DAD'S X-MAS LIST 2011

Christmas is for kids - we know that. Let's just say hypothetically that Dad is still a big kid too. Shouldn't he be able to write a list to Santa Claus?  Seems only fair to me... I know December 25th is only like 4 or 5 days away, but there's still time to get me something! Below are listed a few of my major wants.

I did this same thing a couple of years ago (Dad's Christmas List! - Nov. 2009), and looking back I'd have to say that although those things on that list did not come to me that particular X-mas, many of said things (or things like them) did come to me within the following year (2010). Let's take a look at the results of that wish list:

 I drive the exact car pictured in that post, only in a slightly different color. It has an awesome stereo, drives great, hauls lots of stuff and is surprisingly good on gas. Car - check.

 Instead of vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, my wife and I instead spent a week in Cuba (a truly beautiful country which you can see photos of here,...... here, ...... and here. ). I imagine it was as fun and interesting as Mexico would have been, and might still be in the future. Vacation - check.

I've bought and sold hundreds of different comic books since that last post, so that was an easy one... same with toys.  Comics and Action Figures - check and check.

Only thing missing is the Bass Guitar that I wanted. Turns out I don't really want that so much anymore. I have been playing guitar far more than bass in the last two years, and I actually sold my bass amp when I moved to BC. This leads to the #1 spot on the list this year. So, without further ado:


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#1 - Fender Stratocaster (or Strat copy)
For some reason, I never really liked the look of these guitars so much, or the lack of a humbucking pickup on the standard Stratocaster (used to be a hardcore metal guy), so I never bothered to really pick one up to try it out for any length of time. One came to my attention just recently at a great price and packaged deal, so I thought I'd finally give the legendary Strat a fair shot. Right off the bat, I was really impressed with the feel of the neck and the weight of the instrument... even impressed by the depths of tone possible from the single-coil pickups played through the teeny little practice amp that comes with it.

Now, I haven't owned an electric guitar in about 13 years or so... and my musical tastes now lean a little less towards heavy, crunching power chords and a lot more towards the soulful, melodic and transcendent. That might sound flaky, but it really just means I've gotten old...

I think at my current age, I'd look pretty stupid on stage with a Flying V- or Destroyer-type guitar. And getting back into it after so long, I think I should go with a tried and true classic...

#2 - A Boat
I am a prairie boy no longer... I now live on an island dotted with lakes and surrounded by the ocean and other smaller islands... water is everywhere, and I feel a driving need to get out onto it. I don't need anything fancy in terms of size or speed... in fact, I'd rather not have to get a new vehicle just to haul it around. A small aluminum fishing boat, or mayhaps a canoe might best serve my purposes... fishing, photography, exploration, whatever. I am a novice boater (Mrs. Puff, where are you now?), so I can't jump into something that would require a ton of maintenance or repairs. Just want to jump in and go, basically...

Oh, and if I could get it cheap, that would be great too.

#3 - Winnipeg
Yeah, that's right... I want the whole city of Winnipeg for X-Mas. ...  No, I don't think so... I used to live there. If I could own a whole city, I'd pick a different one, I think. Nevertheless, I find myself often missing my hometown and I intend to go back there to visit someday soon. Very soon in fact. I won't make it there for this X-Mas obviously, but more than likely in the Spring of 2012 (before the Mayan Prophecy kills us all later in the year). Given the option, I would prefer to drive, but for practical reasons, it's more likely that we would fly there on our next visit.

I want to go hang out at all the places I used to hang out at, and hopefully hang out with all the people I used to hang out with at those places... Basically, I just want to hang out in Winnipeg... How cool is that? Pretty good X-Mas wish, dontcha think?

#4 - Mjolnir
"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." Well, I can tell you, I'm a pretty big fan and I've owned or read almost every issue of The Mighty Thor (not to mention games, cartoons, toys and action figures) so I think I'm pretty much the worthiest guy I know.

Who wouldn't want the powers of flight, weather control, dimensional travel, lightning bolts, super-strength and the means to smite thine enemy where they needst be smitten! Sign me up! I just hope I get instant hair extensions and a little winged cap when I pick it up...

I guess if, for some unforeseen reason, the real Mjolnir is not available, I'd settle for a cool-looking replica that I can wield... and secretly pretend I possess the power of Thor.

#5 - Comics and Action Figures
Last time, this was two entries. I won't waste your time this year. I just put this in here to remind you that I need more comics and more action figures. If I had a pile of comic books stacked to the moon, that still wouldn't be enough for me. Same goes for toys. Just look at previous blog posts to see what I mean. I will continue to amass more and more and more comics and action figures whether you like it or not. You can't stop me.

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(Quick disclaimer: none of the photos in this blog post were taken by me. I'm not making any money here, so relax. No need to sue me for stealing your photo - everyone's stealing mine too.)

If you are actually reading this and thinking of getting me anything on this list for Christmas, #5 would be your safest bet. A boat is way too hard to wrap and it's pretty hard to get to Asgard in the wintertime (what with the Odinsleep going on and all...)

Take care, and a Happy Holiday Season to all of you across the Universe -


May the Force be with you...

Captain America vs Pearl Jam

Yes - movie time again. Not like you really need to read my reviews, because you've probably already seen these films anyway... I'm usually pretty late with the review and most of my friends have long since seen the movie I'm talking about.

But y'know... the fact of the matter is, you actually do need to read this. My opinion is just so incredibly valuable that you simply have to read what I thought about a movie in order to fully understand it and form your own opinion, right? (Yeah right...)
These particular reviews are pretty important to me, and I'll explain why as I get into them. Let's just say that I was rather anxious to see both movies, and if you know me personally, you'd understand why. If you don't know me personally, you'd probably be better off not knowing me at all... I'm a pretty strange cat.

That, plus I don't need any online stalkers - thanks anyway.

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CAPTAIN AMERICA:

The First Avenger

Just like Green Lantern, Captain America, at least to me, has always been a sort of 'second string' comic book hero. I never really cared much about him. Ease up, Cap fans... before y'all get fixin' to lynch me, hear me out. Yes, he truly was one of the first Marvel Comics characters to see the light of day, having been around since, what, the 30s? 40s? And yes, he is definitely a major player in the Marvel Universe and is involved in every major event - the Marvel Civil War, the Secret Wars, key member of the Avengers... yadda yadda... But he ain't no Spider-Man, or Hulk, or even Wolverine. In fact, for a superhero, he's not really all that 'super'. Dude got some skills, granted, but he can't shoot webs or fly or lift a 747. I have actually found most Captain America comics to be quite dull to read compared to the rest of the Marvel line. And his costume, even in the comics, has always looked pretty silly to me.

Still, being such a huge Marvel fan, he's always been around whether I liked it or not, and I know stuff about him even without really wanting to. I felt a little bit obligated to see this movie. Marvel has rarely let me down for movies before (ok, there's a few stinkers in their collection) and given the quality of the movie adaptation of Thor, it couldn't be all that bad. I knew it would be another lead-in to The Avengers, which by now I truly cannot wait to see. This movie is like the last piece of the puzzle that we need to set up the main event. I figured that Captain America:The First Avenger would be okay and I could suffer through it just because... but I actually really enjoyed it, even more so than the aforementioned film about the fellow with the ring and the green spandex.

The movie was exciting, to be sure, full of action and cool stunt and fx sequences - even though it did lack some of the superheroey pizazz of some of the previous Marvel movies. (Did I spell pizazz right, Stan?) The Red Skull, played by Hugo (Elrond) Weaving, was a pretty neat villain - kind of like a juiced-up Uber-Nazi, but supposedly even more evil than that square-moustached guy. Of course, little scrawny Steve Rogers, recently juiced-up as well on the super-secret Super Soldier Serum, is the only one who can stop the Red Skull from succeeding in his insidious plot to blow up everything. There's a lot of acrobatic fighting, plenty of gun play and bombs going off, and enough shield-slinging action to keep even the most die hard Cap fan satisfied.

And I have to admit that I kind of like how they reworked his costume. It actually doesn't look as dorky as I was dreading. The Red Skull looked rather cool and menacing as well. Overall, the acting was good, and I think Chris Evans did a great job in the title role. Captain America has always seemed pretty square to me; a real goody two-shoes. He still came off that way in the film, but at least we are given good reasons for it all. For one thing, it appears as though Cap remains a virgin until the end of the movie - the 90 Year-old Virgin!

All (lame) jokes aside, you`d like this movie if you`re a fan of comic book movies, Marvel Comics, or action films in general. Not quite as good as Thor, but had a lot going for it and I can say that it was much, much better than I was expecting. Truly enjoyable.

Bring on The Avengers!!

A-

ps - Since I threw out all those links to info on other Marvel Characters, it`s only fair that I do the same for Captain America, since it is his movie after all...

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PEARL JAM TWENTY

What can I say - I LOVE Pearl Jam. Every album, from Ten to Backspacer, is unique and awesome. I am listening to their music right now as I write this. I can't go more than 24 hours without listening to Pearl Jam or I get the shakes. I want the songs Corduroy and Given to Fly to be played at my funeral.

 (Remember that, family. In case you're thinking of planning it out in advance, you should also have The Empire Strikes Back playing on a big screen somewhere, and there should be readings from various issues of The Mighty Thor, Uncanny X-Men and The Lord of the Rings. Oh yeah, and rather than being buried or cremated, I want to be frozen in carbonite and hung on the wall like Han Solo.) 

Anyway, back to Pearl Jam... I knew before I watched it that I was going to LOVE this movie, and of course I did. In my totally biased opinion, I can say that this is the best 'rockumentary' made to date. PJ has always been a little bit of an enigma of a band; not very visible in the media overall, although they've had a bunch of huge hits over the years and a bit of controversy here and there... but it's their subtle masterpieces and humble determination that have always affected me. This movie sheds a good amount of light on the guys that I've heard literally a thousand different songs from in live and studio recordings and loved each and every one, but never really known much about as people. After seeing PJ20 (that's what the cool kids call it), I think I have even more respect for them. Sure, I guess no band is going to let a producer make a film about them and make them look anything but awesome, but I've seen a few rockumentaries (there's that word again) that can't cover up the fact that bands like Guns n' Roses and Motley Crue really are just a bunch of douchebags. All of the members of Pearl Jam just seem to me like a group of ordinary guys who like to play music and are really (really) good at it, and have managed to keep doing it their own way for twenty straight years without being gigantic in-your-face rock stars. With the talent they have, they could be, but they're even better because they are not.

OK, I'm getting pretty preachy about my favorite band, but if you ever want to know the reason why I like PJ so much, just sit down and listen to their music. I highly recommend the albums No Code, Vitalogy and the self-titled Pearl Jam. Or any album, or any song... or you could see this movie to get you started, I guess...

Pearl Jam Twenty is awesome. Pearl Jam is awesome. Cameron Crowe (the guy who made the movie) is awesome for making it. If you want to be awesome too, you'd better see this... then go out and get the entire PJ catalog. You want to be awesome, don't you?

A++

Yeah, you heard me... double plus for extra-extra-awesome.

...and since Captain America got one, Pearl Jam deserves a Wikipedia link too, as well as a link to their official website, pearljam.com.

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So I guess if this truly were some sort of competition between Captain America and Pearl Jam, there's a pretty clear winner. As talented as he is, Cap's just not rock star material...

May the Force be with you...

Missed the boat...

So, I meant to give some 'web attention' to Victoria's Ultimate Toy and Hobby Show where I had a table last Sunday at the Pearkes Arena (Victoria BC, of course), selling comics toys and what have you. Anyway, turns out that I was so busy getting stuff together for the show that I didn't get the time to blog about it and show off some of the stuff that I had for sale (like I did for my last two excursions as Rebel Alliance Canada). Looking back at those previous posts, I must admit that they were pretty cheesy anyway, so you sure didn't miss anything.

The day went pretty well, all considered, and my thanks again to Cherry Bomb Toys in Victoria BC for putting this awesome event together and giving me the chance to be part of it. There were vendors selling all sorts of great toys, games, comics, books and collectibles there, and they had a cool charity carnival going on as well. Attendence seemed pretty good to me, just about as good as at the last trade show I sold stuff at in Winnipeg.

Now, if only I wasn`t a such dumbass for staying out late drinking at Irish Times Pub the night before, thereby sleeping in and missing the first two hours of the show... but that`s another story.  I dropped the ball again for not taking a single photograph when I was there. If only I could post photos of all the cool toys and stuff that I saw! There was everything from Sith to Smurfs and Jedi to G.I. for sale at at least one booth or another. I think that I myself brought a pretty good load of stuff to the show (over 1000 comics, 100+ loose toys, 50+ books and about a dozen carded figures) - but man-o-man - some of the other vendors there truly put me to shame... Let's not forget that, at least at this point in time, Rebel Alliance Canada is still an Alliance of One.


So, since I don't have any photos of said Toy Show, and I do so like to post photos on my blog, here are some random shots of other things. You may have seen them (or similar ones) here and there before, but hey, I gotta pick up the slack somehow. I can't blog once a month and then have nothing for y'all to look at. I'd be letting you down, and I'd be failing myself as a somewhat professional photomatographer.

So there you go...

Howard's New Ride

MVP - Most Valuable Predator

Lone Rebel

Yeah, not a whole lot here, but I am a busy guy. Sorry. Seen a lot of movies lately, so next time will probably be movie reviews. Hope thats OK. See ya.

May the Force be with you...





Green Lantern vs the Psychic Tire

Hopefully, this will not be the only post this month. I'm just throwing this out there to get back into the swing of things. I have a lot more movie reviews on the way, and some news about the Victoria Toy and Hobby Show coming up this weekend...

But more on that later.

Chew on this one for a while... 

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GREEN LANTERN

This movie turned out to be much better than I'd hoped. I enjoyed this at least as much as either of the Iron Man movies, almost as much as Superman Returns, and I definitely thought it was better than the last two Batman films. Still, Green Lantern is no Spider-man... but it's close. I'm not a fan of the GL comic book(s), but I've read a few trade paperbacks from the library and owned a few older issues. He's also appeared - usually as a background character - in many of the DC Comics I've read (which isn't really a lot).

As I've said before, I've always felt DC Comics kind of suck compared to Marvel Comics. For those of you who don`t quite get it,

Spiderman/Hulk/Thor/Iron Man/Captain America = Marvel Comics

and

Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman/Green Lantern/Flash = DC Comics

and

Marvel Comics > DC Comics

Following the above formula, we can thus assume that

Marvel Comics Movies > DC Comics Movies 

This doesn't really 'ring' true for Green Lantern. (Get it? Ring? Ha-ha...) The story is pretty far-fetched of course, and pretty in-depth, but really no more so than Thor. Basically, he's an ordinary guy (Hal Jordan) who was given a mystical ring by a dying alien, with which he can create three-dimensional objects, limited only by his imagination. He also becomes part of an intergalactic peacekeeping force - the Green Lantern Corps, based on the planet Oa, in the center of the universe. With a lot of superhero movies, the whole origin story is usually the more tedious part of the film that we all suffer through in order to get to the really cool parts. In this case, I felt that Hal Jordan's visit to Oa and the unfolding backstory were all the coolest parts. Obviously, they spared no expense when it came to the visual effects in GL, and the settings and battle scenes are amazing.

Ryan Reynolds is well-cast as the title hero, and the supporting cast is all pretty good - at least as good as one could hope for in a film like this. Even though there are a few scenes that may be pretty scary for little ones, I found that this movie was a little more kid-friendly than most comic book adaptations, and it had a positive message with a likable hero. There's a good amount of Hollywood triteness and predictability to it... but if I can forgive Thor for these transgressions, I can certainly forgive Green Lantern.

This film is not for everybody. Not everyone is a comic book/superhero fan. No offense to those of you who aren't - you couldn't help being born that way. If you do enjoy comic book adventures, I think you'd find this film rewarding. Green Lantern may not be the best DC Comics character out there, but this is the best of the DC movies that they've put out in a long time.

***side note**

There is a character in the film, Sinestro, who, in the comics and animated features, ends up betraying the Green Lantern Corps and becoming the main antagonist of the story. I was fully expecting this to happen in this film, but I guess they're waiting for a sequel to pull this off. Not to offer any 'spoilers' or anything like that, but this really shouldn't come as that big of a surprise... I mean, the guy's name is 'Sinestro', and he looks like the Devil in a Green Lantern suit.... The traitor couldn't possibly be him, could it?? If they ever do make a sequel, I'll watch it anyway, even if I know what's going to happen.

Overall, I'd have to rate Green Lantern a worthy

A-

....I guess that means I'm not a DC Hater anymore...

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RUBBER

And now for something completely different...

Rubber has to qualify as being among the strangest movies I've ever seen. I found it listed on Netflix under 'Independent Films' and 'Black Comedy'. Why I started watching it, I couldn't tell you, but it was so weird and strangely compelling that I had to see it through to the end. It's all about a used tire that gains awareness in the Southwestern US desert and goes on a killing spree, apparently using its inherent psychokinetic powers to blow up people (and bunnies) that get in its way. There's not much more to it than that...

You probably won't recognize a single name in the credits (at least I didn't), but everyone in the film does a worthwhile (if not entirely convincing) job of bringing this pointless and bizarre story to life. It's all played for laughs in the end, but along the way, through insightful camera work and minimal dialogue, it actually almost humanizes our silent but deadly anti-hero. Rubber is not ROTFLOL funny, but it is definitely not the same-old same-old you're going to get from Hollywood. Funniest thing about it is the fact that they can actually get away with a 90 minute film about a killer tire...

B-

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May the Force be with you...

Miniature World!!

I just realized that I had a whole folder full of great photos tucked away that I haven't shown here. (Ooooh... a whole folder...) I have already uploaded a handful of them to Flickr , and you might have noticed them at the right top corner on the blog; a slideshow of my pics on there. So, technically I'm not presenting them for the very first time here, but whatever. I went to Victoria this last weekend, and was reminded of the coolest thing I've seen in that city - Miniature World!

This is a must-see in Victoria if you're like me, and appreciate things like toys, models, dioramas and anything miniature that makes you feel gigantic... ("When I grow up, I want to be Godzilla!" I think I actually spoke those exact words one day long ago...)

Sadly, I did not get to go there on this trip... but here are some photos from my first (definitely not the last) visit a few months ago.

Obviously I can't take credit for how cool the exhibits are, and I will plead ignorance and innocence if I am infringing on any copyright or anything by posting photographs I took of other people's amazing work.

(BTW - You can click on the photos for a larger view.)

  I have dabbled a bit myself in the construction of miniature 'gaming scale' scenery and buildings and what not, but compared to the displays in Miniature World, I need to go back to kindergarten.

In any case, if you love all the little things in life, you really do need to go to Miniature World in Victoria, British Columbia. Call me up if you want me to go with you.


May the Force be with you...

Crappy Newbie Cell Phone Pictures

For a while back there I was stuck. Stuck out here on Vancouver Island, having recently moved here, all on my own, waiting for my family to get here, just started a new job, living in a rented place and generally being a stranger to everybody I happened upon here (hereupon?) on a daily basis. It was a pretty lonely period, but I thankfully was able to fill my days by indulging a few of my inner passions - exploration and documentation (ie: hiking and/or biking and photography). 

As often as possible, I had my SLR camera gear (Pentax k200d w/ Sigma 24-60 f2.8 and Sigma 70-200 f2.8 lenses) with me and available to shoot at a moment's notice... and as a side note: Pentax SLR System rocks BTW... but every photographer must admit that there are times when you just can't have your full gear with you, like when you go to a movie... or a nightclub... or walk to the bus stop before work.

When you're a newbie in a new land, you can't look like a total dork and carry your photo gear all the time. On the first (or maybe 3rd) day after arrival in British Columbia, I got a cellphone. Not a fancy-ass Smartphone like all you upstart kids got, but an actual walk on the bus and annoy everybody-type phone. I have never cared for cellphones and never saw a need for one until now. I can send and recieve text messasges with it (which I am very slow at - I tend to want to use proper grammar, full words and proper punctuation - sorry), and it has a built-in camera. It has a mind-boggling 1.2 megapixels.

That explains the amazing technical quality of these also otherwise amazing photographs presented here... Born out of necessity in order to illustrate what I think I was trying to say about being on my own in a strange and exciting new place... they are what they are. I guess they're not extremely exciting, but they will, perhaps in time, hold some memories for me... Does that make me a selfish blogger?

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This is the very first photo I took with this mostrosity of an imitation of a camera. I must admit, it has a pretty good High Iso Mode (low light/high sensitivity). Pixellamazation is pretty crappy, but you get what I was going for... In case you're wondering, this was taken in the bar in Victoria right after the Canucks won a hard fought series in round one against the Chicago Blackhawks... and yes, I was very drunk. 

This one was taken from the balcony of my brother's place, where he so kindly let me crash until noon to sleep off the hangover from the night before... Canucks game, bar, beer, etc...

This is a can of beer that I drank after feeling somewhat recovered from said hangover...

This is a bear with a santa hat that my daughter secretly put in my suitcase riding in a monster truck toy that I accquired from the Salvation Army store... It came to me under 'questionable' circumstances... let's leave it at that. 

Here's a really terrible shot of a really cool city - Victoria B.C.

Here's a photo of a really f'n great mexican restaurant here in Courtenay - Tita's Mexican on 6th Street. Just go there - you'll see. 1.2 megapixels could never do proper justice to the amazing lamb enchilada...

Here's a shot of a stump. It's in the middle of the bush just off the train track that runs through town. A cool 'deep woods' locale to relax at. Weirdly, there is only one train track in town and it never gets used - ever. Coming from a place like Transcona, this is just strange - and wrong.

This is a shot of the spot where the Courtenay River meets the Strait of Georgia... or Comox Bay... or is it the Puntledge River, and/or the Salish Sea... or the Tsolum River... or... whatever. Back in Winnipeg, there are exactly two rivers that meet each other, and there is no sea, ocean, strait or nuthin' anywhere around. This is probably a pretty mundane view for the people that live here, but I thought it was cool enough to warrant an emergency cellphone picture.

Driftwood. It seems to be pretty common here.

Another stump.

Not sure what's going on here... looks like a trail of some sort...

In the window of the coolest toy store in Courtenay, Whale's Tale Toys. (Forgive me if I spelled that wrong.)

A church covered in some sort of ivy or some other plant-based material.

The train station that services the train that never runs on a track that is never used...

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Wow. those really are some crappy photos. What's most crappy is that I can't even think of anything worthwhike to say about most of them. Thank goodness I actually have an SLR and can capture the beauty of my surroundings in the way that I can be proud of. But of course, you won't see that here this time 'round. These photos are just crap.

Thanks for putting up with my crap.

May the Force be with you...



Full-color Visual Dump

Obviously, it's time to kick this blog into full swing. I had a peek at the number of posts over the years (okay, so its been barely two), and I have far, far fewer posts this year than last... which was less than the previous year. This cannot stand!

Here we go - a quick and easy post - a few of the latest photos from the newest 'resident tourist' on Vancouver Island. What you see here is only perhaps a tenth of the images that I've shot, but I need to bleed some of the pressure of the backlog of pictures that I've shot here and want to share with you. A visual dump, if you will - in full color and in your face. I guess this sounds nasty, but it's actually quite nice to look at.

Let me stop right here and say something. I like to think of myself as being seriously into photography, and I seriously think I am pretty good at it, but I don't think any single one of us out there should take ourselves too seriously. I know the above 'joke' about 'dump in your face' didn't go right above your heads. C'mon, I mean, you wanna be hip, right? You all saw Team America:World Police and South Park:Bigger, Longer and Uncut - right? Anyway, it's a joke - calm down.


Hope you like mountains, trees and water... cuz I do. So here's some more. If you've seen any of these before, good for you - I will not apologize for double-posting my own images, since people all around the world are probably stealing them anyway...

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Here's a few parting thoughts for the day -

-My hit counter for Alliance of One is currently 3333. Bitchin'. That's a cool number, and I still can't believe that so many people have looked at my s**t. I'm sure most of them were Google Image searchers who've never actually bothered to read the actual blog, but still...

-I haven't photographed an action figure in about three months. That's significant to me, and it shows that I'm recovering well and am showing fewer signs of withdrawal. (Seriously, though, there's more than enough outdoors to look at on Van Isle to make me not want to stay inside and hunch over the table posing a bunch of little plastic men indoors.) Rest assured however, my brain waves will be resonating on that frequency soon... (Stay Tuned!)

-I am a lucky, lucky man. I am living in the place where I've wanted to live for the last ten years - a place where I feel I belong. I also have an amazing family that I love very dearly, and great friends that have made me feel welcome here in my island paradise. Thanks everyone!

May the Force be with you...