Cast No Shadow

Today, Laura Anne and I, among other things, finished Season 1 of The Office , a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law, JR. There's only a handful of episodes of the first season; I guess NBC was just trying something out (and I'm glad it caught on). The wonderful thing about the DVD set (and it continues with the 2nd season, which my lovely wife got for me) is the deleted scenes. They really took some care and effort in putting them together, and there's such an abundance, that it feels like a mini-episode of the show. I think Diversity Day has to be my favorite in the season, with The Alliance in second. I recently picked up the Lego TIE Crawler 7664 from Target with hopes of trading it for the Dwarves Mine 7036. Also, I have a TAC Jango Fett w/Poncho MOC I want to trade for a TAC Hawkbat Battalion Clone Trooper if anyone's interested in a trade... I'm still working on my Negative Project, which isn't as bad as it sounds...I'm taking all my ...

Quick note for new blog users: there are links at the bottom of each post. One says "__Comments." You can click this and leave your own comment, even anomynously. I would appreciate it... Here's a quick couple of photos: This is Laura Anne's decorating job in the extra bedroom. She painted all the furniture...not an easy task!

Maddie would like to sing everyone a carol this Christmas Eve (with a little help from Grandma & Grandpa Martin,who sent the card)

ok, so, as mentioned previously, here's the video The Man doesn't want you to watch/download:

i thought last night's Simpsons episode was very clever and well-written, despite never seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. and though i have never seen the 'everyday' viral video, thought that the Homer 39 year clip was awesome, awesome enough to post here: [well it looks like 20th century fox doesnt like free publicity since they keep taking down the you tube links. stay tuned for a downloadable version unless The Man gets to me first]

Half of my eBay auctions have sold...the top sellers are definitely loose lots of Clones... 6x Quick Draw Clones got $30, 5x 501st Clone Troopers fetched $23, and 2 Deluxe Jet Pack Clones got a whopping $22.50. Not bad, considering what I paid those figures. I am glad I'm done listing, but now the shipping comes...and its cold in my basement! The action figures aren't bad to pack and ship; it's the Lego BATCAVE that's a pain. Three of those take up an entire roll of shipping paper! Of course, I do double wrap them since they ship Parcel Post. I figure I get about a 42% markup from what I pay for them, which isn't bad, esp since I buy them at a big box retailer. I do have the lowest price on amazon.com. If I raise my price by $10 (to the 2nd lowest cost), I can earn nearly 60%, but will I still sell so many (I've sold 5 so far) and so quickly? I like a quick ROI.

I've seen alot of Star Wars figures & collectibles in my day. There's little that I haven't seen or know how to find. But in my recent Craigslist winning, I got these Japanese figures and I can't track down any info on them. A little help?

Tallahassee home to Colorado springs is quite a drive, but it was so wonderful to pull up to our house. EBay, craigslist, my grandparents, and myself had filled our entry-way with a dozen odd packages, some of which have not even been opened yet. The house is in order, the suitcases are unpacked, the dogs and cat are settled back in, the Christmas tree is decorated, and the fridge is stocked. My office is the last obstacle. Half the shipments need to be opened, catalogued, and eBayed. I have a whole box of clone troopers waiting to go under the gavel. Laura Anne's presents need wrapping. 140+ star wars/LOTR cards need a new album & pages to go in. Etc etc. Its a little overwhelming. Included in the brown cardboard hoard: EE exclusive Republic Elite Forces (i have yet to open), a clearance ($6) Itchy & Scratchy Cape Feare box set to go with Ironic Punishment, a box of Samurai Jack trading cards, and--well this just arrived--but the accidental purchase of Med...

One of my new favorite magazines is Ready Made , a DIY 'zine. Last issue was this cool modern bowl that I'm planning on doing this month: by Paul Schifinophoto Photo credit: Aya Brackett Mold a modernist bowl from construction-site refuse Ingredients: Orange construction netting Tools: Ruler Scissors Wok lid Screwdriver Aluminum foil Oven 3 small flowerpots Oven mitts Newspaper 1. I once saw a bowl made from melted toy soldiers in ReadyMade, and I figured I could make a nice “woven” bowl by applying the same principle here. The first thing I did was cut two circles, 19" in diameter, out of construction netting. 2. My wok lid had a nice shape to it, so I removed the wooden knob and covered the outside with aluminum foil. 3. With the rack in the lowest position, I set three small flowerpots in the center of my oven and placed the lid on top. 4. I turned on the oven, and when it hit 400°, I carefully centered the two pieces of netting ...

Made it up to Tallahassee last night. Staying in a Towne Place Suites. Studio room. Clean, affordable. But no breakfast. However, that meant that this morning we got up and went to 1) Krispy Kreme 2) Starbucks 3) McDonalds to get our fill. Local Colorado Springs artist, and Neighbor Numero Uno, Rick Albertson did a little photo touch up:

I think this song has to be one of the heaviest mainstream metal songs on the radio right now. I have to crank it whenever it comes on:

Started off the morning in Clearwater and had to survey in both Bartow and Lake Placid today. Hours of driving...made me thankful for the Sirius satellite radio. None of the Wal-Marts had anything interesting except the Lego Spongebob Build-A-Bob for $17. The Toys R Us in Lake Wales had a good find on the Simpsons Ironic Punishment box set on clearance (only $15!). Then after work, LauraAnne and I headed north a few miles up Highway 19 to, among other stores, Super Target. Though they didnt have any new basic figures, they had all their exclusives out, including the ARC-170 Fighter w/Clone Wars deco , ARC-170 Elite Squad, TIE Bomber , and the AT-RT Assault Squad . I had to pass on most of it, since I have to get all this stuff back to Colorado somehow. I did pick up the AT-RT squad; I havent opened it yet, but plan on doing so when I get back home. Yeah, its all repaints. I already have the Clone Commander and an orange AT-RT driver from the Order 66 pack. And...

LauraAnne, Dad, and I fished a little in Tampa Bay yesterday. The weather was gorgeous and we found a few fish....LA caught 8 or 9 including some nice trout, a couple ladyfish, and even a puffer fish. I got the same fish, plus a wonderful catfish. I know it was nothing too spectacular, but an afternoon on the ocean, plus a few fish, is nearly paradise. (You know, dear reader(s), you can comment....)

Following an afternoon of fishing and dinner by Westshore Pizza (Philly style), the family headed to the Muvico at Baywalk. The girls saw Fred Claus , a comedic, seasonal feel-good while the guys saw American Gangster . I didn't know exactly what to expect; I had seen some previews, but nothing stuck with me. It follows in the footsteps of the Academy winner The Departed in that it follows organized crime. I don't know if it qualifies as a "period piece" or not, being set in the early 70's, but it felt very authentic. We were thrown right into 1968. I don't like movies with too much exposition, though at times with one was a little frustrating in the beginning, keeping track of who people are and what they do. Very well acted by Denzel, though Russel Crowe's character was too similar to his other roles, mainly some ticks of Beautiful Mind and even a little Cinderella Man, too. We really cared about the characters, despite Frank trafficking hundreds ...

Downtown Winter Haven is attempting a revitalization. Though they still haven't figured out what to do with the historic theatre, the city has some nice art installations in Central Park:

MMMM......Two Thanksgivings. Ate with my mom last night: ham, sweet potatoes w/marshmallows, corn on the cob, rolls, green bean casserole, and mac & cheese with a nice bottle of Robert Mondavi Riesling. This afternoon in St Pete, we had turkey, gravy, stuffing, corn casserole, sweet potatoe souffle, rolls, deviled eggs, sweet tea, and green bean casserole. I'm going to put on a few pounds this trip to Florida... Four days after leaving our home in Colorado Springs, we made it to Florida for work. But the first day out, we got a call: Budget crisis. Stop working. So LauraAnne and I went on hiatus this week in Winter Haven. There's not a whole lot going on in Winter Haven these days....but we did go downtown. They've actually done some good work reinvigorating WH. There are a few boutique shops, and we ate lunch at Wiener Haven. I had perhaps one of the best out-of-Chicago Chicago Dogs around. LauraAnne had a great chili cheese dog. To top is all off, we h...

this is the last road trip...for 2007. left home yesterday and drove to Topeka, KS. kids, lock your car doors and hide your valuables in topeka. the Topeka Ramada even hands out little cards with your keys with such fun tips as "never leave your vehicle unattended while the ignition is on" and "use self-locking screws for attaching license plates." and they tell you that 22% of all property crime is breaking into cars. yikes! but they do have a great coffee shop downtown, where LA got one of the best Soy Chai Lattes with a Shot of Espresso. then drive drive drive to Paducah, KY . avis was kind enough to give us a Dodge Nitro for this trip. its got great get-up-and-go, plus satellite radio. but to top it all off, it has a normal AC plug, so we plugged in the laptop, hooked up the AUX audio, and watched movies in surround sound. today, i watched the Collector's Edition of The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly and boy is it worth the upgrade! there are several deleted...