Last Call

I'm done with Blogger/Blogspot/Whatever. I've been crossposting here from my Multiply site for a while now and I get the feeling that no one reads it here, so this will be the final blog entry. I've enjoyed my time here, but Multiply offers so much more and a better sense of community and that's what I need at this point in my life. So, to my faithful reader, thank you for reading. So long, and may the good news be yours.

Three Confession Thursday

I'm doing this late Wednesday night while these are on my mind since I have to work early on Thursday.

1.) I want more out of life than what I have, but I'm not sure what it is or how to get it.

2.) I'm afraid of confessions.

3.) I never realized how much my Dad meant to me until after he passed away.

Robo-Hulk, ROBO-SMASH!!!

I suppose I should have made this more of a review, but there doesn't seem to be a way to put more than one picture in a review here at Multiply, so we go the route of the blog. On Sunday, I stopped by a Wal-Mart to pick up something easy for dinner (ham steaks and frozen mac & cheese), but as always when I'm at a Wal-Mart, or anywhere that sells toys, I check out the toy department.

So, as I'm looking over the multitude of Star Wars pegwarmers and the leftovers from whatever Transformers were put out a few days previously, I come across a new line of toys. The Transformers Crossovers. This is a line where, as the story on the back of the package goes, Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man use alien technology to build enhanced robotic suits for the Marvel heroes to use that can transform into vehicles. Dr. Doom stole the technology to make bad guy mechs, and now the world can get even more blown up by super heroes pretending to be Transformers. I picked up the Hulk since he looked the coolest and seemed like the most absurd candidate for this program.

I mean, c'mon, the Hulk isn't exactly a stable character as it is, do we really want to make him even stronger and harder to control? But, it's a toy line, so what the hell?

Hulk starts out as as tank right out of the package. It's not a real model as far as I can tell, but that's the glory of this line; the characters don't have to look like anything real so their designs don't suffer, unlike the Star Wars Transformers line. The tank mode rolls well and the barrel pivots up and down and that's about it. I think it looks pretty nifty and find it's a little ironic that the Hulk would transform into the one vehicle he's known for smashing more than anything else.

The transformation is a little tricky in parts, but not too bad. The turret becomes the legs and the treads become the arms. There are a lot of panels that fold in and around themselves, but they lock into place pretty well. Hulk has great articulation, including spring-loaded shoulders and waist for extra punching power. Unfortunately, that means he's limited in how he's posed, since you can't keep the shoulders extended out or the waist turned. But, he's fun to play with.

Since I'm still mad at Sunstreaker for causing Duke to wake me up yesterday morning, I put him in an action shot here for scale purposes. Hulk is only slightly larger than a deluxe class Transformer, the $10 range, but costs $5 more. I assume some of the extra cost is due to licensing agreements with Marvel as he really isn't quite worth the extra dough, but is a lot more fun to play with than, say Transformers Animated Megatron. But, that's for another blog.

While I'm not the biggest Hulk fan, this was the one toy out of the initial assortment (Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Venom) that I thought looked cool enough to give a try. So, if you like things that transform and value my friendship, you'll buy this toy. I'm kidding about that last part... or... am I? Dun dun DUN DUN dun duuuun!

Ten Thought Tuesday + 1 - Toy Edition

1.) Sunstreaker, the yellow robot pictured, fell over last night around 4am.

2.) He knocked Duke, the one with the flag, over, and Duke landed on my head.

3.) This woke me up.

4.) Somewhere in the bedroom is Duke's rifle, but I'll be damned if I can find it.

5.) Of the 3 Transformers in the picture, Octane, the one on the right, is the one I find the most fun to fiddle with.

6.) Barbecue, he red armored guy, is a new addition to the collection.

7.) I had to have him since he's always been one of my favorite characters.

8.) The guy that looks like Snake-Eyes with red goggles is really Firefly.

9.) He came in a 2-pack with the Storm Shadow pictured and a nifty comic book written by Larry Hama.

10.) It's easy to rearrange Sunstreaker to look completely different than pictured, likely due to the rumor his brother Sideswipe will be released later in the year.

11.) I'm watching Transformers Animated with the Spanish audio this morning and not understanding a word of it, but having fun anyway.

Mom's Recipe for Blueberry Buckle

Mom gave me her Blueberry Buckle recipe yesterday. So, here it is for the whole world, or my audience of three people. :-)

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup shortening
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 1 well-beaten egg
4. 2 cups flour
5. 2-1/2 tsp baking powder
6. 1/4 tsp salt
7. 1/2 cup milk
8. 2 cups fresh blueberries
9. another 1/2 cup sugar
10. 1/2 cup flour
11. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
12. 1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Cream shortening, and 1/2 cup sugar, add the egg and mix well. Sift 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternatively with milk. Pour into a well-greased 11-1/2 x 7-1/2 x 1-1/2 inch pan. Sprinkle blueberries over batter.

Combine the second 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly; sprinkle over blueberries.

Bake in moderate oven (say, 350 degrees) for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. Enjoy!

Yesterday...

... a guy I see at least once a year at the annual local Transformers convention I help a friend of mine with came into my work. We gave each other acknowledging glances as I was in the back working and he was browsing the comic books. When I was able to, I got to the back counter and he approached me with some sad news. His friend Don, one of the nicest guys I've ever met and a fellow fan of Transformers, passed away at the end of March from a heart attack. He was only 42 years old. I was stunned to say the least. This was a guy who had a passion for everything. I remember running into him at Wal-Mart with our respective wives and he showed off the finished product of a tattoo on his arm that was in the works for a few years. It was a cool dragon with a Decepticon insignia over it. Don also seemed to have an endless supply of cash at CybCon, the Transformers convention mentioned earlier. He always won whatever he bid on at the auctions. But, if a child was bidding on something, even if he really wanted it, he would back off. Don was a class act all the way and CybCon will not be the same this year without him.

Later, I went to Taco Bell for lunch and met up with two of my coworkers by accident. I ordered last and go my food before Terrance, the young man who ordered before me. I started to eat as he went to the counter to see what happened to his order. Now, I'd ordered some new huge box lunch thing, so there was a lot of food on my tray. After finishing the first wrapped cheese thing, Terrance comes back with his order, followed by an employee. She looks at my tray and says, "This not what you ordered, yes?" Confused at what she meant by her broken Engrish didn't help, I stared blankly at her. She proceeded to take a quesadilla and another wrapped cheese thing from my plate saying, "You no pay for this. Is not your order." And walked to the back. I was confused until I realized that they put Terrance's order on the same tray as mine, but didn't call his receipt number, only mine. I wanted to complain about her rude attitude and lack of proper grammar skills, but we all just had a laugh over it instead. Stupid Taco Bell employees.

Ten Thought Tuesday

1.) I slept in until 9am this morning.

2.) That's extremely late for me.

3.) I loved eating tacos during grade school lunch hours.

4.) I still enjoy tacos.

5.) The blueberry bushes at Mom's house are starting to ripen.

6.) I'm eagerly awaiting Mom's blueberry buckle.

7.) Dad always liked the blueberries and the buckles.

8.) I'm seeing my friend Paul this coming weekend.

9.) We haven't seen each other in about 20 years.

10.) I'm scared and excited at the same time.