Far Out Dude - Lego VW T1 Camper Van

passenger side front corner view with pop-up roof

We're blasting back to 1962 and cruising in psychedelic style with my latest LEGO build - a Volkswagen T1 Camper Van. This authentic model is a replica of the classic 1962 VW camper van. Every iconic feature is here! On the outside, the terrific detailing includes 'V' shape three-way color split at the front, rounded roof and window frames, opening 'splittie' safari windshield, opening doors, iconic pop-up roof with textile curtain surround, roof rack, rear side air intake vents and lots more! The detailing is equally impressive on the inside, from the authentic VW air-cooled flat four cylinder boxer engine, front cabin bench seat, gear stick, angled dashboard and iconic spherical speedometer, to custom LEGO® features like folding rear bench seat, folding dinette table, closet with mirror and even a painting!

front view

• Features 11 windows, authentic plaid-print textile curtains and wing mirror!
• Rear door opens to reveal detailed engine!
• Interior also features rear bench seat that transforms into a bed, ‘Make LEGO Models, Not War’ T-shirt and rear shelf with plant!
• Measures 11.8 inches (30cm) long and 5.5 inches (14cm) high!

Fletch helped me build this set. Sorting the 1332 piece set took 2.5 hrs and the build took 7.5 hrs for an overall 10 hrs. Growing up my family had multiple Volkswagens, including two vans (which we affectionately called a "bus") - a 1973 blue and 1975 tan models. So this set was extra special to me. I put it on the shelf alongside my other Lego VW set - a 1960 Beetle. See all the pics of the camper van build here.

on display

drivers side

engine

interior with pop-up camper

Don't Call It a Comeback

As I've detailed in previous posts, I was having a very challenging 2011. I say "was" because the second half of the year is turning out to be great. Three things have shaped the rebound.

The first thing is I won a charity poker tournament. The charity proceeds went to a relative of a poker league player that needed a kidney transplant. The top four players, me included, "chopped" the pot. "Chopping" is a poker term for splitting the pot. I made over three times my money. There were 40 players in the tournament. I then went on to win in my league nine days later. I also won a league game a month earlier. I hope my hot streak continues as I'm playing in two more charity tournaments in October and November.

The second thing is that I got a new job. I know what your thinking, "didn't you just get a new job in June after being unemployed for a few months?" Yes. Back in June, I got a job with a defense contractor working on a contract with the Postal Service (USPS). If you watch the news, you know that the USPS is having major financial trouble. Their fiscal year ends September 30th and the contract was up for renewal. I was doubtful since every financial transaction was being scrutinized. The wife and I were concerned if I would be out of a job just a few months after being unemployed for 4+ months earlier in the year. I had other concerns as well. I was using outdated software and there wasn't much work to do. This job was not good for my career. At most it was a stop gap. At the same time, a company I interviewed with back in March contacted me about the same position. I never heard back from them after the March interview. It seems that they were having a hard time finding a senior ColdFusion developer. They went back to review all the resumes they had obtained and contacted me in September to see if I was still interested. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. The position offered me an opportunity to get into object-oriented programming using current technology and software that was new to me. It would be a positive challenge that would be good for my career. I was offered the position and happily accepted. And it turned out to be in the same general area of DC as the USPS job, so my commute would be the same. It was lucrative as well.

The third thing is the most exciting-Jennifer is pregnant! Shock Jr. number two is on the way. She is due May 18. We go from double coverage to man-to-man. Keep up with the family and the coming attraction at the Shock Family Circus blog.

"To infinity and beyond!"

"To infinity and beyond"

My newest Lego build - Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear.

Shuffle Up and Deal

Image via Wikipedia

I started really getting into poker and specifically the Texas hold'em variety of the card game back in 2004. I read some books on how to play and improve my game. I hosted a few games at my house, but quickly learned none of my friends knew how to play. I played a couple cash games in casinos in Reno and Atlantic City. I learned very quickly that cash games are very different from tournament style. I didn't play online because I liked the action of a live game and being able to study my opponents. The World Series of Poker tour was all over the TV, but if I wasn't playing I wasn't watching. I guess I could have learned something by watching the pros, but that didn't dawn on me at the time. I joined a poker club that met Sunday nights at a local bar. A poker club is for those who live where gambling is illegal, which is pretty much everywhere in this country. I had fun in the beginning, but being a stickler for the etiquette of the game, I learned very fast that people play very differently when it's free compared to when money is on the line. Playing in a smoky bar with drunk idiots or with people who didn't know how to play or both wore me down pretty fast. What really did it for me was the fight where the word "divorce" was first uttered by my first wife started at a poker club game because some crusty old douchebag was hitting on her. Seriously-no joke. You play the hand you are dealt (pun intended).

I moved on with my life without poker. I still loved poker, I just didn't go out seeking to play. The passion died. Fast forward a few years. I got remarried and started a family. We joined a great Episcopal church. The Young Family Ministries dad's group has a monthly poker game that I got invited to. I won my first two games. That's all it took to get the fire burning again. I was back baby. I was so motivated that I got my own monthly poker game together with a new group of friends who love to play poker as much as I do. Two games a month didn't satiate my hunger. Like a sign from the heavens, I turned on the boob tube one night and what was on? You guessed it-poker. This time i watched intently, hoping to learn a trick or two from the pros. What I did learn is that as skilled as these poker pros are, you still need lots of luck. With lots of playing, studying and luck, I can do what they do. So I took the plunge and started playing online for free. Online poker is a very different beast which is good because it adds another facet to my game.

Last week I played in my first high stakes ($100 buy-in) game. It was a charity game dubbed "Hold'em for the Cure". Half the buy-in was a donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the other half went to the prize pool. I was excited. So excited in fact that I was the first one knocked out. On about my fifth or sixth hand I went all in with a full house deuces full of aces. It's hard to beat a boat. But I was beat by a full house sevens full of aces.  He sank my battleship! I then played the role of sore loser as there was no re-buy and you still had to be in the game to purchase the add-on. I stayed for the pizza dinner. After eating and throwing a hissy fit, I quietly left.

So here I am playing and losing lots of poker. I have dreams of becoming a professional poker player. It's my only hobby that if I'm good enough could pay the bills. Like the saying goes "you can't truly know success without failure." Well, I've failed a lot. Hopefully thats a catalyst for my success. Shuffle up and deal.

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LEGO VW Beetle Part 2 of 2

DSC_0837.JPG
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

I finished the set on Sunday. See more pics here.

US Air Guitar 2010 Dates

US Air Guitar 2010 Dates: "

Guitars? The Time Has Come Yet Again To Set Aside Childish Things

US AIR GUITAR 2010 TOUR DATES
Regional Competitions Start April 6
Regionals To Be Hosted By Bjorn Turoque & Judged by 2008 World Champion Hot Lixx Hulahan

If history has taught us anything, it is this: the spirit of US Air Guitar is indomitable.

If in January Steve Jobs had unveiled Air Guitar, would it have been any less innovative? If one day the Supreme Court unexpectedly judges a case using the following criteria: technical ability, stage presence, and “airness,” would the rest of us be any worse off? If the last episode of X-Files revealed that Air Guitar was the answer, would you not believe?

With zealous pride we announce the 2010 US Air Guitar tour, now 30% awesomer. Scale back? Heck no. The road awaits, and this year we’re hittin’ it like Tiger Woods. After sell-out regional competitions across the United States last summer, including two nights at DC’s 9:30 Club and consecutive nights at San Francisco’s Independent, US Air Guitar has expanded its tour by two additional months, stretching coast to coast in April and then playing a couple of shows of biblical proportion in May and June. Inspired by mega-churches and God Himself, a month after the first tour, air guitarists will confess their sins at a colossal Vegas show. Then in June, US Air Guitar headlines the historic Fillmore Auditorium – made famous by The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and now, uh, us. Finally, after extracting the greatest professional air guitarists from 17 regional shows and sending them each to New York City for the National Championships, our US winner will book passage to Oulu, Finland, and represent the stars and stripes against 30 other countries at the Air Guitar World Championships. Last year the competition was tight, with two Americans tying for second and a Frenchman named Gunther Love taking the crown. But this year America has an imaginary axe to grind.

US AIR GUITAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
2010 TOUR DATES
Tickets On Sale Now

To Sign Up To Compete, Enter HERE!

April 6 || Harper’s Ferry || Boston, MA
April 8 || Johnny Brenda’s || Philadelphia, PA
April 9 || Brooklyn Bowl || Brooklyn, NY
April 10 || 9:30 Club || Washington, DC
April 12 || House of Blues || Houston, TX
April 13 || Highball || Austin, TX
April 15 || Metro || Chicago, IL
April 16 || Cactus Club || Milwaukee, WI
April 17 || Varsity Theater || Minneapolis, MN
April 19 || Fox Theater || Boulder, CO
April 20 || Bluebird Theater || Denver, CO
April 22 || Dante’s || Portland, OR
April 23 || Casbah || San Diego, CA
April 24 || Troubadour || Los Angeles, CA

May 28 || Hard Rock Café || Las Vegas, NV

June 5 || The Fillmore || San Francisco, CA

"

LEGO VW Beetle Part 1 of 2

LEGO VW Beetle "Charlotte"
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

My next Lego project is another large scale model, the classic Volkswagen Beetle. Based on the iconic 1960 'Charlotte' model, the LEGO Volkswagen Beetle features realistic details and functions like opening doors, hood and trunk, a spare tire in the front and engine in the back, an accurate interior, and more. Includes display plate with detailed specifications of the original Volkswagen model! Measures 16" (41cm) long and 6'½" (16cm) high! Realistic details include a movable stick shift, opening glove compartment and seats that fold forward! Features an engine in the back trunk and spare tire under the hood! Beetle details also includes a Volkswagen logo decal, windshield wipers and rearview mirror! The set has 1626 pieces and contains rare dark blue and sky blue pieces.

This set was a Christmas present from Santa. Part 1 took a few hours to build. I really didn't keep track of my build time. Nor did I sort this set as well as I did the Eiffel Tower. Better sorting = easier build. Lesson learned.

Two Awesome Blog Giveaways

One of my hobbies is personal finance. I read lots of blogs on the topic. Two of those blogs have awesome giveaways. The first is from The Centsible Life – they're giving away $600 of stuff as part of the site’s one year anniversary. You can win all sorts of gift cards, tax preparation software, and any one of about a half dozen books. The giveaway ends January 24th.

The second giveaway is even larger and it’s at Money Crashers. The prize package there is over $7,500 including gift cards, books, software, and even cold hard cash. This giveaway is part of their redesign and relaunch for the new year. This giveaway ends January 31st with winners selected February 3rd.

Good luck!

LEGO Eiffel Tower Part 3 of 3

Completed LEGO Eiffel Tower
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

I finished part 3 of the set yesterday. Build time for part 3 was approximately 2.5 hrs. Total build time of the entire set was 10 hrs. The tower stands 3.5 ft. Fletch is half the size of the tower. This was the largest and most challenge set I've ever built. Now I've got to find a place to display it!

Life-Size Lego House Built...and Demolished

Image via Wikipedia

Damn shame nobody wanted this one of a kind masterpiece (pun intended). 


Life-Size Lego House Built...and Demolished - ShelterPop
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James May's Lego House is Demolished - Daily Telegraph

James May and his full-size Lego house nobody wants - Daily Mail

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Fantasy Football and Relationships

Fantasy and Relationships: "You know fantasy football is no longer a niche hobby when it's a major topic of discussion in Carolyn Hax's online chat, which by the way was the most viewed article on the Web site by late Friday. For those who missed it, a woman from Reston [VA] wrote that her husband e-mailed to ask if the couple could switch the appointment they currently have to induce labor to accommodate his fantasy football draft. For emphasis, accommodate was in all capital letters. Then she wrote she's not in jail at the moment and very proud of herself for it.

Carolyn's witty retort: "Hey, isn't that the beauty of inducing? You can schedule it?"

One commenter had this to say on the matter: "From today's chat I've learned that: (a) women don't understand why you would congratulate a friend for dating a hot chick; and (b) the importance of fantasy football. Is there any better metaphor for understanding the sexes?

Sounds about right to me."

LEGO Eiffel Tower Part 2 of 3

LEGO Eiffel Tower Part II
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

This is part 2 of the Lego Eiffel Tower set I'm building. Part 2 took 2.5 hours to build. Below is parts 1 and 2 together. It's coming along nicely.

LEGO Eiffel Tower Part I & Part II
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

British TV Host to Build and Live in Lego House

Image via Wikipedia

Top Gear presenter James May is planning to build and live in a new house in Surrey, made completely out of Lego bricks. This story combines two of my loves-cars and Lego. Top Gear is my favorite car show, but we no longer have cable TV and you have to live in the UK to watch the show online. May is going to have working electricity and plumbing in his Lego house. I can't wait to see the completed project.

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LEGO Eiffel Tower Part 1 of 3

LEGO Eiffel Tower Part 1 of 3
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

My lazy Sunday activity was starting the build of my LEGO Eiffel Tower set. The LEGO Eiffel Tower is a stunning model for construction and display, built to 1:300 scale from the real tower's original blueprints. From the flag at the top to the elevators and other realistic details, this is as authentic as it gets. Eiffel Tower stands 42.5" (108 cm) high and base measures 20" x 20" (50 cm x 50 cm)! Can be disassembled in 3 sections for easy transport and storage.

This was my baby-daddy gift from the wife. It's a small way of saying "thanks for my sperm" :) Part 1 took about 5 hours to build. I sorted the pieces while we were in the hospital for Fletch's jaundice. That took me a while. The sorting really helped though. It made finding the correct dark gray piece out of 3428 pieces much easier.

WBMC 2011 in Legoland!

The 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships are being held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The date is to be determined. Denmark is home to The Lego Group, the company that makes the popular plastic interlocking toy bricks, and Legoland Denmark. Lego is also my favorite hobby. So combining my love of bearding, Lego bricks and traveling around Europe is a dream come true.

WBMC 2011 in Legoland!

The 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships are being held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The date is to be determined. Denmark is home to The Lego Group, the company that makes the popular plastic interlocking toy bricks, and Legoland Denmark. Lego is also my favorite hobby. So combining my love of bearding, Lego bricks and traveling around Europe is a dream come true.

20 Album Covers Recreated in LEGO

Article here. A good mix of modern and classic rock. A little overloaded with Beatles albums though. I would have liked to have seen a bigger variety of artists. Nonetheless, another great use of LEGO. The pic is Pink Floyd's "The Division Bell".

Football

It's about time I blogged about football. The season got underway three weeks ago, and this is my first post. My Redskins are off to a 2-1 start under rookie head coach Jim Zorn. They didn't look so good the first game of the season on the road against division foes and defending Superbowl champs the Giants, but looked like a playoff team in home wins against the Saints and Cardinals. They face the Cowgirls this Sunday in their last regular season game in the rust bucket Texas Stadium. The Cowgirls are arguably the best team in the league, but like the saying goes "On any given Sunday." The pic says it all. I had a VA Redskins license plate on the Z [RIP]. Gots to show my love to my team everywhere I go. The Redskins are in the toughest division in the league. The NFC East is a combined 10-2 after 3 weeks.

My season ticket upper bowl pair were upgraded this season, so we are not in the nosebleeds anymore. Chronic appreciates that. I love going to the games. I redeemed some of my Redskins credit card points for a new Redskins waterproof windbreaker and a polo shirt I can wear to work. I also redeemed points for a 19" LCD HDTV. It's great getting this stuff for "free". I was shooting for a free pair of Superbowl tickets, but they are 300,000 points. I'll be dead before I could earn enough points.

I'm fantasy football league commissioner for the 7th straight year. We changed fantasy websites from Yahoo to Flea Flicker this season. We've retained the league name "All Killer No Filler" for consistency sake. Flea Flicker is a free keeper league, neither of which Yahoo offers. The core group of players are back. We have one new player this year, another female, putting the league chick count at 3. Lots of girl-on-girl action. My team, "Reefer Sutherland" is 3-0, ranked 1st in the division and 2nd in league. I was the #1 seed and scored the most points going into last years playoffs (thank you Tom Brady), but lost both playoff games and ended up 4th overall. After 5 years of mediocre seasons, it's nice to be one of the dominant teams.

Hail to the Redskins!

BrickFair 2008

Lego Taj Mahal
Originally uploaded by chronic-shock

I went to the local Lego show, BrickFair, over Labor Day weekend while Chronic was out of town. The three day affair is mainly for Adult Fans of Lego (AFOLs) but parts of Saturday and Sunday are open to the public. There was a huge turn out. Mostly kids with their parents. The AFOLs bring their MOCs (My Own Creations) to display. I'm still a rookie AFOL, so I didn't have any MOCs. Most AFOLs are on par with Trekkies and Star Wars nerds. They take it seriously. Some spend all their money on LEGO parts. Their houses are full of the bricks. I'd like to meet an AFOL who lives in a house made of LEGO. Check out all the pics from the show. BrickFair even got some press. There was a write up in the Post.

Dream Job - Lego Artist

Everyone has that "dream job" floating around in the back of their head. Sometimes that dream job is making a living from what started out as a hobby. Mine would be to make a living building with Lego bricks. Awesome right? "Never gonna happen" you say. Well one dude followed his dream and now makes a living as a Lego artist. What is a Lego artist? A Lego artist is an artist who's medium is Lego, the little plastic bricks consider toys. Check out the slideshow of some of his work. The pic is his work "Yellow". He's even made a working Lego computer and air conditioner. Check out his Brick Artist website which shows all his work. Everyone else, keep dreaming.