Sunday, March 31, 2019
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Is It Marvelous?
(EDIT: This one was on the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine feed. Now that the feed is gone, the only way to hear the show is over on the Dunesteef Podcast YouTube page, which I am embedding below).
Cheap Toy Hunting #1
This is going to be a new series on my toy review YouTube channel. They're super easy to make. I actually edited it in one night!
I also didn't have to write a script for it. I just set up some toys that I got for cheap, showed them off, and talked about how much cheaper they were than retail price.
And cheap toy hunting is something that I do no matter what. It's not like I'm going out of my way to make this video. I'm already there. So, all in all, a nice addition to the channel's videos.
As time goes on, I'll see if I can get more shots from the actual process of finding the cheap toys, and I'll try to be more timely with them, so that maybe my viewers can run out and check for those same toys at the stores in their area. It'll be like a public service. I'll basically be on par with those people who stand next to the mayor during the hurricane press conferences and provide the sign language translation, right?
I also didn't have to write a script for it. I just set up some toys that I got for cheap, showed them off, and talked about how much cheaper they were than retail price.
And cheap toy hunting is something that I do no matter what. It's not like I'm going out of my way to make this video. I'm already there. So, all in all, a nice addition to the channel's videos.
As time goes on, I'll see if I can get more shots from the actual process of finding the cheap toys, and I'll try to be more timely with them, so that maybe my viewers can run out and check for those same toys at the stores in their area. It'll be like a public service. I'll basically be on par with those people who stand next to the mayor during the hurricane press conferences and provide the sign language translation, right?
Happy Frickin' St. Pats
For St. Patrick's Day last week, we went out and bought some corned beef to have for dinner. We still haven't made it though. Here's a picture of the package:
Yeah, you saw that right. The chumps at the H-E-B meat department put their HUGE price sticker RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF THE INSTRUCTIONS!! And it does not peel off.
Anybody know how you're supposed to prepare this corned beef? I could use a hand before it goes bad on me.
Yeah, you saw that right. The chumps at the H-E-B meat department put their HUGE price sticker RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF THE INSTRUCTIONS!! And it does not peel off.
Anybody know how you're supposed to prepare this corned beef? I could use a hand before it goes bad on me.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Antipodes
Don't know why, but I found this fascinating. I was talking with Gino, a Kiwi, on Facebook about him being as far as physically possible from my location. It was a joke, but it made me wonder just what exactly actually was as far as physically possible from my location. I searched and wound up on this website, Antipodes Map. Turns out the opposite side of the world from me is somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean about equidistant from Australia and Africa.
Don't know why I found it so fascinating, but I spent way too much time looking to see what is on the opposite side of the earth from all sorts of other places that I've lived, visited, and wanted to visit. It was almost always in the middle of an ocean. They do say that the earth is 70% covered in water, so that makes sense.
Gino would have a better time if he tried tunneling straight through the earth however. New Zealand is exactly opposite the Iberian Peninsula, so he'd end up in Spain...or possibly Portugal...if the super-heated magma didn't kill him on the way there. Maybe it's better to come out in the middle of the ocean. The cold water can soothe your burns for you.
Don't know why I found it so fascinating, but I spent way too much time looking to see what is on the opposite side of the earth from all sorts of other places that I've lived, visited, and wanted to visit. It was almost always in the middle of an ocean. They do say that the earth is 70% covered in water, so that makes sense.
Gino would have a better time if he tried tunneling straight through the earth however. New Zealand is exactly opposite the Iberian Peninsula, so he'd end up in Spain...or possibly Portugal...if the super-heated magma didn't kill him on the way there. Maybe it's better to come out in the middle of the ocean. The cold water can soothe your burns for you.
Skiff Guard Lando
New toy video up. This one is about the Star Wars Black Series Skiff Guard Lando Calrissian. I give a bit of back story about why I wanted a Skiff Guard Lando, and then give a review of the figure. Give it a watch and enjoy if you dare.
Ancient Spirits...
I've never bought one of those Loyal Subjects blind box figures before. They might be a little too cutesy for my taste, I don't know. But when I was at Ross the other day with my son, he found a Thundercats one there.
"This is for you, Dad," he said. "I don't like Thundercats, but I know you do."
I do like Thundercats, though not enough to own any Thundercats stuff at all. I guess I must have talked about Thundercats enough for him to know it, because he sure didn't see it on my shelves.
Ross is always cheap. Usually about half-price to what you'll find elsewhere, and there's no better way to encourage me to buy a toy than to make it substantially cheaper than it normally costs. So, I bought it. We opened it up, and it was Mumm-Ra. Not a bad one if it's the only one you have, though Lion-O would have been better as a stand alone guy. Thems the breaks with blind boxes, I guess.
I got it home, and noticed, however, that it didn't necessarily have to be a stand alone guy. It was right about the same size and the Funko Disney Afternoon figures that I got for Christmas this year. In fact, a mummy fit in really well with a certain set of those Disney Afternoon guys. So, I took a picture, and gussied it up with some quotes, and now I present it to you. Enjoy:
I need to figure out how to whip up cheap, quickie dioramas, so that this could have been a little better than toys on a blank white background. Would have looked a lot better were it on a background that actually looked like a tomb. I wonder if they made a Lara Croft Loyal Subjects figure. I could make a sequel to this pic with that one.
"This is for you, Dad," he said. "I don't like Thundercats, but I know you do."
I do like Thundercats, though not enough to own any Thundercats stuff at all. I guess I must have talked about Thundercats enough for him to know it, because he sure didn't see it on my shelves.
Ross is always cheap. Usually about half-price to what you'll find elsewhere, and there's no better way to encourage me to buy a toy than to make it substantially cheaper than it normally costs. So, I bought it. We opened it up, and it was Mumm-Ra. Not a bad one if it's the only one you have, though Lion-O would have been better as a stand alone guy. Thems the breaks with blind boxes, I guess.
I got it home, and noticed, however, that it didn't necessarily have to be a stand alone guy. It was right about the same size and the Funko Disney Afternoon figures that I got for Christmas this year. In fact, a mummy fit in really well with a certain set of those Disney Afternoon guys. So, I took a picture, and gussied it up with some quotes, and now I present it to you. Enjoy:
I need to figure out how to whip up cheap, quickie dioramas, so that this could have been a little better than toys on a blank white background. Would have looked a lot better were it on a background that actually looked like a tomb. I wonder if they made a Lara Croft Loyal Subjects figure. I could make a sequel to this pic with that one.
Missing A Few Things
Valentine's Day and Presidents Day has passed us by...for a while actually, so it was time to change out my Pez dispensers. I have a couple of Easter Bunnies, and I put them in one of my dividers, but what to put in the other spot? No other holidays coming along. What else could I do?
Oh yeah, there's what might as well be a holiday coming up, the release day for the next Avengers movie. I could get out some of my Avengers Pez and put them up. I grabbed my bag, and sifted through it for a while, and had a real hard time finding most of my Avengers Pez dispensers. In the end I just put up these four:
I know I have some others in there, but I have so many in the big bag where I keep them, it's just hard to find them. Besides, my hands were getting all dirty from sifting around in there. Somehow a bunch of dust or sand or something got in the bag, and it was getting all over me. Weird.
Anyway, this is my Avengers Endgame display. I'm excited to see how this all turns out. I know Marvel Studios will keep churning along, but for some reason this film feels like this generation's Return of the Jedi. Like the culmination and ending of it all. Maybe it's because everybody keeps talking like Cap and Iron Man are gonna be dead by the end of this movie. I dunno.
Oh yeah, there's what might as well be a holiday coming up, the release day for the next Avengers movie. I could get out some of my Avengers Pez and put them up. I grabbed my bag, and sifted through it for a while, and had a real hard time finding most of my Avengers Pez dispensers. In the end I just put up these four:
I know I have some others in there, but I have so many in the big bag where I keep them, it's just hard to find them. Besides, my hands were getting all dirty from sifting around in there. Somehow a bunch of dust or sand or something got in the bag, and it was getting all over me. Weird.
Anyway, this is my Avengers Endgame display. I'm excited to see how this all turns out. I know Marvel Studios will keep churning along, but for some reason this film feels like this generation's Return of the Jedi. Like the culmination and ending of it all. Maybe it's because everybody keeps talking like Cap and Iron Man are gonna be dead by the end of this movie. I dunno.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Repro Star Wars
Today's video talks about the phenomenon of '80s toy reproductions. Is that something that collectors should be worried about?
Superstar
I was so excited when I saw Ronald's Red Shoe car the other day, but I had no idea how much further my day would be made. Right after seeing that car, I met the man himself. The Boy Wonder to Ronald's Batman, here he was!
Yeah, I have to admit I was pretty starstruck. What a day!
Yeah, I have to admit I was pretty starstruck. What a day!
Sunday, March 17, 2019
F--- Batman!
No, I'm not here to talk about the new Teen Titans TV show, despite the title of this post. Instead, I just wanted to communicate my feelings about Batman and his wimpy little Batmobile. I used to think the Batmobile was awesome, like way better than the Spider Buggy, pretty much tip top among all superhero transportation. But that was before I was driving past my local McDonald's today and saw this piece of badassery parked out front:
Now this is what I would call traveling in style.
Imagine how many chicks would flock to you if you could pull up in a ride like this, get out, and lean on it like you owned it.
It'd probably be like that episode of Friends when Joey finds the keys to some guy's Porsche and then everyone seem to think he's so much cooler and more interesting because they believe he owns the car.
What a dream it would be to own this sweet ride.
Not all of us can be Ronald McDonald though. Not all of us can fight crime and be a sex machine with all the chicks. And don't tell me to shut my mouth, because I am not talking about Shaft.
Look at the sweet daddy interior on this thing. Now that is class.
And again, Batman ain't got nuttin' on this piece of pure machismo. Look at that steering wheel. Ronald's logo is so much cooler than the bat logo.
I was standing in front of this thing just imagining the thrilling excitement as Ronald and Grimace raced across the city in hot pursuit of the Hamburglar.
It takes somebody special to bring that villain to justice. I just wish I could be that awesome.
So that I could drive a car with this kind of style...
And grace...
Someday, Jennifer. Someday.
Now this is what I would call traveling in style.
Imagine how many chicks would flock to you if you could pull up in a ride like this, get out, and lean on it like you owned it.
It'd probably be like that episode of Friends when Joey finds the keys to some guy's Porsche and then everyone seem to think he's so much cooler and more interesting because they believe he owns the car.
What a dream it would be to own this sweet ride.
Not all of us can be Ronald McDonald though. Not all of us can fight crime and be a sex machine with all the chicks. And don't tell me to shut my mouth, because I am not talking about Shaft.
Look at the sweet daddy interior on this thing. Now that is class.
And again, Batman ain't got nuttin' on this piece of pure machismo. Look at that steering wheel. Ronald's logo is so much cooler than the bat logo.
I was standing in front of this thing just imagining the thrilling excitement as Ronald and Grimace raced across the city in hot pursuit of the Hamburglar.
It takes somebody special to bring that villain to justice. I just wish I could be that awesome.
So that I could drive a car with this kind of style...
And grace...
Someday, Jennifer. Someday.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
What're You Fixin' To Do?
Rish and I talk about more of the broken franchises in movies today. Can they be fixed?
(EDIT: This one was on the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine feed. Now that the feed is gone, the only way to hear the show is over on the Dunesteef Podcast YouTube page, which I am embedding below).
Monday, March 11, 2019
Toy Fair Episode
Just finished uploading my latest video. In it, I talk about the stuff they announced at the recent New York Toy Fair, and how it has gotten me all excited.
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Is Spring Springing?
I grew up in Sacramento, so I'm used to Spring coming early, and Summer being way too long and hot. But I don't think we ever had to deal with this. Look at my car:
We went to New York for the weekend, and when I got back, the thing looked like this. Pollen overload. I think there was a fair amount of rain and wind while we were gone. The wind sent the pollen airborne and the rain made it stick to the car when it landed. And now I've got this gross mess.
I tried to get a car wash the other day, but each time I drove past, there were at least five cars in line. I guess everyone else had the same problem as me. Maybe I'll get it washed soon, but I'm not waiting in line thirty minutes for a car wash. The thing drives just fine when it's dirty. I'm not too proud to drive a dirty car.
We went to New York for the weekend, and when I got back, the thing looked like this. Pollen overload. I think there was a fair amount of rain and wind while we were gone. The wind sent the pollen airborne and the rain made it stick to the car when it landed. And now I've got this gross mess.
I tried to get a car wash the other day, but each time I drove past, there were at least five cars in line. I guess everyone else had the same problem as me. Maybe I'll get it washed soon, but I'm not waiting in line thirty minutes for a car wash. The thing drives just fine when it's dirty. I'm not too proud to drive a dirty car.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
New Wall-P
When we moved to Houston, my wife insisted that we have a pool. She said she wasn't moving to someplace as hot as this without some sort of refuge. So, we got one. Let me tell you, a pool is not just a water pit, it's also a money pit. We've had to fix issues with the pool over and over, including getting a whole new pump which cost a boatload.
Our pool came with a Polaris pool sweeper--one of those robot things that tools around the bottom of your pool vacuuming up the stuff that falls in. I tend to name all of my electronics...my computer is Optimus Prime, my phone is Conky, my car was Bumblebee...so I had to name this thing. After all, this thing was an actual robot. It had to have a name. We decided to call it Wall-P. Wall-E from the movie's name stood for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class. So, since our pool sweeper was doing the same job as Wall-E but for our pool, he was Waste Allocation Load Lifter Pool-class.
Unfortunately, Wall-P was a pretty old robot. I just found out that he was a full ten years old. For the last year and a half he's had nothing but issues like the rest of our pool's equipment. Recently, he's just been sitting at the bottom of the pool doing absolutely nothing. There was no difference when he was turned on or turned off. He always looked like this:
So, we fished him out and took him to the pool store to have him looked at. They told us that to get him repaired would cost more than it would to just buy a new one. My wife shopped around, found us a good deal, and now we have a new Wall-P in our pool. When we plugged him in and turned him on, he jumped up and went right to work, scrubbing that pool till it shined like those Dow Scrubbing Bubbles.
When we talked about giving it a name, we didn't know what to call it. The kids were calling it Wall-P, but it wasn't Wall-P, because that robot was in the trash can. They also called him Wall-P2, a la the Simpsons and Snowball II. But that just doesn't resonate. I suggested a little mashup of franchises. We could call it Wall-P2D2. But it was just too unwieldy. Maybe just P2D2 for short? Like saying Artoo.
My wife, however says that we've all got it wrong. This new robot isn't a boy at all. She says it has to be a girl. It does too good of a job cleaning. Boys always do half-assed jobs.
"Ah," I said, "So we need to call it Eva, you're saying?"
I guess that's exactly what she's saying, because she's been calling it that in any conversation we have about it ever since.
Goodbye Wall-P. Thanks for your service. Hello, Eva. Welcome to the family.
The pool looks so nice and clean, too bad the water's still so freaking cold that it numbed my arm when I hooked Eva up to the pump. It'll be nice to be able to go swimming again in a few months.
Our pool came with a Polaris pool sweeper--one of those robot things that tools around the bottom of your pool vacuuming up the stuff that falls in. I tend to name all of my electronics...my computer is Optimus Prime, my phone is Conky, my car was Bumblebee...so I had to name this thing. After all, this thing was an actual robot. It had to have a name. We decided to call it Wall-P. Wall-E from the movie's name stood for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class. So, since our pool sweeper was doing the same job as Wall-E but for our pool, he was Waste Allocation Load Lifter Pool-class.
Unfortunately, Wall-P was a pretty old robot. I just found out that he was a full ten years old. For the last year and a half he's had nothing but issues like the rest of our pool's equipment. Recently, he's just been sitting at the bottom of the pool doing absolutely nothing. There was no difference when he was turned on or turned off. He always looked like this:
So, we fished him out and took him to the pool store to have him looked at. They told us that to get him repaired would cost more than it would to just buy a new one. My wife shopped around, found us a good deal, and now we have a new Wall-P in our pool. When we plugged him in and turned him on, he jumped up and went right to work, scrubbing that pool till it shined like those Dow Scrubbing Bubbles.
When we talked about giving it a name, we didn't know what to call it. The kids were calling it Wall-P, but it wasn't Wall-P, because that robot was in the trash can. They also called him Wall-P2, a la the Simpsons and Snowball II. But that just doesn't resonate. I suggested a little mashup of franchises. We could call it Wall-P2D2. But it was just too unwieldy. Maybe just P2D2 for short? Like saying Artoo.
My wife, however says that we've all got it wrong. This new robot isn't a boy at all. She says it has to be a girl. It does too good of a job cleaning. Boys always do half-assed jobs.
"Ah," I said, "So we need to call it Eva, you're saying?"
I guess that's exactly what she's saying, because she's been calling it that in any conversation we have about it ever since.
Goodbye Wall-P. Thanks for your service. Hello, Eva. Welcome to the family.
The pool looks so nice and clean, too bad the water's still so freaking cold that it numbed my arm when I hooked Eva up to the pump. It'll be nice to be able to go swimming again in a few months.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Foreheads
They don't just sell lettuce in heads at my local store. Now they also sell it as 4 heads!
Get it? Get it? Four heads...foreheads? Get it? Foreheads? Get it?
Get it? Get it? Four heads...foreheads? Get it? Foreheads? Get it?
Monday, March 4, 2019
My First Time In New York
I love to travel and see and experience new things. Living out in the west meant that I mostly visited things like National Parks...
And the big cities in the vicinity like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Now that I'm here in Houston, though, there's a new side of the country that has opened up to me. Last year, when we visited New Orleans, it was only the second time in my life that I'd been east of the Mississippi...and considering that New Orleans is actually on the Mississippi, I didn't get very far east of it.
My wife has some website or app or whatever that she uses to be alerted to good prices on airfare. She used it last year to take my daughter to New York for her sixteenth birthday. I'd never been to New York, and I think she could tell how jealous I was, so this year for Christmas, she used her app again to get us good airfare back to New York. She gave me the tickets as my Christmas present, and this past weekend was when those tickets were for.
So, I got to go to New York City for the first time in my life. It was really fun. We went to Times Square:
We went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island:
We went to the top of the Empire State Building:
And we went and got hollowed out at the 9/11 Memorial museum:
We watched two Broadway plays:
We rode the subway:
And ate a hot dog with sauerkraut and relish on it:
As well as a whole lot of New York pizza:
We had spaghetti at an Italian restaurant:
We went to one of those tiny little ramen restaurants where they only give you chop sticks...whether you know how to use them or not:
We also went to one of those New York delis. I got a corned beef on rye sandwich:
Also, we made sure to have a cannoli and some cheese cake:
It was a pretty fun trip. I really had a great time. Maybe it was totally touristy and typical, but I don't care. I loved it. If you're interested, I think Rish and I are going to talk about it on an upcoming TGMG, so you can get some more details.
And the big cities in the vicinity like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Now that I'm here in Houston, though, there's a new side of the country that has opened up to me. Last year, when we visited New Orleans, it was only the second time in my life that I'd been east of the Mississippi...and considering that New Orleans is actually on the Mississippi, I didn't get very far east of it.
My wife has some website or app or whatever that she uses to be alerted to good prices on airfare. She used it last year to take my daughter to New York for her sixteenth birthday. I'd never been to New York, and I think she could tell how jealous I was, so this year for Christmas, she used her app again to get us good airfare back to New York. She gave me the tickets as my Christmas present, and this past weekend was when those tickets were for.
So, I got to go to New York City for the first time in my life. It was really fun. We went to Times Square:
We went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island:
We went to the top of the Empire State Building:
And we went and got hollowed out at the 9/11 Memorial museum:
We watched two Broadway plays:
We rode the subway:
And ate a hot dog with sauerkraut and relish on it:
As well as a whole lot of New York pizza:
We had spaghetti at an Italian restaurant:
We went to one of those tiny little ramen restaurants where they only give you chop sticks...whether you know how to use them or not:
We also went to one of those New York delis. I got a corned beef on rye sandwich:
Also, we made sure to have a cannoli and some cheese cake:
It was a pretty fun trip. I really had a great time. Maybe it was totally touristy and typical, but I don't care. I loved it. If you're interested, I think Rish and I are going to talk about it on an upcoming TGMG, so you can get some more details.
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