Phil's Thoughts

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Phil — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:04:02 +0000

After a long day of driving, flights, and waiting around, we’re all finally back home safe and sound. We were a little late in getting to the airport, but happened to make it to the gate just in time. Fortunately there were no cancellations or flight delays, but the Kansas City Airport has all the good food options outside of security. All we had to eat was a small Quizno’s stand with a limited menu. Boo!

Fast Week!

Phil — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:44:02 +0000

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that we had been in Wisconsin for a few days now. We arrived on Tuesday and leave tomorrow. So in between the long flights, frantic wedding preparations, and driving across half the state, we got to see a lot of sights and sounds. Saw a very small county fair in one part of the state, a very small town with a major NFL franchise in another, ate squeaky cheese, and rode some water slides inside the hotel. And lots and lots of food! Kind of sad to see it end!

Congratulations Big Brother!

Phil — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 05:38:31 +0000

I haven’t talked about it here because I’ve tried to keep a little more separation between public and private life than in the past, but my brother just got married a few hours ago to a lovely lady. We’re out in Wisconsin with lots of family on both sides, and have been for a few days now. Been too busy to update before now!

Congratulations, you two. May your happiness last a lifetime.

The Internet Archive

Phil — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:28:36 +0000

While doing some YoJoe maintenance today, I came across some broken links to files that existed on the site years ago. To be specific, these were scans of international catalogs. Not finding a newer location for the files, I checked the Internet Archive to see what was there on the Wayback Machine. I’ve used the site many times to recover lost images, so this wasn’t exactly a new idea for me. But then I found that over the years we’d lost probably half the international catalogs we used to showcase on the site! Thankfully, I was able to recover most of the files from there and rebuild what was lost. Always amazed at how useful this thing can be!

Street Fighter II figures!

Phil — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:39:01 +0000

One of those custom figures I was working on? This guy:

Balrog from Street Fighter II. He’s actually the last custom in a set that I’ve been working on for years! Mostly I was just too passive about acquiring the necessary parts to create these things. I finally made a push to acquire those needed pieces, and went to painting! Now I have 5 customs to fill in the ranks of my Street fighter II and Street Fighter Movie lines. And you can see them all right here!

Custom Toys

Phil — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:14:33 +0000

I’m not the greatest painter in the world; in fact, I’m pretty bad at it. But I still try to make custom G.I. Joes every once in a while. I even have most of my previous efforts here. I haven’t made any in a long while, but I’ve got a few I’m working on now. One just needs paint, while the other still needs a few parts before I can proceed. Fortunately, that one will be pretty easy to do – no more painting required of it. I’m kinda worried about the other! Time to break out the brushes and see what I can do!

OC Fair

Phil — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:39:29 +0000

Went to the OC Fair for the first time in a number of years. The layout has changed quite a bit! I used to know where everything was located, but now I needed the map. Since I had a complimentary admission, I didn’t spend too long there, but I did get a nice long walk out of it. I just did not want to go on any rides, either. I think Disneyland may have spoiled me!

July’s already over??

Phil — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:57:19 +0000

With Anime Expo and Comic Con so close together, this month goes by way too fast. As soon as I’ve finished attending one convention, I’m prepping for the the next! I had thought not working at AX this year would have meant a bit more time to breathe, and it did, but not as much as I had hoped. Throw in a barbecue for a departing friend, and the usual business of toy hunting and volunteer work, and it’s August before you know it. Now I have to prepare for a wedding in Wisconsin! I really need to get on with writing that speech….

So many pictures…

Phil — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:49:44 +0000

No, I’m not talking about Comic Con, though I did take more images this year than in visits previous. No, it’s time for me to review some G.I. Joes. By which I mean a lot of G.I. Joes. I get toys for free, and all I’m required to do is give my opinion of them? Sounds fair. But I have to take pictures of them, too! That, my friends, is the time killer. But I get practice using the camera, learning lighting and angles, and interesting ways to stage the figures. And oh yeah, free toys!!

Unusual Signs of Life

Phil — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:47:51 +0000

The post Comic Con lows have hit me pretty hard this year. I slept in later than normal Monday, and woke up hours earlier on Tuesday. My sleep schedule’s off, my shoulders still ache from the backpack and camera bag I wore for five days straight, and I have a whole lot of crap to sort through. This con is exhausting but fun, and I fully plan to be back next year. Something must be wrong with me.