Our New House is Coming Along

As many of you know, we are buying a house in Eagle Mountain.  We are just in the construction phase, but it is very exciting!  We go out and visit the site at least once a week, and we were ecstatic when they finally dug the hole for the house.  Then we were even more excited when we discovered that they had poured the foundation the next week.  When we visited on Tuesday of this week we were thrilled to see that they had put up the walls!  I will continue to publish photos so everyone can see them.

The Base has been Completed!!!!

I know, I've taken forever... But the base of the LEGO General Grievous is now complete. At first I was disturbed that I didn't get to build the actual General Grievous, but then I realized that he did need a place to perch since his footing was never really solid. The base is pretty solid, and would most likely support the weight of the Star Destroyer model (which I want to do next). The main part of the base consists of 195 LEGO pieces, 32 of which are dedicated to the solid footings underneath. At the top, there is a swivel platform with the General's feet built right on it. The platform itself is constructed with 65 pieces, then another 96 pieces for his feet.
On a side note, I've gotten a lot of slack about capitalizing all the letters in LEGO. I would just like to note that while "Lego" would be correct, typing "LEGO" is more correct, as that was how the original trademark was captured. Yeah, I know it's just a technicality, but if you really knew me, you wouldn't be surprised that I'm such a stickler on little things like this. :)

Rules Rules Rules

So, I decided to begin the build today. I grabbed my box of LEGO pieces, the instruction booklets (yes, there are more than one), and my giddy 8-year-old demeanor, and skipped outside during my break. I sat down on a nice patch of Kentucky Bluegrass (or at least it smells like it's Kentucky Bluegrass), and cracked open the booklets. To my dismay and horror I was given my first ultimatum!!! The very first instruction implied that I was going to have to construct my toy on a table! What?! They have the picture of your LEGO pieces on the grass, with a big red X through it!!! Whatever happened good ol' LEGO building on the grass? Did someone poke their eye out once with a blade of grass and sued LEGO? Are they just trying to protect me? Or was it those crazy environmental dudes from D.C.? "Don't build LEGOs on grass. You'll kill the defensless organisms!" Either way, I was very disappointed. Being the obedient servant that I am, I sauntered back inside with my wares. There will be no LEGO grassing for me.

The LEGO Returns

Hello all, I'm writing again from another long hiatus. This time I will be chiming in regularly to update you on my newest cool project. My friend Steve recently completed the assembly of the LEGO General Grievous and proudly displayed it on his bookshelf. Of coarse, being the large LEGO fan that I am, I was greatly envious of his new acquisition. Upon one visit to Steve's abode I was handed a box of LEGO pieces and the instruction booklet for General Grievous LEGO model. It had fallen from his bookshelf and therefore, had shattered into quite a few pieces. Knowing how much of a fan I was to all things LEGO, he offered to give me the chance to rebuild it for him! I was ecstatic! I haven't built a large LEGO model for such a long time, I wasn't sure that I would be able to do it anymore. But I accepted and now I have two options placed before me: do I take the current chunks as they are and snap them back together, or do I take it apart piece by piece and rebuild it from bottom-up? After much deliberation, I decided to build it from the bottom up.

I brought it to work, so I do not chance losing any small pieces to the appetite of my two small children. Over the course of the last two weeks I have taken it apart piece by piece and I am finally able to start its recreation. So, over the next few weeks (since I am limited to break time, and when it is slow at work), I will be posting updates and pictures on my newfound glory.

Here is the box of all the LEGO pieces before the recreation.

Something to Think About...

This semester in school I am taking a philosophy class, and it has made me start thinking more. I mean, I already thought a lot about everything, but now it's deeper. I would like to pose a few questions or parcels of thought. Feel free to comment if you'd like.

- What makes time what it is?  If time has no meaning to God, then is time only a construct of man? What would life be like without time?
- If there are other sentient beings in the universe, how much like us would they be? Language, dress, transportation, politics, religion, etc.
- There is no man-made global warming. Earth is just following it's own cycle that it has for millions of years.
- Quantum Mechanics, along with Quantum Entanglement, may explain the unexplainable: ESP, clairvoyance, twin/relational telepathy, and even distance healing.
- Does everyone see colors the same? Or do all of our brains interpret all this visual input differently?  If everyone's brain is different like a fingerprint, then I don't see why not.

Let me know your thoughts...