The Ten Commandments of a Real Worker

I have always seen this sign hanging in my aunt's house, so I finally decided to take a picture of it, and I will try my best to translate it for you.  It's basically ten rules or commandments for the procrastinator.

1.  One is born tired and lives to rest.

2. Love your bed like you love yourself.

3. Rest up during the day to prepare for sleep at night.

4.  If you see someone resting, help him.

5. Work is effort. (Not 100% sure about this one)

6. Don't do today what you can leave for tomorrow.

7. Do as little as you can and delegate what you have to do to others.

8. Too much rest never hurt anyone.

9.  If you feel the urge to work, sit down and wait until it passes.

10. If work is acknowledged, so is misfortune (not 100% sure of this either) 

Wow, those Italians really love their jobs, huh?

Look What I Bought

Much to the chagrin of my mother, who saw the box by the door when we came home from work, my latest LEGO Shop purchase arrived Thursday afternoon.

I know I was saying that I wanted to make a set for my AYBS minifigs, but when I saw that this puppy was out, I HAD to get it instead.

I started working on it at 8:00 pm, and didn't finish until about 3:45 am (Oh yeah, I'm hardcore.  Once I start, I can't stop until the build is done).

The bottom floor is the clothing department, and it has a perfume counter, a change room, a cash register, and some mannequins in the window.  There are two escalators, one leading to the second floor (Housewares, with goblets and plates) and the other to the third (the Toy Department, with a scooter and a toy house). 

I'm thinking of leaving the ground floor as-is, but maybe adding some more clothing.  The second floor I have already turned into the staff "canteen", since I had already started getting the parts together for that.  I want to turn the third floor into Mr. Rumbold's and Mr. Grace's office, but since I don't have the desks yet, it's still a combination of Toys and Housewares.  I DID, however, make a Mr. Grace minifig, and one of Mr. Rumbold's later secretaries, Miss Belfridge. 

I'll post pictures on my Flikr when I'm done, but it may be a while, because there will be a lot of more important things I will need my money for coming up.  

Blackberry Messenger!

A year or so ago, someone sent me a bootleg link to update my Blackberry Messenger to BBM 5, the spiffy newer version of BBM.  Like a naive fool I took the bait, because who doesn't want to be one of the first to get something new?

Of course, after I tried installing it, it wiped my BBM icon right off my phone, and I couldn't reinstall the program.

Now, all you Blackberry owners are thinking to yourself, "Hey, genius, why don't you just reset your phone with the back-up software it came with?"  Well, yes, that's what I should have done right away, but it took me a year.  One, I'm SUCH a lazy ass.  Two, the house computer is also a lazy ass, and I was hesitant to install the software because it would take so long.  I also didn't want to install it on either my brother or sister's laptops, because frankly, it's not their problem (I really need to get my own).

I didn't really care though, because I wasn't really using my BBM all that much. Still, seeing how everyone I know was slowly catching the Blackberry bug, I figured it would really be easier and cheaper to keep in touch with them through BBM, so I bit the bullet and installed the software on the house desktop.

It took 5 hours to install and fix my phone.

Anyhow, after a year, I've got my BBM back, so I'm happy.  I'm also wondering why it took me so long.

PS:  My PIN is 3026938E ...add me!

New LEGO Immortalization Idea

So I've been on a "Are You Being Served" kick (as I always have been, but it's bigger now that I'm watching my complete box set :-D ) and I'm thinking of putting together some LEGO minifigs to portray the characters (and maybe even make a set down the road!), but the only trouble I am having is finding the right torso for the ladies.  Their uniform is a brown tank dress thing with a white or beige blouse.  The legs are fine because I'll take a brown 2X1, and attach some yellow round 1x1s for legs, but the torso is tough!  Nothing I've seen really works.  There's a Han Solo one that comes close, and I would have used it, but the vest isn't brown.  I can always try and make do, but I'd like to be as accurate as possible. 

This is what I want to reproduce:

Wendy Richard (as Miss Brahms) and Mollie Sugden (as Mrs. Slocombe)  ©1974 BBC

The men are simple because they just wore regular suits and there are a few of those available.

Also, YAY, IT'S MY HUNDRETH (hundredeth?) POST!!! YAY!!!

Ahem.


UPDATE:  I'm going with this.  It's too light, but it's the best I'm going to get.

(Photo from http://www.bricklink.com/)

Adult Language

Before you get your mind drowning deep into that gutter water, I'm not talking about that kind of adult language.

What I want to say is that when you work for a company that has some semblance of professionalism, the least you can do is try to use professional-sounding language.

I won't go into details, but if you're a grown person, it's NOT okay to say "timsing" when you mean "multiplying" in your letter.  In fact, it's not even okay once you've passed grade 3 (or whichever grade it is when they start teaching multiplication).

Is it a little too nerdy...

...that I'm obsessed with the NASA channel right now, and I'm procrastinating at work by watching their live feed of the shuttle being carried away after landing?  I think it is, but I was never one to worry about these things.

More Geekdom

So, in keeping with my current Ghostbusters osbession, I ordered these puppies from http://www.thinkgeek.com/ :

They're Ghostbusters Minimates, and this is Series 1, with Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Dana Barrett, and Louis Tully/Key Master Terror Dog.

Peter Venkman comes with a proton pack with a removable ion stream and a walkie talkie.  The head, hair, torso, arms and leg assembly come apart quite like a LEGO minifig, and the shirt also comes off, revealing a black t-shirt underneath.  The thrower also attaches to the proton pack, and the walkie-talkie to the belt.

Egon Spengler is made up pretty much the same way as Peter, except a different head and hair style, obviously, and instead of a walkie-talkie, he has a PKE meter.

Here's Dana Barret and the Key Master terror dog.  Dana's head, hair, torso, skirt, and legs also separate, but for dignity's sake, I won't be doing that.  I can, however, show you what happens when you remove from the terror dog his head, arms, torso, legs and leg cover.....

...a very disheveled Louis Tully!  The set came with some extra hair, arms and feet to make the Keymaster himself.  It is a little difficult to remove and replace the leg cover, though, so the transformation won't happen too often.

I'd say I'm happy with my purchase.  I've also pre-ordered Set 2 and 3, and a mini-set with Louis Tully in a Ghostbuster uniform and Slimer.  Set 2 has Gozer and Stay-Puft along with Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore, similar to the others above, and Set 3 has GB II Janine Melnitz, Walter Peck, and a marshmallow-covered Egon and Winston.  Can`t wait!

Side Project

Due to my recent unexplainable obsession with the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, I have made the characters out of LEGO (if I want to make the movie characters, I'll just get black hair for Egon). Still waiting for the parts from Brick Link to make their traps and proton packs. I have also taken grainy photographs with my Blackberry, for your viewing pleasure.

Here they are contemplating how to battle the oversized Care Bear behind them, using only relay racing batons:

But where's Peter?

With the ladies, of course:

Unusual Human Behaviour

Last night I had to run to the drug store to get some insulin and stamps. As I was driving into the parking lot, I noticed a guy in front of the store smoking.

I'm not a smoker, so maybe I don't get it.

The guy clearly didn't work there, because he wasn't in a uniform and was in line paying as I was leaving, so what I don't understand the need to stand outside smoking. Like I did, most people usually run in and out of the drug store. They're usually not in there long enough to have to take a smoke break.

Like I said, I'm not a smoker. I guess when the desire arises, you have to give in, even if you look dumb doing it.

Naughty, naughty.

I'm posting this when I should be working, updating a report or something. I am so bad. I just can't get motivated.

You know that gross feeling you get when you eat a whole bag of Oreos by yourself? I'm not saying I've personally done that, but that's how I feel about not being productive. I don't even know what to do. This isn't a new thing for me.