Work in Progress

Conjunction of Geekdoms

Thu, 31 May 2007 05:41:05 GMT

OK, Star Wars LEGO was sweet and Harry Potter LEGO has had it's moments but now... OMG...

INDIANA JONES LEGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or at least that is the rumour out of Celebration IV.

They had the Adventurers line for several years and it was very "Indy-esque" but actual "Indy" sets, too cool.

Happy Star Wars Day!

Fri, 25 May 2007 16:04:47 GMT

Today is the day. 30 years ago on May 25th, 1977 Star Wars opened.

I didn't actually see it until some time that summer when our family was camping near Lake Placid, NY. We took a summer holiday down from Ottawa and visited places like The North Pole (Lake Placid) and Frontiertown.

It was a rainy night and the family went into town to watch a movie. I don't remember, and never asked, who thought of it or if Mom and Dad even wanted to see the movie.

We went into the town which was already covered with banners advertising the 1980 Winter Olympics and my life was changed forever. OK, not really but Star Wars is such an integral part of my life that I sometimes think in Star Wars terms. People I know understand when I describe someplace as a "hive of scum and villany".

Of course the passage of time and the ego of George Lucas has added new ideas and phrases (ie: "Han shot first") but the fact that my oldest son loves the series (albeit he perfers the newer episodes) is really cool to me.

One of my coolest memories is going with my Dad and Sister to watch the double feature of Star Wars and Empire Stirkes Back at the old Coronet theatre on Yates (long since torn down.) I know Sean will never remmeber but we took him to see Phantom Menace while he was still a suckling babe. Opening night, midnight showing and there we were in the front row.

Aaagh what a geek!

May the Force be with you, always.

Evening Out

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:21:36 GMT

elinor_godwin and I finally went to the Bent Mast here in James Bay. Only took five years of living in the neighbourhood.

It was worth it. We went for drinks and appys while celtic musicians had what is apparently a weekly jam session. I thought it was a little loud but the food was nice and they have Merridale Cider on tap!

Mother-in-law came and sat with the kids. It was really nice getting out of the house for a couple of hours. Especially nice as I could have a drink since we walked!

I think we will do that again.

Sewing Help needed

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:37:35 GMT

As neither elinor_godwin nor I sew I need some help with some fighting clothes. I need a simple doublet and pants set and a new set of fabric "legs" as the old ones are rather, shall we say, pungent.

I have the base patterns for all three pieces and can pay for your time or work out some sort of trade but I need this for Daffodil if I am actually going to fight.

Anyone able to help or point me in the right direction?

Shove it up your corporate right-wing ...

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:17:51 GMT

Listening to the radio yesterday I got a little annoyed. A right-wing think-tank published a report calling on Canada post to be "privatized". They cited a need for "improvements" that would come from this destruction of another public service.

I am so tired of hearing this corporate bull-puckey. I have never been more satisifed with Canada Post in all my life! We did a lot of Xmas shopping online last year and it was delivered by Canada Post promptly and with care. They even delivered on Sundays and Thanksgiving Monday!

Why don't the corporate-fascists just admit that they want all public services destroyed while we are turned into barcode-zombies consuming whatever crap they decide to sell. Some things should be managed for the public benefit and the postal system is one of those things IMO.

Thanks for letting me rant a little.

LEGO Fun

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 19:52:28 GMT

This is kinda fun. I am sitting at Canwest mall at the VicLUG display and using the wireless network to cruise the net (and write this) between visitors.

The visitors have been mostly two groups so far: retirees and small kids with adults in tow. Of course I was not here yesterday evening so I don't know if the demographics were different. Tomorrow may be different as well as it is Saturday. More people will be off and also word of mouth might have spread a bit.

There are still some empty club spaces in the mall but I do not know if they are empty because the groups dropped out or they are just waiting until tonight/tomorrow.

Well, I will be here until mid-afternoon if anyone happens by and we are planning on bringing the kids out around dinner or just thereafter to see what Daddy's been up to with the stuff I wouldnot let them demolish.

Farewell Annica

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 01:54:46 GMT

[A very SCA-centric post, sorry if anything doesn't make sense to those not involved.]

When I was Duncan I knew Her Ladyship Annica Van Heusden. She is dying now. I just read Ekaterina's memories and have been thinking about her the last few days after hearing she was in hospital.

Annica made My Lady's wedding dress oh so many years ago. I remember going with My Lady to the fittings when Annica lived at Father Chris' in what could barely be described as a basement suite. I saw some of her legendary hand-stitching which, legend goes, was once marked down in a costume contest because the judge thought it was machine stitching. "Too perfect to be hand-stitched" or some nonsense.

We all thought she should have been a Laurel. We all begged her to go off-island as that was (perhaps still is) the "only way to become a peer". I wonder if any of us who told her that she should go ever bothered to write recommendations? Another in the long list of people I should have written to TRM's about. Only the first in a long line of people I have seen denied recognition because they choose not to travel.

I remember her wicked sense of humour. Sarcastic, dry and often insightful. She always seemed to me to be a very genuine laugher. When she laughed you knew she was happy to her core and it just bubbled out in a snort and a broad smile.

I always coveted her book Daily life in Holland 1566 which was the first time I saw a different kind of living history. A kind of living history that was about bringing the real past to life (in this case in the form of paintings) as opposed to a fancy-dress-camping-party. I always thought Annica was authentic but never an "Authenticity-Nazi". She was always willing to show anyone (even me) how to sew or share her knowledge. She was so proud of that book and it represented a huge financial investment for her back then but she actually let me borrow it for a short time. I will probably get a secondhand copy someday and always remember her when I look at it.

Fondly,

Duncan Macquarrie (now Edward)

Have a Merry LEGO Christmas!

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 00:20:20 GMT

Well Christmas was good for me as I got both the Holiday Train (10173) and the Creator Buildings (4886) sets. What was really really surprising however was what my sister found for me in a second hand store for $7.99: the Dark Forest Fortress (6079).

Released in 1996 this set is supposed to have 461 pieces. After putting it together I came up 11 pieces short (10 missing + 1 broken) means it is nearly 98% complete!

There were other instructions and matching pieces which may have made up for some of the main set's missing pieces but I did get all the mini-figs (+2 castle and one space fig). the bulk of the missing bits are of course weapons and shields but at least I did one classic sword, a halberd and a couple of spears and two classic bow and arrow w/quivers sets.

Add in the bucket o'LEGO I got at Yule revel from scrivener13 and I figure I am doing pretty well.

Now, if I can just find time to build...

First You Tube Video

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:57:35 GMT

Well, if it works here is a short of elinor-godwin @ Investiture:

Bird Flu and Bureaucrats

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 18:51:15 GMT

So there I was with 40 or so fellow university employees listening to two VIHA types talking about their plans for responding to a new pandemic. I found their presentation somewhat informative but also rather disturbing.

Their entire plan seems to boil down to "Wash your hands until vaccine arrives."

In the mean time their numbers suggest that up to 1400 people will need to be hospitalized in the FIRST (of several) waves of infected persons. They blithley spoke of adding capacity FOR IMMUNIZATION CLINICS. In response to one question they did suggest that a hospital might be designated a quarantine facility and all the NON-FLU PATIENTS RELOCATED for the duration.

What returned to my thoughts again and again was how are they going to find 1400 hospital beds when up to 50% of the population will be too sick to get out of bed?

I almost howled when they ridiculed the US planners who are including the national guard in their plans. I wonder what they will do when hundreds of people storm the VIHA facilities where they store Tamiflu? Are the municipal police really up to the task of enforcing quarantine restrictions on detention facilities created around local schools or other large capacity buildings?

At the end of the discussion they joked that they hoped they had not scared anyone too much.

By my estimation these guys are willfully or ignorantly underestimating the potential for civil unrest and health care failure. I am not sure which scares me more.

Seriously, for more than just this sort of thing, does anyone want to live in a small, fortified, medieval/renaissance town that we build somewhere we can grow food?

Welcome to France

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:44:14 GMT

Forwarded to me by a friend via email:

An elderly Canadian gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane. At the French immigration desk,the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag. "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the immigration officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to have your passport ready." exclaimed the French official imperiously.

The Canadian said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. Foreigners always have to show their passports on arrival in France!" replied the immigration official.

The Canadian senior gave the Frenchman a long hard Look. Then he quietly explained. "Well, when I came ashore on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find any Frenchman to show it to."

With apologies to any Cheese-Eating-Surrender-Monkeys who might be offended.

Art Meme

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:40:29 GMT

The first five people to respond to this post, will get some form of art, by me, about them. I make no guarantees about quality or type, but I will assure that I will give it good effort.

The only catch, of course; as with most memes, if you sign up, you have to put this in your own journal as well.

(My first Meme. Does this mean I have turned to the dark side or wil I be able to resist future Memes?)

NW Brick Con 2006

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:20:01 GMT

Having been involved with the AFOL (Adult Fans Of LEGO) online community for some time I have heard of several of these "real-life" events. I thought I had some idea of what to expect from our local LUG (LEGO Users Group) meetings (viclug.ca), reading reports and looking at photo galleries on Brickshelf.com and elsewhere.

I experienced activities that seemed familiar from the virtual sources but attending a real event with real people was far more than I could have imagined.

After my first hour onsite I was giddy. Yep, like a schoolgirl and barely able to keep myself from skipping back to my hotel room to grab my MOC (MY Own Creation) for the castle display.

After 24 hours I felt like I had a hangover from an all-night bender yet, I hasten to note, I had not touched anything stronger than a Ding Dong (love those American treats) and a couple of gallons of Coke. I was nearly totally exhausted from the energy that was flowing as I helped set up the Castle display and began to meet fellow AFOL's: Andrew "the wizard guy" who I only discovered was Dunechaser after several hours. Brendan who drove up from California to oversee the first trial of his BPB and 8cres landscaping system. Tom with the biggest MOC's I have ever seen. Caylin with her cool church with the roof that opened to show all the people. I loved Richard's awesome Rapunzel tower which got Jeremy and Josh and I thinking about a theme/challenge for next year to incorporate "hidden" fairy tales into the castle MOC's.

And those were just a few of the people I met from near and far. Every single one of them sharing the sort of joy I felt at being there. Every one of them in love with the bricks and the endless possibilities they present.

And lets not forget the field trip to the LEGO store where Neil and his staff gave us food and drink while allowing a "virgin" such as myself to revel in the largest selection of LEGO I have ever seen. Approaching the pick-a-brick wall I was actually nervous wanting to see what wonders I would find and afraid lest I find nothing I wanted.

I should not have worried. At least a half a large cup full of flower stems for farm building, jumper plates by the handful, a cool door, some tan window frames and more bits that I cannot remember but will get to be pleaseantly surprised by when I open the cups at home later tonight.

And lets not forget the mini-fig bar! A DOZEN yellow Princess Leia slave girl legs will allow me to equip a large squad of Romans for less than 1/5 the cost of the same parts via Bricklink. Some bits and bobs and a couple of medium sets and I could have been happy at that.

But there was the Brick Bazaar on site with used bits. I was over the moon with 5 cannons (with gun carriages!) included in a $5 pick-a-used-brick bag. There were also the custom bits like some more weapons from Will and a set of Ben's train wheels. At the end of the day the Dirty Brickster saw me steal a My Own Train caboose from Steve Barille!

Now all this acquisition of stuff was good but the most fun was the interactions. The sessions and the time just hanging out with AFOL's was priceless. The time tending the public display and talking to mothers while their kids stood in awe was amazing. The way these kids lit up as they saw the possibilities then the delight as they showed their parents some of the funny or clever details put a huge grin on my face. There was even an area for the kids to build with LEGO provided and a table was set aside juts liek the other diaplsy tables but left empty for the kids to display their MOCs

I love the details too. Those little touches that add humour and detail and life (or death) to the scenes. The shark attack in the moat surrounding John's huge tower. The guy in the coracle at the base of Josh's lighthouse. The space police brutality towards martians...

I can hardly wait to go back next year and take S. and maybe the rest of the family.

For more of my pictures and pictures by others attendees (better and more numerous than my pictures) go to the NW Brick Con Flickr Group and be amazed at what a bunch of LEGO geeks can do when given too much time and LEGO!

Naive Cynic

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 14:04:05 GMT

As anyone who spends any time in my presence knows I have something of a cynical bent and sarcastic sense of humour. So it came as quite a shock on th weekend when I discovered just how naive I am.

I was listening to a CBC radio story about a woman who has returned to Iraq since the "liberation". She gave up a nice job in Toronto as an architect and has started a women's organization in Baghdad.

The announcer includes in his opening remarks something like "the question on everyone's mind is, why do it?"

My first response was to practically say out loud "What a stupid question."

Such questions are beyond my way of thinking. She did it because she thought she had to to do it to make things better. Why else would anyone do anything.

And then it hit me that I have been the most dissapointed, hurt, insulted and offended when either my motives have been questioned or I find that someone else is NOT doing something for the benefit of anyone but themselves.

I am happy to beleive that various conspiracy theories may be contain larger or smaller quantities of truth but I always beleive that any individual I know is a) telling the truth and b) working towards making things better.

EDIT: I really don't know how to end this post without going all bitter/ballistic about past "wrongs" so I think I just sort of leave it hanging. A sort of dangling spleen which is a sufficiently amusing image in my head to make me smile again.

What is a Houseboat?

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 16:14:04 GMT

So yesterday at work victriviaqueen mentions she and her DH are thinking about arranging to house sit a houseboat for a vacation. OK, I am following so far.

Then she says they have thought about living on one and my brain does a weird backflip. I am thinking 'why would you wanna live on Shushwap Lake?' and so I ask her "Where would you put it?" and my brain is thinking 'Lake Cowichan maybe...'

Her reply is "West Bay Marina."

See, I think of the classic lake-style vessel when someone says 'houseboat'. I used to think of what are now called "float-homes" as 'houseboats' but somewhere along the way the language changed for me. Probably from all the stories in recent years about the takeover of Victoria Harbour by the GVHA and the ongoing sewage treatment issues.

Well, anyway whether it's called a float-home or houseboat I have always thought it might be cool. I hope they get a chance to try it.

New Toy

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:07:57 GMT

OK, it's not exactly NEW in that I got it several weeks ago. But I finally have a picture of the darned thing. I got a Palm T|X with a portable keyboard and a 1Gb memory card:

I got it as both an organizer and as a replacement for the old Apple Laptop. This thing sets up much faster and has wireless and bluetooth connectivity. Writing on it is almost fun and I can make quick notes on the go that I could not do with the laptop.

Starting out

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 16:34:38 GMT

OK, So my lovely wife suggested I stop just reading her friends list and get my own LJ account so we can try to keep each other motivated to actually write and SUBMIT our writing to publishers.

Fine.

Sometimes it really irritates me when she makes sense. :)