--great songs, mostly acoustic instrumentation, and an intimate setting. In addition to classic Seven Mary Three songs ("Lucky", "Wait"), the record includes previously unreleased (“Untitled”) and rare ("Don't Walk With the Devil") gems from their catalog, and a stunning cover of Otis Redding’s "That's How Strong My Love Is".

Backbooth will be available worldwide in 2010, but we are pleased to offer it early through 7M3.com. We are offering standard versions as well as a deluxe package that includes fourteen video downloads from that evening’s performance and a signed and numbered CD in the mail.

http://www.7m3.com/backbooth/

Ashley Wood WWRP Brambles

2009-11-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

FedEx rang the bell today and it got me out of bed! Ashley Wood's new WWRP line hit the west coast on thurs, and I was very excited to get my big box today. I don't know if it was just tracking, but it was labeled 10:700. My MK2 Brambles have arrived after much waiting, anticipation, and pre-ordering the MK2 Berties!

The outer sleeve alone was impressive and worth picked up the 6-pack instead of singles.

And then open, with all 6 displayed together and not in individual boxes.

The hard part will be deciding which 1 or 2 I'm keeping, since the detail on all these is just phenomenal. I don't have the time to complete the DIY (and don't think my limited skills would do it justice), so that one's up for grabs--and besides it'll be the one that commands the highest secondary price, given its exclusive to the 6-pack.

I wish I could take painting lessons to figure out how these look like real metal, and the weathering is just awesome! It can't be that hard; these are mass-produced afterall. I've got some projects that could use this treatment for sure

50 Horror Classics

2009-10-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

I had some Best Buy Bucks and picked up 50 Horror Classics at work on the cheap. We've gotten through a few. Most are 1-time-only movies, like Atom Age Vampire and Carnival of Souls, both featuring terrible sound quality and CoS having a minimal plot spoiled by the title. And too much organ music. However, the original House On Haunted Hill was well acted and had quality production, but the ending was lacking. Tonight's choice was Tormented and it was actually pretty good. Again, the sound/dialog was spotty, but the story and pacing were thought out.

Little Boy Asks Barack Obama, 'Why Do People Hate You?' -- Politics Daily

2009-10-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

Little Boy Asks Barack Obama, 'Why Do People Hate You?' -- Politics Daily

Shared via AddThis

"First of all, I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me; I got a whole lot of votes," Obama joked. "A lot of it is what's called politics, where once one party wins, the other party feels like they've got to poke you a little bit to keep you on your toes. So you shouldn't take it too seriously."

He went on. "But people are worried about their own lives. A lot of people are losing their jobs right now. They're losing their health care or they lost their homes to foreclosure and they're feeling frustrated, and when you're president of the United States, you've got to deal with all of it. You get some of the credit when things are going good, but when things are going bad, you get some of the blame."

"But that's all right," Obama said, adding, "I'm a pretty tough guy. Are you a tough guy? You look pretty tough. So you've just got to keep going on going, even when folks are criticizing you, when you know you're doing it for other people."

Messerschmitt Ente-4/7 Trop Duck Fighter

2009-10-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

Flown by Major Helmut Wick during the Battle of Britain, the youngest Major and Kommodore in the Luftwaffe. Awarded the Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves before being shot down near the Isle of Wight. Attributed with 56 victories in 168 combat missions.

This custom measured approximately 11 1/2" tail-to-bill, 5" tall, and a 10" wingspan. Expertly weathered detail including the decals. Signed on bottom.

Landing gear does not lower. Major Wick is removable and the fighter features articulation at the head/neck.

Dinner Menu 10/11

2009-10-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Irish Lamb Stew (from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Serves 8

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat (preferably shoulder), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups dark beer
1 1/2 pounds medium new potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut 1/2 inch thick diagonally
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge lamb in flour mixture, shaking off excess. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Pour 1/4 cup water into pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and onion is beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to pot; stir in thyme, beer, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover; simmer until lamb is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Add potatoes, carrots, and 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely before storing. Stir in parsley just before serving.

I did let the veggies cook for 40 minutes instead of the prescribed 20. I also cooked the stew with some good pieces of bone for added flavor and served with rye bread.

To drink I served Sparkling Cider: 1/2 shot of Cognac, a few dashes of bitters, topped with hard Pear Cider. Everyone enjoyed!

WIP

2009-09-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

Mighty Muggs Custom Berserker Wolverine Collage

2009-09-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Wolverine Mighty Muggs as a base, photocopied vintage and modern Wolverine comics, and red paint blood splatter. Available at My Etsy Shop

Front

Rear

New Statue

2009-09-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Completing my Homer Simpson cube, is the Syroco-Style statue from Dark Horse #427/550. Great sculpt and detail and a new take on a classic character

My New Favorite Shirt

2009-09-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Since I can't get enough of The Man With No Name Trilogy, when I saw a customer wearing this shirt, I had to know where I could get one for myself: Target of all places.

Work is going well so far. There's a lot to learn, and I don't get my blue shirt until I pass the 100-question Home Theater Certification I, which I'm working on in-store and at home through the Learning Lounge. We've got 2 new white shirts in the dept, and I must say I enjoyed being the only new guy. Our dept (combined with Computers) accounts for 75% of the store revenue, so its a top-spot to be in. I just don't want the competition for hours, for training, and for time with my superiors. We re-arranged our schedule so LA and I could both attend the cookout on Sunday night, hoping to get more face-time with the GM and AMs. I did apply for the FT position, and interview on Sunday, but nearly every other PT is applying as well. I'm not expecting to get the promotion, but I figure it shows initiative and proves I'm here to make BB a career. I'm not afraid of working extra either, and hoping it doesn't go unnoticed that I put in 46 paid hours last week (I don't get a paid lunch). I might not hit 40 this week, but its not for lack of trying, since I was only on schedule for 31.5. They've got to notice, right?

New Job

2009-09-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know my exact title...customer service, associate, sales associate, sales consultant...either way I'm working the sales floor of Home Theater at Best Buy. The position is currently PT, but I'll hit 40 hours plus this week, even with unpaid lunch. We always seem to get busy right when I'm supposed to be taking off, and I hate to leave customers hanging, especially when they're there to buy a nice big TV. I'm the only white shirt in our dept. To get my blue shirt, I've got to take several e-learning courses, culminating in my Home Theater Certification I, a 100-question test with no official prep.

So far its turning into a great place to work. I've already applied for the open FT spot in our dept. We are no-commission, but bonuses do abound if we meet our sales budgets, especially on services, GSBT, and branded payments. I'm learning alot, especially from one of our FT's, David. If there aren't customers to help, there's ops stuff to do, which I thoroughly enjoy.

Today's my day off and I'm getting quite a bit accomplished, and need to take some e-learning (we can do 2 hours from home and get paid for it), but need to relax a bit too. I'm reading SOG about US commandos in Vietnam and downloaded The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the Wii. I distinctly remember playing it, but have no recollection of owning it or beating it. Its new but familiar.

I've also joined the etsy family. You can check out all 2 of my items at Soja Rinn Industries including my newly completed custom Mighty Muggs speakers.

New Toys!

2009-08-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Charity Folks recently hosted an auction to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. Called "The Empire Muggs Back" various toy designers and Star Wars artists customized Hasbro's Mighty Muggs. We were lucky enough to win 2! Melissa Goodwin works on the Cartoon Network series Robot Chicken, and worked on the Star Wars Episode II show. Katie Cook is an official Star Wars artist at Lucasfilm.

We won Melissa Goodwin's Han Solo in Carbonite and Katie Cook's Wampa

Room Design

2009-08-24T12:00:00.001-07:00

In conjunction with Cassio Design Build LA and I designed and remodeled part of our garage into a fantastic entryway. We self-performed alot of the work and we love our new room! Doesn't it look like a page from a magazine?

From left to right: Kozik's Ludwig Van vinyl bust limited to 50, cowskin rug from DWR, retro tripod lamp from Mod Livin in Denver, desk $15 from ARC--we peeled the faux wood laminate and used a bench grinder for the top, free oak chair from craigs list, globe from ARC, vintage Zenith AM radio/alarm clock from an estate sale. Spauling Gray paint from Sherwin Williams.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

2009-08-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with Sarah, Tobi, and Eowyn, LA and decided to become members, so yesterday we used our membership privileges and took our friend Kimberly to the early members-only opening at 8am, and I must say it was worth every penny of the membership just for yesterday morning! The monkeys were all howling, the Andulan Bear was making a humming/purring noise, a mountain lion was pacing, but best of all were the grizzlies! Both males were in their swimming pool play fighting for over 1/2 hour!

A zoo-keeper came by and we got lots of our questions answered...the bears were nuisance bears and scheduled for destruction after too many human encounters, but both got along well and were moved to the zoo together. The 2 American Bald Eagles had wing injuries and were

incapable of flight. The 4 (or 5?) mountain lions were found by a hiker after their mother was poached. It makes you feel better about the animals being "caged up" when you know their back story. Oh yeah, I got a job.

Oh yeah, I got a job.

America's Best City: Colorado Springs

2009-08-09T20:22:00.001-07:00

Here's the article from the recent OUTSIDE Magazine:

How We Ranked Them
First, we started with the 100 most populated cities in America, using public data to rank them on factors like cost of living, unemployment, nightlife, commute time, and access to green spaces. Then we took the 28 candidates with the highest overall averages and put them through a second round of number crunching, comparing things like the percentage of the population with college degrees, income level in relation to home prices, and weather. The wild card? Our own multisport factor, which rated each of our finalists on a scale of 1 to 5 for quality and proximity to biking, running, paddling, hiking, and skiing.

KEY STATS
617,000: Population (metro)
$180,000: Median home price
A: Multisport grade
1,200: Number of Olympic athletes who live in town to train at the U.S. Olympic Complex

There's a reason 1.3 million people have rushed to Colorado's Front Range in the past two decades: With 249 annual days of sun, an ascendant, heavily tech-based economy, and quick access to nearly four million acres of Rocky Mountain wilderness and a dozen world-class ski resorts, it's simply a pretty awesome place to live. And while we love Denver's laid-back vibe, the Springs simply outscored it this year. (Boulder wasn't large enough to qualify.) Considering that the town is base camp for both the Air Force Space Command, NORAD, and ultra- conservative advocacy groups like Focus on the Family, it may be a bit conservative for some. But regardless of your political bent, it scored extremely high in our education category, has the best weather of any city on our list, and, most important, blew away the competition when we compared average income to cost of living. The city is experiencing something of a cultural resurgence, too. Colorado College's ten-month-old, $33 million performing-arts center has begun drawing national classical music and dance groups, and this year the city launched its own roots-and-blues festival, Meadowgrass. But you don't come to the Front Range for the music. You come for 14,117-foot Pikes Peak (directly above town); the Arkansas's Class IV rapids (two hours west); world-class athletic facilities (Carmichael Training Systems is based here); and 260 miles of multisport trails available within a ten-mile radius. Sure, there are a few other towns with this many outdoor options, but they generally cost twice as much—or, like Boulder, require you to shave your legs.

TAPS in Colorado Springs

2009-08-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

I normally don't get excited over going to Wal-Mart for groceries, but when I pulled into the parking lot today and spotted a TAPS van (with Rhode Island plates), it really lifted my trip. Coming out of the store, I a girl loading the van and stopped to chat. No, it wasn't Jason or Grant or Steve or Tango, but a production worker. She couldn't tell me where they were investigating, only that it was one location in the Springs and one near Denver. We'll be sure to keep a lookout on SyFy for that episode for sure!

LA is now on Etsy

2009-07-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

LA has gotten her shop, Retro Plaid, up and running on Etsy.com, and she's already had 2 orders. Bookmark her page and keep coming back, since she's adding new stuff all the time:

Retro Plaid on Etsy

Movies & Jobs

2009-07-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for tomorrow morning...first show of the day (not counting the midnight shows tonight) to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We made a good effort to watch the series beforehand, and watched Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber yesterday, but were too busy today doing real things, and skipped ahead to Order of the Phoenix, so we're all ready to go in the morning. Its got a 95% Fresh rating over at Rotten Tomatoes right now (Order got 77%) and we are excited!

I went to the movies last week and saw Transformers 2 (19% Fresh); definitely skip that one. Despite being geared towards kids, we saw the over-sexualization of female characters, racist comic relief, and a tiny robot humping a girl's leg. Nevermind the gaping plot holes, like the fact that they walk out of the back of the National Air and Space Museum in DC into a plane graveyard in the desert, complete with mountains in the background. The Decepticons seem to have limitless reserves of robots capable of transforming into spy satellites, a huge destructor robots complete with scrotum, and college co-eds, but the Autobots seem stuck to have the 2 annoying urban robots and pre-requisite Optimus and Bumblebee. At 2 hours and 45 minutes, you'd think the film makers could've put in a plot, but no, nothing made real sense. Skip it.

Rented Frank Miller's Sin City (77% Fresh) and it was incredible. Mickey Rourke. The same gritty determination as in The Wrestler, but nearly indestructible. Mostly in black and white, the added color highlights weren't a distraction and in fact added to the story-telling in a subtle way. At first it was hard to tell if we were watching little un-related vignettes, but the story, in graphic novel/comic form, tied everything together nicely, with lots of great cameos and big star performances, especially out of creepy little Elijah Wood. Not for the faint of heart.

Can you believe that neither LA or I had seen The Godfather (100% Fresh) in its entirety? What a shame, huh? Well we sat down to it the other night (our 'crime' weekend) and enjoyed the heck out of it. The story...man, you don't get many stories and characters like that. No wonder Marlon Brando is the archetype of mafia movies. I'm sure most everyone has seen it, but its well-worth seeing again, since I'm sure its been forever. We will definitely rent II, but upon advice from Dick and Merrily, skip III.

Jobs: the census in Denver never got my application from Atlanta, so now I've got that to deal with. I never thought it'd be easy. Applied for a Marketing Coordinator with Verio, Supervisor with Chipotle, Executive Team Leader Intern/In-Training with Target, spots with Best Buy, Manager/Asst Manager at Blockbuster, Statistician with Census, Contract Specialist with the government, Management with Gamestop, Intelligence Specialist with TSA, the list goes on. Hoping to hear something one day.

In the meantime, I'm still working on the 38+ Lego lot I bought a few weeks ago. I sold about half a week ago getting back 8%. I've saved some of the bigger stuff, so my margin should increase. Heading to Denver on Friday to buy some vintage Star Wars items that should do well.

LA is moving into a permanent position with Vintage Revival, working 3 days a week, picking up an extra here and there and is currently working on her Etsy account. Will post a link once she gets set up.

We both worked hard on our book inventory and have shifted our business model to purge all the penny books. I've started listing again, and out of about 150 books found 50 to sell. But sold 6 of them the first day or 2 they were listed, so our new model seems to be working. We cut our inventory from 2500 to just 500, but have found buyers for the excess books, making 8 or 9 cents per book.

Currently reading Star Wars Republic Commando Order 66

Bathtub V from Keith Loutit - Video Pick of the Week

2009-07-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

If you watch one online video this week, this should be the one! No, its not model-railroad scale toys, its the real thing! Just filtered, sped up, slowed down, I dunno what he did, but its genius!

Bathtub V from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Custom P-40B Duck Fighter

2009-07-07T22:24:00.001-07:00

While I usually work on Star Wars related customs, I wanted to do something more outside-the-box. I combined a Revell P-40B Tiger Shark 1/48 model and a duck I found at a thrift store. Let me know what you think!

Mongolion Release

2009-07-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

The next Mongolion release from Super7 Store:

Ancient Spirits of Evil! HOOOOO!

Fan Favorite L'Amour Supreme's Mongolion has returned, and is paying his respect to another in a long line of horribly amazing villains of the past. Hailing from Third Earth, Mongolion the Ever-Living is cast in light blue vinyl with red, maroon, tan, black and silver sprays, reminiscent of a transforming evil mummy (Mumm-Ra) who wears the Snakes of Infinity emblem on his chest.

Mongolion will be offered for sale at $60, Saturday, July 11th, 11am Pacific at the Super7 Store.

Transform this decayed form to Mongo Lion, the Ever-Living!!!!

I missed the first release. Maybe I can snag this one and trade it, or just get this one and keep it. They sold out in minutes last time; hopefully Paul over at Ultra Pop in Louisville can hook me up. But ifyou look at the Super7 SDCC teaser poster, there are clearly 2x Mongolions at the top. Even more colorways already? Wish I was heading to San Diego later this month...

Building Building Building

2009-06-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

I've gotten about 10-12 sets completed out of the huge 40-set lot I bought off Craigslist. Some great sets here: the motorized AT-AT, 2x Sandcrawlers, the Republic Cruiser, etc. Gotta get as much done as I can by tomorrow afternoon so I can list for 5 days, ending auctions on Sunday evening, a proven high-bid day on eBay. We'll see how many more I can do...I've been at this since noon, after shipping previous auctions this morning. It's 9pm and I think I'm starting to go a little cross-eyed.

Jamming out to TV On The Radio's latest CD, Dear Science. Keeps me going.

Here's a great photo on the day we left Providence for NYC. Can you believe we almost forgot to run by TAPS one more time for a photo? That would've been disasterous:

In Progress

2009-06-25T11:27:00.001-07:00

Now that my write ups are done, I had to find some kind of creative outlet. Here's my latest project in progress.

Computer: Fixed

2009-06-20T15:04:00.001-07:00

After nearly 2 1/2 years of the same minor glitch, my computer's fixed! The whole problem started when I got the new laptop and transferred all my music to it, so I thought it was a user error, some kind of malware or bug attached to a music file.

The glitch in question randomly removed SysTray items, most annoyingly Volume, and to a lesser extent HP Solution Center and Steep and Cheap app. To have a short term fix, I had to end the explorer.exe process and restart found here. But that didn't fix anything.

Yesterday I did a system clean sweep with A-Squared, CCleaner, and Ad-Aware. No change. I moved all my music files to my external hard drive, unplugged it, and rebooted. Still missing SysTray items.

I looked around the web for a while and stumbled across this article. Fixed. Just like that. I used The Ostuni Workaround. Turns out, its something related to Windows Media Player. All I had to to was go to My Network Places and Hide UPnP Devices. There are several other fixes to the problem and I'm glad I didn't have to patch Shell32.dll.

I still have minor issues...mainly browser related. I downloaded IE8 and didn't like it (too busy) so I did a System Restore, but then IE7 wouldn't work. It would open the window then immediately close it. So now I'm using Google Chrome. Adjusting to a new layout takes a day or two, and I have to re-order all my Favorites (poor me), but my biggest gripe is that Google Chrome is not compatible with Selling on eBay. Most of the page works, except for the Describe Your Item field, which no longer displays text formatting tools. Hopefully Google is working on this, but you never know.

I reinstalled IE7, but it came with the same problem. To sell on eBay I had to use AOL Explorer, even worse than IE. So come full circle, and now I've downloaded IE8, but only for emergencies and eBay Selling.

Another glitch is that on some password pages, I kept getting a Chrome-generated dialog box, so I had to turn off Saved Passwords. No biggie, since I never used it on IE. So here I am with an incredibly fast new browser, but I still have to use slow-old IE for some sites. Tech complicates my life.

Dunny Endangered Series Case Layout

2009-06-13T07:33:00.001-07:00

We were going to open half the case on my birthday and half on LA's, but that didn't happen! We didn't get the 1/40 Elizabeth Berdann, but hopefully we can find a trade for the 1/40 Jeremyville. I am glad we pulled the Ledbetter Lava Chase, but I don't think its very rare. And we got 2x 3/40 Tad Carpenter. Weird.

Here's out case layout. Individual Dunny photos from Rubber Ducky. A little surprising that all the 2/20s are together.

Birthday Weekend

2009-06-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

When was the last time we spend our birthdays at home? No idea, but it is a great present! NYC to Colorado Springs took approximately 30 hours and took its toll; I have a minor sinus infection (which turned into a migraine Wed night). But I'm home now and can get some good rest. LA and I went to Tiffany & Co on 5th Ave and came out with little blue boxes.

There's so much we saw and did in NYC, and we got some really great photos!

Among the big tourist things we did was see the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park and see the 9/11 site. Since we were only a few blocks away, the dogs went to Central Park twice daily. On a whim on Sunday, we caught the subway up to Times Square and ran into Chicago at literally the last minute. I guess they needed seat fillers, since we got seats 4 rows up on the inside aisle for half price!

The weekend before we went to NYC was spent in the Northeast. Saturday we took an excursion to Salem and Sunday we walked the entire Freedom Trail in Boston. Salem wasn't quite what we expected; it was a lot larger, less quaint, and more of a suburb of Boston. We did find a ton of seaglass near the lighthouse and found an awesome comics/collectibles store, Harrison's. We bought a case of Tara McPherson's Gamma Mutant Space Friends, looked at all the great vintage 12" Star Wars figures, and found Ben Templesmith's Dracula (which is indeed a hardback). They had all kinds of vintage toys (Transformer Soundwave $150) for a little inflated prices, but where else could you find that collection?

Boston was just great and we wore ourselves out on the hills! After completing the Freedom Trail (we went from Boston Commons to Bunker Hill), we took a cab to Harvard Square where we found a small comic shop and walked around Harvard before catching the subway back to the Commons. It was needless to say, an extremely long day, especially since we had to drive an hour each way.

Here's the slideshow from our Boston/Salem trip:

New York City

2009-06-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

Quick post before heading out...got into town at 6pm Friday; no fun driving into the city!

Hit the MoCCA Festival yesterday and met some designer vinyl icons of ours: Tara McPherson, Andrew Bell, Bwana Spoons, and Kaiju Big Battel.

We're having a great time! And its not over yet! We don't check out until Tuesday. Here's some toy-related photos:

Budget Rent A Car 10246 Atlantic Blvd Jacksonville, FL

2009-06-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

LA and I were in Jacksonville for 3 weeks conducting Market Research. We have rented from Avis and Enterprise in the past, but now own our own business and were looking to save some money on a 3 week rental and decided on Budget. Picking up the car was fine, but upon returning, we were surprised to find the $27/day under-25 fee (amounting to $540 with tax). The initial rental agent did not notify us of this, and the online reservation did not add this in since I made the reservation. When we've rented with Avis, our corporate policy covered the fee, and State Farm Insurance negates the fee with Enterprise.

The owner of the location was no help in helping us resolve the situation. Clearly, if we had known the fee would be on there, we never would have rented from Budget, so its not like we were trying to get out of paying; we were simply unaware. The owner (he said he'd been working there for 6 years) said the only way to take it off was to get approval from the district manager. We called him and he was very rude on the phone. He told us the owner was the only one who could help us. We hung up and told the owner what the district manager had said.
He said we could do things "the easy way or the hard way." We chose easy. He said there was no easy way. OK, we chose the hard way. This is $540 we're talking about. He said there is no hard way; there is no way to get a refund. He gave us the number for customer service, which turned out to be the national Budget reservations line. They gave us customer service, who gave the owner Station Adjustments. He gave us the number for Stations Adjustment. We called to get a recording requiring manager/owner information, and had to go back inside the location to have the owner call and leave information.

A few days later, Station Adjustment called us looking for the owner or district manager, since the owner gave SA our phone number. They said they could take care of it but needed authorization because of the amount. I never got a call or email back from anyone at Budget and later checked our credit card statement and found that in fact the amount was credited to us. After all that we will never rent from Budget again.

While I'm at it, the owner did not inspect our car after we returned it; he just took the keys, and while we were trying to resolve our situation, rented the car out to someone else--no car wash, no vacuum, didn't even make sure the gas tank was full. I'm sure that's against corporate policy somewhere.

Exploring Rhode Island

2009-05-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last night on our way to Picasso's Pizza, we took a minor detour to the TAPS office on West Shore Rd. It is even more unassuming than the pick-up shots in the show, though there are several ominous looking black vans and SUVs in the parking lot with the large yellow TAPS logo. The office-front is blacked out with the same lettering. Taped to the door was a note: "TAPS appreciates all their fans, however this is a working office..." So no tour, no gift shop, no meet-and-greet, but it was cool just to be there. Next excursion we'll take the camera and get a photo out in front...

Picasso's was excellent, despite the location. It is definitely a dive and I'm glad we ordered carry-out instead of eating in, since its more of a pool hall/bar than a pizza joint. But the food was excellent! Based on a prior review, we tried the Hot Honey Wings and they were amazing. I think we could've been satisfied with wings only if we had ordered more. There was a good mix of wings and legs in the order, and all were very juicy and tender. Just the right amount of sauce, which, the name describes: Hot and Honey, but not too overpowering with either flavor. Onto the pizza! They have both thick and thin crust on the menu, and we opted for thick with Sausage, Spinach, and Roma Tomatoes. You wouldn't think this place would offer fresh ingredients, but yeah, there you go, and they have gourmet pizzas on the menu as well. The cheese and toppings went all they way to the crust; no skimping there! Very good flavor, baked to perfection. Yum! I won't knock the location or lack of atmosphere, since the prices are so low. We got an order of wings and a med 3 topping pizza for just under $20. What a deal! The only downside was a limited delivery area; we're only 4.2 miles away and out of their area.

On Sunday we weren't worn out from our big day to Cape Cod, but the weather forecast called for thunderstorms, so we decided to stay local. Like I mentioned, it was a parking nightmare with Brown's graduation clogging the streets, but we made it to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. They had a wonderful architecture/furniture exhibit from the 30's, and the main collection had numerous contemporary and modern works by the likes of Picasso and Warhol. LA always likes the museum gift shops and this one did not disappoint. They even had Supply and Demand and E Pluribus Venom by Shepard Fairey!

For lunch, we got directions to The Cuba Revolution. It was a slow Sunday afternoon with only 4 other customers, but what a treat to find good Cuban food all the way in New England! We stuck with the basics, an order of croquettas, guacamole, split a Cuban, a couple of Cuba Libres, and some Cuban Coffee to end with. Very good Cuban sandwiches and guacamole. Very smooth and creamy and neither one of us could put a finger on the mystery herb/spice. However, the Cuban Coffee was unlike any other I've had. It was espresso with hazelnut syrup, not traditional whatsoever, which is either plain or with simple sugar. Too much flavor in it to really taste the coffee bean. The service was quick--as it should have been with only 2 other tables. The croquettas were good, but nothing special. Cuban restaurants are few and far between, so its hard to compare...there's Gordo's in Tallahassee, The Columbia, and a tiny local favorite in Key West....but I would have to say this one is my 4th favorite, but with 2nd place Cuban Sandwich and #1 restaurant guacamole.

After that we walked and did a little shopping at Design Within Reach, which was having a fantastic Memorial Weekend Sale. I bought some little stainless steel address numbers for a project I don't have in mind yet. They may just line up on my desk or look good on top of books. I did manage to get sequential numbers 5-8 for only $34, an absolute steal when they were originally $75/each! They're similar to these, but stainless steal and not aluminum. LA has been wanting a cowhide rug for quite some time, and found one on a great sale, plus free shipping! It'll look great in our extra bedroom or upstairs living room. The best thing, though, and least attainable, was the black Eames Lounge & Ottoman they had. Sitting in that chair was like sitting on air. You really don't know luxury until you've sat in one. From DWR:

"In continuous production since its introduction in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair is widely considered one of the most significant designs of the 20th century. It was the culmination of Charles and Ray Eames' efforts to create a club chair using the molded plywood technology that they pioneered in the '40s. In Charles Eames' words, the vision was a chair with the "warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt.""

Absolutely gorgeous lounge and ottoman. Now I have something to save my money for.

Our Day on the Cape

2009-05-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Drove up to Provincetown, MA yesterday to explore Cape Cod. Provincetown is not for the closed-minded, full of its own culture, home of artists and bohemians. And not a chain- or big box store in sight on Commercial St! Despite walking nearly the entire length of the main drag, we didn't fill up the car with purchases, and we passed on some good stuff including a dog bed that attaches to the back seat of a car (at The Recycled Retriever) and a funky white stool. Instead we kept things low-key. At Yesterday's Treasures, I picked up Iron Man: Enter: The Mandarin #1, the entire X-Men Phoenix Warsong run, and X-Men Phoenix Endsong (with Variant cover for #4).

Over at Map, a cool punk-rock store, LA found a Rogues Gallery "Salem" recovered vintage T-shirt and a button for her jacket.

At Century, a home/personal design store, I got a sophistimicated bottle opener by Blomus, upgrading from the FSU fight song opener at home. We also bought our first alarm clock, the Jet Clock Radio from Lexon and designed by Theo Williams. Can you believe we've never had a good alarm clock? For the longest time we've been using our phones, but there's only a 5-minute snooze. This doesn't sound like a big deal versus the normal 9-minute, but it makes a huge difference! Trust me!

Over at Yates Kennedy, we didn't get anything for us, but did get a good gift for a certain 5 year anniversary coming up.

After nearly wearing ourselves out on Commercial, we drove through the Town Cemetery and wound up on Cape Cod National Seashore at Herring Cove Beach.

Thoroughly famished by then, and nearly 8pm, we ate dinner at Moby Dick's Restaurant in Wellfleet for some great lobster! I don't know how you could screw up lobster--I got 1 1/4 lbs for $21 with a side of steamers ($5). Turns out, I don't really like steamed clams as much as I thought. I mean I love oysters, but the clams didn't do it for me. Should've skipped them, but my lobster was delicious. LA got the lobster bisque--very creamy--and lobster roll. Both were excellent, but I don't know if we'd go back there again versus find another seafood place. If we find a great place, we stick with it: we counted 6 times at The Fish Company in Jacksonville.

We had another whirlwind day today, but stayed local in Providence. No one told us it was Brown's graduation, and finding parking took forever, but we had a great time none-the-less.

Long Days

2009-05-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

It seems like so long ago that we were in our little condo on the beach...yesterday we started in FL and drove through GA, SC, NC, and stayed the night in Richmond VA. Today we went from VA to DC to MD to NJ to NY to CT to RI. Traffic in DC was bearable, but upon crossing the George Washington Bridge into NYC, we had backups and stop-and-go until well to Bridgeport, CT.

We are off the road now, home in a Residence Inn south of Providence in Warwick, which happens to be the home of our favorite Wed night TV program, Ghost Hunters. We are hoping to drop by the TAPS office (4.2 miles from our hotel) and find.....a gift shop? photo opportunity? Who knows.

We're here and always looking for fun stuff to do. Any ideas?

Job Leads

2009-05-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Good thing I am off work this week...I took my ROSA test (passed) and RepEvaluator for a Revenue Officer position with the IRS. I have to wait up to 30 days to find out my score, then I might get a phone call. Keep your fingers crossed.

Friday I'm taking the supervisor test for Assistant Manager of Quality Control for the Pueblo office of the US Census. If I get either job, it means a commute (no complaining, just a statement of fact). I wouldn't turn my nose at the AMQA job, but its only a year assignment and hourly. I think I'd be much better suited for a job with the IRS, and its field-based (perfect for me). We'll see how the cards are dealt.

Inventory

2009-05-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

A current desk inventory:

Sony VGN-FE670G Laptop
Seagate FreeAgent Go portable 500gb hard drive
empty Honey Moon Summer Ale bottle
Black Nintendo DS Lite (game: Final Fantasy IV)
Sony headphones with mini-plug adapter (in ziploc)
Creative headphones & Verizon music USB adapter (in ziploc)
blue Glade Candle
black LG Chocolate phone
pen (black ink)
2008 corporate income tax returns folder
Aliens/Predator Free Comic
a few grams of beach sand

Whirlwind in St Augustine

2009-05-03T15:08:00.001-07:00

What a whirlwind in St Augustine yesterday with Trav and his girl Joy! We started at a cemetery, walked St George St, shopped some on St George--and kicked myself...there's a Columbia down in St Augustine! If I had known that, we would've skipped Cruisers for lunch and gotten some nice Spanish food, Cuban bread, and hand-made Sangria! Cutter and Cutter Fine Art had some great Seuss pieces, including the full size Yertle the Turtle bronze, while at another gallery, we saw an original printing of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's "Divan Japonaise" complete with French fold for only $95,000. Toured the Castillo de San Marcos, ate blizzards at Dairy Queen, and closed down the outlet malls (found some good purchases at Banana Republic, Gap, Guess, and American Apparel), and got home around 10pm. Was that too late for more? Nope. Ate The Best calzone over at Al's Pizza before finally calling it a night. It was a good day.

No Swine Flu in Jacksonville

2009-04-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Even though LA is coughing, has a runny nose, and is generally tired, we are ruling out Swine Flu for the following reasons: no contact with anyone who's recently been to Mexico, no cases in Florida, no fever. We are suspecting allergies which turned into a sinus infection, which moved to her lungs. Claritin-D, for all its wonders, makes her a little fuzzy, so we're switching to Mucinex and naps.

We had a wonderful weekend with Dad and Jenny, doing a lot of eating and relaxing. Anytime we eat 2 consecutive meals at a place, you know its good! The Fish Company on Atlantic is one such place, with options from sandwiches, to grilled fish, to fried entrees. Good happy hour specials (New Castle on tap), though the desserts are average.

Another good find, much more of a dive, is the Beach Hut Cafe, where we fought for a table as late as 1030. Busy and a little understaffed, our food came out quickly and hot. Biscuits and gravy all around! Its hard to screw up diner-style breakfasts, but this one was exceptionally good, with fluffy biscuits and mildly cheesy grits.

For reading material, I recommend Dragons Tale, which is running 1/2 off of all back issues and has lots of graphic novels at 60% off. I picked up Wolverine Noir #1, Star Wars Clone Wars #1 (Dark Horse 100 Special Edition), Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #2, and Wizard Wolverine Masterpiece Edition (only $8). And after reading the article in Wired about the German import game Settlers of Catan (supposedly the best board game created), I was excited to see it in Dragons Tale! So naturally I had to buy it, even though its 3-4 players. I hope Kim enjoys it when she comes to visit!

Terror Memos

2009-04-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

I think its deplorable that the terror memos go so high up in the last administration, from the CIA seeking to get approval to the Justice Dept which wrote the memos to the Executive Office which clearly had a hand it their justification.

I also do not condone torture.

Those pieces said, I accept the fact that our country has done things in our past that have made us safer, which may or may not have been lawful or ethical. Torture, assassinations, cover-ups, etc. I'm no conspiracist, but I'm not naive either. I just think our public figures should have no hand in it, and some things are better left unknown.

Its like Batman: some things that go bump in the night keep us safe, but we shouldn't shine a flashlight on it.

beach trip

2009-04-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Being 2 blocks from the beach is not lost on us. We went for a run on the beach after work and then took the dogs down for a long walk. Tonight's trip at low tide yielded 6 pieces of sea glass (including light blue), we found 1 dead and 1 live soft shell crabs, a sea urchin, and a large fiddler crab which Maddie wanted to chase. All-in-all, a successful trip!

Come see us in Florida

2009-04-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

3 days in the car. Spent the night in Lawrence and outside of Nashville. Finally made it to Atlantic Beach. Here's links to the place we're staying:

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/apa/1079471731.html

http://jaxvirtualtours.com/idx.cgi?tour=10102036

We are literally 2 blocks from the beach. Star Bucks is right across the street. Walking distance to half a dozen restaurants. Great locale and LA is the one who found it! Considering moving here.

Tiny condo, full master bedroom with awesome bathroom (jacuzzi tub!). Tiny 2nd bedroom with pull-out couch and its own bathroom. Screened porch. Courtyard. This place is awesome. The beach is pet-friendly before 9am and after 5pm, so the dogs LOVE it. Come see us! Especially you Trav! It'll be hard to get motivated to work here instead of lounging on the beach all day! We've got 3 weeks of work and 4 weeks of condo, so we're already looking forward to that last week.

Onell Design Custom Corps

2009-04-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

It finally arrived! Along with the Clear Orange Sarvos, they also sent a Red Aura (GID) Crayboth! Awesome work guys! Now if someone would help me out with his proper name...

Colorado Bill 09-170

2009-04-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Senator Morse,

Might I inquire your reasons to support Bill 09-170? I am at the moment undecided on how I feel about this Bill's defeat. I strongly support the Dream Act, but how would this bill have been affected by it? On one hand, it seems paradoxical that a benefit of "in-state residency" could be granted to an individual who is residing in America illegally. An American citizen from Kansas has to pay out-of-state tuition; why not someone who shouldn't legally be in the state? On the other hand, the more college graduates our state can produce, the better. There are numerous socio-economic reasons to promote college graduation. What are the statistics of illegal immigrants who do not attend college for the monetary differences between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates?

I have read through a your voting record on votesmart.org and agree with most positions you took, though I would like to ask what legislation have you sponsored or co-sponsored that you feel has been important to your career and what should I, as a voting member of your district, view as important, especially as 2010 is an election year?

Sincerely,

Jason Martin

Twilight vs Let The Right One In

2009-04-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't seen Twilight, just the previews on TV and it looks pretty lame. Especially compared to "Let The Right One In" which we saw last night at Kimball's Twin Peaks downtown last night. Its a Swedish vampire love story between a bullied 12-year old boy and his new neighbor, Eli, who happens to be a vampire. First, its nice to see a vampire movie where the lead vampire is a female. When's the last time that happened? Secondly, it was very gritty and real. If Eli hadn't eaten in a while (and she has an aversion to killing) she looked pale(r) and sickly; only a few times did she look like a healthy 12 year old girl. After watching the movie, I never want to move to Sweden; it looked COLD. This was a great film, leaving plenty to figure out on your own, didn't rely heavily on special effects, and the young actors gave such a great performance it was unbelievable. This was a great thriller that got its scares by what we didn't see. Namely the pool scene at the end of the film. Highly Recommended.

5 Year Anniversary

2009-03-28T17:33:00.001-07:00

Special thanks to all who made our 5 Year Anniversary such a special event!

Dad & Jenny got us a gift certificate to The Famous, a wonderful steakhouse downtown Colorado Springs. Gorgeous high backed booths, great service, and perfect steaks! We both opted for the smaller 10 oz filet (can you believe they have a 14 oz??) along with a side of asparagus. To help us celebrate, they brought out a nice little cake with our champagne. It was really a great dinner and evening.

Grandma & Grandpa Petty sent us flowers all the way from Oklahoma, where we were married:

And thanks to all our friends and neighbors who dropped by for our little Open House, not to mention the cards from Florida! Merrily baked a lemon cake, we had little smokies in Gates BBQ sauce, a veggie tray, cream cheese with jalapeno jelly, Columbia Sangria, and I made Dick & I my first Manhattan with the new Basil Hayden bourbon I got in Louisville. Teri and MaryElle who live behind us dropped in with a bottle of wine, and our 'boss' drove all the way from Denver to hang out with us! Recovering from his car wreck, Geoff and Lisa made it by too! And we couldn't forget Rick! I enjoyed showing off my Sony Soundbar, putting it through its paces with the foot chase at the beginning of Casino Royale and the lobby scene from The Matrix.

After cleaning house all day yesterday, a huge meal last night, and a big party today, we are wiped out and looking forward to chilling out tonight with Famous leftovers and the latest Get Smart movie.

Finishing Louisville and Going on 5 Years

2009-03-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

I get home and I just quit blogging, don't I?

Finally, after pacing ourselves so it wasn't a last minute rush, LA and I finished all our write-ups from the Louisville market, coming in around 65 surveys. The deadline is tomorrow, so we rushed when the winter's last blizzard let up to FedEx the box, but DIA is shut down completely, so who knows when those surveys will leave and arrive in Schaumburg. It is such a relief to have those surveys done! Now I can move on to more important matters, like figuring out all the IRS stuff for our S-Corp.

Wrapping up on Louisville, our last weekend in town, despite cold weather, was a good one. LA found a neat little area off Bardstown and we stumbled upon Lynn's Paradise Cafe, a wonderful little gem on a rainy Sunday afternoon with bright colors, fun wait-staff, a full bar, and the best breakfast since Memphis. Several of the menu items had been featured on a Food Network show, including LA's stuffed French Toast, topped with caramel custard and bourbon syrup. I stuck with traditional biscuits & gravy, eggs, and bacon, but there was plenty of sharing, and a generous take-home portion. Be sure to check out their recipe for Macaroni & Cheese as seen on Oprah.

We couldn't leave Louisville without one last stop at Ultra Pop to say goodbye and pick up a few more toys including the chase Extra Spicy Glow Captain Biceps from Tcho! and this guy from the BFF series:

Over the weekend, we travelled up to Broomfield to see Sarah, Tobi, and little Eowyn and from there we took a day trip up to Nederland, CO, a true little mountain town. Surprisingly, we found another designer vinyl/pop art shop, NOWhere Limited, which has a nice gallery space and big display case for a lot of rare and hard to find vinyl toys like the Kozik Ludwig Van busts, artist proof MAD*L figures, signed Mars-1 Observers, and lots of toys and prints by local Jermaine Rogers.

Coming soon: a slide show of baby Eowyn

Coming tomorrow (Friday): our 5 Year Anniversary! Yay!

2009-03-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

“What is required is a commander in chief that's looked at like a commander in chief in a time of war”--Warren Buffett

“We're in a big war, and we're going to use money to fight it,” he said.

We are currently in an economic war and the Republicans who complain about and try to stop the stimulus are unpatriotic.

Could you imagine at the time of the Iraq war, if all the Democrats--save 3--wouldn't vote to go to war (especially based on its monetary cost)? There would've been a nationwide uproar.

The stimulus IS expensive, but don't forget that the Iraq war is nearing the $700 billion mark. Its easy to pot hole the stimulus when you've got a cushy job on Capitol Hill. Not so easy when a hard working husband and wife are being laid off in June. Spend some of that Obama-bashing energy and find us jobs and then I might listen to your point of view.

New Toy

2009-03-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't you know it, after months of waiting (we obtained the Golden Ticket while in KC), when we got home from our last outing, on our doorstep was waiting the Supakitch/Koralie Le Billet Cache Dunny! And it is all sorts of awesome. Its a great collaboration and the colors can't be beat! Its currently going for $300+ on ebay, but I just don't think we can part with it. We may sell EasyHey to make up for the cost difference, but anyway, here it is, next to the French Series Koralie:

Travel Woes

2009-03-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that 1.5 hours out of Louisville, I blew a tire? One flat on the way out here in LA's car, and one on the way back. The spare is full-size, but a different size than the other 3 by like 1". Doesn't seem to make a difference. The current tires had a few miles on them when we got them a year ago, so its probably time to get a new set. Yay.

There is also the matter of a slight 'hitch' at about 55-60 mph. Really I think its tied to 2500 rpms. At low speeds, that's the shift limit, I can't notice it. And while in Park, I can hold it at 2500rpm and the engine runs fine, but at high speeds, something just seems to 'bump.' I'm hoping A) its not the transmission B) somehow the Memphis Honda warranty extends to Colorado. Otherwise, I think I'm just about done with the Honda, as sad as it is to say, and about to look into trading it in. I'm starting to rethink dropping a used engine into it, but buying a car cross-country (like we did last year) was a giant pain.

2009-03-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Another reason why Louisville is better than Memphis: 7% sales tax versus Memphis' whopping 9.25%! No wonder why the whole city seems like its in squalor. An extra 2%? Are you serious?

Rush Limbaugh is still a big fat idiot, still claiming he wants Obama to fail. Doesn't he realize if Obama's plan fails, then America fails? You can disagree all you want with the President. I didn't agree with many of the Bush admin's policies, but I never wanted him to fail as a president. The whole Iraq war has been a disaster, costing many lives and dollars, but I didn't want his plan for war to fail, putting us in this mess.

You know you're in a rough neighborhood when above the Neighborhood Watch sign, someone has scrawled "F*** the Police" above it. Thankfully it was early morning and below freezing, keeping most of the residents indoors.

Louisville, Day 7

2009-03-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

So far, Louisville is a pretty great little city. And when compared to Memphis, wow! We took a few days last week to catch up on write ups (we finally finished on Sunday) and do a little exploring.

We found a great little designer toy store, Ultra Pop, over on Bardstown. They carry a great selection of Kaiju, lots of which I've seen on sites like Super 7, but never in person. The owner was very helpful in tracking down a hard-to-find piece, even it meant we bought online and not from his store. Not to say we didn't buy from him....we got 2 UK series Dunnys, including the Triclops clear head with the umbrella, the green Ox 3" vinyl Ugly Doll, and Mini Pegura. I was initially unsold on it, but after seeing that Japanese GID, I was sold. Its like a lightbulb!

We saw The Wrestler over the weekend and both really liked it. It was so gritty and raw, it felt more like a documentary instead of a movie. Rourke deserved his Golden Globe for sure.

The Watchmen comes out this weekend, which I'm excited about. I haven't had a chance to buy or read the original, so I don't know if I'm excited to come into it without any fore-knowledge, or let down that I don't have the original to compare it to and know some inside information.

Our tentative check-out is next Wednesday; I haven't seen the rural work yet, but hopefully we can leave that day (or maybe even earlier).

We thankfully missed the whole Monday Snow Madness storm, but didn't get out of the cold weather. Today's wind chill was down to 11. At least it was sunny. I'm really hoping for some good weather this weekend, so we can run down 40 minutes to the Jim Beam distillery, take some photos, and pick up a nice bottle of bourbon.

We tried Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre tonight and both really liked it. I probably wouldn't enjoy more than one per sitting, but it was a nice flavorful change of pace. Whole Foods here has a great beer selection, and they sell singles! So I've got a nice variety to hold me over until the Jim Beam tour.

This is from LA: Cat's got your tongue/The devil's got your back/I was stepping out/Don't want to fly/If I can't fly away

No Internet Taxes

2009-02-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

Letter to: Senator Bennet, Senator Udall, Representative Lamborn,
Monday, February 23, 2009

RE: Oppose legislation to enact the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement

Senator Michael F. Bennet
U.S. Senate
702 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 205100001

Senator Mark Udall
U.S. Senate
B40E Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 205100001

Representative Doug Lamborn
U.S. House of Representatives
437 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 205150001

As your constituent and one of the 82 million registered eBay users in the US, I'm asking you not to impose any new sales tax laws on the Internet.

The Supreme Court decided in 1992 that retailers are required to collect sales taxes from in-state customers, but not from customers who live out-of-state. This decision was made because it would be difficult for any business, but especially a small business, to collect sales taxes for the thousands of tax jurisdictions in the 45 states with sales taxes.

Small business sellers using the Internet, like the majority of those operating on eBay, would be disproportionately harmed by overturning the Supreme Court decision and creating a new Internet sales tax system. It would increase the cost of doing business and shopping on-line, which would hurt sellers and buyers alike, not to mention small business job creation in this struggling economy.

Please oppose any legislation to impose new tax burdens on small businesses using the Internet.

Thank you for your support.

Jason Martin

Leaving Memphis

2009-02-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day in Memphis. It started with sleeping in, a quick workout for me, then a fabulous brunch at Owen Brennan's across the street. Perhaps the best brunch we've had. We were joined by our boss and Shram & his fiance. There was nothing on the buffet line that wasn't excellent. Some standouts: biscuits & beef tip and mushroom gravy, shrimp, oysters on the half shell, eggs Benedict, grits, smoked trout, Petit Fours, eclairs, bananas foster, and mimosa's. I can't believe we waited this whole time to get over there. I've seriously been full all day. The restaurant was authentic New Orleans (without the trash) with great decor and even a small jazz trio near the front door.

After a nap, we went over to the comic shop, where I picked up KOTOR #38, Terminator Salvation 1 (movie prequel), and Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #1. The new artist for KOTOR, Dean Zachary, will be signing at Comics & Collectibles on Wed, but we will be long gone. So I left my issue and hopefully he'll get around to signing it and they'll get around to shipping it. I really like the new art direction. I was severely turned off by the cartoon-look of the past story arcs. His is more of a sketch approach, and has lots of detail without the big heavy lines that made past issues look too busy.

LA was over t La Maison Antiques looking at some great imported items. My favorite were some Italian pewter decanters with bulls and deer on for the stoppers. But at $130 each for the small ones, I just couldn't do it.

If you're ever in Memphis, lock your doors and remove all valuable and be sure to get some BBQ at Cozy Corner, some brunch at Owen Brennan's, and pick up some household items over at La Maison.

My two beers of the week are Sierra Nevada's Harvest Wet Hop Ale with "unmatched aromatics of pine and citrus with layers of spicy-sweet notes." I thoroughly enjoyed the 24oz bottle and would gladly drink another. Very different, but equally as unique and refreshing was Dogfish Head's Red & White: "Malt beverage brewed with coriander & orange peel with pinot noir juice added...11% aged in pinot noir barrels and 89% aged on oak barrel staves." So it was a great combination of red wine and beer, which sounds odd, but well worth a try. I don't know about making it my regular beer; more of a special occasion ale.

Goodbye to Memphis in the morning, moving on to Louisville, which neither of us has spent much time in. I'm looking forward to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and going to at least one distillery. We're staying in the Towne Place Suites on the IN side, which was recently remodeled. Nothing will beat that RI in Greensboro, but this one will be nice, located near the river and several restaurants.

Hopefully they solved the Wi-Fi issue I experience last time, in which their wireless network was named the same as the Sheraton's. My computer kept connecting to Sheraton, which required a name/room log in. Not a big deal for the laptop since I can do a wired connection, but it is a big deal for the Wii, and the fact I haven't played Call of Duty: World at War in almost a month. I'm in withdrawal.

2009-02-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

Things are gradually getting better...Safe Lite came and fixed LA's window today (all out of pocket expense; too low for our deductible). She's glad to turn in her PT Cruiser tomorrow to Enterprise--which for all appearances seems to be the most inefficiently run company around.

I called on the CRV today. It will be ready after a 50-60 mile test drive tomorrow. I'm stuck in a Pontiac G5. It was black before I worked in eastern Arkansas today. After last night's rain, most roads were a muddy mess. There were a few times I just had to speed up, close my eyes, and pray I didn't get stuck. I miss the CRV, especially since I left my GPS's (the one not stolen) charge cable and mount in there.

Schlafly's lager pale ale was a little too heavy for my tastes, though initially I did like it. By the end of the bottle, I was ready for it to be done. Tonight I tried Yazoo's Pale Ale, and while not very hoppy, still was a better pale ale I've had in a while. Even though it is from Tennessee, and right now my whole perception of the state is a little skewed.

Shitty Memphis (Pardon My French)

2009-02-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

So our time in Memphis has been pretty crap-tastic. This week the Honda's misfire issue became a problem, and after taking it to the shop, found out that the compression is bad and could be a leaking head gasket. Translation: needs new used engine. So its in the shop today getting another engine which will be tested and will have a 6 month warranty.

I was out to grab my CDs from Laura's car to put in my rental, when low and behold, someone did a smash-and-grab on the passenger window for the $200 GPS unit. Our morning is shot. And we have to rent one more car for another day. All our work is an hour away, and its already 930am. We have to have all our work done by Monday, so it looks like a 7 day work-week is coming our way, thankfully we have the work to cover the engine and window...which we just got tinted. Toni, our boss, bless his soul, is going to cover the GPS for us...which we just bought the map update for.

We cannot wait to get out of this shit hole.

Long Day

2009-02-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Nothing like an 11 hour work day to cap off the week, huh?

Lots of work left to do, and the blinking 'check engine' light on the Honda has finally materialized into a problem; a really rough idle. The diagnostic tool says 3 cylinders are misfiring. So it could be a catastrophic problem or just incompatible spark plugs. Monday I'll buy some genuine Honda plugs and see if that fixes it, otherwise the shop will have one week to fix the CR-V before we head to Louisville. I don't think I should drive it 4 more weeks and then back home before getting it looked at, that's how bad its getting.

Our little motley crew ate downtown last night at Rendezvous. Definately a dive. You have to go down an alley and down some stairs to get there. The style of ribs wasn't our favorite (we prefer smoked), but they were excellent ribs, dry rubbed and charcoaled. They weren't fall-off-the-bone, but still very tender and juicy. We'll try somewhere else or hit Cozy Corner before going back though.

This week I had Flying Dog's Old Scratch Amber lager, a forgettable beer without much character. However, tonight I opened the 1 pt, 10 oz La Chouffee Belgian spiced ale with a nice sweet/spicy taste direct from Belgium. Very light and crisp with a nice thick head.

I finished off the bottle watching the double episode of Clone Wars on Cartoon Network and now that we're over half done with the season, I have to say it has grown on me, but I mainly watch it for the Clones. The best episode was the first (good thing they're re-running it next week) and I enjoyed last week's Hidden Enemy, thought I don't agree with Clone being able to turn away from their programming so easily. The episodes that focus on Jedi (mainly Skywalker and Ashoka) and Padme are over-dramatic and don't have enough action. Jar Jar is surprisingly welcome amidst the Keystone Cop Battle Droids, and the episodes focusing on lesser Jedi's (Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Aayla) have been enjoyable.

At the most redneck Wal Mart in Arkansas (that's where our work is: 1.5 hours away) I saw parts of the new wave of figures including the droid Goldie and the Space Clone Trooper. I was tempted to nab the Trooper, but what am I going to do with it? I've bought 2 figures since the relaunch last July and frankly don't have the room for more 3 3/4 figures. Almost. I have started an interest in prototype figures, but haven't pulled the trigger on eBay quite yet. The Jango I passed on today looked good, but $32 shipped is a little much. I prefer a larger-scale collectible.

I am scaling back my collecting due to space and simplicity. Right now I'm thinking more practical and considering a Remington 870 shotgun, but who'd've thought they'd make so many models of the 870? Top of my list is the XCS Marine Magnum. Its stainless nickel coated with Remington's propriety black coating. 12 gauge, 18" barrel. The XCS (Extreme Conditions) Marine model is a little overkill, especially given CO's dry climate, but I figure if I'm going to spend the money and buy a shotgun, I might as well get one that will last longer than I will.

The tentative plan for this Valentine's weekend is largely dependant on LA, who has caught the bug I'm just getting rid of. Tonight was a quiet evening at 'home'; tomorrow might find us at the movies (we still have to see Coraline 3D), eating BBQ, watching Fool's Gold on HBO, scouting President's Day sales, or at Shelby Farm's dog park. But first, some sleep.

2009-02-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Not much of a weekend here in Memphis, due to my cold. We got out a little in our immediate area, but have yet to visit Beale St or get any bar-b-que.

In my neverending quest for good beer, I tried Abita's Amber and was not impressed. It wasn't bad, but not great. However, I did find a good pale ale, Kona's Fire Rock. I only saw it at one store in Greensboro, and doubt I'll ever see it again, but I would recommend it. I like a good pale ale, but one that's not too hoppy. Dogfish Head's 60 minute is way too bitter; I'd almost hate to try their 90 minute. So far my favorite is Boulevard's Pale Ale, but you can only get it in the mid-west, so my national favorite is from Sierra Nevada. Due to a limited selection at the liquor store, I got Dogfish's Indian Brown Ale, but find it too caramel/coffee tinted. That same store did have a 750 mL of Rogue's Double Dead Guy Ale, a Silver Medalist at the 2008 World Beer Championships, bought in part because of the great red painted bottle.

Our current Memphis work isn't too bad, but the current criminal climate is: last week a bomb exploded next to a doctor's car, critically injuring him, and over the weekend, an argument over tight parking spaces ended with death, as the owner/occupant of a Hummer, one 59 year old pulls a gun and leaves 3 kids without their father. Over parking spaces.

In last week's news, a photo of Michael Phelps made the front page of a tabloid of him smoking from a bong. He admitted, apologized, and is suspended for 3 months. People are up in arms, since he's such a role model and respected athlete, but what people seem to be overlooking is that Alex Rodriguez, who has denied steroid use, admitted to it 6 years later. Why is Phelps getting crucified? Marijuana is not a performance enhancing drug. Is it a coincidence that from 2001-2003 (when A-Rod was on the juice) that he broke several records and was named the AL MVP? In 2003 he gave enough money ($3.9 million) to the University of Miami to get the baseball park named after him. How is this not a bigger deal than Michael Phelps getting a hit from a bong? At least its only a 3 month suspension, which precludes him from a warm up race before Rome. Slap on the wrist. But to lose his Kellogg's endorsement? I think Kellogg's is over-reacting. So far there is no fall-out for the A-Rod controversy, a man who's contract with the Yankees is $27.5 million/season for the next 6 years, nevermind countless endorsement deals.

2009-02-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

Yeah, its been a solid week since my last post...in that time we finished off the last of our 53 surveys (7 were doubles) and got them all written up over the weekend.

We did manage to have some fun, or at least attempt, as we took in the latest Ann Hathaway movie, Rachel Getting Married, based on strong reviews and nominations for Ms Hathaway. Although she gave a strong performance, the movie itself was not enjoyable. Independent for Independent sake is not a good thing, and neither was the extreme pretentiousness found throughout. The best part of the movie was when they told the musicians to shut up. The entire thing was way too long composed of scenes that were way too long...dancing, wedding toasts, meltdowns. No wonder Hathaway's character tried to kill herself; I'd completely understand with all that pressure to be Indie.

On a much more amusing note, Austin Texas was recently invaded by zombies:

We made the 11 hour drive to Memphis on Monday, battling snow through half of the state. It cleared up shortly after Knoxville. After a two-night stay in a crummy hotel room, we again switched rooms. Its not a fun habit to get such crappy accommodations. Among other concerns, there was mold in the room, and now my throat is all scratchy. Management moved us to a nicer, cleaner two-bedroom. It turns out we got to the hotel a few months early. It is scheduled for complete renovation in March. The good news is that the work is 20 minutes away (it was twice that in Greensboro) and we're right across the street from a Starbucks and pilates studio. Ruth Chris and Flemings steakhouses are also within a few blocks, though its unseasonably cold (17 is the low tonight) and miserable to walk around outside. The weekend should warm to 60 degrees, perfect for hunting down some good BBQ.

2009-01-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

Obama requested that the EPA review its decision to bar California from imposing its own emissions standards, a move that is less "review" and more like "reverse." This has gotten the auto-makers up-in-arms, saying it will cost too much, it will cost jobs, etc. I think the auto makers lost their right to whine when they begged for (and received) billions of dollars from the government. Essentially the government could be considered a part owner and if they want to change emission standards across the board and enforce Bush's standards of 35 mpg in a few years, I think we the tax payer (and therefore part owner) can dictate what Detroit does. They've been losing money and bleeding jobs without stringent requirements. Maybe with a fire under them, the Big 3 will rethink their business models, the Unions will continue lessening their demands, and America will again respect an American car.

Today, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the US roads, public transit, and aviation a D grade, estimating the total cost to fix everything at $2.2 trillion dollars. I see two birds and one stone here: fix our infrastructure largely with the stimulus. Not just fixing pot holes, but what about light rail from Colorado Springs to south Denver? A nationwide construction project would create thousands of jobs, not to mention all the raw materials, and heavy equipment. I bet the 20,000 people at Caterpillar who are getting laid off wouldn't mind. Neither would us at the Nielsen crew, who drive 500 miles a week on said infrastructure.

If I was only 10 again and still had my Lego room, this would be the set for me (well it still might be)! Coming in at 1601 pieces for only $100 is the Lego Exclusive Medieval Market Village. I had quite an extensive Castle collection growing up with numerous castles, knights, wagons, and forts, but never a little village. With 8 minifigs and "two complete buildings with detailed interiors like a blacksmith’s shop with waterwheel-driven hammer, a food stand, tree, table, cart, cows, chicken, rooster, duck," I'm almost tempted to get it just to put all together and take it apart!

2009-01-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Can anyone believe Blagojevich? Claiming its a bipartisan conspiracy against him on national TV in a desperate attempt to sway potential jurors? Seriously, he should be on VH1's Tool Academy. Of course, I'd be upset too if I had hair that bad.

We scored the (now sold out) preorder of the Tenacious Toys exclusive Silver Winston from Kathie Olivas. Its only limited to 200. The only way to get one now will be the secondary market or attend NYCC.

We went out this weekend to see 13-time nominated The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I did end up enjoying it, once I got over the fact that the movie actually had little to do with the book. It was a completely different story, but worked on so many levels. The CGI was incredible, especially with the younger Brad Pitt. Its easy to depict an older actor, but everyone knows what Pitt looked like 20 years ago. And the movie really made me want to go get a vintage Triumph. The movie clocked in at nearly 3 hours but never lost a sense of pacing. Each period of Button's life was well-documented and contributed to the overall story, tying in the dying woman in New Orleans quite nicely. Not to be out done with history Button lived through, we also saw Hurricane Katrina flood the backwards running clock, finally and completely ending the Case.

For some reason, this Residence Inn doesn't do too much for the Managers Reception (tonight its cheese & crackers), so we'll have to figure out what to do for dinner tonight. Last night we did take-out Japanese; maybe we'll run over to Ruby Tuesday's and get the salad bar this evening.

The work is going well. We should be done with field work on Thursday, but alas that doesn't mean a 3-day-weekend. Instead, we'll focus on getting all our paper work done by Monday, when we'll pack up the cars and head to Memphis, which won't be quite so deadline driven.

College Snowball Fight Ends with Pepper Spray, Arrest

2009-01-24T09:36:00.001-08:00

Awesome! From BreitBart.com:

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Authorities at a North Carolina college say a huge snowball fight got out of control, forcing campus police to use pepper spray on some students to contain the rowdy crowd.

Police were called to a dormitory at East Carolina University three times Tuesday as hundreds of students pelted each other with snow, The Daily Reflector of Greenville reported. The college is in a part of the state which doesn't get snow often, but a rare storm dropped several inches on campus that day.

Police said some students were getting too aggressive and an officer used pepper spray on a group that rushed officers trying to make an arrest.

Junior Brandon Davis said "it all started in good nature, but then people were throwing them as hard as they could at each other." Junior Matt Lunchick said an officer chased and arrested a student after being hit in the back with a snowball.

First Look at Hasbro's New Jabba Figure

2009-01-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Confirmed back in August, and now available for preorder at Entertainment Earth is the first new Jabba the Hutt figure in what, 10 years? More? Though I'm not happy that its animated, I think Hasbro will do a quick head swap and give us a realistic Hutt sometime later in the year. Here's hoping we DON'T get a repaint for Ziro, Jabba's light-in-the-loafers uncle.

2009-01-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

This was definitely a Murphy's Law trip, consisting of a flat tire outside of Salina, some punk-ass front desk kid at the Holiday Inn Express in Lawrence threatening to kick us out, doing 40mph on the freeway outside of Louisville on icy roads and watching the van next to us spin out of control, and Greensboro accommodations not necessarily up to standard.

Thankfully, most has been taken care of....new tire, plugged another one, refunded our hotel stay plus 15000 points, no bad weather on Monday, and reservations across the street at the brand new Residence Inn starting tomorrow.

The details are long and boring...well the Holiday Inn Express story is intriguing involving a swim team, barking dogs, threats of animal control and the police, and culminating in a 1215am cell phone call from the same jerk, Jaimie. Thankfully, the management company who owns that Holiday Inn called first thing on Monday and made things right. We're probably driving through Lawrence 3 more times this year, and heaven help me if that kid checks us in again.

Needless to say, we took the day off, sleeping in till 930, Panera for breakfast, watching the inauguration (hey look, no apocalypse!), work out, shower, oil change, tires fixed, and Thai dinner, and finally returning to the Extended Stay Deluxe, which can best be described as 'green' but not in an eco-friendly sort of way. Green carpet, mint green paint in the bathroom, green couch, green lamp, green recliner, green flooring in the work out room. Its all a little much.

Our 50 surveys in Burlington don't look very hard. Only one thick one in the whole bunch. We have to average 6 surveys a day to get done by our deadline, which shouldn't be too hard, despite a 20 minute drive. We would've stayed there, but the best thing in town was a Quality Inn for only slightly cheaper than the Residence Inn here, and the rest of the team is staying there. Its nice to be around people while we work, and they're a fun bunch at that.

I think we're caught up on our sleep and have our stress at a manageable level. The dogs and cat are happy to be out of the cars (especially Boots, who spent a large period of the day rolling around on the bed in the sun beam).

We both had time to listen to The Last Lecture, which wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, but got better half way through, when the tone changed from child-focused to life-focused. It did offer some great nuggets of wisdom, and I would like to see the actual Last Lecture on You Tube one day. It would probably be worth an extra listen or read someday.

Depressing, for sure, and while listening to it while driving makes for a weird state of mind, The Road was very powerful, well-written, and very engaging. Cormac's style is very Hemingway-simple, but wasn't quite as detached. You really do feel the cold, the ash, the huger, the desolation and desperation that the Man and Boy experience. Things are very easy to picture, especially when I'm driving through a winter snow-covered landscape. But during the Man's nights, before sleeping, McCarthy breaks into bouts of poetic prose that just left me stunned. I am not sure on the release date, but I am sure Viggo will do a great job in the movie role. And reading the book and knowing the major plot points and the ending will make the movie easier to watch and digest. If you haven't read the book but plan to see the movie, at least watch No Country for Old Men to get a hang of McCarthy's pacing and bleak world-view.

Its cold here tonight; humid cold is a lot harder to deal with than our beloved dry Colorado cold. Taking the dogs out is almost a chore today, but I think a warm front will come through soon so its not so miserable and windy outside.

1600 Miles to Go

2009-01-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

Amid all the baby-related flurry of activities lately, life still manages to march on, and LA and I are once again called away from our home for a 3 day drive across the country, after spending 4 days away from it in Denver. We delayed our trip by one day, so we could have a chance to catch our breath, but it was hard to catch with everything needing to get done: bathe Maddie, tint the VW windows, car wash for the VW, gas up the Honda, pack for 2.5 months, clean house, pack lunches, burn audio books, see friends at the last minute, chiropractor visit, eat, sleep, get up and drive 24+ hours to North Carolina. We'll barely be able to unpack there, since the market is due Feb 1, before backtracking to Memphis for a month, then backtrack more to Louisville, which incidentally we're staying in on Sunday night. We're trying to get out early this morning so we make it to Lawrence, KS with daylight and energy to meet Dana and her new boyfriend for dinner. We've got McCormac's The Road, The Last Lecture, and Indiana Jones on CD to help with those forsaken miles in Kansas, the only glimmer of civilization between here and Lawrence being The Oasis in Colby, otherwise known as The Best Gas Station Ever. It has a nice grassy area for the dogs, quality petrol, a Quiznos, and most importantly, a Starbucks. Its a little sad we recognize the workers there. Well, we've got 1600 miles to drive. Better get the engines started and 'keep it between the ditches' (that's for you Trav).

Golden Globe Awards

2009-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else watch the GGs? Probably not. There were a lot of annoyances during the show, including ugly dresses, a brash Sasha Cohen, and Kate Winslet. She was the most annoying of all. You'd think someone who was nominated for an Oscar a decade ago would've learned some self-composure and grace. It was obvious from her speeches last night that her characters on screen exist completely independent from the rambling, excitable, in-eloquent, out-of-breath actress we saw on stage.

Other winners, equally or more excited, had alot of people to thank, but it wasn't some breathless list of names without any comprehension. She was largely ignorable and unfortunately we had to ignore her twice. I hope someone makes her watch her performance from last night, then makes her watch a movie she's been in, and says to her, "Next time, at least act like you have some grace" instead of getting yourself put on Angelina's hit list.

Note to Sandra Bullock: you're not funny. Now Ricky Gervais': hilarious. Great British humor, a little risque, but nothing like Cohen. There needed to be some excitement to the whole thing, which is why Mickey Rourke was such a welcome change from all the normal stuffiness.

I was very happy to see Slumdog Millionaire win so many awards! Its a little sad this great movie is still confined to the indie circles, but hopefully winning Best Drama. Its a wonderful tale, colorful, well-acted, and you have to stay for the dance number at the end. Though the circumstances of Jamal's life are depressing, he rises above it all for the ultimate chance at....

I would love to see it again, but am really looking forward to seeing The Wrestler.

It was also good to see some love for 30 Rock, one of our favorite shows.

This Is News?

2009-01-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

I found this clip over at Plastic and Plush. We've been collecting Ugly Dolls for about a year now. Nice to see that Horvath (their creators) aren't going to sell out and you still have to go to funky stores (like The Bunker in Kansas City) to get them.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Ordinary Pupils

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Custom Shara - Battlefront III Bounty Hunter

2009-01-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

ok, so the head's not quite like the renders, but bombstrike is a little less masculine and gentlemen prefer blonds. i am not opposed to making her brunette, but what do you guys think?

Recipe:

VvV GI Joe Bombstirke - Head
Comic Pack Bultar Swan – Upper arms, chest/shoulder armor
TLC Padme (Ilum) – Torso, belt
Darth Talon - Forearms
Maris Brood – Legs
OTC Scout Trooper – hoslter/gun
Saga Lando - Skirt

2009-01-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some late photos of LA's trip to NYC

Up Yours Obama?

2009-01-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

How low class is this?

I saw this on a bumper sticker driving around the Springs tonight. Really? Taking Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon symbolizing women's shift to the workplace to support the war effort to criticize Obama who supported the Illinois Equal Pay Act and co-sponsoring the Fair Pay Restoration Act? Vulgar ignorance.

He hasn't stepped into office and there are those calling him and his supporters Socialists. For those who haven't noticed, our nation has provided Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, and Medicaid for years (70 years for Social Security). Nevermind regular taxes and what they pay for. And in the past few months, George Bush has championed the Economic Stimulus Act ($152 billion) and the financial sector/auto industry bailout ($700 billion).

So Obama wants nationalized health care and he's a socialist? According to several studies, illness and medical bills cause over half personal bankruptcies. Another Study. Another Study.

"The paradox is that the costliest health system in the world performs so poorly. We waste one-third of every health care dollar on insurance bureaucracy and profits while two million people go bankrupt annually and we leave 45 million uninsured" said Dr. Quentin Young, national coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program.

"With national health insurance ('Medicare for All'), we could provide comprehensive, lifelong coverage to all Americans for the same amount we are spending now."

So how would health care reform and subsequent national health care be a bad thing? Explain that one to families whose medical bills have collapsed their homes while dealing with a serious illness. How is preventing nearly half of all personal bankruptcies such a bad thing?

LA and I have recently gotten health coverage. We have to pay 100% of our insurance out of our pocket. Have you looked at how expensive coverage is these days? Those fortunate enough to have benefits at work know that a good portion of their pay checks go toward health insurance. My COBRA payment after leaving a previous job would have been $400/month. How was I supposed to afford that? The Lord has blessed us and kept us disease- and accident-free for so long, and has again blessed us with a little extra so that in the even of an auto accident (we do drive over 2000 miles/month combined), we do not find ourselves in such a position that 91,000 people did in November 2008.

More US American citizen rights being trampled: "the president may order the military to seize legal residents of the United States and hold them indefinitely without charging them with a crime." Sounds very unlike the Constitution and Bill of Right I've read...

I've seen 2 'nobama' stickers last week. Note to idiots: Obama won the election.

Hardball with Chris Matthews 12/18

2008-12-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

To follow-up previous posts, regarding upholding America's ideals, I think Rep. Jim Moran (D) summed it up best on Hardball. He was referring specifically to the 'torture report' recently released by the Senate Armed Services Committtee:

"...what troubles me more than anything is not the personal culpability, it‘s the damage they did to our reputation throughout the world. These kinds of actions were more damaging to our side in the war on terrorism than anything al Qaeda has been able to achieve. That‘s what troubles me.

Waterboarding is torture. Torture is illegal in terms of international law. It‘s ineffective. You don‘t get reliable information. And in fact, what we do will be done by others against us when our troops are captured. And you know, it does set us back in this war of values and principles and ideals. Our strongest weapon in the war on terrorism is our Bill of Rights, our Constitution, our values and principles. And we violate them, we lose that moral high ground."

2008-12-21T21:20:00.001-08:00

How much longer must we endure King Cheney? In the latest news regarding Federal law which requires the outgoing White House to turn over records (estimated at 300 million emails) for the Nation Archives, Cheney has stated that he "alone may determine what constitutes vice presidential records or personal records" and "how his records will be created, maintained, managed, and disposed," without outside challenge or judicial review. Obviously he's got something to hide, and I hope groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the National Security Archive continue winning their legal battle for transparency in a time when many distrust the government to do the right thing.

OBAMA's platform this past year has been all about unity, hope, and change, so why are so many gay activists upset about his appointment of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration? Even though their opinions differ, it should be no surprise, especially since "Three years ago I took enormous heat for inviting Barack Obama to my church because some of his views don't agree (with mine)," Warren said. "Now he's invited me."

It could be political strategy to bring in conservatives, but either way, Obama has stuck his neck out to prove that he is inclusive to all view points. Most commentators even point to the fact that his White House will be a debate culture, where differing appointees are in close contact to resolve issues with the best possible outcome. The same unfortunately can not be said of the Bush administration.

Obama stated his case quite concisely: "During the course of the entire inaugural festivities, there are going to be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that's how it should be, because that's what America's about. That's part of the magic of this country ... we are diverse and noisy and opinionated."

It says alot about a man to recognize that "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," (Warren). That's what this country needs right now, a sense of unity. McCain lost. Get over it. Take the bumper stickers off the car and the signs down. Obama will be the President. Dissension for whatever reason will only hold us back. Judging him, before he's even stepped into office, is un-American and un-Biblical.

Warren shows us a man can stand for what he believes (he publicly supported Proposition 8 and is staunchly pro-life), but can also come across ideological lines for the greater good (eradicate poverty, fight AIDS in Africa, education reform, and global warming).

And not all gays are against the choice of Warren. Says Chris Cain:

"Obama's point was to unify us around areas of agreement...For "unifying the nation" to mean anything, there must be "inclusion" for conservatives, including the many millions like Warren who oppose gay marriage. Excluding those with whom we disagree is the antithesis of unifying....Even if you suspect the whole "unity" thing is really just about politics, the selection of Warren still makes good sense, including for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. It is a stroke of political brilliance to recruit a conservative megapastor in support of a president-elect who is arguably the most pro-gay, pro-choice and progressive in our history. That's the kind of political dividend you get from focusing on common ground—like Warren's support for the fight against global warming and AIDS."

I'll end with a statement by Rick Warren (you might own one of the 20 million copies of A Purpose Driven Life), in which he thanked Obama "for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn't agree on every issue, to offer the invocation. Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America."

Vietnamese Garden Colorado Springs

2008-12-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

A new favorite! We had such a good lunch yesterday with Rick at the newly opened Vietnamese Garden that we had to get take out this evening! For lunch or dinner, man! The food is in generous portions, fairly priced, and very very fresh (no MSG). Tonight we did appetizers: Cha Gio (fried egg rolls) and the Potato Fritters (yam and carrot). I don't know what's in their homemade sauce, but its good on everything!

At lunch Laura had the Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong (noodle bowl with chicken) and I had the Bun Bo Hue, a spicy beef/pork soup. I really like the rice noodles used in Vietnamese cooking. LA and I split a jasmine green tea, and for dessert had a coconut pudding. Before yesterday, I don't think we had much experience with Vietnamese food--mainly Thai--and we like it a ton now! Not to mention its only 1 block away!

The location isn't the greatest, being around the corner from Colorado Ave, so there's not much drive by traffic from tourists...its kind of a fast-food corner with Taco Bell, Mc Donalds, Wendy's, and KFC/A&W all providing fast and cheap food. I really hope VG does well...its one of our new favorite local spots. We both highly recommend it, and Rick seemed to really enjoy it too, better than other Asian restaurants in the immediate vicinity. Try it out!

2008-12-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of fear surrounding OBAMA these days...is he a socialist, is he too liberal, is he even an American, but I don't think we've feared the current government enough.

America went to war with Iraq 5 years, $580 billion and 4200 lives ago. We went to war based on information that the Iraqi government and its leader, Saddam Hussein, had Weapons of Mass Destruction. No one can argue that the information was solid: there were no WMDs. No argument.

Most Americans (58%) believe it was mistake sending troops to Iraq. Even former White House Adviser Karl Rove, agrees now that if it was clear that Iraq had no WMDs, we would not have gone to war: "Absent [WMD's], I suspect that the administration's course of action would have been to work to find more creative ways to constrain him like in the 90s,"

But asked about Rove’s comment during an interview with ABC News Monday, Cheney said “I disagree with that.”

He continued "What [special intelligence groups] found was that Saddam Hussein still had the capability to produce weapons of mass destruction. He had the technology, he had the people, he had the basic feed stocks...” Cheney added. So its OK to depose a leader, cast an entire nation into chaos, and spend American lives and dollars because of what he might or might not do?

Read the entire transcript here.

Bush, to his credit, has said his greatest regret of his Presidency was "the intelligence failure in Iraq." I, too, would regret $580 billion of taxpayer money (about $2800 per taxpayer) and 4200 lives. That would keep me up at night.

America, since WWII, has been a country that has stood for freedom and democracy and spreading those ideals abroad. How tarnished we have become! How two-faced we are! Only after 5 years do soldiers now need warrants in Iraq and contractors will be subject to Iraqi law--needed especially after security contractors killed 17 innocent civilians.

If America wants to recover her stature and regain respect, its time to start leading by example. And I think with November's election results, we've made a step in the right direction.

The Shoe Heard 'Round the World & A Nude First Lady

2008-12-15T23:01:00.000-08:00

Boy is Bush's popularity really increasing on his way out the door!

And people say Sarah Palin had it bad:

Bruni sues over nude bag picture

Lawyers for Carla Bruni, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, have filed a lawsuit against a company for selling a bag featuring a nude image of her.

Obey Shepard Fairey

2008-12-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you look at art and wonder where on earth an artist derives their inspiration from...it could be everyday life, active imagination, or in Shepard Fairey's case, matchbook covers.

Good artists borrow, great artists steal.

Obey Tyrant (borrowed):

Cold Chillin (outright stolen):

It sorta ruins the mystique of an artist, epsecially when most elements of the penguin looks to be directly ripped off.

Of course, matchbook covers were rarely copyrighted, so the images are just out there for anyone to steal, copy, be influenced by, or just sell outright as their own.

I read one story about an 'author' who obtained books whose copyrights had run out, changed a few key words for modern times and resold the digital books. Ingenius.

2008-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

I've been busy of late, photographing and listing over 100 items for eBay. I still have listings to do today, but got all my pictures taken yesterday. Most of it is from 2 separate Craigslist purchases. I still have 2 Lego Millenium Falcons to build, but after building the Star Destroyer Monday afternoon, I need a break! I read that the best time to end an auction is on Sundays between 4-11pm PT, because I guess everyone is home at that time to bid on stuff. Otherwise they're at work and not supposed to be on eBay or out and about with better things to do. We'll see in 5 days if I timed it right, but the stuff I'm selling should do very well.

I talked to my boss yesterday and it looks like we'll have work until July 09 and then it all dries up for a year or 2, so LA and I will have to figure out what we're going to do. But we have to make it through the markets first. As of right now, its looking like: Mempis, Greensboro NC, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Louisville, Providence. We'll probably try to do 4 markets (about 5 months) since no one can do 6 months straight. Who knows, by then the reorganization at headquarters might be done and we might get more markets, but no one's holding their breath.

So we have the house decorated for Christmas; here's a little slideshow of what LA has done this year

Ikea Malm, Lack, & Expedit

2008-12-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Things are finally settling down after 2+ weeks without a day off...anyway, here are the photos of our new furniture straight from IKEA. First is my office--new counter height project desk and 2 side mounted Lack Bookshelves:

Our designer vinyl toy collection looks great in the living room on the Expedit Bookshelf:

And finally the Malm bed and headboard:

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

Despite being overwhelmed at time, we did finish all we set out to do before all our company came on Wed night. The Phelps' drove in from Wichita and my mom flew in from FL that evening, and really the only thing I didn't get to do was hang my wire in my room, which will require the use of the Pythagorean Theorem.

Anyway brunch was wonderful, and Dick & Merrily both stopped by for that, and Sarah & Tobi drove down for the day. LA made her famous Breakfast Casserole, we drank mimosas, and we had strudel from "Like No Other" Bakery.

Lunch was a little hit-and-miss. We under-ordered the sides, but had plenty of honey ham, beef brisket, and pulled pork, however Front Range's famous Banana Pudding wasn't set, and therefore a little runny.

Here's some photos (and I'll post some of our new Ikea stuff soon) (click on the slideshow to see larger photos)...

Busy

2008-11-23T22:37:00.001-08:00

We've crammed so much stuff into the past 2 or 3 days its not even funny....put together platform bed and bookshelf, washed/waxed VW, washed Honda & replaced rotor button (still getting misfires), fixed the jammed cd player, groceries, dinner at Dick & Merrily's, raked leaves, swept garage, unpacked suitcases, picked up artwork at Edifice, errands at Home Depot, met Merrily at the antique mall, Hobby Lobby for Cmas decor, listed an Obey print on eBay, picked out another piece of furniture for the office, and there's probably several things I'm forgetting, not to mention, We're Not Done!

Call Me The Breeze

2008-11-21T20:49:00.001-08:00

Yes, we finally made it home. We left Tues at noon from Williamsburg and got in this afternoon at 3pm, with plenty of daylight to unload the autos.

Man that's a long trip! And to make it longer, my cd changer got stuck and wouldn't eject, right in the middle of Ken Burns' The War! I had to rely on radio through Kansas (not much frequency there) and my mp3 player on my phone.

We stopped last night in Abilene, KS at the newish Holiday Inn Express. Nice bedding, a hot tub, and those yummy cinnamon rolls! We ate at the Brookville Hotel and wow. That's what we needed last night. The menu last night (its family style) was 1/2 skillet fried chicken, biscuit, sweet & sour cole slaw, mashed potatoes & gravy, relish, cottage cheese, creamed corn, and ice cream! Talk about good ole home cooking. Unfortunately we forgot our leftovers in the fridge and came home to no food in the house.

It was a good trip overall, and a great year. We accomplished alot around the house and personally. The last leg saw no disasters, no vet trips, no flat tires....just relatively easy work, fall foliage, good cash, nice area, nice hotel, and I saw a total of 4 bald eagles on this trip...2 on one day even! I think I had gone my whole life and seen 1 or 2, but there were 4 in just as many weeks. Is that a sign of something?

We managed to unload 630lbs of Ikea boxed furniture and get it all up to the 3rd floor tonight, where I spent time assembling the Expedit book shelf (the big one) and 2 small Lack coffee tables. Unfortunately, there's a heat vent right where we want to place the Expedit, and it may be a potential fire hazard so we'll have to engineer something to block the vent entirely and not just close it, since the grate gets very warm to the touch. One more project....