What-What?! Week of January 3rd

Saffron finally lost her tooth!  It's the teeniest, tiniest little thing.  She was very excited to put it in her tooth pillow, then even more excited to wake up to money the next day.  The husband and I took her out to Target later that day, and she spent her tooth fairy money, along with some other money she'd been saving up, to buy a My Little Pony toy.

I have messed up my shoulder, which has made my week somewhat problematic.  Sitting at the computer aggravates it, so my assumption is that I probably did something computer-related to cause it.  So I've been living on ibuprofen the last few days, though it seems to be getting better since yesterday afternoon.

Toy Review:  Play-Doh Star Wars Toy Sets

When I bought these, I thought they were nifty, but wasn't completely sold on the playability of them.  I've found that Play-Doh toys can be pretty hit or miss in terms of the play quality; we have a garbage truck set, and very rarely does Play-Doh ever touch it (instead, they use Legos, which is arguably not good for the Lego or the truck).  But these have been good buys.

Part of what makes them such a good buy is having the figures be the Play-Doh containers; this makes them sturdy and easy to hold.  Many sets are completely comprised of figures made of Play-Doh, who are floppy, hard to hold, and easily squashed by enthusiastic play.

Another good point is that there are so many accessories to make out of Play-Doh; blasters, droids, binoculars, Jawas, and Ewoks.  You can equip anything with a blaster, or a pair of binocs.  You can have a droid or Jawa or Ewok army.

Overall, these are good toys that keep the kids interested and encourage creative play.  I'll be buying more.

What-What?! Week of February 15th

Happy day after Valentine's Day everyone! :P

The husband and I had a lovely steak dinner at home (first time we've bought beef in months).

Wednesday, Saffron had her first Girl Scouts meeting.  It's a new troop that the leader is forming because the waitlist for a troop was outrageous -- 38 people in Northern Everett alone, not counting any of us in the South end.  Saffron seemed to have fun, and the other adults seem nice enough.  I'm not 100 percent sold on Girl Scouts.  The curriculum activities seem very structured, and the program divides the girls into age groups that don't seem to interact with each other much.  But I've committed myself to sticking it out for a year, unless of course Saffron isn't enjoying it, or something decisively awful happens.

In other news, today is Flag Day in Canada, a holiday declared when they last chose a new flag in 1964.  The National Post has a great article about the process, and the various options that were mailed in.  Some are pretty good, while others are just terrible.  It's an interesting read for sure.

Book Review:  Scoundrels: Star Wars by Timothy Zahn

This story follows Han Solo through an Ocean's 11-type heist adventure.  Rated at 4.3 stars, this book has great reviews on Amazon.  But... I don't know.  There's nothing wrong with this book; the characters are lively and interact well, it's well integrated into the Star Wars universe, and the plot is good.  I didn't dislike it, not at all.  But I was expecting the book to be a Han Solo and Chewbacca show, with Lando thrown in for good measure -- it wasn't.  I was expecting this to be a fast paced romp, like many other Zahn books -- it wasn't.  With those two reservations put aside, it was quite enjoyable.  Like I said, the plot is good, though the pacing is sometimes slow.  The ensemble cast is filled with interesting, nuanced characters, who have believable interactions.  The antagonists are intimidating and powerful.  There is a twist at the end that would have been better either left out or integrated better with some of the other behind-the-scenes events.  I was disappointed that there wasn't more done with certain characters.  I do think this is a 4-star book, but not quite to my taste.

Oh!  My middle son has started getting into Star Wars, and was very interested in this book.  At one point, he begged me to read it to him.  He sat on my bed with me and listened to me read for a good 45 minutes.  This is a kid who can't sit still for a 20 minute TV show.  I was impressed.  I read it to him a few more times, too, which makes me think that I need to find some more Star Wars books to read. :P

4 Funniest Non-Show-Accurate Toys Ever

It seems like every time I turn around, I'm finding more ridiculous movie and TV show toys and collectibles.  I've collected my favorite finds here.

Best-Lock Stargate "Lego" Toys

Photo via 8of5multiverse.blogspot.com.

First up, these terrible Lego knockoffs that I featured on my blog a few months ago.  At first blush, they look good; the vehicles, DHD, and stargate are accurate enough.  However, when you start looking at the figures, something horrifying appears:

For whatever reason, the artist decided to use old man faces for all the characters.  Did the artist ever look at pictures of the characters, or the actors?  Did they just guess?  I do appreciate that Daniel's expression is a bit incredulous, as it seems most appropriate in this instance.

Hasbro Muscle-Bound Star Wars Figures

Muscle man Luke versus original issue Luke.  Photo via Razyor of nightfallunlimited.com.

These are undoubtedly a classic.  Released in 1995, these action figures came out when I was a kid, and I was admittedly pretty excited about them.  Compared to the films, and even the original figures, these "heroic" sculpts are just ridiculous.  Why does Luke Skywalker have muscles on his muscles?  The "force" is really just steroids?  ...Yeah, didn't think so.

AHI Parachuting Spock

Spock... with a parachute!  Photo via plaidstallions.com.

I've included this mostly because I think the very idea is funny.  Just think of all the ways that the Star Trek crew could use this to their advantage: Need to escape from ravaging monsters in a hurry?  Use your parachute, Spock!  Have to escape from the Genesis effect (The Wrath of Khan)?  Use your parachute, Spock!  Infiltrating behind enemies' lines?  Use your parachute, Spock!

Limited Edition Harry Potter Dolls

Undead Harry versus Alive Harry.  Photos via ebay.com, listal.com.



Last, but not least, undead Harry Potter and drunk Ron Weasley.  Seriously, Harry's lips are blue.  The above picture isn't the best, but you can still see that the skin tone is also off, making him look kind of pasty, while his glasses have been enlarged by an errant spell.

Drunk Weasley versus Wistful Weasley. Photos via entertainmentearth.com, harrypotter.wikia.com.

Undead Harry Potter is then followed by the drunken Weasley.  I do appreciate that the doll maker at least attempted to get his hairstyle right (much more so than Harry, above), but the expression on his face just makes him look drunk.  What was the artist going for?  Ambivalence?  Embarrassment?  Apprehension?  Of course, if I went to a party in that getup, I'd probably have a few drinks beforehand in order to start ahead of the game, so to speak.

What-What?! Week of January 6th

First up, our recipe: Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup, via The Pioneer Woman
This has become one of my go-to soup recipes for the winter.  Instead of using crumbled sausage, I usually use Aidells Chicken and Apple sausage, and brown them lightly for some nice flavor.  I leave out the red pepper flakes, and use whatever milk or half-and-half I have sitting around.  Even with substitutions, it has always come out delicious!
The verdict:

• Husband:  Peter likes it just as much as I do. :)
• Kids:  The big kids just aren’t in to soups, and they particularly don’t like kale.  I always plan on feeding them something different when I make this.

(photo via The Pioneer Woman)

Item Review:  Bulleit Bourbon

Pete and I picked this bourbon up from Bevmo about a week ago.  Funny enough, the brand is owned by Diageo, the same company that owned the winery Peter worked for eons ago.  It came highly recommended from friends, and is well rated by experts as well.  That said, I’m not sure I like it as much as other bourbons I’ve had.  It has an almost overpowering oaky flavor, probably due to its long aging process.  I’ll be the first to admit that I could just be me, though, as I haven’t had bourbon at all since before Peter and I were married (almost 6 years).
(photo via www.thewhiskeyexchange.com)

Blog: Epbot’s January Art Roundup

Jen over at Epbot just posted this fantastic Art Roundup.  This wrapped Millennium Falcon reminded me of my childhood, stealing my brother’s Star Wars toys, as well as Peter’s experience falling from a bunk bed onto their Millennium Falcon (yeah, what a horrific shame D: ).

The Oswald piece that she posted is a bit frightening to me, rather than cute.  I think it’s the one big eye.  It just looks evil. D:

She posted a great piece by Amy Mebberson, who I know more from her Pocket Princesses series.  While I find that some of her comics are a little derived, there are clever strips, and I do enjoy the idea of the Disney princesses interacting with each other and the funny moments that could ensue.

The one thing that I have to make a dig at, though, is the steampunk Art Nouveau Batgirl, but then I’m just kind of tired of steampunk.  I don’t think this had to be steampunk to do this, and have it be so good.  On the non-steampunk front, I was quite delighted by these Art Nouveau princesses.  They reminded me of quite a few movies that I need to watch with my kids. :)
(photos via Epbot and Pocket Princesses)

News:  Patrick Dempsey buys Tully's Coffee
Patrick Dempsey (who most people know from Grey's Anatomy, but I know from Enchanted) stole Tully's Coffee out from under the likes of Starbucks and BaristaTV, buying the bankrupt company for $9.15 million dollars.  I know I'm very interested to see what he does with the brand, and how it competes against all the other players in the coffee industry.

And now, I leave you with a war that never happened, thanks to Wikipedia.

Until next week!