Happy Birthday!!!

I'd like to wish my home and native land a happy 142nd birthday!!! Sadly there aren't any celebrations in Toronto because of the darn city-worker strike (but they let the Pride parade happen, which probably created MORE mess, but brought in tourist money), but I have to go plan a Jack and Jill, so I can't enjoy any celebrations in my own city either. Anyway, no worries, just want to wish my fellow Canucks a great day!

MJ & FF

I'm not about to write a huge post about how much I loved Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, and how huge a fan of theirs I am. It has all been said already, and probably better than I could ever say it. It's only about 80% true in my case anyway.

I just hope they rest in peace.

Some progress

So I'm still working on that LEGO project, slowly but surely. I've done a fair bit of planning, and have already ordered parts from LEGO for the exterior walls and raised floors, so when those come in and get set up, I can do more planning with the interior walls and furniture.

I have also started making use of my BrickLink account, and have found it to be pretty easy to use! I've already received almost half of my orders, and I haven't had any trouble with the other members; they all seem pretty nice. It's going pretty well so far. I wonder why I found it so intimidating!

The Sound of Music

We took our mom to see The Sound of Music production at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto on Saturday night, for her Mother's Day present.

It was a beautiful show! Of course they skipped a lot of stuff, but you try including everything from a 3 hour movie into a 2 hour show! The sets and costumes were beautiful, and the singing was amazing. There were times when the actors sounded exactly like the movie.

Of course, the actor that played Maria was chosen by we, the common Canadian people, by way of a reality show, so we wouldn't have a right to complain if she wasn't that good anyway.

The theatre was really nice too. I've been to its sister theatre, The Royal Alexandra, to see Mamma Mia. It's a few steps east of it, and a bit older. The Princess seemed more modern and intimate. I had actually thought it was much bigger than it was when I was looking at the seating map when I bought the tickets. We were sitting in the middle balcony, which gave us a perfect, non-neck-straining view, although I have a feeling there wouldn't be a bad seat in the house.

I really enjoy the theatre, and there are a lot of shows always playing. I don't know why we don't do this more often! Okay, expensive tickets are one reason, but besides that!

Spontaneous Concert Ticket Purchases

Wow, I just bought tickets to see the Cult at Massey Hall. Wasn't even planning it, I just got an alert from Ticketmaster that they are coming in September. Of course I got shafted on the price, but that complain has been addressed in my Pearl Jam post.

Anyhow, I'm glad to be seeing the Cult again. It was an awesome show last time, and this one should be good too. Massey Hall is a relatively intimate indoor venue, compared to the Molson Amphitheatre, and it's a beautiful old place, so it will be fun.

You know you're e-ghetto when...

...you use Microsoft Excel as a CAD program.

But hey, it worked, and that's all that matters!

Step 2 Before Step 1.

This is me starting to get a feel for where everything will go on my little obscure TV show set replica.

I threw this together a couple of days ago, actually, before I started mapping things out on graph paper. I wouldn't have bothered with the graph paper step altogether, but I am debating between 1-stud-thick or 2-stud thick walls. 1 stud is good because it leaves more space in the rooms, but 2 studs allows me to have one single colour for the outside walls, and another for the inside, which is what I really want. I'm graphing it out so I can explore both options at the same time.

It's supposed to be an office building for a big international company. The top third is the main character's office, with a bedroom on the left, a sofa area in the middle, and a desk area on the right. When the characters aren't out fighting threats to their company, they're usually hanging out here discussing threats to their company.

There is a boardroom below the office, and although I have a rectangular (sort of!) table in the picure, I recalled that the table is supposed to be round, not solid, but more like a ring, so that may be a challenge. I'm hoping LEGO has a piece that can facilitate this, or else I'm going to have to improvise, and I don't really want to take up too much space with it. I still want to have 6 to 8 chairs around it though. I'll probably get some more minifigs that resemble some of the minor characters of the show later so I can fill up the room.

The bottom right corner is what was called the "Bunker" on the show, but it's the computer server room where another of the main characters had his office, and is another gathering place for everyone. It's a bit of a dark room with computer lights all over the walls, which might be hard to replicate, but I'll think of something.

When I said in my last post that I was recreating this set "loosely", I meant that I would be adding a room that wasn't really part of the show. I am going to put a chem lab beside the boardroom. Even if there wasn't a lab in the show, every major corporation that dabbles in a bit of everything needs a good R&D department, no? Probably will be the easiest room to make. White everything, some cupboards and a sink, maybe a little supply room, we'll see.

I have to also leave space for a lobby with a security desk, and a hallway, since a lot of stuff happened in hallways on the show.Also, the desk area in the main character's office and the Bunker are supposed to be sunken, so I am thinking that I will have to raise the floor for the whole rest of the set.

It sounds like a challenge to me, one with little artistic ability, but I think it will be fun and I'll love having it around when it's done.

P.S. 3 golden stars and my eternal esteem if you can guess the show.