tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24935452461581359322024-03-04T20:37:41.393-08:0050 Cents Cheaper than the Real ThingWhere I talk into space and let the world sort it out. Also, toys.IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-44139807973663672582012-11-27T07:27:00.000-08:002013-01-27T13:57:21.364-08:00Miskatonic Valley!Hey all. So it's been a dog's age since I've been in here, but I've been busy with silly little things like marriages and such. But that's all complete now.<br />
<br />
Anywho, this isn't a normal blog. I've been fiddling with another CUUSOO project [I believe I've mentioned the site before]. This one's more complicated, though, because it's a board game. And board games usually have rules. So here they are.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jCYau9gfBBE/UK52ZoezBeI/AAAAAAAAAbs/kGojHQPj0SE/s1600/game+box.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jCYau9gfBBE/UK52ZoezBeI/AAAAAAAAAbs/kGojHQPj0SE/s640/game+box.PNG" width="416" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost looks real, don't it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b></b></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<i>EDIT as of January 27th, 2013: I've tweaked some of the heres and nows in the rules as a result of some testing, so what appears below are hardly "final" in any official sense of the word.</i><br />
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/30459" target="_blank"><b>MISKATONIC VALLEY</b></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i>Welcome
to Miskatonic Valley, a place of mystery, magic, and monsters.</i><b> </b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>AIM</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Race through Miskatonic Valley on a
mission to gather the forbidden tomes, and avoid collecting Curses.
Once the Ancient One awakens, do whatever you can to destroy its
physical form before it reaches its destination!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>BUILDING THE GAME</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Before you start playing, build the
board using the building instructions and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20955164@N06/8165155726/in/photostream/" target="_blank">set it up according to the scenario.</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Miskatonic Valley uses two LEGO dice;
the Investigator die and the Monster die. Build them using the tiles
shown below:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
INVESTIGATOR DIE: <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Elder_sign.jpg" target="_blank">Elder Sign,</a> Hit/6,
Hit/6, Skull/5, Skull/5, Hit/Skull/4</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
MONSTER DIE: Worship, Summon, Red tile,
Blue tile, Red tile/Blue tile, Red tile/Blue tile</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Place the following items inside the
tomes, <i>1 per tome</i>: 5 Pages and 4 Curses. Close the tomes,
shuffle them, and place one at each location that has a bookshelf.
Place the appropriate monsters in front of <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8165121099_656183d04d_b.jpg" target="_blank">each location</a> as indicated
by the scenario.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Starting with the youngest player, each
player chooses an investigator and takes the matching Investigator
Pack with 4 Health [red cones] and 4 Wits [blue cones] on it. Place
your investigator in front of the <span style="font-style: normal;">Sanitarium.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8182383101_b2e134dba1_b.jpg" target="_blank"><b>THE STAR CHART</b></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">At
the start of the game one star is placed on the last space of each
arm of the Star Chart. After each investigator has taken a turn, move
one star one space </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">closer
</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">to the center of the
Star Chart.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>PLAYING THE GAME</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The youngest
player goes first. Play then continues clockwise.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>MOVING INVESTIGATORS</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On your turn roll
the Investigator die and move your investigator up to the number of
spaces rolled. You can't move into a space you've already been in
this turn.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Elder
Sign: Move up to 6 spaces AND move one star </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">away
</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">from the center of the
Star Chart.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Six: Move up to 6
spaces.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Five: Move up to 5
spaces.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Four: Move up to 4
spaces.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you end your
move in a space occupied by another investigator, move your
investigator forward to the first available space.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you move into a
space adjacent to a monster, you MUST end your move in that space and
fight the monster.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>You may not
move diagonally.</i></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>MONSTERS</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There are different kinds of monsters in Miskatonic Valley.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 665px;">
<colgroup><col width="323"></col>
<col width="324"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="323"><div align="CENTER">
<a href="http://69.89.31.250/~deltagre/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Deep-One-by-Christian-Conkle.jpg" target="_blank">1-Health Monster</a></div>
</td>
<td width="324"><div align="CENTER">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Shoggoth_by_pahko.jpg/678px-Shoggoth_by_pahko.jpg" target="_blank">2-Health Monster</a></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At the end of your turn, choose one monster and move it 2 spaces. You
can't move it next to an investigator. If there are less than 4
monsters on the board, instead of moving one, you may add a 1-Health monster in front of a location, but not next to an
investigator.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>FIGHTING
MONSTERS</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you fight a
monster, roll the Investigator die again to find out what happens.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Elder
Sign: The monster loses 1 Health AND move one star </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">away
</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">from the center of the
Star Chart.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hit: The monster
loses 1 Health.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Skull: Move back 1
space away from the monster and roll the Monster die.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hit/ Skull: The
monster loses 1 Health AND move back 1 space away from the monster
and roll the Monster die.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">If
the monster's Health is less than 1, you've defeated it. Take it off
the board. If it still has Health </span>and you are still next to
it<span style="font-weight: normal;">, you must keep fighting it!</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you are
adjacent to two or more monsters at the same time, choose which one
to fight first. If you win, immediately fight the next monster.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>You may not
fight diagonally.</i></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>THE MONSTER DIE</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If a Monster wins a fight against you, roll the Monster die to find
out what happens.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
RED: Lose 1 Health.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
BLUE: Lose 1 Wits.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
RED/BLUE: Lose 1 Health AND 1 Wits.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
WORSHIP: Move one star closer to the center of the Star Chart.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
SUMMON: Add a 1-Health monster to the board in front of a location,
but not next to an investigator. If there are no 1-Health monsters
left, add a 2-Health monster.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>HEALTH AND WITS</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If your Wits are reduced to 0, any Wits you lose must instead be lost
as Health.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If your Health is reduced to 0, return your Investigator to the
Sanitarium.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
you start your turn in front of the Sanitarium, instead of moving,
you may roll both LEGO Dice. The Monster die tells you what you heal
[Red = Health, Blue = Wits, </span></span>Red/Blue = both, Summon or
Worship = you pick Health <i>or</i> Wits<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">],
and the Investigator die tells you how much [heal the number rolled
MINUS 3; if you roll the Elder Sign, heal 4]. You can't leave the
Sanitarium if your Health is 0.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>COLLECTING THINGS YOU'LL NEED</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When you stop
moving in front of a location with a bookshelf [brown space], if
there is a tome there, collect it. If there is no tome on the
bookshelf, you may take one from another player, but you must give
them one of yours if you have one. When you take a tome from a
bookshelf, you can look inside it for free, but don't show anyone
else what's inside! During your turn you can look inside any tomes
you have collected, but you LOSE 1 Wits for each tome you open.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<i><b>Any time a tome is opened, move one star one space closer to
the center of the Star Chart.</b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">If you stop in front of a
location </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">without</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
a bookshelf that ISN'T the Sanitarium [black space], you can take one
Item from the Store that you don't already have and put it on your
Investigator Pack</span><b>. </b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>ITEMS</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Revolver</b></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Instead
of moving, you can </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>shoot</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
[see below]. After you use this item </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">for
the second time</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
return it to the Store.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Axe
</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">When
you roll an Elder Sign, you can move your investigator up to 4 spaces
and automatically hit an adjacent monster. If you lose Health, return
this item to the Store.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Needle
</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At
any time, return this item to the Store and restore 1 Wits. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Whenever
you roll an Elder Sign while you have this item, restore 1 Wits.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Turkey</b></span>
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At
any time, return this item to the Store and r</span></span>estore 2
Health.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>SHOOTING</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you have a
Revolver, you can shoot. Roll the Investigator die; the number rolled
MINUS 3 is the number of spaces away from you that you can shoot [you
can shoot 4 away when you roll an Elder Sign]. If a monster is within
that distance in a straight line, it loses 1 Health.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>WHEN THE STARS ARE RIGHT</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">When
all four stars are in the middle of the Star Chart, <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xMVLS5Z3C3I/TJc2apV1MxI/AAAAAAAAAgg/cltgpbfJLl0/s1600/Cthulhu+Detail.jpg" target="_blank">the Ancient One</a>
will awaken and begin its terrible march across Miskatonic Valley.
Place it on the board in its starting spot [as indicated by the
scenario], and place the Star Chart in the box [</span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">you
won't need it anymore</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">].
Every player now opens any tomes they have collected to reveal if
they are Cursed. Tomes can no longer be collected this game.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once the Ancient One is awoken, the Monster die behaves differently.
If WORSHIP is rolled, add a 2-Health monster to the board in front of a location.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At the end of each
player's turn, the Ancient One moves two spaces towards its
destination [as indicated by the scenario]. If it would enter a space
occupied by another figure [investigator or monster], that figure is
moved to any space 1 space away from the Ancient One.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>FIGHTING THE ANCIENT ONE, PAGES, &
CURSES</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Ancient One
can be fought like a monster, but it is bigger and tougher. It begins
with 6 Health, and during each fight, it IGNORES the first time it is
hit.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If an investigator
who has at least 1 Page rolls an Elder Sign, it counts as a hit, AND
the Ancient One loses 1 extra Health.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once during each
fight, an investigator can put one of their Pages in the box to
re-roll the Investigator die if they don't like the result.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When the Ancient
One hits an investigator, after rolling the Monster die to see what
happens, that investigator ALSO loses Health and/or Wits equal to the
number of Curses they have [you can choose how many of each you lose,
as long as the total equals the number of Curses].
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If the Ancient One reaches its
destination, the game ends and all investigators <i>lose. </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>CHANGING THE
GAME</b></div>
<b></b>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
[There's always a blurb in LEGO Games about how you can change rules to make the game more complicated and to make it your own. Naturally, I'd want to encourage this as well, so here's an 'advanced' rule that I think might actually make the game much more interesting.]</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>HEED THE CALL </b>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">When
the Ancient One has awoken and all players reveal the contents of
their tomes, if someone has MORE Curses than any other player, that
investigator is now the </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Cultist.
</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">They
lose all their Wits and may not heal them</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>.
</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Investigators
and the Cultist treat each other as if they were monsters when
fighting and moving. The Cultist ignores 1-Health monsters. If the
Ancient One reaches its destination, the Cultist </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">wins.</span></i></div>
IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-35910640248524898532012-08-27T08:23:00.000-07:002012-08-27T08:56:07.985-07:00Fan Expo 2012, or, I forgot I had a Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Kp1FZz6i1s/UDt2U9QNIpI/AAAAAAAAAXo/xFJUZSBf6no/s1600/Booger+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Hey! Remember that I had a blog? I didn't. Hey, I was <a href="http://cache.lego.com/r/dynamic/is/image/LEGO/853340" target="_blank">busy</a> over the last little while, so I have an excuse. But I was reminded, and so I figure, hey, why not get back on the horse or off the wagon or whatever it is, and do up a good ol' fashioned long-winded recap of the biggest event <i>yet</i> this year, the Fan Expo.<br />
<br />
As I said at the end of my last blog on the subject, my costume this year was to be Cthulhu for President. And while maybe I coulda spent the last year recounting the great amount of work that went into making the mask itself [which might have been... two entries on here], you'll just have to trust me that it was a lot of thought combined with a few minutes of work. But the mask isn't until Saturday, and this is a <b>four day affair.</b> So we have to pace ourselves.<br />
<br />
Despite what I just said, I'm not gonna go over things day by day. Instead, I will discuss things in chapters and headings, using charts and graphs. Or perhaps instead of that, I'll use unflattering pictures of minor celebrities taken at a sub-convention last February.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QmCJlX0CRk8/UDt2W-xRmHI/AAAAAAAAAYA/oH_4ZMjcr6M/s1600/Eddy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QmCJlX0CRk8/UDt2W-xRmHI/AAAAAAAAAYA/oH_4ZMjcr6M/s320/Eddy+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Connor is waiting for the actual content of this blog to begin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>LINES AND SUCH</b><br />
Traditionally, and not that I really <i>know</i>, but the FanExpo has been the worst-organized event probably anywhere and possibly ever. But this year, I gotta say, the ingress and egress and such and so forth was very smooth and not problematic. So congratulations to them. Saturday is still ass-to-elbows, and maybe my standards are still so low because of 2010 that I'd accept anything, but seeing as how this has traditionally been BitchCon [on account of all the bitching], I was pleased the entire time. So hey, pat yourselves on the back, HobbyStar. Although I didn't wait in lines for signatures or photos, because I'm not payin' for that junk, so that coulda sucked. But I didn't do it, so it doesn't exist.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Kp1FZz6i1s/UDt2U9QNIpI/AAAAAAAAAXo/xFJUZSBf6no/s1600/Booger+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Kp1FZz6i1s/UDt2U9QNIpI/AAAAAAAAAXo/xFJUZSBf6no/s320/Booger+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm pretty sure Booger is giving me the finger in this picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>GUESTS AND STUFF</b><br />
I attended less panels that I'd have preferred to. But that's always the case. We did see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498278/" target="_blank">Stan Lee</a>, who was for some reason given the virtually unattended Thursday night slot, but it was sorta worth the whole trip. Stan is sprightly for an old dude, and was extremely entertaining. No other guest talks, though. I'm in a conflicted place about those, because I can't help but feel embarrassed listening to goofy yahoos ask stupid questions. So while I<i> could</i> have seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0004843/" target="_blank">Gillian Anderson</a> speak, I didn't. I was happy enough to have hung around stalker-like a few feet from her table. As I also did with <a href="http://louferrigno.com/" target="_blank">Lou Ferrigno</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smoking_Man" target="_blank">Cancer Man</a>, <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghosts-of-mars/" target="_blank">John Carpenter</a>, <a href="http://www.filmoria.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Noonan-Francis-Dollarhyde.jpg" target="_blank">Tom Noonan</a> [who personally begged me for cash, true story], <a href="http://www.starscolor.com/images/christopher-lloyd-03.jpg" target="_blank">Christopher Lloyd</a> [who looked very bored riding on the escalator behind me not once, but <i>twice</i>] and Stan Lee himself, who sorta pushed me out of the way so he could hug the very chipper Dr. Pepper Girls on his way off the show floor. I didn't take any pictures, though, so I guess you'll just have to believe me.<br />
<br />
As for non-celebrity events, we attended a History of Canadian Horror micro-seminar, which was interesting in what it promised to teach me, should I choose to attend full classes at another time. And we also went to the horror shorts fest, which I enjoyed despite an excess of pee-pee and poo-poo humour in this year's program, and were supposed to attend the "world" premiere of <i>Bad Kids Go To Hell</i>, except someone forgot to tell the writer/director/producer[s] that FanExpo can't actually show movies, so we instead heard them apologize for an hour and a half. Which, hey, wasn't so bad really. 'Cause there was also one of the kids from Degrassi there. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oIMSffYtSPE/UDt2cZ92vgI/AAAAAAAAAZA/3jxiS3oABI8/s1600/Tia+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oIMSffYtSPE/UDt2cZ92vgI/AAAAAAAAAZA/3jxiS3oABI8/s320/Tia+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cassandra is pleased!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>COSTUMES AND WHATEVER</b><br />
And so on Saturday we did wear costumes. I was Cthulhu for President, Joel was Hastur, the Unspeakable Running-Mate, and Dree was lady Raphael, the Ninja Turtle. I didn't get any decent photos, so more will have to come up later, once I get them off of Joel's camera or I find them by scouring the internet. There have to be some, though... somewhere. The costumes were good, damnit. Damn good.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpaIeA6W4Ag/UDt2XcDAj6I/AAAAAAAAAYI/i0ueVNbWDFU/s1600/Final+Mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpaIeA6W4Ag/UDt2XcDAj6I/AAAAAAAAAYI/i0ueVNbWDFU/s320/Final+Mask.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really very nice and good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>STUFF AND SUCH</b><br />
And then there's the things I bought and got given to me, 'cause the FanExpo really is just a very focused mall. The giveaways were few and far-between, I gotta say. Gone are the days when you walk home with a bag full of three or four t-shirts and a few books and stuff. I think what I got for free was, like, an eye-glass cleaner thing and a pen that looks like a syringe, which is cool 'cause I've always wanted one, but still. Oh, and a bag from EB Games, which is a fine bag but it's also very branded, which I hate. But there was other stuff I bought too [and some choice free stuff] which I'll now get to.<br />
<br />
<b>OTHER QUALITY THINGS</b><br />
I bought and/or was given these things:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yzWDpAEW9J8/UDt2Vk6wUJI/AAAAAAAAAXw/6sHsoZhYdOU/s1600/Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yzWDpAEW9J8/UDt2Vk6wUJI/AAAAAAAAAXw/6sHsoZhYdOU/s400/Books.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comic books for reading.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It being a comic convention, I had to get some comic books. All are signed by the appropriate parties. The one on the right I'm very eager to read, and the one on the left is by the dudes who couldn't show their movie, as recounted earlier in this post.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0WJQPO26XA/UDt2aoWcMMI/AAAAAAAAAYo/doO4jliX1V0/s1600/Mega+Bloks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0WJQPO26XA/UDt2aoWcMMI/AAAAAAAAAYo/doO4jliX1V0/s320/Mega+Bloks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get off my land!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So I know MegaBloks is a dirty word, but their booth was pretty decent. They had a whole thing where you build whatever you want and you can keep it, and they'll give you a dude. So I made this... uh, shack thing. I also made a laser blaster for Anabel on Sunday, which led to all the kids there also making guns, to their mothers' chagrin.<br />
There's also some Heroclix, but you don't need to know what they are.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8chRCqg0mWw/UDt2bDZBMDI/AAAAAAAAAYw/ejxGa-PBwXU/s1600/Oroku+Saki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8chRCqg0mWw/UDt2bDZBMDI/AAAAAAAAAYw/ejxGa-PBwXU/s200/Oroku+Saki.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oroku Saki and Danny the Ninja.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
As part of my quiet TMNT revival, I had to get some bad guys for the Turtles to hang out with. And hell, they were cheaper than if I got 'em at Walmart, so that's a good thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sri4FjzPtDs/UDt2YEuAObI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/ABDgMTARaRQ/s1600/Free+Hugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sri4FjzPtDs/UDt2YEuAObI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/ABDgMTARaRQ/s320/Free+Hugs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free hugs!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And I also got a set of these, which are chopsticks. Nerdy <i>and</i> functional!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rScmsCid3Dg/UDt2Y4F94DI/AAAAAAAAAYY/oxB825AiXlY/s1600/LEGO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rScmsCid3Dg/UDt2Y4F94DI/AAAAAAAAAYY/oxB825AiXlY/s400/LEGO.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hulk smash spider!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
LEGO had a booth, which was cool. It was tiny and jammed in a corner, but they were there at all. They had some cool big ol' LEGO sculptures which are always nice to see, my favourite being the Gandalf and Bilbo, or the really big Hulk. They were also giving stuff out!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thursday morning they were giving out Darth Ballz [the red dude] which is apparently rare or something. I opened it anyways. Friday they did a Superhero thing, which was a massive line so we skipped it [something about getting a hundred little pieces to build the Batman symbol, which didn't seem like a good plan, personally]. Saturday was LOTR day, and they gave out cool posters. And Sunday they gave some props to the dwindling horror aspect of the con by focussing on Monster Fighters, by giving out the Vampire dude in the morning, and a weird little Halloween polybag of a spider and web and skeleton and bat and stickers later in the day. Whatever it was, it was good. I also got that Avengers LEGO set from a dude, after he gave me almost a hundred bucks for a handful of Heroclix I no longer wanted. Goin' to this thing and <i>making</i> money is rad! Except I then spent it, but still.<br />
<br />
So anyway, this is quite long now and pretty self-serving, so I'll cap it. I'll do a follow-up with better pictures should I find any. I wanted to announce next years costume as well, but frankly, I have no idea. I'll accept suggestions for the next three months.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I leave you with the best part of the weekend, which is this piece of badass:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9ssRJ5fn3E/UDt2Z8Pg4uI/AAAAAAAAAYg/KVS_pUd84NE/s1600/Lego+Sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9ssRJ5fn3E/UDt2Z8Pg4uI/AAAAAAAAAYg/KVS_pUd84NE/s640/Lego+Sketch.jpg" width="506" /></a></div>
IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-48177643759578831372012-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:002012-02-08T07:09:14.413-08:00Crowdsourcing will be the death of meIt's apparently February, and I have no idea where I've been for the past month. Christmas happened, and that was what it was, and then Dree and I entered the rabbit hole that is LOST and after about 3 weeks we're about to start Season 5, which is the point where the episodes become ones we haven't seen before. It's a pretty intense time to be alive, I'm not gonna lie to you.<br />
<br />
So yeah, Jack and Kate and everyone sort of dominate my brain, but I'm gonna try and focus on the important things in life for a few minutes. Like asking random people to vote for my crap on the internet.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
I thought I'd never get involved in these sorts of shenanigans after the whole comic book affair, because that was a rather sour experience which taught me that if you gather a group of people that all have something of their own they want voted for and ask them to vote for what's best, they're pretty unlikely to vote for the<i> actual</i> best thing, but rather vote for whatever will also get <i>them</i> a vote. If you follow. I'm bitter about it is the point.<br />
<br />
So I wasn't gonna have anything to do with it anymore, until the juggernaut called LEGO rolled over my free time. And only recently LEGO launched this CUUSOO thing, which is a crowd-sourcing website where you post your junk and if 10,000 people feel it's not as shitty as it probably is, LEGO promises to look at it and maybe think about fixing your errors and selling it as a set.<br />
<br />
Which is sort of awesome if it weren't so tremendously unlikely. But what the hell, right? I had to put <i>something</i> on there. And I did, and I settled on the Cemetery thing I made way the hell back, because LEGO needs more cemeterys, and also that's the blog I wrote with the highest number of views, however that worked. So, and I'm demanding this as politely as I can, you now must go <a href="http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/9002" target="_blank">HERE</a> and SUPPORT the thing.<br />
<br />
'Cause, I mean, what else are you doing?<br />
<br />
Here's the link again!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/9002">http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/9002</a><br />
<br />
If this gets to 10,000 supporters, and LEGO doesn't veto it on the grounds of it being totally unmarketable, and then someone actually <i>buys </i>it, I get a HUGE 1% of sales. Mind-blowing!<br />
<br />
And there's no picture in this blog, so here's this thing. Would you buy this? 'Cause I'll put it on Cuusoo too. If, you know, it'll get me money.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pvAoqTQRfrE/TzKOn660cPI/AAAAAAAAASY/Ou2Gnqz7Vio/s1600/Alien+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="518" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pvAoqTQRfrE/TzKOn660cPI/AAAAAAAAASY/Ou2Gnqz7Vio/s640/Alien+2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hint: the Alien represents a wiener.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-7565792730560359822011-12-21T10:02:00.000-08:002011-12-21T10:02:47.926-08:00Merry Merry ChristmastimeHey yo!<br />
<br />
So there's lots to gab about in the nerd world, although I'm not going to bother. Your time is probably better spent shopping for gift cards or basting a turkey. So I'm gonna skip all the regular business and boil it down to this:<br />
<br />
Go watch <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2006/05/18/jakob-the-hobbit/" target="_blank"><i>The Hobbit</i> </a>trailer. Soak it all up. Actually, to make your life easier, I'm gonna jam it right in here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G0k3kHtyoqc" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
So that's, like, the <i>bomb</i>, right? I know.<br />
<br />
And yeah, that'll be all there is this blog.<br />
<br />
Happy Christmas and Merry New Years and all good things to you and yours. Read that to anyone important sitting near you, because it's serving as the Christmas Card from Dree and I this year.<br />
<br />
'Till next year!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jj-TaTIlUEo/TvIeh4vaTnI/AAAAAAAAASE/3o9G2NPPMRI/s1600/Christmas+Story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jj-TaTIlUEo/TvIeh4vaTnI/AAAAAAAAASE/3o9G2NPPMRI/s640/Christmas+Story.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-62863884145144707072011-12-05T15:35:00.000-08:002011-12-05T15:44:15.500-08:00I call it Special Drink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I was gonna go on about this, or blather about that. It was gonna have something to do with being sad that <i>Comminuty </i>is being killed off, and how we've been trying other sitcoms to fill the void, but how <i>Happy Endings</i> is trying too hard to be funny, <i>Modern Family</i> is trying too hard to be not funny, and <a href="http://memegenerator.net/cache/instances/400x/11/11692/11973285.jpg" target="_blank"><i>Whitney</i></a> is crap in a hat.<i> Parks and Recreation</i> is still a beacon in the dark times, so we're sorta clinging to that. I had a real good analogy as to why <i>Parks and Rec</i> works and why I find <i>Modern Family </i>confounding and befuddling, but, again, I sorta feel a little too lazy to type it out. You'll just have to trust me when I tell you that it was so compelling an argument that you'd definitely change your mind. Oh, and <i>Louis!</i> Mondays are the new Thursday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And before I forget, Lego Advent day 24, just 'cause I should really complete things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-trGsCkB0qr8/Tt1LgaYxKrI/AAAAAAAAARQ/FdGSP2pwFHo/s1600/Day+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="505" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-trGsCkB0qr8/Tt1LgaYxKrI/AAAAAAAAARQ/FdGSP2pwFHo/s640/Day+24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's wearing Lululemon Trackpants 'cause they make his butt look firm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yeah, to no one's surprise, it's a Santa. And a chimney. This is what came last year, except this time Santa's wearing grey slacks and is entering through some sort of very modern-looking fireplace. Or perhaps that's an incinerator of some sort. Either way, it's very square.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Excuse me for a moment while I peel some potatoes. Enjoy these pictures while I'm gone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mZwgEVTXMGs/Tt1MqmSsD1I/AAAAAAAAARY/E2L6VoddUBE/s1600/village+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mZwgEVTXMGs/Tt1MqmSsD1I/AAAAAAAAARY/E2L6VoddUBE/s640/village+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1MgdzSh_rgA/Tt1Mu4CqlAI/AAAAAAAAARg/LiWEkdsezuI/s1600/village1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1MgdzSh_rgA/Tt1Mu4CqlAI/AAAAAAAAARg/LiWEkdsezuI/s640/village1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ-4qifYL04/Tt1M4joWceI/AAAAAAAAARo/kWK7FEPjJA0/s1600/village2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ-4qifYL04/Tt1M4joWceI/AAAAAAAAARo/kWK7FEPjJA0/s640/village2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qHJKEiTk36E/Tt1NDr5zSPI/AAAAAAAAARw/3pfyPR9MugA/s1600/village+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qHJKEiTk36E/Tt1NDr5zSPI/AAAAAAAAARw/3pfyPR9MugA/s640/village+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There ain't no snow out and it's making me sad, but at least I can look at my couch and scratch my beard and the people of Winter Village will enjoy a lovely snowfall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, right, I guess I should justify the title of this blog. Here's my recipe for <b>Special Drink: Holiday Edition</b>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You will need:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 part Bailey's Irish Cream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 parts the most expensive Eggnog you can get your hands on</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Make sure the above are well-chilled. Mix in a cup. Drink from the cup.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, I didn't make this with what is honestly the most expensive eggnog I could have gotten, which is <a href="http://summerhillmarket.com/">Summerhill's Own</a> from next door, which clocks in somewhere north of 10 bucks a litre. But that stuff is <i>glorious</i>, I'm not gonna lie to ya. No, I made this today with <a href="http://organicmeadow.com/">Organic Meadow </a>Eggnog, where the chickens and cows are played music of their choosing and gently encouraged to produce milk and eggs via subtle mental manipulation rather than outright exploitation, so not only is this drink tasty, it's morally neutral. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here's something to think about:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="472.5" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g1hqAnkJWd0" width="630"></iframe>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-30740526173034367482011-11-23T09:01:00.000-08:002011-12-12T08:45:19.804-08:00Six Seasons and a Movie: A week and a half of Melons and Collies.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--6IDynKI5nE/TuYvHFjEgeI/AAAAAAAAAR4/FZANGhr6YmY/s1600/Portrait-of-the-Liberal-Leader-as-a-Young-Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>In today's exciting episode:</i></b></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yI8gdRX52BM/Ts0iscnvL6I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/8AlXx6FUi4s/s1600/collision.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yI8gdRX52BM/Ts0iscnvL6I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/8AlXx6FUi4s/s1600/collision.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It'll all make sense in the end.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Movie Review MADNESS!<br />
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Advent Calender recap WEEK THREE!<br />
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The fastest Kijiji Transaction <i>of all time!</i><br />
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All that and even more bad news! <b><i>Stay tuned.</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrm69thZQRc/Ts0mhwJNLtI/AAAAAAAAARI/hvW7tV0Wvcg/s1600/Day+15+16+and+17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrm69thZQRc/Ts0mhwJNLtI/AAAAAAAAARI/hvW7tV0Wvcg/s640/Day+15+16+and+17.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another three-day build. Worth the wait? Nope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So let's get right into the nitty gritty: <i><a href="http://www.sideorderofninjas.com/imagesae/bloodtide-03.jpg">Blood Tide</a>.</i> I dunno if I even mentioned this in the past, but there was a thing Dree and I went to during the sweatiness of last summer that was like this big, free yardsale swappy thing. You show up with your janky DVDs or CDs or, you know, wax cylinders or whatever, and they tally it up, and give you points, and you spend your points taking other people's even shittier DVDs, CDs, and various and sundry. We dumped a good amount of the crud we've amassed, exchanging for such gems as <i><a href="http://www.best-horror-movies.com/image-files/children-of-the-corn-demon-child.jpg">Children Of The Corn</a></i> [distressingly crappy] and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ9pmN6Jhxjmv9z2wm1x7VJ-2C_2_YYNvpLtyrdL62d2A0Y9yKgZO6isisi0SbkzgLFgnk3Xy5PVsQo6ka1O0nl_-yhdfw3z4Q3YbCQxaMhJPnSZWN42owwAF4UNYNO3YrJTi9Muqcnp7/s400/dead+calm+2.jpg"><i>Dead Calm</i>.</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/e_mrXJSOEIg/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e_mrXJSOEIg&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e_mrXJSOEIg&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
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And, yeah, among them was <i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLNCHDmi6JosOJTzKTEIFFlM8s0W4DvkkwIPlGz5JfVNFRzpmHDYpOQFeXHMjnJJPCtjoEwhs5vTaByhUU2OHvuiBRqNii0LBNZqITTFkr64_8OQfKjrb69bhm94eEPWCwdCN4QYJLWg/s1600/BloodTide+%252848%2529.jpg">Blood Tide</a></i>. It was a bit of goofballery set in Greece starring Darth Vader and the guy that played the asshole in <i><a href="http://www.socialtechpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kreese-285x280.jpg">Karate Kid</a>.</i> I was hoping for some sort of <i>Shadow over Innsmouth </i>thing, but... not really. It sort of ended up being a killer seahorse that sorta ate one person, and then maybe came on land at the end? I don't even know.<br />
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Yeah, so that was a lot of lead-in for a movie review that's basically "Skip it."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HRFNbCR3O18/Ts0QpiJMDaI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/mjk44s6RqsM/s1600/Day+18.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="634" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HRFNbCR3O18/Ts0QpiJMDaI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/mjk44s6RqsM/s640/Day+18.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 18: Lucky Pierre.</td></tr>
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And then we went on Saturday to visit Mary for her birthday, and had this cranberry chutney that was <i>transcendent</i>, and afterwards went downtown to the jerk theatre to watch <a href="http://mattsmoviereviews.net/Images/melancholiaposter10.jpg"><i>Melancholia</i></a>. I dunno if you've seen a lot of Lars Von Trier movies [I haven't, <i>really</i>], but I don't think they're what you'd call "easy." And I'm sort of flip-flopping quite a lot on this movie. During parts of it, I sort of didn't like it, but immediately afterwards I reversed that. And then I went back again and thought, you know, maybe I didn't like it... but now I've decided it was good. I'm glad to have seen it. Honestly, the all-over-ness of the first half and the [seeming] lack of coherence is easily overcome by the insanely beautiful images this thing has. I don't toss that sorta flowery language around often, you know.<br />
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But yeah, really, a movie that makes me think<i> at all </i>after it's over is a good one, so I fully endorse going to see it if you get the chance. I'm really excited for the sequel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_9aCc78eiQE/Ts0Qq2Jqp7I/AAAAAAAAAQY/-hm5FvBmU38/s1600/Day+19.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="498" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_9aCc78eiQE/Ts0Qq2Jqp7I/AAAAAAAAAQY/-hm5FvBmU38/s640/Day+19.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 19: It's gold, Jerry. Gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> And afterwards, we saw Michael Ignatieff leaving. I asked him what he thought of the visual feast we had just shared:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--6IDynKI5nE/TuYvHFjEgeI/AAAAAAAAAR4/FZANGhr6YmY/s1600/Portrait-of-the-Liberal-Leader-as-a-Young-Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--6IDynKI5nE/TuYvHFjEgeI/AAAAAAAAAR4/FZANGhr6YmY/s400/Portrait-of-the-Liberal-Leader-as-a-Young-Man.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I like horses."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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That's all the movie stuff I'm gonna talk about now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LoxlnEGe72g/Ts0QtgobSxI/AAAAAAAAAQg/MwYf22U-y_o/s1600/Day+20.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LoxlnEGe72g/Ts0QtgobSxI/AAAAAAAAAQg/MwYf22U-y_o/s640/Day+20.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 20: Snow Machine. Orange is a nice colour.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So... I have three more pictures and I've sort of run out of steam with the bloggering. Oh, right, the Kijiji thing. Actually, whatever, that doesn't make for a very good story. Forget I mentioned it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umvF730SDbY/Ts0Qwa0H2jI/AAAAAAAAAQo/HqY1xychXzA/s1600/Day+21.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umvF730SDbY/Ts0Qwa0H2jI/AAAAAAAAAQo/HqY1xychXzA/s640/Day+21.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 21: Some sort of skitching device?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Oh, yeah! The reason for my crushing malaise lately, and likely the reason I've turned around and liked <i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRJ_zVLMRicIZQbea9_e6piggh6Du2npDs9anPJI7ovCJ8bX7JJ9aelu3TQ6qVR4WzK7viFwmbxNuvN9GAX7TrLM4ceH420u5Lt0xRsUoohyphenhyphenCMAqB0OrdAKnG-j8I80EhUMZtWTBBYKZ4/s1600/melancholia-movie-photo-11.jpg">Melancholia</a> </i>again, because I could now sympathise with The Dunst's depression: NBC in a display of grand dick-headedness has shunted my <a href="http://tvseriesfinale.com/assets/community07a.jpg"><i>Community</i> </a>off into some ill-defined nether-world by not including it mid-season. Which sucks. Big. Big sucks.<br />
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I dunno the ins and outs and I'm sure NBC has some decent reasons, and I don't <i>blame </i>them, either. I blame dumb people. Dumb people not watching the show. <a href="http://media.monstersandcritics.com/articles2/1501861/article_images/headline_1253247114.jpg">You bum me out, man</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6SL4fMxcymg/Ts0QxonBamI/AAAAAAAAAQw/pfpov2wqkTo/s1600/Day+22.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6SL4fMxcymg/Ts0QxonBamI/AAAAAAAAAQw/pfpov2wqkTo/s640/Day+22.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 22: Use of force was deemed appropriate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I mean, I'd always sorta wished the show wouldn't go beyond 4 years, because it makes pretty clear sense in the context of the show, and it seems like a program that would benefit having an end-point. Also, more than 4 years, you run the risk of putting out some crappy product [and I'll admit, there already was a crappy episode this season. <i>One.</i>] But I'd also hoped they'd have a season to get there naturally. As is... I mean, I'm not angry, because I can't say this was unexpected. Doesn't make me any less <i>melancholy</i> about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WA4uNXS_O60/Ts0QnTvMMpI/AAAAAAAAAQA/FYVCGDJBwPQ/s1600/Day+23.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WA4uNXS_O60/Ts0QnTvMMpI/AAAAAAAAAQA/FYVCGDJBwPQ/s640/Day+23.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 23: A dog and a bone. <i>That's it.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>Boom,</i> circuit achieved.<br />
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I'm OUT!IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-77695498102248791832011-11-14T10:17:00.000-08:002011-11-14T10:22:49.659-08:00Advember Week TwoAnother week has passed, so I should probably keep on top of charting the exciting progress that is the toy calendar this year. So I will do that.<br />
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I think normally I'd relate to you some manner of anecdote about something interesting I did in the past week, but it's been a pretty mellow time. Which is sort of ironic, in that me and the D actually went over to peoples' houses and did things, which is weird for borderline hermits like us, so arguably I'd have <i>more</i> to talk about. But that's sorta not the case. For the record: I'm still a big fan of guacamole, and my opinion on fake cheese remains the same.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>Oh, and we saw a movie called <i>An Insignificant Harvey.</i> It's a local movie set [or at least shot] in Collingwood about a dwarfish gentleman who finds a Husky and befriends a stripper who does very little stripping, and is mostly cold because it's winter.<br />
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That's sorta the whole movie. I wanted to like it because I like supporting Canadiana, and the dog is a very pretty dog, but... Yeah. I dunno. Too clunky. And there's a point when you go beyond a healthy dose of "leaving it up to the audience" as far as the point you're trying to make, where it just seems like you don't have one and are just relying on me to fill in the blanks for you. And that's how I felt about this movie.<br />
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So my final rating: Watch <i>The Station Agent</i> with a dog in the room, and you've got yourself a better version of pretty much the same movie.<br />
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And yeah. now TOYS!<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Day 8:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fR1Y6O6BVjU/TsFXKhodM2I/AAAAAAAAAPg/tlclZU6NaL8/s1600/Day+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fR1Y6O6BVjU/TsFXKhodM2I/AAAAAAAAAPg/tlclZU6NaL8/s640/Day+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ho ho ho!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>What I like about these miniature models that you get in the calendar is that they tend to be something like this, which is furnishing and stuff. LEGO houses are lovely, but they usually lack any of the <i>stuff.</i> And here we get a lovely little cot to decorate your Christmas drunk tank.<br />
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<b>DAY 9 and 10:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mRSApXy4EBg/TsFXMVVGaCI/AAAAAAAAAPo/RxgKLq4tmNc/s1600/Day+9+and+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mRSApXy4EBg/TsFXMVVGaCI/AAAAAAAAAPo/RxgKLq4tmNc/s640/Day+9+and+10.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Subject apprehended during late-night fish-axing."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On day 9 we get Mr. Green, who is actually a pretty swell dude, if only for the general winteryness of his attire. And on day 10 we get a frozen fish stuck to a whip, and a burning cone. I'm not entirely sure how he fits into the unfolding saga of this northerly criminal empire, however.<br />
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<b>DAY 11, 12, and 13</b><br />
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It may seem like I'm lazy, rolling all these into one picture. And it should, because I am.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wnwRs9AuLwY/TsFXOuFO5TI/AAAAAAAAAPw/MTLbdT_8xPA/s1600/Day+11+12+and+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wnwRs9AuLwY/TsFXOuFO5TI/AAAAAAAAAPw/MTLbdT_8xPA/s640/Day+11+12+and+13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Why can't I get any reception? Damn you, Mobilicity."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So day 11 and 12 are another pair of walls, and together with the previous pair we have the completed Northern Outpost for the LCPD. They're not doing much crime solving when they don't have a roof or a rear wall, but it's been a tough year fiscally, and the mayor had to cut back on funding. Oh, yeah, and there's another officer on a comically oversized walkie-talkie. We have to assume Mr. Green is a criminal, to maintain the ratio of good guys to bad dudes.<br />
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<b>DAY 14</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vszSEmJty5M/TsFXJrSrwvI/AAAAAAAAAPY/gMC47VIsY0g/s1600/Day+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vszSEmJty5M/TsFXJrSrwvI/AAAAAAAAAPY/gMC47VIsY0g/s640/Day+14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Now let's see what's living in my spit."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And rounding out week 2 is this nifty little piece of set dressing, which is some manner of evidence desk, featuring the magnifying glass, which might be my second favourite LEGO piece behind the sausage.<br />
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And there you have it. There's only a few more days left in the calendar, which makes me sad, but we're also that much closer to building the ridiculously old-lady-like Winter Village. I've gotten permission to bogart the <i>entire couch. </i>It's gonna be boss, y'all.IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-57142229919489183932011-11-07T12:32:00.000-08:002011-11-07T12:32:52.924-08:00Vacation's over! Back to WORK!Hi, everyone! How are you? I'm awaiting the TV repairman to come and replace the screen on my TV [apparently they still repair things?] so I've got a few moments to, you know, get back in the business. If you haven't noticed, I've been gone for about 2 months. I guess I just sorta had other things going on. Like laziness. Lots and lots of laziness. <br />
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Well that's not true. Dree and I went to Boston, the saddle of America [or whatever], which is a lovely town, rich in history and ankle-busting sidewalks. I'll get photos up here soon, but they were done with my old black and white film camera, which, besides costing around 38 hundred dollars to develop, also leaves you with these weird pieces of paper that I can't figure out how to insert into the computer. Give me some time and I'll get those done right. But it may take a while.<br />
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That's sorta all of that, really. Anyway, to celebrate year 2 of the blog, I've renamed it yet again. This one feels better. At least for the next 6 months or so, till I change it again.<br />
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And with no segue at all, let us transition into the<i> real</i> reason I dusted off the blogspot:<b> </b><br />
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<b>LEGO Advent Calendar 2011.</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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There were two LEGO Advent Calendars this year, as there have been for some time. The City one is the one I got, 'cause I'm not nutty about Star Wars [the other option] and I'm also not nutty about spending an extra 10 bucks just 'cause it's Star Wars. Still, it DOES contain a fairly bitchin' Santa Yoda figure that, you know, if anyone out there happens to find on a bus or something, I'll totally take off your hands.<br />
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But yeah, so this year's calendar was purchased so gracefully by Dree, while we were at the opening of the Fairview Mall LEGO store. She got up at, like, 6 am to ride the subway and stand in line with me and the other LEGO nerds. That one's a keeper, I think. But I digress.<br />
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DAY ONE:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCC7q8oQOeA/TrgwzQaFQyI/AAAAAAAAAOw/EeZvuFrH2Ho/s1600/Day+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCC7q8oQOeA/TrgwzQaFQyI/AAAAAAAAAOw/EeZvuFrH2Ho/s640/Day+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says "festive" like an escaped convict.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The calendar starts out strong with a minifigure, Mikey O'Larceny. Minifigures things are the sweet icing of LEGO. They're hardly nutritious like the blocks and the models... but they're sorta <i>really</i> what you're after. Now, how holiday-like [can't say Christmas!] a crook is might be a bit subjective. But he's got a scarf, so it's cold out. And cold out is a Christmas thing. Also, there's a snow-chunk. So, yeah.<br />
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DAY TWO:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-85McgIG_7vU/Trgw2OXVsnI/AAAAAAAAAO4/bKhDILeSrNA/s1600/Day+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-85McgIG_7vU/Trgw2OXVsnI/AAAAAAAAAO4/bKhDILeSrNA/s640/Day+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, that's gotta be less work that just throwing it.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Some manner of weapon. Appears to be a snow-chunk launcher, as it comes with three more of the mysterious canisters. I imagine ol' Mikey holds up liquor stores by laying siege to them from across the parking lot.<br />
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DAY THREE:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pKSxLsniXeU/Trgw_ptwTVI/AAAAAAAAAPA/Yjl2-l_dPuY/s1600/Day+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pKSxLsniXeU/Trgw_ptwTVI/AAAAAAAAAPA/Yjl2-l_dPuY/s640/Day+3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
LEGO, eager to dive into the implied drama of this set, presents another character: Officer Dingus, returning from a particularly draining patrol of the Occupy Santa's Village protesters. He wants nothing more than a warm cup of cocoa. Too bad he didn't see Mikey catapulting yellowed snow at the windows of the LCBO up the street.<br />
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DAY FOUR:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qT5wErRiHcc/TrgxIlIUfDI/AAAAAAAAAPI/qYW8x9S7-Js/s1600/Day+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qT5wErRiHcc/TrgxIlIUfDI/AAAAAAAAAPI/qYW8x9S7-Js/s320/Day+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A wall.<br />
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DAY FIVE:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Phv7VSnDTYg/TrgxNtrnbFI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/dV0wd7LlcIc/s1600/Day+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Phv7VSnDTYg/TrgxNtrnbFI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/dV0wd7LlcIc/s320/Day+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Another wall.<br />
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This is the point where the kids are flippin' out in anticipation about what tomorrow's exciting prize is gonna be.<br />
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DAY SIX [and SEVEN]:<br />
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Just when you thought you had this all figured out, that this was, in fact, a totally secular calendar apparently recreating that episode of CSI: NY that took place upstate, TLG drops this science on ya:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WkmYKI1BOAw/TrgwxHclMSI/AAAAAAAAAOo/flZQuWZJQsM/s1600/Day+6+and+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="518" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WkmYKI1BOAw/TrgwxHclMSI/AAAAAAAAAOo/flZQuWZJQsM/s640/Day+6+and+7.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why Ewok when you can Eskate? HA!*</td></tr>
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Christmas tree, y'all. AND presents. Seeing as how the little map thing indicates these sorta just go in the middle of a field, I'm assuming the presents are artificial. Perhaps full of sand. But there's a skateboard and helmet, and there's no faking that.<br />
<br />
Also, why does LEGO include so many skateboards? Maybe it's still the 70s in Denmark.<br />
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Anyway, that's all for now. TV repairman still hasn't shown up yet. I'm going to flip a coin to decide if I should actually do some work today [yuck] or go back to building the train tunnel/ski hill to be featured in my soon-to-be constructed, weather permitting Winter Village. Tough decisions, man.<br />
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* There's no Ewok in the calendar. Don't get too excited.<br />
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</tbody></table>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-48046806460739201102011-08-30T07:43:00.000-07:002012-11-30T07:27:44.594-08:00Fan Expo 2011: Recapitulation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300643_10150760095795371_5060714_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
The Fan Expo is kind of a big deal. If you don't know what it is, look it up. It's sort of Nerd Christmas and Nerd New Years rolled into one weekend for all the basement dwellers in the area, in that it's super exciting and awesome and also frustrating and terrible. Or not, as the case may be?<br />
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Last year was legendary in its awfulness. The thing was moved to a smaller hall due to bad scheduling, which combined with the unexpected astronomical growth of attendance, and the generally mishandled entry/re-entry system, made it a festival of waiting in line more than anything else. And people bitched. Oh... did they bitch. But even at the best of times, people at this thing are gonna bitch. It's the Bitch Expo. Waiting in line, you can sorta tell who's a veteran and who isn't by the relative amount of bitching they're doing.<br />
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Regardless, this year's entry system was<i> vastly superior</i> to last year's. Yeah, there were lines. Of course there's gonna be, but hey, sometimes if you're in the line at the right time you get this happening to you:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVJNURU1gnA/Tlzm1j834jI/AAAAAAAAAN4/WiRG3AD8XpU/s1600/Lance+and+Bob.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVJNURU1gnA/Tlzm1j834jI/AAAAAAAAAN4/WiRG3AD8XpU/s640/Lance+and+Bob.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freddy is easily distracted, and Bishop is easily confused.</td></tr>
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Yeah, there's me and my brother in line behind the ribbon-cutting ceremony. So that's sorta rad. It might also be the only official photo we have with celebrities. On account of, you know, our general overall cheapness.<br />
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But if you've never been there, here's a quick summary: Nerds. Nerds everywhere. <br />
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Looking over the pictures Dree took, there aren't many pictures of just the crowds. Maybe that's because the bigger hall and extra day [four gooey days as opposed to the three of previous years] meant there was a thinning of the ass-to-elbows overcrowding. I certainly appreciated that aspect. Here's an artist's interpretation of the floor on Saturday, the busiest day of all:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pm-PBtUgW8Q/TlzmvZdFGPI/AAAAAAAAANs/CizJIICWEL8/s1600/Expo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pm-PBtUgW8Q/TlzmvZdFGPI/AAAAAAAAANs/CizJIICWEL8/s640/Expo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, take your photos in the lobby.</td></tr>
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There's Dree and me and Joel in our Saturday costumes. Yeah, we dressed up. How can you not? It's like a bonus Halloween. I mean, it's mostly Anime kids in goofy/slutty/perplexing outfits, and/or various Doctor Whos, but it's just sorta comfortable walking around looking like a goon in a huge room full of goons.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tox5umXjQQ8/Tlzmx8kAQeI/AAAAAAAAANw/InfgyeAyID4/s1600/Felton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tox5umXjQQ8/Tlzmx8kAQeI/AAAAAAAAANw/InfgyeAyID4/s640/Felton.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us and guest of honor Tom Felton.</td></tr>
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So there were autographs of famous people, and pictures and displays and shops selling stuff. It's like a big giant mall composed exclusively of stores your girlfriend doesn't wanna go into. But having gone for years [I <i>think</i> this was #8] you're sorta not there for the shopping anymore. It's the other stuff.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xp5QJzgtTzA/Tlzm0sIJaNI/AAAAAAAAAN0/Zwc8_A5m8uc/s1600/Hagman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xp5QJzgtTzA/Tlzm0sIJaNI/AAAAAAAAAN0/Zwc8_A5m8uc/s640/Hagman.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Personal vote for most confounding guest: Larry Hagman.</td></tr>
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I'm not usually in it for the celebrities. Like I said, I'm too cheap to bother. I did see both Larry Hagman [above] and Elvira [Mistress of the Dark] coming out of bathrooms, so that remains the closest brush with celebrity. No, wait! We were buying cold Cokes [a very rare commodity around there, apparently] and we were behind Jason Mewes, who was getting a coffee, I think. Coffee! They're just like us.<br />
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Enough of the LEGO pictures for now. Here's a real picture of Joel and I in our costumes, taken from Dree's facebook. If you have access to that, look at the rest of the pictures. They're pretty good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205930_10150760069935371_7055638_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205930_10150760069935371_7055638_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took the dartboard approach. He landed on "Zombie" and "The Dude" and I got "Boba Fett" and "Hawaii."</td></tr>
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And here's Dree, who went all Meta. Probably <i>too</i> Meta for that crowd, though. Cosplayers tend towards the extremely literal. Either way, I thought it was a pretty brilliant quasi-costume.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300643_10150760095795371_5060714_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300643_10150760095795371_5060714_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is she dressed as her necklace, or is her necklace dressed as her?</td></tr>
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Anyway, here's a quick rundown of what we did, non-shopping-wise:<br />
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THURSDAY:<br />
<b>DC Panel with Jeff Lemire</b>. I'm not much of a fanboy except for my fan-crush on <a href="http://jefflemire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this guy.</a> They were talking mostly about DC comic stuff that I have no understanding of, but whatever. Dan DiDio was there too. If that turns your crank.<br />
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<b>Writer's Guild Pro Panel</b> with people from <a href="http://www.murdochmysteries.com/" target="_blank"><i>Murdoch Mysteries</i></a>. They neither confirmed nor denied that they stole <a href="http://archive.zeros2heroes.com/content/comic/view/id/505939" target="_blank">my idea</a>.<br />
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FRIDAY:<br />
<b>Horror Shorts</b>. <a href="http://www.chillerama.com/" target="_blank"><i>Wadzilla </i>and<i> I Was a Teenage Werebear</i></a>. Both super good, although probably not films you'd bring your mother to. <br />
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<b>Remembering <a href="http://www.frightenstein.com/" target="_blank">Frightenstein</a></b>. Probably the highlight of the weekend for me. <span class="st">Mitch Markowitz</span> is a hell of an entertaining dude. And I can also claim to be two degrees from Vincent Price, via meeting his daughter.<br />
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This was also supposed to be DnD day, but it got side-tracked by my attempts to meet some dudes to buy some Transformers, and the general non-functionality of Mobilicity preventing my phone from ever working. So DnD didn't really happen. We did play a few rounds of the card game we play, though, so that's good. Although one of them was... played concurrently with a conversation from an interesting fellow. You meet lots of interesting fellows at these things, though. Guys that come up and just start gabbing away like it ain't no thing. Here's a picture of him!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oofWKYzqCZM/TlznFj6VrYI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/U3BNmajc-oM/s1600/That+guy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oofWKYzqCZM/TlznFj6VrYI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/U3BNmajc-oM/s400/That+guy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along with the stars of<i> Black Swan</i> and that Nicorette commercial.</td></tr>
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SATURDAY:<br />
This day was supposed to be anchored by <i><a href="http://www.trollhunterfilm.com/" target="_blank">Troll Hunter</a></i>, which failed to be screened. We were never given a reason why, either, which bums me out. We did, however, go to:<br />
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<b>Lance Vs. Lance.</b> This was a strange panel, but entertaining. Lance Henriksen is an interesting dude.<br />
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SUNDAY:<br />
Saw the <b>Horror Shorts</b> again, with Dree with time.<br />
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So yeah. Good stuff all around. Here's a few pictures of the junk I came home with:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-233pHkogYgM/Tlzm4KtrrGI/AAAAAAAAAN8/Eo30VBZsX2k/s1600/Swag1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-233pHkogYgM/Tlzm4KtrrGI/AAAAAAAAAN8/Eo30VBZsX2k/s400/Swag1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More not-Lego. Kre-O was 2 for 1 at the Zellers booth!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BEXbqrXLY0/Tlzm6VGvkaI/AAAAAAAAAOA/M3eFEVWXFI8/s1600/Swag2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BEXbqrXLY0/Tlzm6VGvkaI/AAAAAAAAAOA/M3eFEVWXFI8/s400/Swag2.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transformer things. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k1BsYEC7Df0/Tlzm84Of9-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/-0TpVeQgg1M/s1600/Swag3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k1BsYEC7Df0/Tlzm84Of9-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/-0TpVeQgg1M/s400/Swag3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Various and sundry. Actual LEGO and a totally bitchin' Aliens toy.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Iyt2GrDLsw/TlznAzcT8kI/AAAAAAAAAOI/q671Az2h5ug/s1600/Swag4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Iyt2GrDLsw/TlznAzcT8kI/AAAAAAAAAOI/q671Az2h5ug/s400/Swag4.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Books, for readin'. The Sweet Teeth are signed, as are all my Lemire books [stalker.]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1mCuRKcWRY/TlznEuSD-pI/AAAAAAAAAOM/_Bpvmn3ELcs/s1600/Swag5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1mCuRKcWRY/TlznEuSD-pI/AAAAAAAAAOM/_Bpvmn3ELcs/s640/Swag5.JPG" width="467" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paperwork.</td></tr>
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And there are the only signatures I got. <span class="st">Mitch Markowitz</span>, the producer of<i> Frightenstein</i>/ Super Hippy, and Richard Comely, creator of the perennial <i>Captain Canuck</i> character. Also a boss Kreon poster that I found sitting on the ground.<br />
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<br />
So there you have it. A long but terribly shallow review of the nerdiest weekend in Canada. To say it was better than last year is the understatement of forever, but it was not the best ever. Rue Morgue and the 'Festival of Fear' section seemed <i>extremely</i> small. I don't know if they even wanna be there anymore, which is sad, as that was the reason we went in the first place.<br />
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Also, I remember fondly those first years, where you were far closer to everything, and it was less packed and more intimate. I mean, it was nice to see Tom Savini sitting right there near the fans like he did the first year we went, but he was also charging 20 bucks for an autograph, which I got for free way back when. Same goes for Doug Bradley, who has moved off the floor and up to celebrity row. But hey, it's growing bigger than me, and these guys should get some compensation for the hand cramps they probably end up with. I <i>guess.</i><br />
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Anyway, that's that. I now have slightly less than one year to develop and construct my costume. Here's a sneak peek:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0WmowJBZQ4/Tlzmq9aEzcI/AAAAAAAAANk/r5Gkwi3I9nE/s1600/Cthulhu4Prez.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0WmowJBZQ4/Tlzmq9aEzcI/AAAAAAAAANk/r5Gkwi3I9nE/s640/Cthulhu4Prez.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-64663429291744046822011-07-29T08:13:00.000-07:002011-07-29T08:13:35.432-07:00Learn to waste time like me: Kre-O Prowl Instructions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oSBZ6R48U0Q/TjLJJ_fmnVI/AAAAAAAAANI/irnXsF_XJYA/s1600/35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>So per popular request [I actually had a <i>comment</i>], I've done what I could to document how to build your less-than-stellar Prowl into my perhaps-better-than-official Prowl.<br />
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I've never tried to take photos of this nature before, so forgive me if the whole thing is a confusing, jumbled mess. You may also note, if you're super-observant, that I put a sticker in a different place, which helps sell the somewhat unconvincing junk-gun a bit more than it might otherwise. And, by all means, feel free to free-ball and change this up at any point. I won't be insulted.<br />
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A note on how the instructions work: these don't really go like how proper LEGO instructions go. The pieces you need for each step are essentially shown in the step prior. That's more a result of me being lazy and not wanting to take two pictures for each step. It shouldn't be all that complicated to figure out, however.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-042eSWnDv-0/TjLIW889vdI/AAAAAAAAALA/OhJqmy2fmmg/s1600/01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-042eSWnDv-0/TjLIW889vdI/AAAAAAAAALA/OhJqmy2fmmg/s320/01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9S3c0KcOBk/TjLIYq_QjfI/AAAAAAAAALE/tVBCfC3QD3w/s1600/02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9S3c0KcOBk/TjLIYq_QjfI/AAAAAAAAALE/tVBCfC3QD3w/s320/02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHtYhAKU-fs/TjLIaAo7DII/AAAAAAAAALI/LNG8ixsyvjY/s1600/03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHtYhAKU-fs/TjLIaAo7DII/AAAAAAAAALI/LNG8ixsyvjY/s320/03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WPzIxI6rwh0/TjLJR0tpUgI/AAAAAAAAANg/JNgv7t7rQzI/s1600/41.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WPzIxI6rwh0/TjLJR0tpUgI/AAAAAAAAANg/JNgv7t7rQzI/s200/41.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IRArBCxSzH0/TjLITpxRTlI/AAAAAAAAAK8/iLgVtt7s-rg/s1600/42.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IRArBCxSzH0/TjLITpxRTlI/AAAAAAAAAK8/iLgVtt7s-rg/s640/42.JPG" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's poetic, 'cause he's a lefty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-6833117248344168952011-07-27T07:16:00.000-07:002011-07-27T07:54:24.122-07:00More Kre-O: Prowlin' AroundI'm not gonna turn this into some sort of toy review blog or whatever. There are plenty of others that do it better, if you're really after that sort of thing.<br />
<br />
But I was out and about and I saw another Kre-O set on the shelf, and, well, being the hopeless addict I am, I snapped it up. I did say I'd keep giving this line a try, right? I think I did.<br />
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Anyway, so the set is Prowl, who is this guy:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ_jvSlbHlQ/TjAWoL8HGRI/AAAAAAAAAKk/Ot6Ck4Cbp80/s1600/prowl+toy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ_jvSlbHlQ/TjAWoL8HGRI/AAAAAAAAAKk/Ot6Ck4Cbp80/s400/prowl+toy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a quote from the show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
He's the resident Transformo-cop, and all-around swell dude. I guess. For a fan of this stuff, I know remarkably little.<br />
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Anyway, so here's what the Kre-O set looks like, more or less, as officially built:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FiDAAnTP3SI/TjAWomQX9xI/AAAAAAAAAKo/-rv7Qv8HzO8/s1600/kreo+prowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="628" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FiDAAnTP3SI/TjAWomQX9xI/AAAAAAAAAKo/-rv7Qv8HzO8/s640/kreo+prowl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tall drink o' water, ain't ye?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And right there you can see some of the major issues with the robot. Let's start at the start, however.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>VEHICLE MODE</b><br />
<br />
The cop car is pretty good. As good as Jazz, perhaps better. Still a little chunky, but the detailing on the back window is nice, and the lines are good. I still<i> hate</i> that they put a plate across the top of the door, though. But, eh, what are ya gonna do? I didn't take a photo of the amount of pieces left over after you build this, but trust me, it's shocking. I was literally shocked! <br />
<br />
So that was fast. <br />
<br />
<b>ROBOT MODE</b><br />
<br />
Ugh, and double-ugh. This is the first of the Kre-Os I got that has knee articulation, which is swell, and he also has full-rotating shoulders, which is also swell. But he's got some major issues with his wheres and whens, and he comes off looking rather silly. And the extra parts. Oh, the extra parts!! You can even see above in Seibertron's photo that they built the robot a little differently than the book says, if only to build up the arms and use up some of the 300 or so unused parts.<br />
<br />
At this point I was going to post a picture of the official Hasbro images, showing the goofy pose they have him in to cover the terrible shoulder location, but <a href="http://www.toychestnews.com/catalog_images/STK_IMAGES/STK440001-460000/STK448067.jpg">have a look for yourself</a>, and tell me what's weird. That robot is very different from the version you build in the instructions, but it actually answers some of my weird questions about this set.<br />
<br />
<b>WEIRD QUESTIONS</b><br />
<br />
There's some real oddness going on throughout this kit. Nothing huge, but me being obsessed with leftover pieces, I noticed pretty much right away. Like I said, about 1800 pieces are not used in the robot mode, and cross-referencing them to those left over from the car, it became clear that no less than 4 pieces aren't used in <i>either </i>mode. Not just tiny pieces like LEGO usually tosses in, but big pieces. And there's extra stickers, too. Although I see from the preliminary robot above that there's one of the extra parts and the extra sticker on his arm. So... were these rushed in production? Was Prowl given extra parts to justify his extra cost? Who knows? The real question is, can he be salvaged?<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>FIXING PROWL </b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VGMSwCG0K8U/TjAWrc-Zf8I/AAAAAAAAAKs/INoaNvsR5hU/s1600/prowl1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VGMSwCG0K8U/TjAWrc-Zf8I/AAAAAAAAAKs/INoaNvsR5hU/s640/prowl1.jpg" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I AM the law.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Short answer; yes. The magic of Kre-O and whatnot, you see. With some effort [in this case, a lot of effort] you can get a much [<i>much</i>] better looking robot, and very, very few extra pieces. That thing on the ground is pretty much the stuff I couldn't smoothly integrate, and even it, with some imagination, can be explained away as a large gun. A junk-gun.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MFslK8Wn22E/TjAWwEbmi9I/AAAAAAAAAK0/nNF2GTi799s/s1600/prowl3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MFslK8Wn22E/TjAWwEbmi9I/AAAAAAAAAK0/nNF2GTi799s/s640/prowl3.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A junk-gun that shoots <i>Photoshop!</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here's a shot of his backpack. It's a little bulky, yes, but no worse than how the book wants you to build it. You can even pull the back part off and it looks a smidge like a riot shield or whatever, if you're so inclined.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-inSh3QFFvw8/TjAWtTxNw9I/AAAAAAAAAKw/wwH_96QB8qo/s1600/prowl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-inSh3QFFvw8/TjAWtTxNw9I/AAAAAAAAAKw/wwH_96QB8qo/s640/prowl2.jpg" width="404" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You get a clear view of his robot ass. Get it? There's a window there, is the joke.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So yeah. Re-arrange his shoulders, which ends up forcing you to rebuild his torso. Shorten his arms by altering his elbows. Ghetto-rig a backpack and reshuffle some of the leg parts, especially the clownshoes. And Bob's your uncle. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6S8J4YSlGY/TjAWy2vV4_I/AAAAAAAAAK4/C0i9hgCfyaw/s1600/prowl+and+jazz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="520" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6S8J4YSlGY/TjAWy2vV4_I/AAAAAAAAAK4/C0i9hgCfyaw/s640/prowl+and+jazz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although you're really just buying these for the Kreons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>With some effort, he's gone from the figure I was most regretful for buying, to pretty much my favourite of the bunch. Yeah, he's a bit less stable now, but I'm blaming that on the crazy-tight joints. <br />
<br />
Oh, and I still hate the stickers. They're required, but the quality on them is poop.<br />
<br />
Anyway, there you go. Prowl!IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-8962583576516782362011-07-05T07:28:00.000-07:002011-07-05T08:32:08.744-07:00Kre-O: The Perfect Storm?I've heard that the last two toys boys stop playing with as they grow up, at least in North America, are <a href="http://www.lego.com/">LEGO</a> and <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_CA/">Transformers</a>. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because each are more technically advanced and interactive than most other toys you could come across, and are therefor slightly more rewarding for the kid. Maybe it's because LEGO has that special European mystique and Transformers has a movie with boobs and guns in it. Either way, they both stick around, and have stuck around, and continue to stick around for large portions of adults. I myself suffer from this two-headed addiction, appealing simultaneously to my unceasing need to fidget and my happy memories of youth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1GVbULoZ6A/ThKNCiZ90XI/AAAAAAAAAJM/PGOdhA5M8e8/s1600/dudes+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1GVbULoZ6A/ThKNCiZ90XI/AAAAAAAAAJM/PGOdhA5M8e8/s640/dudes+1.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This review will be aided by Warpath and Jimmy the Squid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So when I saw that <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/kre-o/en_US/">Kre-O</a>s were a thing, I sorta plotzed. LEGO and Transformers blended into a single heady broth of plastic meaning? Too good to be true. [Yeah, it's happened before, but Built-To-Rule was, as far as toys go, barf-inducing.] These things had all the weight of the years of TF character and history piled up on top of them, on a foundation of LEGO-like constructible fiddliness. <br />
<br />
Let's get some things out of the way first: Is this, I dunno, unfair of Hasbro to be doing? Are they making themselves into a lowly clone brand by ripping off LEGO engineering? Will the quality ever be able to compare to the impossibly high standards that LEGO and its fans have set [standards that LEGO itself doesn't seem to meet all that often anymore]? And do the damn things <i>transform?</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UNK2ceyecHk/ThKNHoqUmdI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/bKTn_XLd6xM/s1600/dudes+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UNK2ceyecHk/ThKNHoqUmdI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/bKTn_XLd6xM/s640/dudes+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Simple answers: no on all counts. Sort of. The parts are made by Oxford, which, sure, is a not-LEGO company and has that taint about it, but it's certainly one of the higher-regarded brands among those able to acknowledge such things. And, really, there's a surprising number of elements that are not standard LEGO designs. [Some definitely are, and some that aren't probably shouldn't be, but take it as it is.] The quality is fine. Not perfect, not even great. I'll go with good. And they don't easily switch from vehicle to robot, although, really, technically they <i>do </i>transform<i>.</i> It just takes a long time.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Anyways, here's a sort of photo-review of the three smaller sets I've gotten, little Bumblebee, little Prime, and Jazz:<br />
<br />
<b>VEHICLE MODES:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-doHt8onVdM4/ThKNpjGIAOI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/foaVUgaWaHI/s1600/prime+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-doHt8onVdM4/ThKNpjGIAOI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/foaVUgaWaHI/s320/prime+1.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i2CmX0_So7Q/ThKNqnqztOI/AAAAAAAAAKA/2xhDDDyeSqI/s1600/prime+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i2CmX0_So7Q/ThKNqnqztOI/AAAAAAAAAKA/2xhDDDyeSqI/s320/prime+2.JPG" width="247" /></a></div><br />
Optimus Prime here is a silly little truck. He does the job, sure, but he's quite small and the shape's sorta wonky. That could be because [if you're <i>really</i> paying attention] you'll notice he's not built to spec there. I've had to free-style it a bit. But that's because the instructions would have you remove the wheels from the hubs from car mode to put on different ones in bot mode, which is extremely difficult. Like, gonna break them difficult. I would not recommend you try. Also, that version above contains all the parts that came in the set [including the head], which is something that will come up again.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cm8Gxkqgnms/ThKM4UuEA-I/AAAAAAAAAJA/5ck5c5P0LQU/s1600/b+car+extras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cm8Gxkqgnms/ThKM4UuEA-I/AAAAAAAAAJA/5ck5c5P0LQU/s640/b+car+extras.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't even fit the headlights <i>anywhere?</i> Really?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here's Bumblebee in his official mode, and the pants-load of extra parts he has. This is a thing [perhaps THE thing] that irks me about these sets. I don't mind the not-transforming, but make it so each model uses as many parts as possible. Here's a demonstration of how:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwGsFtz8enI/ThKNnTLkTrI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/OjYG4SYhaSU/s1600/mod+b+3+extras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwGsFtz8enI/ThKNnTLkTrI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/OjYG4SYhaSU/s640/mod+b+3+extras.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Perhaps not the most graceful, but this look has really grown on me once I decided it's Rally Bumblebee, like the Pike's Peak Escudo. And only the head is left without a home.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d9s3sLyLj28/ThKNeEjKvYI/AAAAAAAAAJs/f0HGlUa2rzk/s1600/jazz+car+extras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d9s3sLyLj28/ThKNeEjKvYI/AAAAAAAAAJs/f0HGlUa2rzk/s640/jazz+car+extras.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Jazz [who, yes, is silver and not white] has an okay design. He's kinda chunky, and some of the lines don't quite mesh, but he's the only car of the lot that can fit a driver. But, in essence, it has that Jazzy quality you'd want. Although the stripes are doing most of the work. Again, the car's been slightly modified to put more pieces into the model [I couldn't get them all in, but I didn't try very hard], and you can also see a terrible thing in the original design: that thing across the top of the door. What's the deal with that? Dude had some serious troubs getting into and out of the vehicle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BIJZZsCtnTU/ThKNbtN-6JI/AAAAAAAAAJo/qbBGD0pI4NQ/s1600/jazz+car+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BIJZZsCtnTU/ThKNbtN-6JI/AAAAAAAAAJo/qbBGD0pI4NQ/s640/jazz+car+2.JPG" width="558" /></a></div><br />
You'll be happy to know [maybe] that LEGO Minifigures have little trouble piloting the vehicle. Compatibility was promised, and delivered. <br />
<br />
Jazz features an important element as well: Kreons. Now, "kreon" sounds like an insult a smart person would level at me that I wouldn't understand, but I've grown to accept it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eDQgBuD2RsI/ThKNhSbKW0I/AAAAAAAAAJw/nnDdEF0ANlE/s1600/kreons+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eDQgBuD2RsI/ThKNhSbKW0I/AAAAAAAAAJw/nnDdEF0ANlE/s640/kreons+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Figure parts are generally interchangeable, although I'd be careful putting Kreon headpieces on minifigures, as the head stud seems a bit bigger and they threaten to stay there forever. You can see how much more poseable the Kreons are, too, but that's sort of a nice it's there but isn't necessary thing. In that it's nice it's there, but isn't necessary.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hoVYH2obWcs/ThKNk1SihcI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Qh4_Q_tQMMI/s1600/kreons+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="524" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hoVYH2obWcs/ThKNk1SihcI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Qh4_Q_tQMMI/s640/kreons+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have no trouble stealing LEGO vehicles too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So here they all are for, you know, size comparison:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmVNzWu2D0Y/ThKM-nYAaJI/AAAAAAAAAJI/ONCnONPL7Yc/s1600/cars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmVNzWu2D0Y/ThKM-nYAaJI/AAAAAAAAAJI/ONCnONPL7Yc/s640/cars.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>ROBOT MODES:</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_rcqDwgC9xI/ThKMyoAuQtI/AAAAAAAAAI4/HU0cmaNRgAA/s1600/b+bot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_rcqDwgC9xI/ThKMyoAuQtI/AAAAAAAAAI4/HU0cmaNRgAA/s640/b+bot.JPG" width="496" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The designers spent an extra<i> six weeks</i>, but could not figure out a place to put that piece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xfT27hDwFOY/ThKM1uKQucI/AAAAAAAAAI8/UqZNdvTYycA/s1600/b+bot+mod.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="618" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xfT27hDwFOY/ThKM1uKQucI/AAAAAAAAAI8/UqZNdvTYycA/s640/b+bot+mod.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Bumblebee is cute. He does the job, he's just the right size that you're okay with the level of articulation, and with some easy flips and swaps he uses all the parts and looks good doing it. Both models [this and car] are easy and fun, and you can keep them as is or challenge yourself to make him better.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--zlzePP-YnA/ThKNUOGKFAI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Ob-WT3xQPuk/s1600/jazz+bot+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--zlzePP-YnA/ThKNUOGKFAI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Ob-WT3xQPuk/s640/jazz+bot+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Jazz is a bit of a different story. He's bigger, and about half of his bot mode looks great. His chest and back parts and arms [for the most part] are slick, but his legs are so... stiff. He's big enough that the lack of knees is very apparent. He also comes with a butt-ton of unused bits...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-72UjqE1xDCg/ThKNW4XEkAI/AAAAAAAAAJg/JgyZUe9uuro/s1600/jazz+bot+extras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-72UjqE1xDCg/ThKNW4XEkAI/AAAAAAAAAJg/JgyZUe9uuro/s640/jazz+bot+extras.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: a butt-ton.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
...which are frustrating, because had they been smaller elements, they could have been incorporated into the robot better. This sorta planning needs to enter into future releases of these toys. Also, Jazz has some really egregious aligned plate-on-plate building, which makes taking each model apart to build the other one a total pain in the ass. That's the sorta thing LEGO seems to avoid, but then they've had 50 some odd years to figure that out.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ckj-mRVx41s/ThKNY90kC5I/AAAAAAAAAJk/XHefYcYqXrY/s1600/jazz+bot+mod.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="616" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ckj-mRVx41s/ThKNY90kC5I/AAAAAAAAAJk/XHefYcYqXrY/s640/jazz+bot+mod.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jazz, using every piece on the set. That's, like, a big gun or something.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And Prime.... well, Prime is a little goofy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QFahR7UZf4s/ThKM7ZXcrpI/AAAAAAAAAJE/znKlSqqR2fY/s1600/bots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QFahR7UZf4s/ThKM7ZXcrpI/AAAAAAAAAJE/znKlSqqR2fY/s640/bots.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can one of you pick up that quarter on the ground? No? Not a knee among us?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>His lankiness is what wrecks it, because otherwise he's pretty solid for a tiny set. But, man, those hips are <i>weird.</i> Again, as always, I've futzed with it to give him a gun of sorts, and implement all the pieces into a single model. Nothing major, of course, mostly just moving little bits around.<br />
<br />
<b>IN CONCLUSION:</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FXP_0IRSv6M/ThMZLtL58VI/AAAAAAAAAKI/bnhMI-V54gA/s1600/warpath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FXP_0IRSv6M/ThMZLtL58VI/AAAAAAAAAKI/bnhMI-V54gA/s320/warpath.JPG" width="320" /></a>Warpath says: They're interesting versions of characters you know and love blending elements from different universes into a newish but still familiar shape. They aren't perfect, especially the proportions and articulation, but being that they're building sets, they invite you to improve them [which you can, in most cases]. And that's something Transformers of the past don't offer outside of using knives and paint. The heads are <i>great</i>, the stickers are <i>junk.</i><br />
<br />
Kreons [<i>blurg</i>] are cute, but stop bothering with the human versions, unless you make them transparent so as to be hologram drivers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Op-F8LoA8o4/ThMY7I68ZTI/AAAAAAAAAKE/w7JlwLHkC64/s1600/jimmy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Op-F8LoA8o4/ThMY7I68ZTI/AAAAAAAAAKE/w7JlwLHkC64/s320/jimmy.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>Jimmy the Squid says: nice attempt at a new thing, but sorta not <i>enough</i>. Some very amateurish designs combined with some very clever designs make me sorta confused about my official opinion. The lack of effort into fully incorporating all elements is a big sticking point.<br />
<br />
The stickers are <i>junk.</i> The human Kreons aren't nearly as charming as Minifigures, but the robot Kreons work really well, where the unusual arm and head designs make more sense.<br />
<br />
Brick-built figural stuff is something LEGO doesn't really do very often, so that's where these can fit for a LEGO fan. These three vehicles are nowhere near the refinement of LEGO sets of similar size, but the bigger sets show some interesting stuff that may be worth investigating.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Final Verdict:</b><br />
If you're excited about these, you've probably already gotten them. If you're on the fence, <i>definitely </i>get Bumblebee and see how you feel. They are unquestionably the red-headed stepchild of Transformers and LEGO, but that doesn't mean they can't be fun to have around.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qgV-8aFb3C4/ThKNLH7q9eI/AAAAAAAAAJU/sJggqb84FJ8/s1600/dudes+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qgV-8aFb3C4/ThKNLH7q9eI/AAAAAAAAAJU/sJggqb84FJ8/s640/dudes+3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-14274683362473707902011-06-17T06:19:00.000-07:002012-12-04T13:01:45.151-08:00Wanna read a good comic book? Me too, sometimes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So the whole process of creating a comic out of pictures of LEGO is proving to be far more work than I planned [especially when I haven't had the time to, you know, actually try to even start]. I still want to do it, don't you know. It just... may be on indefinite hiatus. So, yeah.</div>
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Anywho, Dree and I started watching <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E00n2qRiIyQ/TfzUsP7P8AI/AAAAAAAAAI0/l3UulzQnph4/s1600/bill.jpg"><i>Freaks and Geeks</i></a> again, and it makes me sad and happy and sad, because it's such a good show that, with each joyful minute, is one minute closer to being over, again. Only 18 episodes is a travesty, man. But hey! Speaking of stuff that never got a chance to develop, I've decided to go ahead and post the colouring book edition of the first book of my epic, loved-by-few and known-by-fewer graphic opus, <a href="http://archive.zeros2heroes.com/content/comic/view/id/505939" target="_blank"><b>ALMA: Jumbo the Elephant</b></a>. Click to see nicer, bigger versions. If you have the inclination, try your hand at colouring, but I'm only allowing the use of crayon.</div>
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IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-54574200173818146262011-05-27T15:25:00.000-07:002011-06-01T11:16:25.569-07:00The start of something I'm unlikely to finish!I had the pleasure of working on <i>Nightmare on Elm Street 3</i> yesterday, and an episode of <a href="http://humordistrict.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/hqdefault.jpg"><i>Community</i></a> today. So I've been both busy <i>and</i> in a good mood, neither of which really move me to write anything down in the interweb. So here I was without anything much to be angry about and only one childish photo to post. And that's no good. No good at all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endlessly clever.</td></tr>
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Aside: See <a href="http://www.73shelves.com/wp-content/plugins/rss-poster/cache/eff58_Hanna.jpg">Hanna</a> if you get the chance. Honestly, it's friggin' fantastic. And don't take my word for it; the three old ladies behind us loved it too.<br />
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Anyway, back to this: I got inspired by the last thing I blogged about, the whole comic book I'm still somewhat gray on whether I can talk about or not. So I thought.... hows about I make an entirely new comic, on here? I mean, I got, like, three other corkers in the vault, ready to be thrust upon the unexpecting public. I could, you know, use one of those, and my LEGO photo thing, and, you know... meld 'em or whatever. How much work, <i>really,</i> would it take?<br />
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Turns out a lot. But hey, I'm gonna try. I'm gonna play it real close to the vest, though, to keep you excited. But you've come this far, so I'm gonna give you a little taste. Just a <b>hint</b>! A teaser photo, and... hell, the first page. 'Cause I like you so much.<br />
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Oh! I just remembered a good anecdote! Not much time now, but here's the super-short version: Dree put some shoes up on Kijiji to sell 'em, and she finally got a reply... and I'd bet dollars to donuts that the person replying was a foot fetishist. I mean, who buying shoes online requests more photos of the shoes on feet, because "I like seeing the shoes on feet"? Perverts, all of them.<br />
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So yeah, page one:<br />
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</div>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-63808125909065124792011-05-17T07:39:00.000-07:002011-05-17T08:20:01.138-07:00So hey, remember that comic I wrote?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Yeah, I wrote a comic a while ago, and was thinking about it lately. It was published through <a href="http://www.z2hmedia.com/">Zeros2Heroes.com</a>, which was an exciting little think-tank sorta deal, that in the heady winter of 2007 ran a sequence of contests [if you can call them that], whereby those pitches vetted by the community got produced as real life [cyber]comics. Above is a pin-up, I guess you'd call it, by the artist assigned to the project, <a href="http://www.devilminer.com/">Miguel Lopez.</a><br />
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It was all pretty rad, really. Only the first part of the four-part story was made, but it was made better than I thought it could have been made, so that's cool. If you can navigate the viewer and haven't been badgered by me into reading the finished book already at some point in the last 3 years, you can see it here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.almajumbo.com/"><b>ALMA: Jumbo the Elephant, Chapter One</b></a> <br />
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So this blog originally contained all the pages of the book, the pre-inked variety, 'cause I <i>love</i> those versions. The inks and colours are lovely, don't get me wrong, but the raw pencils are just... I dunno. I can't explain it, really. <br />
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But then I remembered I'm not exactly the official owner of these pictures, so maybe I shouldn't just go putting up the images without, you know, being allowed to. There's contracts to consider, y'all. I'm keeping the above picture because I don't know if it was ever officially published, and while at the time it didn't fit my rigid vision of what the book should be, looking at it now, it's pretty badass. Plus, I need <i>some</i> picture in this thing.<br />
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Now, if I get the go ahead from the higher-ups, I do hope to be able to post the Colouring Book Edition of ALMA, so if you're having trouble [or crippling disinterest] in reading the book through the above, proper channels, I may be able to provide it to you here as well. We'll see, though. <i>Stay tuned.</i><br />
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Oh, and might I add: Not a single mention of LEGO. That's maturity, man.IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-91464638237377113992011-05-09T07:23:00.000-07:002011-05-09T07:23:01.232-07:00Sweet LegitimizationAs I wait for work to download, as well as twiddle my thumbs until the FedEx guy delivers a wonderful shipment of LEGO I recently purchased in a small fit of madness, I got an email from my dad that I'm taking as a sign that he has now officially blessed this current infantile obsession as an A-OK thing. So, hey, that's neat!<br />
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He sent this, from an as-yet-unidentified magazine:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's, like, a commentary, man.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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I looked up Jan Vormann on the internets, and <a href="http://www.randomspecific.com/illuminating-urban-imperfections">here's another, better and more mature blog</a> from almost exactly a year ago talking about the same dude, and if you're super-psyched about this sorta thing, <a href="http://www.dispatchwork.info/">here's his project's official website</a>.<br />
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Dree and I are planning to go to New York again, and one of the main things I was concerned about [if I had to invent something to be concerned about] is that this trip didn't as yet really have a <i>hook.</i> We went mad with pop culture last time, hunting down locations and such. Would we just do that again? No, no we won't. I will now go hunting for <a href="http://www.dispatchwork.info/new-york/">LEGO in nature</a>. Expect a full report on it in... about five months.IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-80825664165225709022011-04-28T16:28:00.000-07:002011-04-28T18:10:19.910-07:00I mutter like a HoboI don't really want you to think I only come on here and bitch and moan about stuff. I'm sure, some day, I'll have something super-positive to tell you, that'll just brighten the hell outta your day.<br />
<br />
But not yet. For now I'm MAD! Grraaaaaggh!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-besnqklQ_AU/TbnzhZZQF5I/AAAAAAAAAG8/Ye1w-lzFX3I/s1600/rage+monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="548" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-besnqklQ_AU/TbnzhZZQF5I/AAAAAAAAAG8/Ye1w-lzFX3I/s640/rage+monster.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My opinion is the monster and the criminal is popular culture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I think for, like, my 6 readers [if I can call you that], I'm sorta your source for a very narrow, nichey band of nerdliness. But you need to know this stuff. It's important.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
But yeah, so<i> The Hobbit</i> is being filmed, and while I'm sure it's gonna be the bee's knees, it's also apparently being filmed in this newfangled way that's gonna redefine the genre and explode MINDS and shit. Fast fact: movies are [generally] filmed and/or shown at 24 frames a second. Peter Jackson, in all his shoeless Kiwi wisdom, has decided that's just bupkis, man. So he's filming it at 48 frames a second. Why, you ask? I dunno, 'cause it costs more?<br />
<br />
Apparently, it'll make the image crazy sharp and motions all silky fluid and your eyeholes are gonna cry about how wonderful it all is. By dropping the motion blur and totally, like, <i>jacking</i> the realism of it. Or whatever.<br />
<br />
And I... I dunno. I fear it. I am genuinely afraid. I think it's largely because I'm scared it's gonna look like super-HD TVs look when they're on display at Future Shop, which is <b><i>terrible.</i></b> I've never quite been able to pin down why they look bad, but I think [think] it's the 120 htz option, which [wait for it] makes the image all crazy clear by removing the motion blur. But it ends up doing... something. It's hard to explain. It separates the fields in the image and makes stuff look like it's floating atop a rear layer. Everything looks like a video game. And it makes me sad. And now the movie I've been most excited about for the past, like, decade has me in fits. Fits, I tell ya.<br />
<br />
So we'll have to wait to see how this ends up, because there's still a hell of a long time before the movie[s] come out. And that's not even mentioning the 3D aspect of it, which is like, uh, burning acid. To the brain!<br />
<br />
Not really. That was more of a segue for this bit of goofishness.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlJzBAwBQDQ/TbnzjttURRI/AAAAAAAAAHA/5e-_TuYwFds/s1600/it+burns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlJzBAwBQDQ/TbnzjttURRI/AAAAAAAAAHA/5e-_TuYwFds/s640/it+burns.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, the acid is 3D.......and the mustachioed man is... my spirit? Either way, something died inside.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
PS <i>Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen </i>was as entertaining as little babies crying right in your earholes for a couple days, but the trailer for <i>Dark of the Moon</i> just came out. And it looks pretty badass! <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/transformersdarkofthemoon/">Check it out! </a>Say what you will, but Michael Bay makes a hell of a movie trailer.IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-31992008699123226322011-03-31T14:19:00.000-07:002011-03-31T14:19:26.439-07:00Something to think about!Winter's more or less over. Weather's getting nicer. I saw the Summerhill Market guy cooking burgers for the first time this season. They are, and I'll go on record with this, one of the better and cheaper burgers you're gonna find in this town. I get fat in the summer.<br />
<br />
But it reminded me of something better demonstrated through the following photoplay.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b> A Cautionary Tale</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YcjPwmFzL34/TZTu04YmUtI/AAAAAAAAAGw/y4Vw00meJAU/s1600/hotdog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YcjPwmFzL34/TZTu04YmUtI/AAAAAAAAAGw/y4Vw00meJAU/s640/hotdog1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-efp78YFLwbw/TZTuzulweYI/AAAAAAAAAGs/ryFDFXtEzAg/s1600/hotdog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-efp78YFLwbw/TZTuzulweYI/AAAAAAAAAGs/ryFDFXtEzAg/s640/hotdog2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
There's a reason Dree won't have street meat anymore.<br />
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Happy Spring, everybody.IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-67465414837683322252011-03-29T08:17:00.000-07:002011-03-29T12:48:23.444-07:00New York and Movies and such and such.So yeah, I haven't been doing this blog thing much lately. Like I said back at some other time, my productivity here is inversely proportionate to my workload. It's like math, in a way. Each blog I've posted represent hundreds of dollars I wasn't making. So if you've been hoping and praying for more nuggets of my slightly inaccessible wisdom, thanks for wishing poverty on me. Jerkbag.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, unless my understanding of the point of, like, <i>everything</i> is off, working is good because you get some money and you can use that money to get stuff and do things. And we [being Dree and myself] are in the pre-prep stages of another trip to New York, because, and not to sound like a fanboy or anything, New York is better than anything ever. Best jerky coffee, best ridiculously huge bagels. And that's just breakfast. I'm sure there's other stuff too. I dunno. That's why we're going back. For lunch.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UinncGFriY/TZHwRxr4fqI/AAAAAAAAAGk/72tCtCDbAaI/s1600/conchords+real+life.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UinncGFriY/TZHwRxr4fqI/AAAAAAAAAGk/72tCtCDbAaI/s400/conchords+real+life.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you don't recognize these buildings, watch better TV.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Sidebar: a while ago, while I had time and was bored, I downloaded a thing that lets you make virtual LEGO. It's equal parts awesome and existentially depressing. I think I already talked about it. Anyway, I wanted to make a big fancy playset for LEGO men based on the above locations. I think it's as done as it's ever gonna get within the restrictions of the program. I never finished making little beds and other obsessive doll house stuff for the inside, so you just get to see the outside.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctvEqOxvPn4/TZHwROeM7CI/AAAAAAAAAGg/PFa35om8zSI/s1600/Conchords.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctvEqOxvPn4/TZHwROeM7CI/AAAAAAAAAGg/PFa35om8zSI/s640/Conchords.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wanna buy me the above set? $200!</td></tr>
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That's enough of that. Anyway, in preparation, we're getting New York into our collective subconsciouses by prepping a list of movies that are really New York or whatever. We watched <i>Cloverfield</i> [although the whole damn thing was filmed in LA. Liars.] We watched<i><i> The Royal Tenenbaums. </i></i>We've been watching more <i>Seinfeld</i> lately. And local theatres must have picked up on our vibes, because in the last few weeks we've managed to catch a few fundamentals on the big screen, which is cool. Anything, no matter what, is better in a theatre. And they were movies that, perhaps embarrassing to admit as a film studies goon, I'd never seen before: <i>Rosemary's Baby</i> and<i> Taxi Driver</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Is it okay to like Polanski after that whole, you know, thing? Whatever even happened to that? Is he still in Switzerland? Was he <i>ever</i> in Switzerland? I'm on the internet and could look it up right now, but the irony of our modern times is that igonorance is like a drug now. When info is so easy to get, not having it feels... special. Blah, I'm rambling.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-trAVjT4VPcI/TZHwVNXRMRI/AAAAAAAAAGo/K55CNROn_F4/s1600/Rosemary%2527s+Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-trAVjT4VPcI/TZHwVNXRMRI/AAAAAAAAAGo/K55CNROn_F4/s640/Rosemary%2527s+Baby.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All are witches. Especially Naked Santa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I liked this movie. It was... tonally inconsistent perhaps, but I think Polanski always sorta thought he was making comedies, regardless of the genre. Either way, it wasn't <i>oozing </i>New Yorkishness, but they did have a kick-ass apartment. <br />
<br />
And secondly, <i>Taxi Driver</i>. For some reason I've seen a distressingly low number of Scorsese movies, but I'm gonna correct that. Especially if we're supposed to be watching New York movies. Anyway, stuff I learned from this movie:<br />
<br />
A] Big Bobby D was a wiry little dude back when.<br />
B] Harvey Keitel's version of a pimp is really what all slimey movie pimps should be.<br />
C] Cybill Shepard was <i>hot</i>, yo.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1KZ6vBUK8A/TZHwQRCE6dI/AAAAAAAAAGc/vL67LMikhXA/s1600/Taxi+Driver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1KZ6vBUK8A/TZHwQRCE6dI/AAAAAAAAAGc/vL67LMikhXA/s640/Taxi+Driver.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LEGO bloodbath = comedy gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-26533562068002756712011-02-18T13:19:00.000-08:002011-02-18T13:19:00.762-08:00Patting myself on the back for a job well done!This is gonna be a good ol' fashioned grownup blog with absolutely no LEGO pictures in it. Can you imagine? I'm nervous, I'm not gonna lie to ya. But I'm gonna steam ahead.<br />
<br />
Mostly, see, I was watching the THOR trailer, which looks pretty badass, right up until that "In 3D!" fart to the face at the end. I'm not a fan of 3D, if you'd missed that. <a href="http://iamwillgibson.blogspot.com/2011/01/now-in-glorious-3d.html">You can look here if it pleases you.</a><br />
<br />
And that sorta stuff just dries my gravy!<br />
<br />
So I went looking, and it seems there are people, real smartie-pantses, who seem to be on my side. Have a look for yourself if you want at Ebert's article from January 23rd, featuring a real couple of zingers about why my brain<i> isn't </i>dumb for rejecting 3D, even if the glasses make my look like that awesome chick who served me a coffee with a snarl.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html">Here's the link to the article.</a> <br />
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It's got Walter Murch explaining biologically why I'm right. But he also does so theoretically at the end, which is good 'cause if you strip away the goobery stuff offa my diatribe, he and I line up pretty well. He says it better, obviously. But he wrote a book that I had to read in college, so that should be expected.<br />
<br />
Here's a good quote, if you yourself didn't bother to look at the article:<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"And lastly, the question of immersion. 3D films remind the audience that they are in a certain "perspective" relationship to the image. It is almost a Brechtian trick. Whereas if the film story has really gripped an audience they are "in" the picture in a kind of dreamlike "spaceless" space. So a good story will give you more dimensionality than you can ever cope with."</i><br />
<br />
Yeah, Walter.<i> </i>Yeah.<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WMfXYWLAAA/TV7hUokZL6I/AAAAAAAAAGY/BTJ7NQt4rC0/s1600/Movie+screening.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WMfXYWLAAA/TV7hUokZL6I/AAAAAAAAAGY/BTJ7NQt4rC0/s640/Movie+screening.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I lied.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i><br />
</i>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-62553992903927595942011-02-15T11:05:00.000-08:002011-02-15T11:25:49.937-08:00Maybe this'll be a monthly thing?So I started doing this to keep myself busy while work decided if I was worth paying or not, and then it went and got busy on me and I've stopped doing this. So to whoever is out there that is eager for more of my freshy-squeezed mindberries, I apologize, and I'll try to work less in the future. Here's an unrelated picture for your troubles.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5qh5huFfnI/TVrHSyE8PEI/AAAAAAAAAGI/qmGcFrRAmp8/s1600/Murray.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5qh5huFfnI/TVrHSyE8PEI/AAAAAAAAAGI/qmGcFrRAmp8/s640/Murray.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What for, making me look like King of the Dicks?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Also, it's sort of hard to reflect upon human nature through the lens of my own experience [or whatever the hell it is I'm doing here] when I'm busy not experiencing anything. As I already said, I've been busy with work, and there's really no good movies to watch, and I hardly leave the house. Especially this week, while I've been <strike>milking </strike>nursing a particularly chunky and unapologetic cold. But what have I missed?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Superbowl: Didn't watch it. I believe I spent the evening watching <i>White Oleander</i>. Plus, BEP sucks enough to stay far, far away.<br />
<br />
Grammys: Didn't watch it. I thought music was dead anyways, right? I mean, once BEP wins "Best Anything" you really gotta cash in your chips.<br />
<br />
And that seems to be that. I HAVE been watching a whole bunch of <i>Dexter</i> lately, and lemme tell you, if you haven't seen it, you haven't seen it. It's a damn fine show, but it does indicate to me how far behind the curve I am, what with it having been available for a good 4 years or so. And here I was during the first season all proud as beans that I'd concluded that Dexter was supposed to represent a superhero, and does so in pretty much every way right down the line [like how I'd cracked the code that Dr. House was Sherlock Holmes, way back when that show was new and interesting]. Dexter is Superman, see. But while I was patting myself on the back for this brilliant observation, they go and make it totally obvious in the second season by plopping him into a nerd store with comics and Heroclix and chubby fellows and everything. So the first thing I'm gonna do when I get my time machine fixed is go back 5 years and post this observation the night of the show's premier. I'll be the toast of Blogosphere 2006.<br />
<br />
I was originally planning on segueing the nerd-store reference into an essay about being a nerd and buying toys and discussing the psychology of collectibility or whatever, but now that I'm here that seems really boring. Still, I took pictures yesterday, so I probably shouldn't waste them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJDQyRcMRg/TVrHZvNRAnI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/yveXI3sHUfU/s1600/collectibles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJDQyRcMRg/TVrHZvNRAnI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/yveXI3sHUfU/s640/collectibles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethnic diversity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
That there is a picture of LEGO Collectible Figures Series 1 through 3. Did I have anywhere to go with that? Not really. I think I was pretty much just bragging that I had them all. So... yeah. Be impressed now.<br />
<br />
Although while preparing that, it did make me dig out all the LEGO dudes I have at the apartment, which isn't all of them that I own, but it's most of them. And this picture was born. See, it's supposed to be that scene from <i>Gone With the Wind.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j72AnTA76uY/TVrHb4qFudI/AAAAAAAAAGU/d4kG-NuEs10/s1600/gone+with+the+wind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j72AnTA76uY/TVrHb4qFudI/AAAAAAAAAGU/d4kG-NuEs10/s640/gone+with+the+wind.jpg" width="516" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's pretty clear I've never seen <i>Gone With the Wind.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Oh! Right. <i>Jeopardy.</i> They've got Ken and Brad, the winningest players in the history of the Great Game, playing against a computer? Whaaa? My instincts are to rant about how this is the first public showcase of Skynet's eventual takeover, if that weren't so hackneyed and easy a joke. Also, and they've only gotten through one round, but Watson [the computer] is pretty clearly kinda dumb [and apparently a Beatles fan]. Although that doesn't make having him as our inevitable robotic overlord any more pleasant.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jTvJa8_-IyI/TVrHWMJomOI/AAAAAAAAAGM/XhOuwvTqQwU/s1600/Robo-Jeopardy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jTvJa8_-IyI/TVrHWMJomOI/AAAAAAAAAGM/XhOuwvTqQwU/s640/Robo-Jeopardy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plus, the whole thing is a shameless hour-and-a-half IBM commercial.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-8331219498995022742011-01-10T11:08:00.000-08:002011-01-10T12:45:14.793-08:00Looks like you got caught Oscar baiting.My opinions are coming fast and furious lately, but this one should be shorter and theoretically more focused. I'm going to limit the topics today to two things. A] the name of the blog, which has changed, and B] Movie award season.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPNg6_XBI/AAAAAAAAAFs/Qj17uRo8JuY/s1600/carpet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPNg6_XBI/AAAAAAAAAFs/Qj17uRo8JuY/s400/carpet.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High-quality photo editing available for a nominal fee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
A]<u> The name of the blog has changed.</u><br />
I guess I could pretty much leave it at that, really. It was originally "A Fart In The Wind" which, while crude, was supposed to represent how I feel about blogs. Which is that they're about as consequential as said hypothetical fart in said hypothetical wind. However, the charm of it lasted about as long, so I've altered it. The current title is a placeholder until I can think of a better one, but it's just ironic enough that it'll do. For now. Suggestions welcome, of course. <br />
<br />
B] <u>The Oscar season is the Oscar reason.</u><br />
Dree and me saw not one but two movies this weekend, and as far as I know [I'm a little out of the loop] both are generally held as Oscar material. Because my opinion on the Oscars ranges somewhere between mild ambivalence and outright disgust [depending largely on the types of dips being served while I'm watching the event], I couldn't tell an Oscar-worthy movie from a hole in my ass. Still, here are thoughts.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Black Swan</b></i><br />
I already talked about this one, but here's a recap and an expansion: Natalie Portman is intense, and the movie is very lovely and spooky and effective. However, I feel that the conceit is sort of goofy if you think about it too long, so maybe avoid that. Just enjoy the creepiness of the look and the performances, and be happy in the feeling that because it's about ballet, it's making you more classy, even while people are pulling their skin off. Or... are they?<br />
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<i><b>True Grit</b></i><br />
There's something about the Coen Brothers that makes me somewhat... unwilling. I don't know what it is or where it comes from and I can't explain it. Examining and deconstructing it just sort of makes it worse. I know that those movies they've made that I've seen, I've always really, really liked. <i>The Big Lebowski</i> remains a favourite, being one of the few movies to directly influence my drinking habits [I like my drinks like I like my bread: White and Russian.] And yet I've never seen <i>Fargo</i> or<i> No Country For Old Men</i> and I have no desire to. <i>True Grit </i>seems to have gotten me over the hump, because I wanted in right away. Maybe it's Jeff Bridges. Maybe I just want the Dude back.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPTwgw8qI/AAAAAAAAAF0/p-7Yk7GTb0Q/s1600/True+Grit+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="441" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPTwgw8qI/AAAAAAAAAF0/p-7Yk7GTb0Q/s640/True+Grit+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The patch is on the wrong eye! This blog sucks!</td></tr>
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Well, Rooster Cogburn's got <i>some </i>Dude-like qualities, in that there's a scene where he's just waking up, and he does some good drinking. But besides all that, <i>True Grit</i> is a damn fine movie, and I'll tell you why: Hailee Steinfeld is pretty remarkable. I can't imagine it's easy chewing through a mouthful of that nutty dialogue, but she seems to manage it, and real convincin'-like, too. There's also sexy Matt Damon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPMyxnIuI/AAAAAAAAAFo/VaG4B01ncUU/s1600/True+Grit+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPMyxnIuI/AAAAAAAAAFo/VaG4B01ncUU/s640/True+Grit+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b><i>The King's Speech</i></b><br />
This one was a wild card. I didn't want to see it originally, because, well... I don't know. I'm perfectly suburban in my movie preferences, and this all seems so stodgy and British. But the opportunity arose where viewing it was an option, and in the heat of the moment we took the chance, and I'm glad we did. Even thinking about it now, it feels like it should be a terribly unentertaining film. A middle-aged man who can't speak well publicly learns to speak. In the 30s. But what I was sure would be a drawing-room bore was crisp and sprightly and charming, and dammit if Bertie didn't speak <i>the hell </i>out of that speech. And, really, I learned something [sort of] about the great mystery of the reason for the British Monarchy [which I still don't understand at all]. I feel that, at least in regards to that king at that time, I kind of get it. I think. And if not, at least Geoffrey Rush was entertaining. <br />
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So to recap: See all three movies. Although I say that about every movie I see. So see them all, but maybe in the above order. <br />
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What? I didn't do a picture for <b><i>The King's Speech?</i></b> How could I have forgotten.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPQjtLhAI/AAAAAAAAAFw/YF5yLVhQ-Js/s1600/Prince+Albert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TStPQjtLhAI/AAAAAAAAAFw/YF5yLVhQ-Js/s640/Prince+Albert.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: Prince Albert.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I am officially the first and only person to have made the above joke [<span style="font-size: xx-small;">citation needed</span>].IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-45025791563894401762011-01-07T08:42:00.000-08:002011-01-10T12:40:21.604-08:00Here's what you missed: Nugs, Chillin', and GrindageIt's a new year and here's a new blog for you reader[s] out there. Seeing as how I tend to lean pretty heavily on the LEGO stuff, I was gonna basically just rattle off all the new sets I got for and around Christmas, but I feel that would be terribly uninteresting for pretty much everyone. Suffice it to say I got some <i>mustard</i> stuff, though. And that may well be all I say about that. For now. <br />
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Here are some movie opinions, because there seems to be a rash lately of better-than-average films out there. I'm sitting here listening to the <a href="http://www.stopthenoise.fr/2010/11/23/la-bo-du-film-tron-legacy-realisee-par-les-daft-punk-est-deja-disponible-en-leak-sur-internet-streaming/">TRON soundtrack</a> rather than buying it, because I am cheap. And besides, it's computer music, and it feels only fitting I should listen to it exclusively via the computer. However, I have yet to see the movie for which the music is meant to accompany, and I'm not sure where in relation to the fence I sit regarding that. I know I really wanted to, though. I DID see Black Swan, and it is a movie you should stop reading this and go see. Natalie Portman has always been hot, but she seems hottest at her craziest, and she is coco for kookoo puffs in this movie. Plus: lady kissing. And there's still True Grit and Barney's Version to see as well. [Sidebar: I went to school with Mordecai Richler's... grand-nephew? Third cousin? They were somehow related, is what I'm saying. So, you know. That.]<br />
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It occurs to me that back in my first post I made the promise of making a habit of discussing three things here: toys, food, and people on the subway being idiots. I've certainly done the first, glossed over the second, and generally neglected the third. Well, hold on to your butts, it's about to get real in here.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Story of My Fight on the Subway</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>and how I went from wrong to right by virtue of being less crazy</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I will be using visual aides for this anecdote. The kids like the pictures, you see. The story today features a cast of thousands, but only two people really matter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2RLf_5VI/AAAAAAAAAFg/YnLdZvXj3lc/s1600/intro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="535" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2RLf_5VI/AAAAAAAAAFg/YnLdZvXj3lc/s640/intro.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see I've sort of been letting myself go lately.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Now, if you've never had the pleasure of riding the Better Way during rush hour, you should know some things. Transit riders in Toronto, from around 4:30 to 7, suddenly start behaving as if they've very recently awoken from anesthesia in a place they've never seen before. They get very slow and very dumb is what that means. I, however, seem to get very fast and uncharacteristically angry. Now, right off the bat, I'll admit that I'm part of the problem. I get Escalator Rage. I'm working towards bettering myself, and it's coming along a day at a time. But it's tough when you're transferring, and you need to get on a subway only going one stop in order to catch a bus that only comes when it wants to and you have about 2 minutes of padding. So there's where my head was at.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2EBnrQCI/AAAAAAAAAFE/Flawza1-CUM/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="576" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2EBnrQCI/AAAAAAAAAFE/Flawza1-CUM/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are stairs and there are escalators. And there are about a million more people.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">The problem as I see it with most subway stations at rush hour, especially at Yonge, is that there are single unidirectional escalators next to a stairway, and the flood of people just sorta gushes all about the place like a broken water main. The lower platform, where I'm coming from, is a fairly limited space. I feel that the primary concern should be to empty the lower zone before refilling it, but people, in their infinite dumbness, don't really think this through. So we get the down escalator pulling people down, and we get the stairway also flooding people down, and the only way out is a slow, gooney single-file line up. This... irks me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2FxxsWnI/AAAAAAAAAFI/GSQLyAC5xr0/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2FxxsWnI/AAAAAAAAAFI/GSQLyAC5xr0/s640/2.JPG" width="596" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not proud to admit that I mutter when angry. I will definitely be a mutterer as an old man.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Like a football player [I think?], I found a slight gap between the crushing downward flow, and the numbing outward creep. And yes, somewhere in there I may have edged my shoulder past a dude. But that remains unproven. I may have also said something angry about the escalators. But that's so unlike me that I don't believe it.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2HKuuX_I/AAAAAAAAAFM/-g9CwrS3kiQ/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2HKuuX_I/AAAAAAAAAFM/-g9CwrS3kiQ/s640/3.JPG" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was also carrying a heavy bag of groceries, I should add.</td></tr>
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I realized my plan was flawed when the down-flow jumped up to two people wide [I guess people are expected to exit the station via the tunnels] and was lamenting this under my breath when I feel a jab in my ribs. Seriously, this guy jabbed and then pushed himself ahead of me. Then he got crabby.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2JsOV4EI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/A9dey-HAcac/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2JsOV4EI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/A9dey-HAcac/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The accent may not be completely accurate.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2Mm_jwRI/AAAAAAAAAFU/t_9y0y9889s/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="514" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2Mm_jwRI/AAAAAAAAAFU/t_9y0y9889s/s640/5.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiery with anger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I'm not exactly big on confrontation, and, you know, the guy was kind of right. I was the pushy asshole on the stairs, and I sort of hate that guy [slightly less than I hate the slow people or the people going down stairs when they have a perfectly functional and directionally-dedicated escalator that I DON'T have the option of taking], but really. His dedication to airing my wrongs in a public forum was having the net effect of slowing everyone down even more. And besides, pushing on the stairs? That's just dangerous, chief.<br />
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So instead of appealing to his sense of logic with sad tales of the rapidly melting hot pockets in my grocery bag, I leveled this zinger at him:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2OuA4sXI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Vz6IT0QPBdA/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2OuA4sXI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Vz6IT0QPBdA/s640/6.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a team of writers helping me come up with this stuff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>He may not have actually heard me though, blinded by righteous indignation as he was. Instead of being right in this situation, he sort of just continued ranting away.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2P72iwuI/AAAAAAAAAFc/x8QMXbVtEow/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TSc2P72iwuI/AAAAAAAAAFc/x8QMXbVtEow/s640/7.JPG" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then he got SERVED in this blog.</td></tr>
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And I totally did miss the subway that was right there, and I totally did miss the bus. If Clownshoes hada let me pass, I totally would have been home a whole<b><i> 20 minutes</i></b> earlier!!<br />
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So was it worth it? I'll let history decide.<br />
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[The correct answer is: No.]IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-34401836815800907312010-12-14T11:59:00.000-08:002011-01-10T12:39:54.444-08:00A Merry Christmas Parable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Christmas is a scant few days away, and my shopping is almost complete. There are a few outstanding issues with stupid-ass <span style="background-color: black; color: black;">[company name withheld to maintain surprise]</span> that need to be resolved for me to really rest easy, but such is life. What's Christmas without some ulcers, right? Anyway, seems the blizzards are keeping work from sending me emails, so I've had another plum cherry day of sitting on my flattening ass, listening to 102.1 <i>The Edge</i> playing the same 4 songs over and over [and over]<i> (and over)</i>. So I thought I'd tell you all a story. Hopefully you'll learn a valuable lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE NAKED SANTA</b><i> </i></span></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>and what became of the disembodied head</i></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-pjHl2wI/AAAAAAAAADo/EZguSBujmKw/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-pjHl2wI/AAAAAAAAADo/EZguSBujmKw/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Naked Santa was an old-fashioned soul. He was respectful of his enemies,</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">especially those as heinous and fearful as Santa Claus. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-rpb9PUI/AAAAAAAAADs/zSS0WGOG2Rk/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-rpb9PUI/AAAAAAAAADs/zSS0WGOG2Rk/s640/2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> So, during the worst storm the frozen North had seen in some many long years,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the Naked Santa and his faithful steed trode off into the friscalating dusklight</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to lay the accursed head of Santa Claus in a safe and hidden place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-teR530I/AAAAAAAAADw/dwxA9I2DDfs/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-teR530I/AAAAAAAAADw/dwxA9I2DDfs/s640/3.JPG" width="640" /> </a>Far off in the lost white reaches was the place</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">all of the Naked Santa's slain enemies had been placed...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-up1D4QI/AAAAAAAAAD0/CuxH_XAMRoY/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-up1D4QI/AAAAAAAAAD0/CuxH_XAMRoY/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...and underneath the unmarked stone, the Naked Santa set to work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-wPwFRoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/bGPJzqtAqnA/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-wPwFRoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/bGPJzqtAqnA/s640/6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Buried low where none may find it, the Naked Santa was confident</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">his ancient enemy had finally been defeated,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">unaware that the puissant Santa Claus had many devoted minions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-xIfgmKI/AAAAAAAAAD8/W_uqf89eBes/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-xIfgmKI/AAAAAAAAAD8/W_uqf89eBes/s640/7.JPG" width="640" /></a>So with unfounded confidence in his unclothed breast, the Naked Santa sped away,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">failing to heed the arrival of the MURDERBEAR, dragging a confused Elf.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-x1Yg9aI/AAAAAAAAAEA/rh335xWlNLU/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-x1Yg9aI/AAAAAAAAAEA/rh335xWlNLU/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The MURDERBEAR was one of Santa Claus' first toys,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a great fluffy beast of bottomless wickedness and moronical devotion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It also knew the secret to reviving Santa Claus,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">should he ever be stricken down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-y4a7vJI/AAAAAAAAAEE/VL_CTC-OEm4/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-y4a7vJI/AAAAAAAAAEE/VL_CTC-OEm4/s640/9.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet, minty Elf blood.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-0D4KnBI/AAAAAAAAAEI/9mwyXXZtI8c/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-0D4KnBI/AAAAAAAAAEI/9mwyXXZtI8c/s640/10.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As the candy-scented fluid seeped into the newly-turned earth,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the MURDERBEAR smiled, then went home for some Panettone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-2NAYGBI/AAAAAAAAAEM/7F7czKcmEdE/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-2NAYGBI/AAAAAAAAAEM/7F7czKcmEdE/s640/11.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> There was a rumbling underground, and the faint jingling of bells.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Somewhere, a reindeer grunted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And Santa Claus was reborn!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-oJ5G-oI/AAAAAAAAADk/OE0WRxpdleU/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQe-oJ5G-oI/AAAAAAAAADk/OE0WRxpdleU/s640/12.jpg" width="553" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> And the moral of the story is clearly that Santa Claus is sorta creepy if you think about it. I mean, sure, he gives you stuff, but he does a terrible amount of breaking and entering to do so, and where does he get off deciding if I'm "good" or "naughty"? It all seems rather fascist to me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, yeah, I'm super slow-beans with this blog thing, so I highly doubt I'm gonna do another one until January. So until then;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!</i></b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQfMWW3cetI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/gOQrgxvqavQ/s1600/yup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TQfMWW3cetI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/gOQrgxvqavQ/s400/yup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is all sorts of festive horrible.</td></tr>
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</div>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2493545246158135932.post-74957495066789664352010-12-06T10:03:00.000-08:002011-01-17T12:26:06.235-08:00Someone's got a case of the Mondays!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello again, and welcome to December. Today is Monday, and it's cold as a witch's teet out there. I'm hiding in the apartment so as to keep all my digits. It's also snowing, which is welcome because snow is good, and this is, like, the 2 week [if you're lucky] period where snow is cute. I'm a big snow fan, but that junk gets old <i>but quick.</i></div><br />
In any case, here's a story: I was all prepped and ready to go to a place called <a href="http://www.snakesandlattes.com/">Snakes and Lattes</a> this weekend. Dree and I learned about it during a temporary paralysis which left us watching the Polish show on CityTV. If the clever name was too obtuse for you, it's a coffee place that is also a games enclave in the Annex [really Koreatown, but the edges are rather nebulous]. Either way, the interview was all this-and-that and what-have-you, when this popped up on the screen:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TP0lmHhDOLI/AAAAAAAAADg/XI5mwWQoJL4/s1600/fireballIsland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TP0lmHhDOLI/AAAAAAAAADg/XI5mwWQoJL4/s400/fireballIsland.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd reached the point where I was sure I'd made this game up.</td></tr>
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I dunno about you, but this game is kind of a big deal. It's a game I had in the halcyon days of my youth, when summers were filled with WOIO and <a href="http://bigchuckandliljohn.com/crazylaugh.wav">Big Chuck and Lil' John</a> and <i>The Fall Guy, </i>and whatever other nostalgic stuff I can come up with. I can't even remember if the game was any good, I just know I loved the pants off of it and it disappeared at some point. Probably during that damn yardsale.<br />
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But yeah, I really wanna play this game again, is what I'm saying. And apparently this place has a copy, and so I decided to go.<br />
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Aaaaaaaaand we didn't go. Eh! What are ya gonna do? I can't say as I have a specific reason for not going, the day just didn't really shake out the right way. Oh well, it'll give me something to look forward to doing in the new year. Assuming the place is still open.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TP0hkRT-9PI/AAAAAAAAADc/Qnz-Be1FCXM/s1600/alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TP0hkRT-9PI/AAAAAAAAADc/Qnz-Be1FCXM/s400/alaska.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I find out they have a copy of this, though, I'm gonna go and steal it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In other news, I tend to avoid YouTube, as the whole subscriber fan thing feels too much like communism to me, and because I don't understand communism, I don't like YouTube. But still, I have to mention a thing I started watching back in, like, October or whatever, which is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/toybreak">ToyBreak</a>. They do toy reviews and make toys and talk toys and all this other fun junk I wish I could do, and one of the things they've done a few times is, tada, review the LEGO advent calendar. Confession: they're sort of the reason I got the one this year. [Not really, though. I'd decided it could be cool already, but they confirmed my suspicions.]<br />
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Either way, I made a rather crude reference to this very blog in a comment on one of their new videos and it was promptly tagged as the spam it probably was. Affronted, I re-posted another comment which also happened to be slightly more valuable, and I was promptly rewarded with this nugget:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TP0SFj1DB6I/AAAAAAAAADY/J-UvH8s6KUE/s1600/props.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SbSd-F9Aj34/TP0SFj1DB6I/AAAAAAAAADY/J-UvH8s6KUE/s400/props.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I deeply apologize for the terrible YouTube handle. Please call me Will.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>See, she's holding the toy crane with the bonus arm that I talked about <a href="http://iamwillgibson.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-am-late-to-internet.html">here</a>. On-screen props AND a forward to the blog. Honors and benefits already at the age of 28. It's all coming together.<br />
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But yeah, in an act of communistic cooperation, feel free to go there and thumb and boost and whatever the hell else it is you're supposed to do on the Toob. I really have no idea.<br />
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Oh right! Now I remember what I did yesterday instead of going to the game place. We went to Value Village and I found an almost complete LEGO set in a bag, with instructions and everything. Madness. And it's a basketball court, which is pretty wacky tabaccy.<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XLvKXYWoYyU?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XLvKXYWoYyU?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Nothing but net. </div>IAmWillGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111643062894973817noreply@blogger.com0