Shadows of a Soul

DC Trip 2007

2007-04-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

I'm out in the DC office helping train the new help desk. Lucky me, I get the night shift. It has it's ups and downs. One of the downsides is that it's very quiet but that's also an upside because it means, if I apply myself, that I can catch up on a few things. I've managed to take care of several things I'd gotten behind on.

I've also managed to make a bit of extra work for myself with my prolific picture taking. I'll take pictures of about anything that catches my fancy. So far I've taken about 700 photographs; not all of them good. I'm working my way through posting them either to my Flickr site or to Osgood's site. I have to (or at least felt I have to) rename them, rotate most of them and crop a few of them.

Working the night shift (9p-6a) has taken some getting used to (I won't be fully used to it even when I'm done) but has been rather useful for being able to visit the museums and monuments since I'm not working when their open. I just have to fit sleeping and eating around all that.

The weather the first few days was incredible. Moderately warm without being hot. Not too cloudy or too sunny. These last two days have been downright cold and I'm starting to wish I'd brought a heavier jacket or a sweater.

ComicCon

2007-03-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I went and did it. Decided to splurge on me and made all the arrangements to got to ComicCon in San Diego. Being a very frugal (ahem, cheap) person I was torn between the converted YMCA with shared bathrooms and generally no niceties but is half a mile from the convention center (looks pretty but was rated pretty low) or another place with a kitchenette that's a touch further away than the last time I went but still on the same trolley line and costs $100 less. The kitchenette (so I can store sandwich makings, saves me much in food costs) and the lower cost finally sold me. Maybe one day I will be in a position to do a nicer hotel that is closer or has shuttle service but I always think about what I could spend that money on (at the Con) instead.

I really enjoyed my last trip to ComicCon. This convention is huge. Last year they had 140,000 people attend over 4 days. They have one auditorium that holds 6000 people. The exhibit hall has booths that are as big as many other local cons whole room.

I'm not much of an autograph person but last time I had kind of wanted to get Stan Lee's autograph because he significantly shaped much of the culture I love. I didn't because the lines were so long and I had wanted to have something appropriate for him to sign (note to self: find that now). If he will be there then I will have him sign something.

Well, enough geeking out for now. Maybe I'll actually start posting again. We'll see. :-)

Miscellaneous Non-Sense

2007-01-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

Since I don't feel like making real posts here's some humorous items from YouTube.

Animator vs. Animation
Delightful animation taking over the computer.

Indian Superman
I am at a loss for words. Our cultures are obviously different. They do like they are having fun.

Indian Thriller
Michael Jackson's Thriller re-done in India.

Star Wars Silent Film

2006-12-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

This is a cute version of Star Wars as a silent film.
Star Wars Silent Film

TKD Updates

2006-11-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy little bee it seems. Finalized the divorce a couple weeks ago but I'm still dealing with all the paperwork to change things over. We have a lot of stuff going on at work with a new floor. I was preparing for my black belt test in Taekwondo and our school was putting on a statewide CKA tournament. So I've been busy.

I tested for my black belt on Sunday, October 22nd.
Here's some pictures from the testing taken by my wonderful girl. I was so exhausted but seem to have done alright. I was especially pleased that I was able to make two of my breaks; three boards with a vertical kick and five concrete tiles with a downward punch.

During the week after the black belt test then I had to study for and test for the CKA judges' test so I could help officiate at OktoberFist, the tournament our school was running. I found that trying to compete at a tournament that we are running and that I am judging was a bit much. Even though it gets complicated, the incentive (paying the entrance fees) for helping judge makes it seem very worthwhile. It was my first time judging and competing at a CKA event.

On Saturday I did manage to win first place in forms and third in sparring. Unfortunately there were not many competitors and so they were almost "gimmes". It's really cool to have won but I prefer to know I've truly earned it. I did get to compete in the Grand Champions for forms but the competition was very good. The musical weapons competitor was incredible.

I also "won" a blackened eye during the sparring. It even knocked my contact out. They were kind enough to stop the match to allow me to go put my lense back in. The black didn't show up until later.

On Wednesday I was officially promoted to a probationary first dan black belt. After a year of remaining active and in good standing I will be a certified first dan black belt. I still have to take the written test for which I am currently studying.

Bodies by Balrog

2006-10-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

Bodies by Balrog is here to help you get fit for the holiday season. With our program you will lose the weight. The pounds are literally flayed from your body. Special breathing classes are also available to assist in maintaining that extended scream.

Meeting our demonic personal training needs since before recorded history.

Geekiness on the Internet

2006-10-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

I recently found this site while reading Monkey's. All the World's a Stage posts these fun little contests where you have to guess the famous artwork or piece of literature. This week one of them was a horror movie in honor of Halloween. I guessed it correctly (using the power of the Internet).

I really do have other things to post but I've been busy preparing for my black belt test and our big tournament. The test was Sunday and it looks like I passed. This coming Saturday is our tournament so now I have to deal with getting ready for that.

Also have a lot of toy stuff to add.

Birthday

2006-10-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind on updates. Been kind of busy living life to actually blog about it.

Had a wonderful birthday. My lovely girl, Ms. Zoot, got me several wonderful things. The first gift was a wonderful small owl with attitude, named Bawq (actually haven't decided how I want to spell it. I may go with Boq like the character from Wicked), who will eventually appear with Osgood.

She also got me the new Weird Al CD, Straight Outta Lynwood and the V for Vendetta DVD. We also went out to dinner on Thursday with Priestess of Nothing and Saturday with my son and family. I am very lucky and happy to have her in my life.

Flickr Pro

2006-09-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Just hit a limit on Flickr so I decided I'm using it enough to pay for a 2 year Pro account.

Sesame Street Personality

2006-09-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them!

You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you

You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil

How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Franken-PC

2006-09-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

My PC had died the other day. A very frustrating thing indeed. I was able to piece together a working laptop from the remains of my dead one and a dead one frpom the office that we had been keeping for parts. I'm glad we hadn't gotten rid of the parts yet even though we don't have that model anymore.

Even after I got the pieces together I then had some problems accessing my hard drive. Probably a driver problem between what I had before and the other bits. All in all I ended up having to downgrade but at least it's working. It took a while and some fidgeling but I got in.

Time to make sure some files are backed up and accessible. Using Windows security sure locked things up.

Obit Meme

2006-09-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Found this on GZ's page.

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Wonderful Springs Weekend

2006-08-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time this past weekend. Spent the weekend in Colorado Springs with my sweetie. My mother had given me a gift certificate for a weekend stay at the Sheraton down there so we figured we'd go and enjoy the sites thereabout.

Saturday morning we went to Cave of the Winds, in the afternoon Garden of the Gods and dinner at the Stage Coach Inn in Manitou Springs. I've heard that our mediocre experience at Stage Coach Inn was out of the ordinary. I'm hoping so.

Sunday we went to the Royal Gorge. Found that my fear of heights is really in super full force. I had a hard time just walking across the bridge. It got so bad I was apparently all pale and clammy and strangers were asking if I was okay. Overall though I had a good time despite the heights.

Updating

2006-07-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I knew it had been a while since I'd updated here but it's been longer than I thought. A whole month. Sometimes it was a case of being too busy and then feeling like what I was going to say is just out of date so why bother kind of thing. Other times I just wasn't in the mood. Sometimes I think it's because I've already talked about what I might post.

Some things that have happened or that I've done.
-My sister just had her baby yesterday. He's a huge ol' beastie and quite adorable. I think my sister is both creative and a bit ofa dork (like I have room to talk). Because her hubby didn't want to name the kid Ron Jr. they compromised and named him Arowen (Say the letters R-O-N).

-I've been helping facilitate photo shoots with stuffies and helping obtain clothing and accessories. I even look at toys and doll clothes to see if they might go with the stuffies as I do my regular toy searching.

-I have been wistfully viewing images from ComicCon and wishing I was there. Maybe next year. I'm going to try for it.

-I've been drawing again and I hope to be able to post some of my stuff soon.

That's all for now mainly because the wireless won't stay up and I'm tired of messing with it.

The Goats

2006-06-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

The goat family has gotten bigger. Gretchen, the goat given to me by my wonderful GirlZoot and made by Priestess of Nothing, has a little brother, Godric, also given to me by my love.

So here I present Gretchen and Godric Gotcher.

I had some fun with Gretchen's last name.

Call Me Names

2006-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Stolen from Priestess of Nothing, who swiped it from a long line of people.

1. YOUR SPY NAME: (middle name and current street)
Paul Julian

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your mom's side, your favorite candy)
Julian Reeses

3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your last name )
K-Ste

4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite colour, a favorite animal)
Purple Owl

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Paul Denver

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
Stegerboo

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
Luap Regilfah

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet's name, the street you grew up on)
Tawny Julian

9. HERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile your dad drives)
The Black Cadilac

As I was completing this I realized that something like this could be used to phish for information to crack accounts, especially since these are just the type of questions they ask for reminder hints.

Toy Report: Marvel Villains

2006-06-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

I've managed to find the new Marvel Legends villains series. No variants yet though. The set contains Pyro, Abomination, Green Goblin, Loki, Blackheart, and Death Strike. The build-a-figure is Onslaught. I like the Loki figure the most. He's just very classic. Don't really know who the heck Blackheart is other than, through some research, that he is the son of Mephisto and apparently he was in a video game. Kind of thinking he doesn't really belong in a Legends set. Maybe the video game made him famous enough.

Books and CDs

2006-06-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I had finished "Black Powder War" by Naomi Novik last week. Of course it is a series and not a trilogy so I have to wait until she finishes writing the next one for my next fix. I've really enjoyed the series so far.

I was going to work on "Wicked" but I didn't have it with me when I finished "Black Powder War" and I thought I probably ought to finish the other series I was working on so I started "The Gates of Sleep" Which is Mercedes Lackey's take on Sleeping Beauty. Since the previous books were retellings of Snow White and Beauty and the Beast I'm wondering if the others in the Elemental Masters series are also retellings of fairy tales. I guess I'll find out as I read them.

I rarely ever buy CDs, in fact I think the four I've bought in recent weeks are the only ones I've purchased in the last 10 years. Mostly I try for used CDs (and books) when I can. In recent weeks I decided to finally pick up some of the Weird Al Yankovic albums I've been wanting to own on CD. I've recently obtained Poodle Hat, Bad Hair Day, Dare to Be Stupid, and Off the Deep End. The last two were replacements for ones I previously had on tape. I already owned Running With Scissors on CD so now I need to fill in the rest of my collection. I have most of them on tape but they need to be replaced.

Loving Surprises

2006-06-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went on a journey of surprises and love that my sweetie, GirlZoot, put together. She placed five gifts around the city; each place being somewhere that as meaning in our relationship. Each gift also came with a card with a clue to the next location. With each gift she showed how much she loves me either by sharing what she was passionate about or by expressing her support and understanding of my passions.

The first gift was presented by Cthulhu and was gift cards for Target and Walmart so I can get the toys I love to collect. Cthulhu then came on the rest of the journey with me. Since she already took excellent pictures of the first two gifts I'm using her photos here. The pictures of the cards are my own so any lack of quality is purely my own fault.

The second gift was found at the home our friend, Priestess of Nothing, who introduced us. The wonderful goat that PoN made came about because of an email where I "waxed poetic" in a vaguely Dr. Suessian fashion and indicated that I wanted to see her even with a goat.

The third gift was found at the Tattered Cover. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that it took me longer than it probably should to figure out where to go (though not too long) and once I got there I was generally clueless as to where to go to find it. As her text message said, "Where would you take a gift?" There I found a copy of her favorite romantic book.

The fourth gift was found at the first of her friends that she ever introduced me to. There I found a block of bass wood that the wood working shop recommended.

The fifth and final gift on this day was found at the park at which we talked about dating as we walked. Being the independent soul that I am I spent some time in walking the route we had walked together attempting to find it without having to ask for help. I didn't find it there but I did find my dear and the final gift after I expanded my search and had texted her for a clue. The fifth gift was a set of colored pencils and a notepad so I can work on my drawing.

Every day I see that I am a lucky man to have such a wonderful woman who loves me. Thank you my dear for a wonderful day.

Toy Report: Kitty Pryde and Warbird

2006-06-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Walmart restocked so I was able to complete the Giant Man series. I found the last two I had been looking for, Kitty Pryde and Warbird. And Giant Man is completed; no more torso-less boy.

I paid the impatience tax on my Wolverine variant that I bought at All C's because I saw that at Walmart for regular price. Oh well. I'm still kind of debating a small scale scalper type attitude in order to support my toy habit. Deciding whether to start occasionally picking up the variants when I find them and then selling them online or to the collector stores I visit.

Warbird looks to be using the same body as Phoenix with a different head sculpt and paint job. Kitty Pryde seems like a familiar sculpt as well but I'm not sure. It seems they are doing this more as they are finishing releasing sets before the license transfers from ToyBiz to Hasbro at the end of the year. Curious what the line will be like after that. The toy collector community seems to feel that distribution will at least be better under Hasbro.

Speaking of Hasbro (not really but it seemed to be a cute segue), I want the holographic Darth Maul that is coming in the next wave of Star Wars figures. That's about the only one in that series I want. It's yet another holographic figure and another figure of a character I like.

Toy Report: Sasquatch and Weapon X

2006-06-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Decided to finally pick up the Sasquatch variant I had been eyeing at Planet Toys. It was still in the store even after a couple visits so I decided it must be for me.

Also got the Age of Apocalypse Weapon X variant so I could have the left hand of Giant Man. Now I've got Giant Man's arms and legs but none of the body yet. Somewhere out there is an amputee Giant Man in need of what I've got. I need Shadowcat and Warbird still to get the main body. I'm hoping Walmart restocks soon.

Books, Magic, Pedicure, and Plaster

2006-06-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

I finished "Thud" by Terry Pratchett last week and then found the third book, "Black Powder War", in the Temeraire series. Enjoying that immensely. Will probably work on "Wicked" and other Gregory Maguire books next since I barely started "Wicked" before I found "Black Powder War". I prefer to finish one series at a time but I've been jumping around a bit partially because of availability of the books.

Since we've been starting to play Magic the Gathering again I thought I'd pick up the latest core set, especially since I found it marked down. It's been near ten years since I've collected or played so most of my cards are old and many are no longer allowed.

Had my first pedicure the other day. That was a different experience and kind of nice. The pumice stone or whatever tickled.

Went to a party recently. While there I had a plaster cast made of my face for an art project this woman is doing. It was a rather claustrophobic experience and one that really brought to light the fact that have some issues about control. There's just something about not being able to see or speak or even feel and only being able to breath out of your nose that just makes me feel very vulnerable. Hmmm, just had a thought as I was typing this that another reason I don't do drugs or alcohol is probably the control factor. In any case, I don't regret doing it I just won't likely be repeating the experience. I am hoping to get a copy of the positive when they're done so I can play with it. Maybe make some molds of my own.

Valentino Cthulu

2006-06-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

My sweetie, GirlZoot, got this adorable Valentino Cthulu for me. He's here wearing his special outfit of red. He's quite cute. (Can one say that about an Elder god such as Cthulu without risking be struck down dead or noodley or something?)

Divorce Ickiness

2006-06-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Since Wednesday I've been on edge because the ex is pushing that I sign the paperwork now. I had been delaying a little bit so I sat down and checked the numbers to see if I could live off of what she proposed. Turns out it would be pretty much impossible unless I put in a lot of overtime which is never guaranteed. I told her I couldn't do it.

She came back with some nonsense including how she thought it was fair. I replied to that this morning indicating some flexibilty but that I couldn't do the amount she wanted. She tried calling at lunch (I didn't answer because I was busy and I really don't want to talk to her). She didn't leave a message (or Cingular is screwed up) and she hasn't replied to the email. I'm just curious and nervous now waiting for the next response.

I've found some mediators that don't require anything up front and hope that I can convince her to go to them with me so we can have an impartial party that knows what they're doing (which we really don't) that will help come up with a plan I can live with for the next 8 years.

Toy Report: Giant Man Series

2006-05-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Marvel Legends - Giant Man series finally came out during the last couple weeks. Mostly it's been a joke finding them. Not all the stores got them at the same time and the selection was usually gone within hours and entirely depleted within days. Unfortunately, I suspect that most of this is due to scalpers. I did manage to get almost everything I was looking for and am hoping that they will be restocking. I doubt they had any idea they would sell so fast. Mainly only looking for the two female figures and a Wolverine variant. Also got the Marvel Legends Face Offs and the lemony yellow Sentry variant.

I was able to find the regular face version of Stealth Beast.

Found Hydroman from the Spider-Man series.

Divorce Proceeds

2006-05-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Looks like the divorce is proceeding. I need to review the paperwork and then we get it notarized and submitted. Wheee!

Books and Grateful Lists

2006-05-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

I finished "Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar" last week and started "Serpent's Shadow", both by Mercedes Lackey. I also just reserved "Thud" by Terry Pratchett and "His Majesty’s Dragon" by Naomi Novik. "His Majesty’s Dragon" looks to be interesting with dragons being a normal part of the Napoleonic wars.

Following the instructions of the lovely Priestess of Nothing I am presenting things I am happy or grateful for.

1) List three things you are grateful for.
2) List three people you are grateful to have in your life.
3) List three things that make you happy.
4) List three things you will do in the next year towards your happiness.

1) Three things I am grateful for:
a) My new life, however I've had to travel to get to it. And the journey is not over.
b) My relationship with a wonderful woman.
c) I'm alive and reasonably well.

2) Three people I am grateful to have in my life:
a) My son
b) GirlZoot
c) Priestess of Nothing

3) Three things that make me happy:
a) My son
b) GirlZoot
c) Playing games, all kinds, board games, RPG, card games, video games

4) Three things I will do in the next year towards my happiness:
a) Live life fully
b) Explore new things
c) Continue with those things that make me happy

Hmm. I noticed a theme. :-) Your turn!!!!

Toy Report - Magneto, Beast, Young Avengers, and Monsters

2006-05-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

I swear that sometimes I'm like a junkie when it comes to toys. Found some more.

Target has started carrying the X-Men series so I was able to get the Magneto and Stealth Beast figures that I figured I wasn't going to get a chance at since the stores that were already carrying the lines had already moved on to series 2. Magneto's pretty cool with his electromagnet and the Stealth Beast is the cat faced version. I want to see if I can find the regular version as well.

While I haven't found the Walmart exclusive, Marvel Legends Giant Man series yet (which is driving me crazy) I did find the Young Avengers and the Monsters boxed sets at Walmart. The Marvel Legends Masterworks hold no interest for me because they're not very well done in my opinion. But they're out too. :-)

The Sexual Experimentation Test

2006-05-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Fledgeling
You scored 17% Experience, 50% Adventurousness, 51% Kinkyness, and 17% Corrupt!

You have started on the path to self discovery. You have tasted the forbidden fruit. Continue to experiment and find all of what is possible. Enjoy your sexuality and learn to fly!

Please remember to rank my test. Thank You

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Experience
You scored higher than 99% on Adventurousness
You scored higher than 99% on Kinkyness
You scored higher than 99% on Corruption

Link: The Sexual Experimentation Test written by LadyLilithDreams on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I don't know what those bars at the end are actually measuring because it sure seems to conflict with the rest of the results.

Toy Report - Marvel and Star Wars

2006-04-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am so eagerly waiting for the Marvel Legends - Giant Man Series to show up in stores in the Denver area. I've been reading reports of them popping up elsewhere around the country and it's just driving me crazy waiting for them here. And with needing a variant to actually completely build Giant Man I'm hoping to find them shortly after they hit the shelves.

The Star Wars Titanium Series Storm Trooper and Bosk figures that I noted in an earlier entry are out now and in my hands. Don't know if they will be doing a set with the "vintage finish" or whether I will collect them as well but knowing me as I do, I probably will get the vintage finish as well.

For my son's developing clone trooper army, I found the regular Star Wars figures of Clone Commander Cody and Commander Scorch--who has, I think, a rather humorous description on the back of the package where it indicates he got his nickname from and accident with the explosives he works with in which his eyebrows and hair were burned off.

I decided not to get the vintage Star Wars collection because the figures are $10 each and I have a hard enough time being willing to pay the $6 for the regular release. The George Lucas Storm Trooper will just not be mine this way.

Other new figures:
Juggernaut
Unmasked Wolverine Variant I like how they did his mask. They really made it look more like he had been wearing it and then removed it. I may try for a closeup later.

Weekends and Books

2006-04-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

So after class on Saturday and before the Sabaki tournament I joined GirlZoot at Cherry Creek state park for a BBQ for the birthday of a friend of her's. I played catch and was kind of surprised that I wasn't as exhausted as I expected. After the BBQ had a short nap before I headed off to the tournament.

Sunday GZ and I had brunch in Cherry Creek (I don't remember the name of the coffee house) and then checked out Tattered Cover for Book and Lover's Day. Mainly they just acknowledge the day and give roses and bookmarks.

I did pick up a few books I had been considering. I enjoy Mercedes Lackey and had a nice discussion of them with a friend of GZ's in which we established that Lackey is kind of like candy. Not a lot of substance but nice to consume. I okay with that. That's usually what I'm looking for in the books I read and the movies I watch. I used to pick up all of Lackey's books as they came out but that became kind of impractical for a while so I just got all the Valdemar books as they were released. As a result I didn't start any of her other series yet. I decided it was time to start on her Elemental Masters series and picked up: "Serpent's Shadow", "Gates of Sleep", and "Phoenix and Ashes". I'll get "Wizard of London" when it hits paperback. After I finish this series I'll check out a couple of her other series. While at TC I also picked up the anthology "Masters of Fantasy" that has a story by Mercedes Lackey.

Toy Report - Balrog Coming Soon to a Me Near You

2006-04-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

According to the Neca Blog the long awaited Balrog is shipping in May so I should see it in June. It's been a long wait and as they say in the announcements a few more weeks won't kill me. I'm just very excited about it. Right now they are working out packaging issues so it doesn't cost so much for shipping due to being such a large box.

Also looking forward to the Walmart Marvel Legends exclusive series which is just now being released in the US. I'll have to start checking the stores. This one may be more challenging since it's only at Walmart and the Build-a-Figure requires 10 pieces, one of which is a variant which are always harder to find. Found the release info at action-figure.com.

TKD Events

2006-04-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like the next two months in Taekwondo are going to be busy. Just updated our site with events for almost every Saturday through mid-June. On top of that we will be doing some overhauling of the testing techniques and instruction tools to make things more consistent. And I should be focusing on preparing for my own black belt testing this summer probably.

Exciting Times

2006-04-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

...Not really.

Spent the day in our Colorado Springs office upgrading BlackBerries. On the way home I made my usual toy tour, stopping at all the likely shops to see if I could find some of the toys I wanted. GirlZoot suggested the Toy Tour t-shirt. Sounds like a great idea.

When I got home I mowed the lawn and played with the neighbor's dog when he snuck into our yard.

I miss my sweetie who has a busy weekend but I get to see her Sunday. Maybe we can work something out so I can see her sooner.

I finally finished Gor book 13, Explorers of Gor. I'm kind of tired of the series. So much of just goes on and on and on and on about how man is so much superior to woman and how slaves are supposed to act. After a while it's just too much. Started reading the Mercedes Lackey anthology, "Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar". I really like the Valdemar universe.

I'm watching "Long Kiss Goodnight" while I eat. Mmmmm. Leftover cashew chicken and strawberry yogurt with bananas.

Sleep Test

2006-04-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Find your own pose!

From GirlZoot and ultimately from Evany.

Toy Report: Bird of Prey Angel and Hobgoblin

2006-04-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

Found some more in the new Spider-Man and X-Men series. That just leaves Hydroman from the Spider-Man series; I'll have to wait until I see it but I'll probably get it just because we probably won't otherwise see this figure. So far this seems to be a fairly scarce figure. Probably will be readily available in a month. From the X-Men line I still want Juggernaut and I'll have to see about the Phoenix figure. It looks like the old one but the head sculpt may be new (not certain if that is actually a reason for me to get it).

Bird of Prey Angel from the X-Men series
I like this version of Angel. The costume is decent, though the paint job on the wings could be better. What I like most about this figure is the wing joints. They are basically using the same ball-type joint that they've been using on the shoulders and hips and it really provides a good range of motion. I do wish the wings could fold more flat against his back and have him still able to stand.

Taken with my camera phone.

Taken with GZ's camera, which is much better than mine and has a flash.

Taken with GZ's camera.

Hobgoblin from the Spider-Man series
This is a reasonable version of this figure though I still really prefer the older one because the sculpt was more interesting and the paint job darker. As I typed that I realized that this new one really is more the standard version and the older one is more the demonic possessed version.

Taken with GZ's camera.

Found at www.toybiz.com

Toy Report: Spider-Hulk and Tech Gear Beast

2006-04-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

My latest finds. Hoping to get more in each of these two series.

Spider-Hulk
Apparently this actually happened in the comic books.

Picture found on www.superherotimes.com

Tech Gear Beast

Picture found on www.rcsantana.com. Some cool pics here.

Jaws

2006-04-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Saw Jaws last night with GirlZoot. First time seeing the movie. That's a damn big shark.

I thought I had something else to say here but since I can't remember what I'll just be quiet now until I have something to say. :-)

More Memes from my Daughter

2006-04-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others.
You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around.
The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it.
Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Your Seduction Style: Sweet Talker

Your seduction technique can be summed up with "charm"
You know that if you have the chance to talk to someone...
Well, you won't be talking for long! ;-)

You're great at telling potential lovers what they want to hear.
Partially, because you're a great reflective listener and good at complementing.
The other part of your formula? Focusing your conversation completely on the other person.

Your "sweet talking" ways have taken you far in romance - and in life.
You can finess your way through any difficult situation, with a smile on your face.
Speeding tickets, job interviews... bring it on! You truly live a *charmed life*

What Kind of Seducer Are You?

I wouldn't go so far as saying I have a charmed life.

Toy Report - Some Variants

2006-04-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

So the day after I posted the last toy report I found a handful of new toys I wanted. In the couple weeks since then I've found a few more. :-)

I noticed I have a particular way of handling rare items when I find them in the stores. I pick them up, hold on to them at do not look at them any further until I have completed checking the shelves for what other toys I want. I take just long enough to identify that it is a rare one I am looking for and then start checking the rest of the toys. After I've gone through all of them then I look at my precious find.

I've also noticed that I'm not much of a mercenary. When I find copies of rare ones that I already have I don't pick them up with a plan to sell them again for profit. Instead I leave them there for someone else who may also be looking. Just doesn't feel right to hoard them and try to scalp them. I may change my mind if I start selling anything on eBay but we'll see.

Iron Fist, red costume variant This one looks like he's in a fight. Angry face, costume ripped in spots. Kind of cool. Little details I hadn't noticed when I saw the pics online.

(Picture found at www.bigbadtoystore.com. Thanks to them for having some pictures of this figure not in the package.)

X-23, black costume variant Found this at Walmart. From what I've seen this is kind of an unlisted variant. Initially it looked like it was supposed to be the primary and then the purple costume showed up in plenty.

Stealth Cyclops The sculpt of his head and neck makes it look like his head is being squeezed out of a pastry tube. Of all the ones in the series I do want, I've only seen the two I'm ambivalent on.

Holographic Ki-Adi-Mundi I'm glad I found this one. As I posted before, I like this character and I like the holographic figures. I even did a role playing character loosely based on Ki-Adi-Mundi. I saw another one of these yesterday and I left it to be someone else's lucky find.

General Grievous & orange Clone Trooper Got the Clone Trooper for my son and Grievous for me.

To Silly or Not

2006-04-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get into being silly and into participating and other times I just don't. Went to see Curly, No Shoes with PoN and GZ and he had a part of the show that was audience participation. Before he got to our table I was thinking that it'd be fun but by the time he got to our table I just wasn't going to have any part of it. Don't know why it just was.

We were going to use silly code names over the walkie-talkies during an upgrade project at work and I just didn't feel like playing along. This is weird to me since I tend to be all for being silly.

On a separate note, Saw a cute Kermit in a car window at my garage. Hope I can get a picture of it sometime. Very nice picture from a Campari ad.

Meme's For Fun

2006-04-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

You are a shy flirt

You are more inclined to leave anonymous love notes for your crush then go up and ask them out. You prefer to leave the ball in their court and see where it takes you. A lot of people find this style romantic, but sometimes you are going to have to work up the nerve and ask your crush out, because if your crush is shy too, you may both like each other and never know.
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Your Quirk Factor: 52%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it.
Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?

Your Theme Song is Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow

"I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up"

You're laid back, optimistic, and very together
Like the sun, people feel warm and comfortable around you

What's Your Theme Song?

Tweaked Template

2006-04-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

I tweaked the template to make the content and main parts of the content section 200 pixels wider so my pics wouldn't crowd the menu so often.

Dinner, Peeps, and Splits

2006-04-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I had dinner with my father. Had spaghetti and carrot cake. All in all it went well. Had the expected admonishment for not letting him know what's been happening in my life. (I'm REALLY bad about that kind of thing.) One of the things that did come up was an offer that I could move in there. In some ways that could be good. I could actually have people over which I can't do now because my mother is neurotic about the house not being perfect. I'd also have a workshop space. The main draw back is that I think they'd be a bit nosy about what's happening in the divorce and there's much about it that I really don't want to tell them. I'm also uncertain about how my mother would take it if I told her I want to move in with my father. She might be okay with it since I've kind of thrown off her routines by being there and she's trying to get her stuff situated in the house and I take up space. We'll see. I may bring it up to her as an option if she feels I'm being in the way.

My lovely dear got me a set of plush Peeps even though she can't stand the things herself. Of course, after getting the soft little bunnies I had the urge for the real thing. Having satisfied the urge I find myself not greatly enamored by the real thing. :)

On Saturday I got up bright and ugly in the morning to be at my sister's by 8am to help move a desk from her house to my mother's. We got the desk moved and put together and then I headed off to class. Got in about a couple hours of teaching and working out. Worked on the staff form some using a new idea (to us) of putting different colors on the ends of the staff so we can see which end is where and where it should be. After class I went over to some friends of GirlZoot's to dig a hole for a new patio they are working on. We moved much dirt, probably 10' x 20' x 10" and then another hole a little smaller for a parking pad. Had some nice BBQ and met some new people. I was so tired I slept for ten hours and then had an hour nap before wandering around with GirlZoot and the dog. Had my first experience at a dog park. It was interesting. The dogs were generally very well mannered and seemed to enjoy themselves greatly.

The ex-to-be is actively pursuing the divorce thing now that she's planning on moving. She has a VERY aggressive schedule and plans on being able to move in late July. That ought to be interesting and we'll have to see if she flakes out. I truly expect that she won't stay moved for very long but we'll see. I was feeling a bit shell-shocked from our talks about the divorce even though it was almost exactly as I expected it to be. I guess it has to do with the realization that I just want it done. I don't have the funds to fight and I don't have the will to fight it. If we can come to a reasonable arrangement I'll take it. If it just isn't happening I'll have to fight it. I hate this but I'll get through it. I'm glad I have wonderful people in my life.

2006-03-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

I think GirlZoot needs these LED Fridge magnets for her fun letter messages. :-)

There's even instructions for making them.

This Week

2006-03-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

On Sunday GirlZoot, Priestess of Nothing, and I went to an old friend's house and watched one of his latest movies that he's trying to get sold to a network. It was about what was expected. A reasonably fun B-grade movie. Afterwards went to Beau Jo's for pizza and messed with the poor slow waiter.

Monday I was going to go to TKD class but was held up at work by a late project and knew I had to leave class early to take my mother to an appointment early the next morning so I decided to have pie with Priestess of Nothing. Kind of a long standing tradition between us.

Tuesday morning I took my mum to her appointment and then in the evening had dinner with GirlZoot and her mother.

Wednesday I went with GirlZoot and her mother to a birthday party for a friend of GZ's.

Tonight I'm going to have dinner with my father and step-mother. It's been a while. I'm looking forward to seeing them but not to dealing with questions about the divorce. Somehow it's not enough to say we weren't getting along, fought and she threw me out. :-) Oh well.

Tomorrow night I go see another group of "manly men" and see if they do any better. If it's interesting enough I may keep going but it'll also depend on how GZ feels about it. Hate to keep dragging her to things she can't stand.

Saturday I'm planning on going to class and then going to some friends of GZ's to dig a hole in the back yard and have a BBQ.

Toy Report - March 2006

2006-03-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

I was working on this post the other day while waiting for my mother to finish with an appointment so I was on a hospital free network. Categories I was blocked on. Sports (for www.coloradokarateassociation.org), Entertainment (for www.action-figure.com, www.theforce.net, www.starwars.com), Tasteless (for a site that may have had a picture of George Lucas as a Storm Trooper), Personal Network Storage and Backup (for www.flickr.com). Also had Flickr Uploader blocked and I couldn't keep a Trillian connection open. Sheesh! What a pain. I guess I shouldn't complain; lucky to have the Internet at all.

Here's a list of toys I've picked up sometime in the last couple months. With all my toys and my strong interest in them I've been thinking I should make my own toys page. I'll have to figure out where to host it and how I want to put it together. It'll also be good for practicing my web design skills. You can tell the pictures I've taken with my camera phone by the crappy quality. :-)

Star Wars Titanium Series:
I wasn't going to get any of the die cast metal Titanium Series but when I saw this Boba Fett action figure I knew I was done for. I picked it up right away and then went online to see what else was available. Found that Darth Vader was available so I kept an eye out and found him readily. Then, of course, since I am a toy addict and was making my rounds I discovered Darth Vader and Boba Fett are also available in "Limited Vintage Finish". They looked pretty cool and I'm a sucker so I got them too. Here's a picture of all four of them that I found online. (need to start crediting where I find the pics)

The next set of the Titanium Series figures will contain Bosk and a Storm Trooper. I'm undecided on Bosk but I definitely am planning on getting the Storm Trooper. Probably will get Bosk because I'm a completist and the figure looks pretty cool.

Lord of the Rings:
Balrog I am so jazzed about this figure. I've been excited about it coming out when I first heard about it in the summer of 2004. According to this article on action-figure.com it will be shipping in April. Yay!

Marvel:
Apocalypse Poor Apocalypse had stiff joints and I accidentally broke his hip joint. I guess I'll just drill it and pin it.

red armored Cyclops I don't know what he needs the big gun for but I decided that he was interesting enough to get.

Fire Blast Human Torch - Movie Series I liked this because he's partially translucent. I want the Doombot. (I noticed that sometimes I link right to a picture and sometimes to an article.) When I was looking for a picture for the Human Torch I found a figure of Annihilus that I didn't even knew existed. Hopefully it's just not released yet. They really are going kind of loose on the concept of movie tie-ins but at least we get some cool FF figures.

Human Torch with Mr. Impossible I really didn't need another version of this guy, though this is a different version (have to double check the actual figure to see if they really did use this coloring), but I liked the idea of the Mr. Impossible figure.

Scarlet Witch She's been VERY scarce. It has been said that her figure was actually cancelled from the line due to poor production quality. I've only seen a few of them and only at specialty stores. At one point I considered getting one, thought the quality wasn't so good and decided to look around. After I hadn't found any more I went back and they didn't have any either. When I found one a second time I picked it up right then.

Super Skrull - invisible variant I also want the flaming variant.

Logan (aka Wolverine) I got a good deal on this variant,which has a cowboy hat, no grey in his hair and a clean motorcycle (must have been a really long ride between the variant and the standard figure). I asked the guy at the store how much it was. He looked at it and gave the regular price. Yay!

Ninja Strike Wolverine I only got this one for his weapons.

X-23 The only reason I got this one is because it came with a piece of the Build-a-Figure Apocalypse. Though if I see a copy of the variant at normal prices I'll probably get it. It's really not a very well done figure. Some of the busts I've seen of her are very nice.

These two are from the Marvel Select line. I don't normally get them because they are in a slightly different scale. For some figures though it doesn't matter because they are generally larger.
Uatu the Watcher

Thanos and Lady Death

I pre-ordered the variants from Marvel Legends Villains series. I hope I'll actually be able to get them this way. Chances are pretty good though that they will cancel the order when the sets start to come in.

Wishlist in addition to what I already posted here:
Ki-Adi-Mundi (Definitely getting this one if I can find it. I really like Ki-Adi-Mundi and hologram figures.)
Artoo Potatoo (I find these Potato Head Star Wars characters to be delightful.)
George Lucas as Storm Trooper (Just because I'm a big old geek. Though I don't know if I want to go through all the hoops to get one since it's a mail-order offer after you buy several other figures.)
Star Wars Unleashed - Yoda (i really like Yoda and they seem to do a decent job with the Unleashed series.)
Star Wars Unleashed - Darth Vader
Star Wars Unleashed - General Grevious
Kit Fisto (I think I ultimately want all of the Jedi I'm just not willing to pay full price for most of them.)
Commander Scorch (I've been getting all the Clone Troopers for my son. He's amassed quite the army. I may have to start getting him the Wookies he's asked after so he has another army.)
Clone Commander Cody
Clone Trooper
AT-RT with Driver
BARC Speeder and Trooper
C3PO with Battle Droid Head (I keep considering this one.)
Demise of Grievous (I'll probably get this one, mainly because of scarcity but partially because I like it.)

V for Apple Pancakes?

2006-03-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Saw V for Vendetta twice in the last week. Once on Thursday and then again on Saturday. Both times with GirlZoot and Priestess of Nothing. It's a very enjoyable flick. I thought Hugo Weaving's voice was marvelous for the part and he did a great job of acting without having the benefit of his facial expressions. His body language did so much to make that one mask show so many different expressions.

Almost went to Museum twice for the Body Worlds 2 exhibit. The first time GirlZoot and I were actually in the parking lot and not finding any spaces. It was also looking really crowded so we decided we didn't want to deal with it and were going to try again early the next morning except we just didn't get going. Oh well. We had lunch at the Original Pancake House with Priestess of Nothing. Had a super nummy apple pancake that was so rich.

After lunch GZ, PoN, and I went to Park Meadows to shop for an outfit for PoN. Looked at several boots (I love long boots), some jewelry, and many skirts and the like.

Porn, Pennies, and Money

2006-03-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Some nifty links found from my LJ friends.
Internet is for Porn
Not work safe! The funnier aspect of this one is that I was just listening to this song with GirlZoot the day before.

Penny Structures
These are freaking cool. I know something I'll probably work on if I'm stuck somewhere and bored. :) Hopefully I'll have enough change.

So I've been being a bit over eager and not paying as much attention as I ought to to my bank account and almost getting myself in trouble. Have to be more careful. Glad I have a lot of overtime coming on the next paycheck. I find it amusing that I convert toys I buy into food and vice versa. "How many sandwiches is this toy worth?" Sometimes it's more true than other times.

One of things I've done is to pre-order a toy that I have been drooling over since before last summer. I should have waited. The toy: a Balrog from Lord of the Rings. It's 24 inches tall and has a 42 inch wing span. The first picture is the one that set me drooling so many months ago. Note how the standard 6 inch figure only comes up to the Balrog's knees.

I also picked up some other toys that I'll detail in a separate toy report.

Entertainment and other stuff

2006-03-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I went with GirlZoot to see the animated shorts that had been nominated for the 2006 Oscars. I like most of them and for entirely different reasons. I think 9 by Shane Acker was my favorite. The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello by Anthony Lucas was quite fascinating. Though I don't see it on the list of nominees on the Oscar's site I also liked the Fan and the Flower; a nice love story that made me cry.

GirlZoot also introduced me to the now-defunct TV show, Greg the Bunny. The concept had not grabbed me when it was actually on. The commercials did nothing for me. Having actually seen it I find it quite funny. And you have to love a show that has a line about not needing pants in the theme song. Good show.

Tonight I'm going to see V For Vendetta with GirlZoot and Priestess of Nothing. Hopefully it's good. Then tomorrow I get to spend some time with GZ. Looking forward to that regardless of where we end up.

On Friday I went to the Gateway and had a good time. Wasn't certain how it would be since I was effectively going alone (okay another friend was going to be there too) and it was only my second visit. I barely spent any time with the friend as we often ended up on opposite sides of the room. I did get to chat some with Master Pegasus. I told him I really enjoyed watching him last time as he tied and teased his slave. Nothing like a little sincere flattery to open a conversation. I think we connected very well. He said he'd be willing to teach me about blade play. I also was quite fascinated by a nifty electrical toy that was being used. I definitely need to check into it more in the future. It allows a charge to be used to stimulate someone. Looked very effective and enjoyable.

I love my boss. She's so weird. We (my boss and another coworker) actually talk about things like the happenings at the Gateway. She finds it very curious. She says she kind of gets to live vicariously through me. She doesn't understand but she's generally very open minded. We even ended up talking about this $200 vibrator that my coworker's friend had. It sounds like it was quite impressive. Such bizarre conversations I have with my boss.

I guess with the good I should blog some of the not-so-good. I always enjoy seeing my son but at the same time it can be really hard. I hate when it's time to leave. It really makes me sad and miss him. The ex-to-be also indicated that they are seriously thinking about moving to California. Don't know if it will actually happen or if it does if it will last long. She's kind of flaky that way. In any case, it is extremely unlikely it will happen anytime soon. She's also talking about trying to work on the divorce thing though she's figuring on it being really unbalanced in her favor. Mostly that will be okay with me but there are some things that won't work so well. We'll have to see whether she and I can do this without attorneys.

An update on my life

2006-03-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

I've started a couple of these in the past but then something happens and I end up closing the program and losing the draft.

I've been spending a lot of time with my friends Priestess of Nothing and Girl Zoot. Especially been spending time with Girl Zoot who is such a delight. Thanks to her for posting a pic of my free form sculpture creature. I had fun just letting the ideas flow.

I have to update on what little I've done on "Project Gir" lately and my new toy acquisitions. I was talking to PoN who knew I had a lot of toys but didn't really grasp just how many until I posted pictures of *part* my collection. I can't wait to get settled and dig it all out. I've even been thinking of setting some of them up at work because I'm such a big geek.

Time Users While I Think and Get Other Things Done

2006-02-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Your Heart Is Pink

In relationships, you like to play innocent - even though you aren't.
Each time you fall in love, it's like falling for the first time.

Your flirting style: Coy

Your lucky first date: Picnic in the park

Your dream lover: Is both caring and dominant

What you bring to relationships: Romance

What Color Heart Do You Have?

Your Five Variable Love Profile

Propensity for Monogamy:

Your propensity for monogamy is low.
You see love as a gift that you should give to many.
It's hard for you to imagine being with one person at at time...
Let alone one person for the rest of your life!

Experience Level:

Your experience level is high.
You've loved, lost, and loved again.
You have had a wide range of love experiences.
And when the real thing comes along, you know it!

Dominance:

Your dominance is low.
This doesn't mean you're a doormat, just balanced.
You know a relationship is not about getting your way.
And you love to give your sweetie a lot of freedom.

Cynicism:

Your cynicism is low.
You are an eternal optimist when it comes to love and romance.
No matter how many times you've been hurt - you're never bitter.
You believe in one true love, your perfect soulmate.
And if you haven't found true love yet, you know you will soon.

Independence:

Your independence is low.
This doesn't mean you're dependent in relationships..
It does mean that you don't have any problem sharing your life.
In your opinion, the best part of being in love is being together.

The Five Variable Love Test

Your Kissing Purity Score: 29% Pure

You're not one to kiss and tell...

But word is, you kiss pretty well.

Kissing Purity Test

Toy Geek - Drooling

2006-02-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Here I am drooling over some of the new Marvel action figures that are being shown at the New York Toy Fair as shown on my favorite toy news site, Action-Figure.com.

Fantastic Four - Animated:
Mostly I'm not interested in this line except for the giant Mole Man's monster. ToyBiz really came up with an incredible idea with the Build-A-Figure concept. You have to buy each of the figures in a line to get the pieces to build a large figure. Wonderful idea. Of course it means you have to buy even the ones you aren't so interested in.

Fantastic Four Classics:
many more in this series I want and some I know are going to be rare and hard to find.
The Fire and Invisible variants of the Super Skrull are on my wish list. Already have the Super Skrull. Also want Invisible Woman, her clear variant, Dragon Man, and Kang.

X-Men Classics:
One of the things I really like about this new series is the new interpretations of the characters. It's mostly a fresh look at loved characters.
This Sentinel Playset is basically the same one they did 10-15 years ago but just made all shiny. Kind of funny to me.
I'm fairly undecided on the Black Bird Jet. I've wanted one but I don't know if this is the one to get. We'll see. It's further down on my want list.
I want Stealth Beast and the cat-face variant. I'm undecided on this red armored Cyclops but will probably get it. It's one of those that I think I will regret not having if I don't get it. I may also get Ninja Wolverine because he has a cool assortment of weapons that I can use with some other figures. From what I've heard that's what most people are doing anyway. Another one I might get for the accessories is this version of Wolverine with the flight pack. Probably going to get Magneto, Stealth Cyclops, Juggernaut, Wolverine on motorcycle, Cyclops on motorcycle, and Sabertooth (I think it's Sabertooth, but it might be Wild Child).

Definitely going to get Stealth Angel, Rogue, Avalanche, Iceman (probably all 3 versions (Eek! 2 variants), Colossus, and Nightcrawler (Yay! He's all swashbucklery with his sword.).

Marvel Legends - Walmart Wave:
A special set that is supposed to be only at Walmarts. Hopefully they will stock them decently. Their ordering tends to be screwy. They never order enough up front when the series is released so they fly off the shelves and by the time they order more they order too much and the stock sits on the shelves forever because everyone already went elswhere.
I want Kitty Pryde, Captain Britain, Age of Apocalypse Sabertooth, AoA Wolverine, Havok, BaF - Giant Man, Ant Man, Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel, and Thor. Okay, so I want the entire line. That's usually the case. :-)

I'm kind of tempted by some of the figures from the Marvel Legends Icons line but I don't know if I want to go there because I'm not currently collecting the 12" figures. Don't know if I want to open that door for my obsession.

Marvel Legends Gift Packs and Marvel Legends 2 Packs:
Now these things are dangerous because they cost more but you do get the whole set at once.
I want the Young Avengers, House of M (Haven't read this series but it intrigued me.), King Pin vs. Daredevil, Black Suit King Pin vs. Unmasked Daredevil, Hulk vs. The Leader (and a variant), Captain America vs. Red Skull, Captain America unmasked vs. Red Skull unmasked (though he looks like someone from Hydra), Iron Man vs. Mandarin, Wolverine vs. Sabretooth, and Punisher vs. Jigsaw. I'll probably also get the Classic Monsters boxed set.

Spider-Man Classics:
More figures I'll very likely get: Hydro, Spider-Man Hulk (have to look up the background on this one), Hobgoblin, Jack O'Lantern, Shocker, Stealth Venom, Carnage (or some Venom variant), Electro, and Spider-Man (different costume, kind of neat). Mostly villains, which is good since I already have several versions of Spider-Man.

Marvel Legends:
One of the best series of action figures out there and definitely my favorite.

Modok Series:
Thor Buster Iron Man (there are already so many versions of him but in the comics he had several different armor styles so it works for me), Captain Mar-vell, Wasp, Beta Ray Bill, Spider-Woman (a stand-in until they finish making the figure), Moon Knight (not certain if this is unpainted but it will be cool), and the BaFModok.

Mojo Series:
Falcon, Baron Zemo, Luke Cage, 1st Appearance Iron Man, Longshot (had to have Longshot in the Mojo series), Psylock (fan boys everywhere will rejoice), and the BaF Mojo.

Bad Guys Onslaught Series:
Loki (and a variant), Blackheart, Abomination, Abomination - melted face variant, Lady DeathStrike, Green Goblin and unmasked variant, Pyro, and the BaFOnslaught.

That was a fun little geekfest. I'm so glad these are released through out the year and not all at once.

Cat's in the Cradle

2006-02-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

I always cry when I hear that song. I love it but it just feels too familiar. Even before the divorce stuff started.

Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin

"My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play"
"Can you teach me to throw?"
I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do"
He said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah"
"You know I'm gonna be like him"

Lovely Company

2006-02-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hmmm. I've had a very nice week spending time with two absolutely wonderful women. On Sunday I went to see the Pink Panther with Girl Zoot and then we had dinner and went for a walk. I had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing her again this Friday.

On Tuesday, I took Priestess of Nothing for some Italian at Dino's and then dessert at Perkin's. Had a great time.

I am very fortunate to have two such wonderful women in my life. They are both incredible women and I like them both a lot. One I've know for many years and another I have really only just recently met. They honor me by allowing me in their lives.

An Interesting Evening

2006-02-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

Had a great evening attending a BDSM event with a couple friends. This is not really my thing but I enjoyed it very much and found myself curious about a couple areas and I think I will explore them some. Enjoyed watching a guy be tied up in a very complicated manner to a cage and then be teased with a variety of items. The fire play and blade play were very fascinating and I may learn a bit about them. The whipping, of whihc there was plenty, almost got to be boring. The people running the event did an awesome job of making it all safe and giving that feeling of safety.

In addition to the fun things to watch I very much enjoyed the company. Two beautiful and charming women with which I spent the evening.

Got a card from GirlZoot as part or her own personal national card month. :-)

Project Gir - Gimme Some Tongue

2006-02-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

As you can tell I like puns. :-)

The eyes are mostly the way I want them though I know there will be some adjustments as this progresses. I left a portion to be the tongue. Gir has to have his tongue sticking out. Unless of course I screw it up and then, no tongue. :-) I'll work on the tongue later but I need to shape the head more first and am working on the neck area. For my own sense of this working right I will probably rough out the antenna too so I can see if his head is coming out right. Gir's head really is the focal point of the piece. I think I'm on track and it seems like it is coming out more like it should as I work with it. I've added a couple mid-sized files, a round one, and a triangular one to help me get into some spots.

Saturday Night

2006-02-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Time for some more updates.

Been enjoying working on Gir so much that I tend to bring it with me where ever I go, even working on it at lunch at work. I like it when I have a fun project. It's hard to stop working on it though. Probably part of the sleepless thing. :-)

Had a lovely evening on Saturday. Met up with Priestess of Nothing and Girl Zoot for some Atkin's friendly dinner for PoN. After dinner we went to a nice little event where we were the only one's there besides the hosts. Normally there are a few more people. It still turned out to be good. The skirts PoN made were tried on and the bras were ... looking for a word ... tested (will do) to see how the trim would work best. Had my ear talked off by the host. There were definitely times when I would zone out or have a hard time not allowing my attention to switch to the other conversation in the room which I was also kind of following. All in all I think I did okay at making the appropriate polite noises when I did tune out. :-)

I really enjoyed GZ's company. She's attractive and delightfully intelligent and witty. She's also quite nice to stroke. It really started when she would periodically adjust her hair and expose her neck. Eventually I had to touch it. I wanted to kiss and nuzzle it. I kind of like necks. :-) It was a very nice evening. I look forward to seeing her again.

Project Gir - The Eyes Have It

2006-01-31T14:18:00.000-08:00

I started an update post once but then I had to crash my system so here's the last update and the most recent update on my carving of Gir.

Decided I needed to use the Dremel for some of this, especially between the eyes. It's much faster to remove the wood using the Dremel but on the same token it's much faster to make oopses. Luckily nothing too bad just a couple slips where the Dremel grabbed the wood and bit in more than I wanted.

After I got most of what I wanted with the Dremel I switched back to the knives. I find having multiple handles very nice so I can jump between blades faster. I find different shaped blades are needed in different places. Mostly though, I use a couple different curved or partially curved blades for most of the shaping.

I think the eyes are really starting to take shape. They're even coming close to the correct shape. :-) I'm much happier with the left eye than the right one but it's not too bad and I think will be easy to handle. Almost looks like he has an eyebrow right now as I work away enough wood to make the eyes stand out properly. I feel like the right eye nearly has the correct depth. I'll finish the left and then reshape the head to fit. I think the tongue will come after that so I can have the head all done (except the antenna).

My Rant at the Universe

2006-01-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

I'm just so pissed off. It seems like whenever I think things might be starting to go my way and maybe I'm getting a little ahead in the game the universe seems to come along and flick me onto my ass with its giant cosmic finger. Tonight I hit a not so well-lit median by a turn lane and blew out a tire which I now need to pay to have replaced.

I know I've done wrong and made mistakes in my life but I think I've paid my dues by now. (I know some would say I never can but f*^k 'em. If they can't see beyond one big mistake when viewed with the balance of my life then they can just bugger off.) Most of my life I've done good and I've had my share of sorrow and hardship.

I'm such a mass of suppressed emotions. Always so f'n polite I even find myself editing this as I go. And mostly I've calmed down a lot but I can feel the anger lurking for any stupid little thing to make me want to scream and holler.

Was going to work on Gir but I think it would be a bad idea right now. I'll get to easily frustrated and will probably make mistakes.

Guess I'm done whining.

Adventures With Friends

2006-01-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

Another post, brief though it is.
Had lunch with Priestess of Nothing on Monday. Tuesday night we went to see Underworld 2 (good movie). Wednesday I played hookie and took the day off to go to the Spyderco factory outlet store with Priestess and her friend. I didn't actually get a knife but the race car driving hottie (she's a real sweetie) got a nice knife. I have a rain check on a discounted utility knife that Priestess said she'll go pick up when it comes in.
Tonight I finished watching the Blade Trilogy.

Toy Report - Win Some, Lose Some

2006-01-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get lucky make a really good find when I'm looking for toys. I'll find something that is hard to get a hold of. Other times I'll think I've found something good and have it turn out to be available in plenty.

The M&M Star Wars guys of the Mpire are delightful little guys. Initially they were hard to find. Now they're being sold for half price. Oh well.

Over the past few weeks I've managed to find the following:
Boba Fett and Han Solo with mini holographic Darth Vader and Yoda.
Got them mostly because I thought the little holographic guys were really cool.

Found most of the Marvel Legends 12 series except a character called X-23. No variants found this time.

Cheating on this one and just linking to the pages for now. I may come back and do the pictures.

The Long Day

2006-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was indeed a long day. It was fun, but long. I got up about 6:30a, got to class about 15 minutes late because I goofed off a little. Helped teach. Helped stuff and fold fliers for the Colorado Karate Association. Then sparred while tied to the back of a partner.

Then I was off and running to my mother's party running errands for her on the way. Party was fine though not as many people showed as she expected. There was too much Black Forest cake left over...real shame that I'm going to have to help eat the leftovers. :-)

Picked up some DVDs from my brother and met his two new rats. They're adorable. For a day I didn't expect to end up back home until late I ended up home twice briefly. I had also expected to have to work hard to politely leave my mother's party. Even having left at about 5:30p I was still one of the last one's to have left. It all worked out.

Got to the Gorean event even a few minutes early. Was disappointed that a new friend was unwell and unable to make it but I look forward to meeting her in person in the future. Glad Priestess gave me a heads up; much easier to adjust in advance. (Side note: I'm such a bad IT geek, I keep having to look up the format for my different link types. At least I know what I'm looking for and exactly where to find them.)

Had a good evening at the meeting. Even expanded my level of participation in the conversation. Still a bizarre place for me to be. I find them interesting, enjoy their company but am fairly certain it is not the right way of life for me.

I was very glad I'd already read as much of the books (finished through book 10 as of the night before) as I have since so many topics came up that referred to events or characters in the books. It was nice to have been able to converse knowledgeably about the books. I felt kind of bad for another friend there that has not read so far and kept finding himself asking about what people were talking about.

It was kind of interesting watching the conversational train wreck happen. I saw it being setup from the very beginning. As soon as the discussion began about natural order I was noticing the change in a guest who would most likely have be affected by natural order. She showed marvelous strength for speaking her mind even though it pushed her very far. There was quite a heated debate and many interesting twists of which I shall not speak.

Got home a little after 2am, almost stayed up and watched a movie. Glad I didn't. I was toast. Woke up this morning (barely still morning) around 11:30a. Now it's time to write a boring text book since that seems to be the mode of writing I'm using. :-) Actually going to try to carve some more and play some Final Fantasy XI.

Project Gir - Update

2006-01-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

Shaping Gir's head. I figure it is the part I must start with since it's the largest and working with the solid block is all about removing bits until the desired shape shows itself. I do like working with wood. It's been so long I'd kind of forgotten but once I started again it's been hard to stop. It's a very sensual experience (more in the sensory way). I enjoy the feel, I enjoy the color, I enjoy the smell. It's also very satisfying to start with one thing and have it change according to your desires. I stayed up way too late the night I was working on this. And I'm fighting myself to not stay up and work on it more. :-)

The back of Gir's head:

The front of Gir's head:

I need to figure out how I'm going to the tongue so it's not too fragile. Also need to not get carried away and remove too much at any stage so I can have the shape I want.

Long Day and Just Friends

2006-01-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Long day tomorrow. In Aurora from 8am until noon for taekwondo, out to Lakewood for my mother's retirement party from 2pm to 6pm, and then up north to a Gorean event from 7pm until I fall over. :-) I'm going to try to be good and sleep soon but I wanted to do some updates.

Being the type of person I am and having been put off a bit by Heather I decided that perhaps I was asking the wrong question. Tonight I asked her if it was okay that I was asking if she wanted to go do things. She said she enjoyed doing things with me but that she was not romantically interested. So we'll just do things as friends and have fun. Oddly (or not), I'm okay with that on many levels. I was hoping to get to "play" around with her but she's a pretty neat person so its all good. She did say she'd let me know when she's next going to be singing somewhere since I had said I'd love to hear her sing.

It's still fun getting out there and making friends.

Misc. Updates

2006-01-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

Spent yesterday at the ex-to-be's hanging with my son. Even though she was in a more bitchy mode she was not in her psycho, over-protective mode that she's been in the last few times. That was a nice change. She even *gave* me a couple spindles of blank DVDs that she had purchased that weren't working for her.

The boyo leant me Lemony Snicket's "The Penultimate Peril", which he had just received for his birthday. It was so sweet the way he brought it to me and told me he'd finished reading it and I could borrow it since it's the only one I haven't read yet. He's always thinking and taking into account things that might make people he knows feel good. Now to get him to be more open to taking into account other people and he'll be better off.

I'll have to read "The Penultimate Peril" as soon as I finish Gor book 9, "Marauders of Gor". I do seem to keep burning through the Gor books. I find them fascinating but also so not me, but yet very illuminating. They do make me reexamine how I view the world and those around me.

A while back Chuck and I had done something in email or on the website for our taekwondo school that somewhat suggested that the head instructor may not be fully in charge. She took issue and we apologized. What was interesting about it was the very different ways that Chuck and I responded. His method was a much more "I didn't do anything wrong, you misunderstood us" kind of reply. Mine was a much more passive apology. Almost like a whipped dog. I'm still very deferrential (when I'm not in charge, then I just do what needs doing) but I have been working to examine how I do things and keep my interactions with people as more between equals than one who is subservient. It's an interesting challenge but one that I feel good about.

Self-confidence is something that is so hard for me to have. It's taken a lot to get me to where I can think of myself that could be considered attractive and someone that has something to offer. I still often doubt it, but I'm working on it. Every now and then I have to stop looking at things I don't know as deficiencies and instead look at them as areas I have not focused my life on (yet...if they interest me). I have to examine the things I can do and see them as things that not everyone else can do and that these are good things that make up who I am.

I have been enjoying broadening my horizons as I meet new people and try to learn something about their interests. Many of the new people in my life have been into music in one form or another so I find myself checking out new music and paying more attention to the music I already listen to. I'm even becoming more comfortable with the fact that I might sing okay (probably not) and that I might dance okay and am enjoying doing so.

The new girl I've been kind of pursuing for now is very much into music and dance and so I find myself learning more just to better understand her and be able to better relate to her in conversations. She's been very busy but when we talk it still sounds like she might be interested in doing something. She was telling me that even her friends have been having to schedule a month in advance. Sometimes I wonder though. I think it's all good and it will really be whatever it will be. If she wants to do something great, if not then that's fine too.

I'm curious what she'll think of my plans of going to the Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens, if we get a chance to go before they close, after we both so a presentation Friday about romantic things to do in Denver that included the BG. :-)

Toy Report - Storm

2006-01-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight I picked up the white costume version of Storm from the X-Men to go with the black costume version I already have.

The white costume version is part of a new X-Men line but uses the exact same mold as the Marvel Legends version. It really depends on how they do a figure as to whether I want to get it. I enjoyed this version enough to add it even though it's almost the same as the one I already have.

Project Gir

2006-01-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to do some more wood carving and I was finally inspired enough by the passion of Priestess of Nothing for the silly and lovable character Gir from Invader Zim.

Here's a couple of my main static source material pictures. One is a cartoon version and one is a figure that is available through retail outlets I'm sure.

Because wood can be unforgiving of mistakes and can't be uncarved I decided it prudent to get a feel for the character by first making it in something pliable. I chose Sculpy because it was there and had the possibility of being baked solid if I really liked it (haven't decided that yet). I was so glad I chose to do it in something soft because I really learned a lot about the proportions and what makes the character who he is.

This is the block of wood I am starting with. It's bigger than the one I used on my first project, a rose. This will actually be my second wood carving project. I've always kind of fiddled with wood and have shaped a couple staffs but never actually tried to carve something until the rose. My goal, like the rose, will be to do it as one piece.

Here's a picture of my first project.

Gor and Gladiator

2006-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

I've finished reading book 7 in the Gor series and am about half way through book 8, "Hunters of Gor". Still an interesting read though sometimes the writing gets repetitive and the characters can be a bit whiny.

Tonight I'm watching Gladiator and I can't help but seeing how strongly it matches my vision of the Gorean world. I know Norman drew heavily from Roman society but I just find it interesting. I'm kind of curious how much of my interpretation of the descriptions of Gor was tainted by my previous viewing of the movie or if it is just that the societies in both or so very similar.

Gladiator really is one of those movies I enjoy watching over and over. Kind of a comfort film like Highlander used to be. (Haven't watched that in a while.)

Toy Report - Vengeance and Cyclops

2006-01-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Decided I want to chronicle my toy collecting here as well. I am a bit of a toy geek and kind of obsessive about collecting in general. :-) I enjoy the hunt.

When I was out and about on Saturday I picked up the following:

Marvel Legends 11: Vengeance

Marvel Legends 10: Cyclops (variant)
I was pleased to find this one since the variants are often hard to find unless you pay a premium price.

I'm kind of concerned about the fate of the Marvel Legends line. They've been very nicely done figures despite some occasional issues that seem to occur to some extent in any toy line. Looks like Marvel is moving the licensing from ToyBiz Worldwide to Hasbro. Don't know what kind of changes this will mean to the line or if it will even continue, though Marvel says they are going to be the ones in control of their properties and Hasbro just producing them. (read the article)

Also got a DVD remote control and a RFU adaptor that were both 30% off since the ToysRUs on south Wadsworth is closing as part of a nationwide reduction of underperforming stores (read the article). I figure these will actually be very useful because now I can use my PS2 as a DVD player and I can use the PS2 to pay games or watch shows even when the VCR is in use as my mother records some bad quality off-air show.

If I had the extra funds I'd almost be tempted by the Lucas family collector set which has action figures of George Lucas and his family as they appeared in their cameo roles in the Star Wars movies.

EDIT: Hmmm. Have to figure out why the images don't appear to be loading properly.
EDIT 2: Apparently that site doesn't like links from this site so I placed copies of the pics elsewhere.

Saturday's Travels

2006-01-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start putting things in this blog in pieces sort of grouped by subject. Most times I won't repeat what's in my more public journal but sometimes (maybe more than sometimes) I will elaborate here.

It was kind of nice to have the two calls to our Boulder and Colorado Springs offices. Effectively I got $270 for pressing two buttons, one in each office. That's not too bad for button pressing. :-) Okay, there was also the drive time and a brief bit of confirming that the things were indeed fixed. Still not too bad.

I was kind of pushing it on gas when I went to Boulder and then to my class on the far side of Aurora since I started out the morning with needing to fill the tank before I even went anywhere. Thankfully I made it to a gas station without incident.

After class we went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. I had been in the mood and had decided I was going, When Mrs. Hansen indicated she was hungry I mentioned my plans and so the group decided to go there.

Later, because I'm a slave to my collecting obsession, I stopped by a few stores "on the way home" and found a couple action figures and some PS2 accessories I "needed" that were 30% off.

Misc. Stuff

2006-01-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

On Thursday DSL was installed at the house. After work I set up the LAN and the wireless. On Friday I set my mother's computer up with her new email accounts and trained her on using it. She's so lost when it comes to technology.

Even though it get akward living with my mom again it's very nice that she's letting me stay here for the cost of chores while I work on my divorce. Though sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I hadn't has the option since I probably would have had to change the money situation so I was not giving it all to her.

Since I now have access to a high speed connection I reactivated my Final Fantasy XI account. Could have used that months ago when I was feeling so lost on what to do. I'll enjoy playing again. Had to get a different adaptor so I could hook it onto my mom's spare TV without interfering with her taping schedules.

Been staying up too late being all OCD on collecting pr0n online (just don't seem to be able to stop sometimes because I feel like I must collect all of a particular series, model or subject and the Internet is a BIG place). Need to control that since it makes me late to class and work and takes time from projects I'd rather be working on. It also makes me tired and grumpy. :-) That particular addiction has it's own attraction since I've always had such a high libido and provides it's own outlet. Kind of weird to be even talking about something I've always kept so private even though my friends have always known (though probably not how much) and it's even been kind of a joke.

I think I'll leave this post with a quote from Spider-Man 2 that means a fair bit to me. I kind of relate to what MJ is saying here.

Mary Jane Watson: I know you think we can't be together, but can't you respect me enough to let me make my own decision? I know there'll be risks but I want to face them with you. It's wrong that we should be only half alive... half of ourselves. I love you. So here I am - standing in your doorway. I have always been standing in your doorway. Isn't it about time somebody saved your life?

1st Post

2006-01-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

This is just the first post. Nothing to see here (yet), move along. Move along.