One of my favorite actors has passed away at age 70. Mr. Paul Reubens aka Pee-Wee Herman. As a kid I found his antics amusing and loved his first film and tv show immensely.
I’m saddened by the news of his passing and the fact that he fought cancer in private, but he kept people smiling even to the very end. I introduced my children to his performances at a young age and they too still quote him to this day.
I always loved his humor and wit. Not only did he create that iconic PW persona, he was in numerous other roles that he took on and made his own. From The Spleen in Mystery Men to voice acting for Disney’s Flight of the Navigator and Rex/ DJ Rex of Star Tours; he had a certain voice that was unparalleled and unmistakable.
I even dressed as Pee-Wee for one of our Halloween Trick or Treat adventures in Disneyland many years ago. I can recite his Playhouse theme song off by heart. Paul Reubens was friends to many celebrities and kept his fans happy by interacting with them through social media.
I can only hope he is riding his bike off into the sunset on a new Big Adventure. Au Revoir Pee-Wee.
About a month ago I finished tufting my largest rug ever- A Godzilla Rug. It has been sitting rolled up in our living room since that time. The rug is about six feet tall and four and half feet wide. It took up my entire frame to make it. Naturally it need to go on display.
My wife suggested that we put it on the wall leading up the stairs from the main floor. That way we could see it rugularly from where we sit in the living room. I like the location because it looks like Godzilla is wanting to climb the stairs.
I like the pop of colour that it adds to our home. It still connects the grey/blue theme but adds a new element to our home. This will probably be the only rug that we hang in our house. All the rest of the rugs I make are going to be throw rugs or potentially for sale.
For the rest of summer, I do not see myself making rugs in a fast manner. I will be making them at a more leisurely pace. I want to enjoy the weather while it lasts. Once autumn hits, that’s when it will be time to hang out indoors. But until then, Godzilla is happy in his final resting place. And so am I.
We have a perfectly good bed in our room, and we really love our master bedroom. But since my wife and I don’t have any plans to go camping this summer, we decided to sleep outside last night. We had a perfect spot to do this.
We set up our outdoor furniture to be a bed- with pillows and blankets to keep us comfortable. We arranged our bedding in our gazebo prior to night falling. Before we went to sleep, I sprayed the area around to keep mosquitoes away all night.
We fell asleep staring out into the horizon. Our sleeping bag kept us extremely warm all night. We ended up sleeping for nearly ten hours. One of the best and most relaxing night’s sleeps we have had in ages. Our doggo joined us at one point when the kids let her out for her morning bathroom break.
It was such a comfortable sleep that we are doing it again tonight. Our little romantic outdoor oasis.
This morning my wife and I crossed the border to do some shopping. What surprised me is the lack of savings that can be had these days. In the past, prices were lower and even with exchange rate, there was significant savings. Now? Not so much. Unless you know buy what is not available in Canada.
That’s the yam I buy in mass quantities. We did get some good savings at Joann’s Fabrics. That was because my wife and I each had a coupon, and yarn was on sale. My wife always told me to buy yarn when it was on sale. We saved almost as much as we spent!
That means I have a ton of yarn again all ready for more rugs to be made! I have a few designs in mind and hope to be starting on them tomorrow. I need to complete one before next Saturday, so there is a bit of a rush going on. We shall see how it all turns out during this week.
My goal is to not buy yarn in August. And possibly September. I think my stock should last. Or perhaps I need to work on projects that utilize the colours I currently have. Sure thing Joe… like that’s going to happen… REALLY! It will!
I finished my week of night shifts this morning and I completely lost the day. I did some shopping, some 3D printing, a nap, followed by more shopping and dinner. But I just didn’t do anything that made me feel productive or worthy of writing about.
Good Night
Now it’s time for bed. An entire has come and gone. But you know what? I’m okay with an uneventful day. I can use the downtime to just exist. Tomorrow can be an adventure! That way I can figure out a real story to tell.
Resin printing is far more detailed than the PLA printing I was doing previously. Finding files that I would like to print is a fun activity. Learning the limits of what can be printed is the challenge. The size of a print is far smaller than what can be done with a regular 3D printer. But the detailing is amazing.
I’m starting with the basic program that came with the printer. Chitubox helps to slice the files and prepare them for the printer. I’m not quite at the stage of designing my own prints, but there are a lot of free ones out there that look great. So that’s a good place to start.
A small, but detailed print, takes about 4 hours to complete on the Mars 3 Pro. I chose to try printing the infinite dodecahedron and it turned out perfect. No harsh ribbing like other printers. No rough edges, no spaghetti or stringing. I’m really happy with the results. I suspect I will hit a roadblock or two as I go, but that is to be expected with any hobby. It’s knowing how to step away and rethink the issue to come up with a resolution that can be a challenge.
So far I am happy with the models I have found to print. Soon it will be time to start printing more useful items instead of just trinkets and tests. I am excited to work on those items soon enough.
I love technology and the advancements that have been achieved in my lifetime alone. My favorite has to be 3D printing. I had been actively 3D printing about three years ago. However it has not been a steady stream of printing as of late. I have taken months off (including the last 18 months or so). The last stint had me getting frustrated with the printer I had. So it was time to give up or update the printer.
Getting frustrated with a hobby usually kiboshes any desires to keep going. I wasn’t ready to give up fully, so my amazing wife chose a 3D Resin Printer for Christmas from her work. She knew I wanted to try resin printing. This weekend I finally set it up and ran a test print.
The basics of how the printer works seems simple enough. First you go on the computer and “slice” the file. Then you take that file to the printer. At the printer you level off the build plate, fill the tank with resin and choose the file to print. Once it’s done printing, you remove the print, soak it in 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove any remaining liquid resin. Then you “set the print” aka make it hard by using UV light. I picked up a small turntable to do that for me, but the sun is just as capable. After thirty minutes of curing, the print is ready.
The test print turned out impeccable! The detail that a resin printer can produce is astounding. I’m now in the process of spending all of my time downloading and slicing different files for my next set of creations. In fact, I am going to re-print an item I made on the old printer and compare the results of the two in a future blog.
Stay tuned for more prints! This is going to be fun once more.
Have you used a resin printer or a 3d PLA plastic style printer? Let me know in the comments of your love/hate for the machines and share with me any projects you have made or would like to make.
I finally got around to making my own ground beef burger patties this weekend. I have never made them before as most of my burger patties would come frozen and tossed on the barbecue when I need them. But I haven’t made burgers all year and now that it’s midsummer, I thought it imperative to make some!
I won’t get into the details of making them as most recipes online are very similar. I will say however, adding some shredded cheddar cheese in the middle was a delicious idea. They grilled up perfectly with my mixture of spices and meat.
The burgers ended up being thick and juice with a nicely melted cheese center. You would have thought these were two separate patties with cheese between them. The buns got some garlic butter spread inside followed by a quick toasting on the grill. We put some avocado and lettuce on them to add a unique twist to the burgers. Everyone had two full sized burgers and loved them.
I will gladly make these again as it didn’t take long to prepare. Maybe next time I’ll put guacamole in the middle instead of cheese! Mmm that sounds tasty.
This weekend the buzz at the box office is of two very different films. Barbie and Oppenheimer. Naturally the internet had a great time with it creating Barbenheimer.
I think it’s fantastic. Someone even used ai to create a trailer for the fictional combo. That entertained me even more. I’d love to see both films, but I get the luxury of having to work night shift for the next couple of weeks.
Today, two of my kids and my wife are off to watch the movies. My 17 year old son is going to a matinee of Oppenheimer with a friend. My wife and 19 year old are heading out to a VIP theater for a late matinee of Barbie. Our oldest planned to see both films with friends this weekend. I’m sure they will enjoy both of the shows- as drastically different as the films are.
Have you planned to see either or both films? Perhaps a double feature? Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed the hype the internet created.
Most of our garden is vegetables. My wife currently has 54 tomato plants and 31 pepper plants growing. She went big because of her success with those last year. This year we are also attempting strawberries, rhubarb and watermelon. Being able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden brings us joy.
Yesterday we ended up at Home Depot to “window shop.” In the end, we picked up some decorative flowering plants to add to the tropical feel of our home. We bought asiatic lilies, a couple of hibiscus bushes and a salvia in a half barrel.
We paid $3.71 for two large pepperoni pizzas.
I awoke early this morning and began to plant them. While doing so, I also took care of pulling the weeds. The front garden looks great once more. It always look good, but great is better. Breaking a sweat meant it was time to slow it down. So a couple of pizzas were purchased for lunch. We got a wicked promo for them. Nearly free is a good price.
Now to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in the pool and dream of the next thing we can add to make our home feel like an oasis from the hustle and bustle of life.
I have been on Instagram for a long time now. I have the username BinaryDigit01. I joined in January 2015 for the sole purpose of showcasing (and possibly selling) some perler bead art.
I have always enjoyed crafting. I also enjoy trying new hobbies. Perler bead art was one that came up and the kids enjoyed doing it as well. Back in 2011, we were making tons of perler bead art. Using 8bit images was great for creating these things. Four years later I created an Instagram account to help the kids and show off the perler bead stuff that we made and wanted to sell.
But in making the account, it killed all enjoyment of making these crafts. So I utilized the account for myself. I have enjoyed it for ages and never thought about changing the name. I kind of like it.
I did however create a new account devoted to my rugs. I have sold a few rugs because of this account. And that has been good. But what I like about this account is being able to follow other artists and just show my art. I am thinking I may change the name at some point, but I like it for now. Maybe if I change the crafting I make.
Perler beads lasted around 5-6 years but leather making kept me interest for 2 months. Tufting (rug making) has been in my interests for a year and I have been making rugs for seven months. I also have rugs designed and planed out until Christmas. So this hobby is going strong.
I don’t think I’ll change either Instagram name any time soon. The names remind me of why I made the accounts, which brings back memories of the joy I have experienced in my life.
I like to take naps. Sometimes I hit my bed. Most naps are on a couch. Occasionally I’ll sleep in a random location.
This afternoon I put a pillow on the carpet, threw a blanket on me to take a nap. Perhaps sleeping on the floor is not a good thing. Especially with allergies- our dog sheds quite a bit. I’m going to be covered in dog hair. My eyes are going to get watery and my breathing is going to become labored.
Plus the floor is hard and uncomfortable. My back won’t be happy when I stand up again. I’ll probably be sore for days after this.
Okay, a floor nap is a bad idea. But I don’t want to move. Ugh. Maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a second.
I have not had any alcohol since the end of October. I’d like to say it’s going good, but there are times I feel like a drink or five would help alleviate stress and frustration. Or a drink at the pool in the hot sun would go together nicely. Decades of alcoholism and indulgence are hard to ignore.
The last time I stopped drinking I went 300 days. Almost a year. All it took was a glass of sparkling wine for a celebration and I was back to drinking. Currently I’m hovering at around 260 days dry. Explaining to friends why I don’t drink is tough. However, watching them enjoy a drink is not. I’m fine with people having a drink around me.
Most of my issues lie within me. It’s me that makes it harder to say no. But I’m fighting it regardless of how difficult I find it. That fight is mine to battle. I can’t ask for help. So I’m trying to focus on other aspects in my life.
To my friends- please don’t feel obligated to not drink when we hang out. I’m not judging why you drink or how much. Your drinking doesn’t bother me, in fact I still encourage you to let loose around me. I appreciate your company more than you know. So let’s get together and have fun.
So my latest hobby/interest is my Terminator 2 Pinball game. Since it’s in really good shape, there’s not much I want to do to it. However I did decide to make a rug to match the machine.
I did a black rug with T2 and the triangle “Cyberdyne” logo from the film. I plan to use it to protect the machine when not in use. And it sits nicely underneath when it is being played. I think it looks great.
My other hobby is making movie props. Since my wife received a new liquid resin printer recently, we have yet to set it up. The first project is going to be a replica T-800 arm to go as a topper for the pinball game. I figure it will look great with some lighting around it.
Putting all my hobbies together makes me happy. It means I’m not giving up on previous projects and art, but rather expanding my skills. Which I find a lot of fun.
Today I was working in North Vancouver. At about ten in the morning the sky decided to do something it hadn’t done in weeks. It chose to rain.
And it rained heavily.
But within thirty minutes, the sun had pushed away the clouds once more. The sun came out and dried up all the rain. (Yeah I wrote it like that just for you). I do however love the atmosphere scent that comes from a fresh summer rain on pavement.
By the end of the day it was hot and muggy. It felt like a rain forest and made being outside a bit moist and uncomfortable. It was the type of situation where you were wet, cold, hot and sticky all at once. No thank you.
Driving home wasn’t really any better. The AC in the car was too much, but rolling down the window made the warm air enter again. There was no winning today.
That’s why I’m off to bed. Better to just sleep and awake to a new day.
Back to work means catching up on what you missed. Some new company lead agenda, some gossip, and emails. Thousands of emails. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but why so many emails?
Of the 4000+ emails I had today, maybe a dozen were important and relevant to my job over next few days. I really need a filter that separates the useless ones from the important ones. The real important emails. Not the ones that some people think are important.
But my first day back was met with smiling coworkers happy that I returned. I’m not sure if anything bad happened while I was on vacation, just that my employees missed me. Perhaps it’s my calm demeanor or ability to encourage others; whatever the case may be, my first day back was pretty good and productive.
Our oldest turned 21 today. It feels like only last year that they were born and we held them in our arms dreaming of the possibilities for their future. My wife and I were also nervous about how to keep this little person alive. They were so tiny and precious, our hearts melted when we met them.
After 21 years, I’d say we did our part helping to form a decent human. We worked hard to be good parents, even if it wasn’t noticed at the time. I hope that as they reflect back on their upbringing that they can see how much we tried at getting it right.
I’m glad we got to see them earlier today on their birthday, even for the brief couple of hours we got. I know that there are many more events and celebrations to be had, but my wife and I may not get to be a part of those as they grow up.
But that’s life. And life can be as beautiful as you want it to be. Our little angel was a beautiful baby and my heart longs for those memories more often than I would let people know. I miss the youngling we once cared for, but cherish what I recall as being some of the best moments in my life. They are now on their own and creating a new life, full of wonders and challenges.
Today my wife and I headed out to Buntzen Lake to walk the trail. Much like the hike we took on Monday, this one had a few inclines along the way. I’d say today’s hike was moderate due to the length as well.
The length we walked was a little bit over ten kilometers. Twice what we did on Monday. The round trip took us 2 hours and 55 minutes. This included our twenty minute lunch break on the beach and a few water breaks along the way. Not to shabby considering it was a steady walk for us.
Along the way we saw only a handful of others walking the trail. Including a coworker of mine and his girlfriend. Always strange to see coworkers outside of the “office.” we may not have seen too many people because we hit the trail at noon- high time for the sun to hit when we were outside of the tree shade.
It was a good hike and we got our heartbeats going and some good lung strengthening. Even though it was hot, we kept hydrated throughout the hike. My wife and I are looking to keep this momentum up and push harder as the weeks go on. These walks are definitely for our physical health and mental health as well. Getting older means we need to be active so as to live a little longer.
The end of our afternoon has us relaxing and cooling off in the pool. I did a few laps and then some stretches on the deck. Now for some more floating time while dinner slowly cooks on the BBQ. Vacation time is still ongoing.
This staycation has been going by really fast. I’ll be back to work on Sunday. So I need to make the most of my remaining two days and one evening! Recently I feel accomplished.
Yesterday I ended up selling my stuff on Facebook Marketplace, so earning a few hundred dollars staying at home was kind of nice. In the evening my wife and I played some MarioKart- there’s a new Vancouver level that we absolutely had to play.
Today I spent the morning cleaning my pinball machine (and of course playing a few rounds). My son showed me how to turn on the “Profanity Board” which entertains me. I got it twice today. Thanks Arnie for cussing me out!
Then I went back to designing some rugs and drawing them out. No tufting quite yet, as the sun is out and I want to relax outside in the pool. If the universe allows, there is the faintest chance to see the aurora borealis tonight between midnight and 3am. I’ll be watching my tracker just in case.
Tomorrow, my wife and I are heading out for a 10km hike first thing in the morning. Then more pool time at home. Saturday is our oldest kid’s 21st birthday… where has the time gone? My mother and sister will be out for the day which means it will be jam packed for my final day of vacation.
One day I will enjoy and endless summer. It feels like I am closer to that goal every year. Which I technically am as I get closer to retirement age. For now I’m going to make the most of my free time this summer.
I was never one for using Facebook marketplace, but over these past couple of weeks, I’m trying it out. Last week I connected with someone who sold me the pinball machine I picked up yesterday. Read about my Terminator pinball here. Yesterday I decided to list a couple of things that we had in storage.
Those items sold quickly. I now have a bee in my bonnet to sell more item we aren’t using.
I listed a couple of items that I know will take longer to sell. Mostly because they aren’t the sorts of things people look for. I have a couple of wooden pillars painted black. I never really found a good place in our home to utilize them. Having them for about 17 years- it’s time for them to go to a new home. The other listing has my old Garden Train supplies that I had bought back in 2008. I pulled them out of our previous garden about five years ago and they sat in storage. Again, time to move on and let someone else enjoy them.
The hardest part is to not search out more items to purchase. So I need to remove any of my keywords from previous searches. What are your experiences selling on Facebook marketplace? Any tips for someone just starting out? I’d love advice.
I’m happy to have a great partner to share my life with. We have been on numerous adventures. She cares for me and I care for her. Sometimes, she even lets me be a child again. Today was one of those days.
I picked up a 1992 Williams Terminator 2 Judgment Day Pinball Machine in excellent original condition. Playing field is in mint conditiand no cracking whatsoever. Graphics are all mint. The previous owner upgraded to mirrored sides, custom LED lighting throughout the whole machine including in the speakers and flipper buttons. The LED under and back of machine looks great. And custom lighting on the flying ship that makes it look like it’s hovering over the playing field. It also came with the original manual and lots of extra parts.
These are rare and hard to find. I got lucky and responded within minutes of the ad coming up on Facebook Marketplace. The fellow I bought the machine from also had some many wonderful movie props and statues. He is the person I would have loved to have become myself a few years ago. For now, I was just able to admire his collection that he is parting with.
My son is already playing far superior than I am. I have a feeling this game will end up in his possession one day. Over the next few years it’ll be ready with some free play for family and friends! If you need to find me, I’ll be in the basement trying to beat my son’s high score before my wife comes in and wipes the floor with both of us using her mad skills.
Today was our 22nd Anniversary. After such a long time, my wife and I have realized that not everything we do has to be monumental. When we married, we did it on a $5000 budget including our 2 day honeymoon at a Bed and Breakfast. We never wanted to start our lives together in debt. Like I said, after 22 years, we can still take pleasure in the simplest of activities in order to celebrate.
I am on a week of staycation and my wife took the day off work for the day. We drove out to Belcarra and hiked the Jug Island Beach Trail. This was a fairly moderate 5.5km hike going up a hill both ways. The hike took us nearly two hours including 20 minutes at the water while we had a snack and checked out the sea stars in the shallow pools.
Afterwards, we headed back into Port Moody and stopped at the Rewind Beer Co. (keeping up with the retro theme from our party). I was pleasantly surprised at how good their pizza was. We ordered the Polka King which tasted like potato skins on a pizza dough. So good. Did I mention we liked the pizza?
Having spent the day with my wife, I can honestly say she is my best friend. We have been side by side for almost 23 years, barely away from one another. I enjoy her company tremendously and think she likes mine as well.
Thank you Lee-Anne for all those years you have spent together with me.
Yesterday we had some friends over for our 80’s themed party. With some 80’s music playing an old vhs camera recording and a Polaroid camera taking pictures- you’d have a tough time telling that this wasn’t from that decade. The costumes were great! From Jem to Macho Man to Magnum PI; there was plenty of genres to discuss by the pool.
We did our best to make it as authentic 80’s as possible. There was even fake “cocaine” set up throughout the home. That got a pretty good laugh from everyone. We also had a Simon game, a Speak and spell, an Alf blanket, and a Rubik’s Cube (that a teenager solved!) We ended the night outdoors watching one of my favorite 1988 films- Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
I had a great time and love that we had friends over who also enjoy just letting loose. Loads of laughs and reminiscing about old times, not just the 80’s. A big thank you to everyone who came out! We love and appreciate you!
Today my wife and I are having our 22nd Anniversary Party. I wanted to go with a theme, so my wife and I went 80’s. Specifically I wanted 1988.
Why 1988? To me that was the pinnacle of the 80’s. Tv shows were getting better, movies were fun and have full watchability and music was on the cusp of changing.
Some of my favorite (and most influential to me) films of 1988 are the following in no particular order:
Akira (Best Anime hand down)
Beetlejuice (Keaton was the ghost with the most!)
Heathers (this was just as I hit my teenage years)
Elvira Mistress Of The Dark (I love me some sassy and humorous women!)
Cocktail (wicked soundtrack btw)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (my favorite “live action” Disney Film
Coming to America (Dirty humor at its finest)
Child’s Play (Schlock horror)
Killer Clowns From Outer Space (more schlock!!!)
They Live (A wrestler and aliens? What else do you need? Oh and a theme of corporate control.)
Die Hard (is a Christmas Movie!)
Willow (a terrific fantasy film)
Naked Gun (slapstick humor and innuendos galore)
Big (growing up and buying big all the toys? Every kids dream)
Twins (Arnold + comedy= enjoyable)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (clever comedy)
A Fish Called Wanda (another clever comedy)
In 1988 I was 12 years old. My parents gave me a television for my room with cable! So naturally I watched a lot of tv. Here are the ones the I always had on. Even with adult humor I didn’t quite get yet.
Kids In The Hall
Red Dwarf
Roseanne
Cheers
Night Court
Who’s The Boss
Murphy Brown
Golden Girls
ALF
Unsolved Mysteries
Freddy’s Nightmares
Mystery Science Theater
Garfield and Friends
In regards to 1988 and music, I was hardly listening to music at the time. But my father got us a five disc CD player for Christmas either that year or the year prior, I can’t recall exactly. But Christmas 1988 was where I enjoyed the Cocktail Soundtrack and began my love of all genres of music. Now I listen to the 80’s with a love, but not so much nostalgia as I only just began to appreciate music.
Of course 1988 was when I received the Sega Genesis. My hood that was a game changer from the Colecovision and Intellivision I had been so used to. Again, with a television in my room, I never came out and was glued to watch was coming from the picture tube.
If I were to talk about 1988 from my wife’s perspective- that was the year she graduated high school. She is five years older than me and had a love of music before I did. Her life was about to get on track as she entered adulthood. I don’t want to add too much about my wife, as she doesn’t share the same way I do. One day I may share her memories here, but for the most part the memories I do share are of us together.
Me in 1988 in our pool.
Now it’s time to get dressed and have fun for our 1980’s party. Let’s hit the pool! Radical! Cowabunga! Totally gnarly!
Thursday I spent a good portion of my day with my middle child. We went to look for a pinball machine, bought some party favors for the weekend, and then headed into downtown Vancouver. I never bought a pinball machine, but it was good to get out and look. The party favor store was silly and tacky, but we laughed a lot. But the end of my day? That was the best part of the day!
Darwin’s high school best friend is a part of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and she gave Darwin two tickets to see their performance. The VSO played the orchestral music for Star Wars: The Force Awakens while the film was shown on the big screen. Darwin was super happy to take me because of my love of Star Wars!
I was supper happy to go because of my love of Star Wars! I also enjoy orchestras and am always supporting the arts. It was a great show. The audience was full of energy and cheers throughout the performance. It was the best way to experience a film with such a commanding score.
I was really impressed and proud of Darwin’s friend Brooklyn. She has pushed herself to success ever since I can recall. I am happy that she thought of both Darwin and I when it came to the idea of Star Wars and the VSO. That brought me joy.
Walking back to the car, I realized that my life with my kids is changing. It’s not always me doing things for them. They are now doing kind things for me and with me. I had a great time walking and talking with Darwin as we went to the show and headed home. Quality time that I cherish and love.
And the live performance of Star Wars was pretty amazing!
Making It Up As I Go 