Building Dreams And Culinary Nightmares

Sun

Worked on Younger's science project most of the afternoon, right up 'til AR time. Got it done though! The gist of the project was measuring the effect on reaction times of either a hand-held cell or a headset. Turns out, based on our very-unscientific sampling of 6 people, headsets are worse!

Just after AR started, got onto what would be my final BST party, led by Soho! Seeing him again was a treat and Thisbe was a bubbly spaz. Ended with BST21 and a great sense of accomplishment! I just now wish I'd gone to 21 on all the other melees for use of the Beetle +1 set to rep my worn Bone gear.

Riaukai chatted briefly with me, mentioning he started his own shell, HerpTheDerp. Seems a very friendly sort :3

AR was great (Go 'Boys!), DH was pretty interesting, and B&S is getting intriguing. Bed after.

-=-=-=-

Sat

Today was an early start for all of us. Today was the first-ever HabiJax Lego Blitz Build, an event to bring awareness of HabiJax's activities and to get kids involved since they can't go to the actual home sites. The gist of the event is to put together a team of 4 builders, obtain sponsor funding, and compete in a timed building challenge. So, not long after Younger's best friend AJ's mom dropped him off, we piled in Kuroma, grabbed Meme and picked up the fourth team member then rushed to the mall. Ape as always, was stressing with regard to timing, but we needn't have worried. While check-in began at 10, the building didn't start until 11.

Until then, we got breakfast, and enjoyed the MC talents of a local radio host and got to meet one of the Jaguars, Montell Owens. Quite a cool guy - I got to speak with him ever so briefly about his vast Lego collection. As time got closer (and the boys got stuck at CFA, nearly missing kickoff!) I scouted out the building sets. We knew that building a house was the design theme, and Ape insisted I coach the kids ahead of time but I and the boys disagreed. Without knowledge of the pieces available, or the number, it would be of limited value to pre-plan. But, at the actual event is another story! I peeked at the pre-sorted bags and realized there was a pretty diverse mix of the basic elements and reported back to the kids. And I had a design too - I voted for building a treehouse since I expected everyone else to go with a regular house.

My idea was shot down by the boys as being too difficult and impractical. And with the just-announced rules stating I couldn't do anything once building began other than rule enforcement, there was nothing for me to do. So I promoted Ape to Team Captain and went on a mission of my own. I found one of the event organizers and asked her if I could use one of the untaken sets to try out my idea. She agreed and even gave me one of the large baseplates. So I found a corner away from the event - since I didn't want anyone thinking I was providing ideas to any team - and got to work soloing a challenge meant for a four-man team.

Have I ever mentioned I'm really good with Lego? That I've been at it since around 1977 or so? That I have sets older than most of you? Well, I went to work. I separated all the 2-by-x bricks from the 1-bys and then roughed out my design. I built up a tree trunk facade and then tried a treehouse design. About 30 minutes in I realized I wasn't consuming nearly enough pieces, so I smashed the house and redid it. I wound up with a 12x8 house, with an additional 4x6 "deck" off one end. I set in lots of windows and built up a peaked roof over the main house and the deck. I included an arm off the deck where the rope swing would have gone, had I any rope ^^ Once done, I consumed most of the remaining pieces by building a stepladdder leading to the hole in the floor, and a fence decorating the base.

I ended construction about 5 minutes early, having started 5 late. With the extra 10 I think I could have managed to consume them all.

But that's not the best part. While squirreled away some distance from the event, I was approached by a half-dozen people who were intrigued by my efforts. Most took pics with their cameras or cells. The newspaper crew came by. I got interviewed and snapped by their team! I also had two elderly gentlemen separately approach me. One wanted to talk about his Lego train collection and bemoan the end of the electric train and track parts. The other wanted to talk to me about Jesus, but I assured him we were already on the same page there :3

Near the end of the timed event, I took my treehouse to our team table and set it down away from the official constructs. And even *more* people came to gawk. Other teams' kids and their parents - Montell Owens - the radio guy - and more! Let's just say I'm turning into a total attention whore and cosplaying is going to so-o-o stroke my ego!

When it came time for the judging, we all got up on stage and our guys found out they finished 6th of 7. Pity too, because their house was actually quite well executed. They built a large multi-room house and went so far to include built-up furniture appropriate to each room. They even had greenery outside and a grill. ther teams had good stuff too though. All in all, the boys had a blast and I got to be weird in public.

By the time it was all over, Cousin had been picked up and I took the remaining boys to the game stores where one bought a new DS title. Eventually we left the mall and did stuff at home. Ape was still feeling super-lousy so we lay down until close to 6. We had dinner plans at the new Bahama Breeze and were expecting to hear from Ape's BFF on the estimated wait time. Soon we found out we weren't due to eat until 9! So I snacked up while Ape continued to rest and we left at maybe 7:30 to pick up Meme and then head to Sis's house. Meme was going to watch all the boys (including AJ) and we all rode together. Aside from getting to mess around with Sis's new iPhone (Hi LK!) I really really wished I'd stuck with my original plan to drive us. Ape didn't want to ride in Shiroma because of her nausea and didn't want to ride with Sis without me. /sigh

Aaaanyway... We got to the mall at jus after 8, checked our timing (still due at 9-ish) and went shopping. Bro and I went to Best Buy and Toys 'R Us while the girls went to Express. We regathered at close to 9, meeting Sis's good friends S and E and heading to Bahama Breeze. For a dining *ordeal* I don't look to repeat.

I'll try to keep it civil... We were told right after 9 that our table was being bussed, but it disappeared. We weren't seated until 9:45-ish. The manager (owner maybe?) offered us drinks, apps and dessert on them. So, once we sat down, I chose meat pies as my app and grilled chicken on focaccia as my entree. The food was OK but not nearly as good as J Alexanders. *That's* worth a long wait!

Along the way, we had more fun:
- E's salad-as-a-meal came out early not once, or twice. After the third delivery attempt, E kept it but was displeased. The waitress didn't know how it had gotten mixed up.
- Bro initially chose not to order but after seeing my sammy he asked for one *exactly* (his emphasis) like mine. When it came, it was on an odd hamburger bun with the wrong cheese. Neither the manager nor waitress knew where the bun came from as they don't have that style!
- While I was done drinking, I lost my Coke glass when the waitress filled it with tea, unbidden.

Oh well. The pineapple-chocolate cake was really good!

We didn't leave the restaurant until after 11 and Bro and Ape were really fretting about the boys being stuck there so late and Meme's not used to staying up so late. Once home I got to drive Shiroma after all because I needed to head back out, to Wal-Mart. We needed breakfast stuffs for the boys and I grabbed lunchy stuff for me.

So I didn't really get settled in until after 2, at which time I got the most awesome surprise! Two, really. I jumped on XI with plans to finish BST and instead was tapped by Fhox to join him. In Dynamis. Of course, being Fhox it was *Bastok*... There was a frenzy of chat activity as I confirmed details with Fhox (Do they know I'm a Dyna-nub? Are they OK with me on WHM? etc.) and orders with Lordgrim (organizer) and Ktulu, holder of the glass and devourer of worlds :3

I jumped in as soon as I arrived and found about 14 dead people. They had just wiped and were basically regrouping. I was put with a team of 4, meaning my party was the smallest. But I had watch over the puller (Fritz) and Riaukai was a very appreciative sort! Oh, Sortir and Med were in here too!

Battle seemed to consist of puling one really pissed off Quadav escorted by two statue-like creatures. We worked to keep magical enemies silenced or slept because the statues were easy pickings. We got pretty far too (I think) but a bad pull led to a second wipe. We also lost a tank early and a key melee late.

It was still prolly the best 17k I ever spent. I had a blast and got to show of my White Magery. Riaukai was especially appreciative of my efforts. I really really love WHM/SCH!

Ended with late chats with Keps and Cleric. Kep and I talked about random stuff, but a lot of it was about Ragnarok Online, the free-to-play MMO he (and I think a number of the others) frequent now. He shared some of his screenshots with me showing both of his characters, Dhimiter and Kozlov. RO has a great art style that would totally suck me in if I had the fortitude for a second MMO. Which I don't. I also spent a lot of time on YouTube searching for Killer Instinct vids. Found a lot of long combo demos and some fake KI3 teaser trailers.

-=-=-=-

Fri

Wow... Bad bad morning. Elder has been having sleeping issues, leading I suspect to a lot of his attitude issues. Well, today took the cake. He was mouthy and surly and I came out to the car to find him kicking my floorboards. I snapped and yanked him inside. I didn't completely lose my cool but I was angry with him. I told him I don't care what his sleep issues are, or whatever's bugging him. He doesn't get to treat Mom and Dad that way.

So I made a decision. He had a presentation due that he was working on late last night and would never make a good show of it in his state. So I told him to go to bed. And then I went to bed. We got 3 hours' sleep and as hard as it was to wake him up it's clear he needs much more. But, he's just like me and Ape - we all seem to get much better sleep in the daytime!

Work was OK, but near the end Ape called after the funeral. If I didn't say before, her Vice-principal's hubby died over the weekend. They were close like Ape and I were and the funeral made Ape really sad.

Still sick, we did a stay-at-home night with basic foods... Later I jumped on XI and got BST to 18. Cousin stayed the night.