Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

Brickworld 2013

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:40:00 +0000

So... Pretty late question, I know, but anyone here going to be at Brickworld Chicago tomorrow?

I plan to be there (during public hours) as usual, so in the off chance a fellow attendee spots this blog entry, look out for the guy in the dark green BZPower shirt and the backpack, walking around snapping photos of every single MOC with my phone. If you see me, stop me and say hi!

Sadly there are never very many BZP members I've been able to find at the smaller Brickworld convention (I only met one member last year), but that's why I also plan to be at Brickfair VA this August. So many fun shenanigans to be had at the BZPower booth. (Srsly, if you live near the D.C. area or otherwise can afford the travel, GO TO BRICKFAIR. It is so much fun.)

Two-Year Brony Anniversary!

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:30:00 +0000

(Or if you're Pinkie Pie, my 24th Monthiversary)

On the night of March 29th, 2011, I started watching MLP:FiM at the behest of Takuma Nuva, and I was pretty much immediately hooked. Two years worth of regular brony meetups, brony voice acting projects, and one brony convention later, it's interesting to see how simply being a part of the brony community for these two years has impacted my life in significant (and largely positive) ways.

You guys might remember my 1st Brony Anniversary entry here last year, where I posted a vocal cover of Season 2's "The Flim Flam Brothers" song. Not to disappoint (I hope), I've recorded another cover for this year!

"Which song?", you may ask. Well, sadly, the half-length Season 3 didn't really have any decent lengthy songs worth a cover version like last year. But then, while browsing around, I happened upon an interesting track.

A 7-minute fanmade mashup/medley of virtually every MLP song from Seasons 1-3. Yeah, that'll do the trick.

So here you have it, my complete vocal cover of KPAT Music's MLP:FiM Season 1-3 Medley. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Hands you invitation

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Thiiis is your singing telegram, I hope it finds you well!

You're invited to a party, 'cause we think you're really swell.

Turakii's turning 21, so help us celebrate,

The cake will be delicious, the festivities first-rate!

There will be games and dancing, bob for apples, cut a rug,

And when the party's over we'll gather 'round for a group hug!

There's no need to bring a gift, just a post will be enough,

Birthdays mean having fun with friends, not getting lots of stuff.

It won't be the same without you, so we hope that you'll say yes,

Oh please, oh please R.S.V.P., and come and be our guest!

Better Than Pok�mon

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:08:00 +0000

Oh yeah. I went there.

---

In all honesty, though, I can't wait to get Pokémon X/Y. A 3DS-native game is long overdue, if you ask me.

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)

2012 in Retrospect

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 02:21:00 +0000

This past year has had its ups and downs, good times and bad, as any year would; but overall, it's been one of my most awesome, memorable, and accomplished years of my life. Not only because of things that happened and cool events I attended, but especially in personal growth.

I'm going to admit, I've always been a lurker online. That is to say, I've been content to join forums and websites, browse them almost daily, but rarely (if ever) actually post or contribute anything. I'm especially guilty of this on BZP, but also countless other websites and communities I've been a part of. I've always been too nervous and worried I wouldn't fit in, even on a website dedicated to a common interest (such as BZP). Really, it's a miracle I managed to get such an awesome close circle of BZP best friends, considering my infrequent (read: virtually nonexistent) activity here. This year, I actually started working to change that. You may not have noticed, but this blog has had more entries this year alone than from all entries in 2008-2011 combined.

Why the sudden change? Well, as ridiculous as it sounds, I owe it to the brony community. Although I was initially a lurker there too, the supportive atmosphere slowly convinced me to get more involved this year; to participate in discussions, and eventually even a few collaborative projects. I gained friendships, experience, and most importantly, confidence in my ability to contribute my humor, insight, and skills in any online community (not just among my closest friends).

In 2012, I went from almost no online activity to the point where I'm confident enough to record songs and even voice act for collaborative projects (more on that when it's completed).

Prior to this year, my actual social life also suffered. I had next to no real-life friends, and I was too introverted and shy to attempt to meet people. Thanks to a good friend convincing me, I got over that and started attending my local brony meetups (which are not as much about pony as they are about hanging out, playing video games, doing general fun stuff together) and got to meet people my age, with similar interests to my own. I'm still far from being a socialite, and I still get pretty nervous and uncomfortable in social situations, but I now have real-life friends who like me for who I am, and I'm not quite so terrified of meeting new people anymore. It sounds sort of pathetic, but I feel it's a huge step forward for me and I couldn't be happier.

In 2012, I went from almost no real-life friends, to about two dozen friends I hang out with on a fairly regular basis.

How does BZP tie into all this? Well, if it weren't for my newfound confidence in myself both online and in real life, I probably would never have attended BrickFair VA and finally met some of my longtime best friends (and all you other awesome bros). Seriously, if Brickfair took place just six months earlier, I probably wouldn't have had the guts to go at all. Also, it would have been February and cold and miserable, so there's that too.

All in all, 2012 was a great year of growth, self-improvement, and friendships. I hope 2013 is even better!

Here's a recap of some cool 2012 things!

My New Year's Resolution

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:20:00 +0000

2x 1920x1080 @ 60Hz

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)

Why are you wasting time in the blogs right now?

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 01:50:00 +0000

When you should be wishing the Evil Blog Master a happy birthday over in GD instead?

GET TO IT

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)

MLP Season 3 Premiere In a Nutshell (Non-spoiler)

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:41:00 +0000

I VOTED

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:47:00 +0000

Happy Nightmare Night!

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:21:00 +0000

>Posts entry asking specifically for video game or pony-related pumpkin carving ideas
>Gets suggestions for Pumpkinception, MSPA, BIONICLE, Ninjago, and Doctor Who series 5

Well, at any rate, I found a design! Some of the details were extremely difficult, because my brothers somehow managed to break all of our pumpkin carving tools on their pumpkins, so all I had to work with was a dull steak knife and a small screwdriver.

All things considered, I think it turned out pretty darn great:

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)