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T-Hybrid

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Blog Entries posted by T-Hybrid

  1. T-Hybrid

    Time Travel Made Easy

    By T-Hybrid,

    As is the yearly tradition in most places (not to sure how it works across the world), don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour before you go to bed. Or after you wake up.
     
    What will you do with the extra hour you've been given?
  2. T-Hybrid
    In the time I've been writing entries here in the Haven, you've probably noticed that I haven't said much about sports. In the past few years, some have probably come to know me as a pretty dedicated Twins fan. So, with football season right around the corner (as the Vikings don't play until tomorrow), it shouldn't be shocking that my focus is still on the MLB.
     
    And why is that? Well, because in the past few months, the Minnesota Twins have been on fire. And not the bad kind of fire that burns and causes suffering (you know, the Kyle Lohse kind), but the good kind that involves wins and lots of pretty runs.
     
    What seemed impossible back in April and May has now become a surprising possibility. The Twins are in the playoff hunt, and are currently controlling their own destiny at the moment. To paint a more accurate picture of the complete 180 that they pulled, take a look at this graphic:
     

    I figured June 17th would be a good date to use as a starting point, since it was also the first day I started blogging. On the right is the standings as of the end of today's games. The Twins have surged to within striking distance of the Divison Title, and are currently in the driver's seat of the Wild Card. I don't know what to expect in the next few weeks. Detroit and Chicago still have four games left against each other, while the Twins play Chicago in the final three games of the year. This adds up to create one heck of a conclusion to what originally was a yawner of a season.
     
    Can Joe Mauer finish the season as the league's leading hitter, or will Derek Jeter's recent streak be enough to put him at the top? Will Johan Santana claim his second Cy Young award? Who is going to be the league MVP...Jermaine Dye, Justin Morneau?
     
    There are a ton of stories building up, and though I may not like how things wind up in October...I'm still going to thank the team for putting on a show in the closing months of what started as a fiasco.
     
    Go Twins!
  3. T-Hybrid
    I was flipping through channels tonight and landed on Nancy Grace. I had always just assumed she was on CNN, but I was mistaken. She's on the CNN offshoot "CNN Headline News."
     
    Wait a minute...
     
    A 24-hour news network needs a second station to cover headlines? So wait. If the headlines are all on CNNHN, then what does that say about whatever's being covered on the original CNN? Wouldn't whatever their talking about be the headline? I guess I'm confused.
     
    I suppose the next step is MTV launching "MTV For Music" and ESPN spinning off "ESPN Sports".
     
    *pfft*
  4. T-Hybrid

    More Than Meets The Eye

    By T-Hybrid,

    Why am I showing you a picture of a grey cellphone? And why does it have so many weird lines going through it? Well, I'll tell you. That isn't any old ordinary cellphone. That cellphone can do this...


    Ah yes, the Transformers are back...and if you though the Alternators/BinalTech series were cool. Just wait until you see what they have instore for Classics. Though I don't know the whole story behind this guy, I've heard rumors of him and others on various TF boards.

    Digital Camera: Alt | Bot
    PSP/GBMicro Hybrid: Alt | Bot

    I hope these are TF. The source site on this one lists them along with other TF in the Classics line (including the remade Nerf Megatron). I for one will get at least one of them. Depending, of course, on how well they blend in with the real thing. But if Alternators were any indication, that shouldn't be a problem.
  5. T-Hybrid
    For the first time in quite a while, I came away from Black Fridy without having bought anything for myself. However, due to poor research...I currently have three copies of Breaking Dawn sitting on the shelf. This is mostly because stores don't allow returns on Black Friday, and I found progressively less expensive copies of it as I went along. And no, this isn't for me. It's for somebody else.
     
    I've never really had bad experiences on Black Friday. Best Buy and Target always do a great job of managing the crowds...and even getting in there around 8 in the morning I still got some great stuff. Was surprised some of it was still available, especially when you're talking $10 or so for a normally $50 DVD set. Wal-Mart was terrible though. Their ads claimed to have all kinds of games at deep discounts, but when I arrived it didn't look like anything of the sort had ever existed. No bins, no slots, no nothing. Horribly marked shelves lead to lots of disappointed (and at times aggravated shoppers).
     
    Favorite line overheard at the checkout: "We don't actually need the TV stand, but with a price like that how could we pass up?"
  6. T-Hybrid

    Merry Christmas (etc.)

    By T-Hybrid,

    Merry Christmas to everybody. Regardless of what you celebrate, I hope you are able to enjoy this time of the year with the ones that mean the most to you!
     
    PS: Expect a post-holiday report on my haul.
  7. T-Hybrid
    Over Christmas Break, Nintendo made five classic games available for the Wii's Virtual Console. One of those was the legendary Super Mario Bros for the NES. I had some extra points left over from my purchase of Mario 64, so I decided to pick up SMB for the reasonable price of $5.
     
    The last time I played this was probably back in 96 or so, shortly before my family made the uneducated decision to sell our NES. Whatever the case, I never beat it. Not really for any lack of trying, but because I was just uneducated.
     
    This was before the days of the internet, before I could click a few links and learn a few tricks here and there. So I was blissfully, or "frustratingly" if you actually watched me play, unaware of the ability to Continue a game by pressing A + Start on the title screen. So when I learned of this yesterday suddenly the game became considerably less impossible. I uttered a few curses here and there in the course of a few of the trickier jumps, and I managed to squeak through that a-maze-ing 8-4 with a very slim about of time left. But I did it. I finally beat the original Mario. 20 years after its original release.
     
    It was really a triumph of the spirit though, and I wish I hadn't been alone in the house when it happened. Mostly because I doubted the dog would understand why his master was jumping up and down with glee. And then I saw this:
     

    Why do the fates torture me so?
  8. T-Hybrid
    Here it is, the 3rd day of April and majhost.com continues to suffer some sort of mysteriously non-foolish shutdown. How am I supposed to share pictures of my new cat army with the masses?
     
    I tells ya, there's nothing that ruins a good April Foolin' like your entire collection of images going down for the week. I oughta go over to Maj and give them a piece of my-
     
    Ooooh is that a ball of yarn!
     
    *runs off*
  9. T-Hybrid

    I Call Shenanigans

    By T-Hybrid,

    So I built my annual Pa-Tahi Toa (this gen would be the return of Khultak and Rangi), and I've run into a problem. I want to buy replacement Toa...but the Phantoka at most stores have had their prices increased to $12.99 to match the Mistika.
     
    Seriously? That's so not cool LEGO. Wal-Mart still has them at the old $9.99, but they only have Pohatu and I also need a new Kopaka. Onua's not as much a problem, but for them to up the price on sets that have been out for months? I was in the Lego Imagination Center at Mall of America a few weeks ago and the Phantoka were still only $9.99. Are they being INSTRUCTED to increase the price as the new sets in...or are store just being ##### about it? And yes, I did check the shelf space. The tag says "Phant" as opposed to the "Misti" tags, so it is being repriced.
     
    I've thought about doing...things...that would be slightly dishonest. Like buying two Pohatu's from Wal-Mart and then returning one to Target in place of a Kopaka. I'm not proud, but at the same time...it's just riddiculous. I bit on the $12.99 for the Mistika. But now you want to take old sets and increase their price by almost 30%?
     
    Very uncool.
  10. T-Hybrid

    All Kidding Aside

    By T-Hybrid,

    Okay, I've seen some pretty heated posts regarding the closure (and removal) of LGD and COT. And seriously, some people really need to calm down before they get themselves in trouble.
     
    When I first read the post regarding the removal, I figured it was an elaborate joke. I know the staff is working hard on trying to keep those Board Messages from popping up, but of all days to annouce something like the removal of two forums April 1st just didn't seem like the right time.
     
    But now the forums are gone. And I can't believe some of the things I've read in regards to the removal. There are people who honestly are going to leave if LGD and COT dont' come back? Why? BZPower was started to serve as the home for Bionicle fans to take part in Bionicle discussion. If the removal of non-Bionicle discussions assists in removing Board Messages from the paths of those wishing to actually use BZP for that purpose...how can you argue with the decision?
     
    I doubt the decision was an easy one to make, and I would expect they forsaw some form of backlash. But honestly, if people are willing to leave a Bionicle forum because they don't provide space for non Bionicle discussion then there's some people who seriously need to reconsider what they're doing here. There are so many other forums on the Internet that are specifically geared at various other topics. And there's no law saying that if you join BZP you can't join any other forum.
     
    But through all this, I've started to see added benefits to the removal of COT or LGD. If all of these members who are saying they're going to leave actually leave, that's going to help keep the server load down. So it's double good for those of us who want to stick around and discuss Bionicle.
     
    And heck, if you want to strike up a conversation about something non-Bionicle...there's always the Blogs. Surf around those for a while and you'll find all kinds of topics you can discuss. Not everybody will be able to create new entries, but I'm pretty sure everybody can post comments.
     
    But guys, gals, calm down. The Staff is doing what they can to keep the flow of Bionicle-related discussion from coming to a screeching halt. And if losing non-Bionicle discussion is enough to chase you away from BZP all-together, then what are you doing here in the first place?
  11. T-Hybrid

    House Party!

    By T-Hybrid,

    It was a pleasent surprise to log on Sunday night and find that the Haven had been named Blog of the Week. And because I'm such a super guy, I'm passing the fun right on to you! That's right, for one day only...it's a Hybrid House Party!

    Since they're currently taking a break from being in the storyline, I've managed to get the Nuva to make an appearance. Kopaka pretty much knocked everybody down on his way to the DJ table. Lewa's currently showing off his rendition of the worm, and Pohatu is apparently trying to convince us all that it doesn't take a Mask of Life to bring Disco back from the dead.

    Tahu and Gali.....I haven't seen them around. I think they're off doing the things couples do. Walks in the park, moonlit picnics, you know the usual. Meanwhile, Macku is in the corner worrying about Hewkii, while Onua tries to cheer her up with his best beatboxing. It's quite impressive really.

    I don't know if Takanuva is going to show up. He's been having Ussanui troubles as of late, and you know how it is with vehicles. It sometimes cost more to fix it than it's worth. On the other hand, Makuta is apparently on his way, and I heard he's bringing Tic Tac Throw. Gotta love a party that has Tic Tac Throw.

    The rest of the guests will be arriving throughout the night, so make sure you stop by and say hey. I'll be tending the bar tonight, with all the pixie sticks and other niceties you've come to expect from my parties. If the Manas out front gives you any trouble, just drop my name...they'll step aside.
  12. T-Hybrid

    I Grow Impatient

    By T-Hybrid,

    I see pics and read stories about how the Mahri are now available. Yet it appears the LIC at MoA has yet to get them in stock. In fact, the Bionicle section's been moved deep into the middle. The formerly Bionicle display cases are now filled with Batman, and the shelves close to the front are Exo-Force I think. But seriously, where are the Mahri? LIC was the one of the first places to get Rahkshi and Hordika, I'm sorta surprised by this recent twist.
     
    But it's probably for the best. I gotta make my first rent payment this weekend!
  13. T-Hybrid

    The Final Draft

    By T-Hybrid,

    After two delays, and a number of surprises...Brawl is finally arriving on American shores in a few weeks. As such, I figure it's time to bring the Brawl Draft to its ultimate conclusion. (Stop celebrating you!) And what better way to wrap it up than with one of the least demanded but likely coolest possible addition to the brawl roster than to bring in one of the most well known faces of Nintendo. Ever.
     
    ...This guy may give even my character a run for the money.
     


    Shigeru Miyamoto
    Franchise: Nintendo
    First Appearance: ...He's Miyamoto
    Why?: For as long as I can remember, Miyamoto has been the face of Nintendo. From his speeches at E3 and the GDC, to his random appearances in fan videos...he's always struck me as one of those millionaires that doesn't have to remind you he's a millionaire. I mean, look at that pic up above for the perfect of example of the kind of guy he likely is. When building a roster of gaming icons...what better addition than the guy who we have to thank for many of them?
    Appearance: Buisness casual. Pretty much as you see him above (sword and shield optional of course). He'd be styled similar to Snake and Zero Suit Samus so he'd look more realistic than Mario and those types of characters.
    Moveset: Miyamoto would use a number of Wii Accessories in his moveset. His standard combo would be a series of Wiimote + Nunchuk attacks, while his standard B would be a charged blast from the Wii Zapper. Miyamoto's side Smash Attack would make him pull out the Wii Wheel from Mario Kart and quickly blast forward (as though he were on a Kart). His Down Smash would be a quirky pose that sends a shockwave out in a small radius. His Up Smash would be a quick strike with the Nunchuk that drives his opponents into the air. I have no idea what his Up+B recovery would be. I can picture him using the Wiimote with a grappling hook attached instead of the Nunchuk.
    Final Smash: I've always had a theory that Master and Crazy Hand are somehow connected to Miyamoto. With him in my fantasy Brawl, I'd give him a Final Smash that transforms him into at least one of the two hands (Master Hand sounds right). Players would be allowed to control Master Hand temporarily, and have access to a number of his attacks. This would include the lasers, missles, and grab/toss attack. I dunno if Master Hand is back for Brawl, but it'd be cool to finally give the mysterious boss a backstory.
     
    The idea of controlling the very creater of some of Nintendo's most beloved franchises as he fights against his own creations just gets my thumbs twitching. I've seen some of the spoilers coming over from Japan regarding rosters and other unlockables, so I know a few things that have let me down...but there's also a lot of stuff to look forward to.
     
    Hope you've enjoyed the Brawl Draft. If anything, it's hopefully opened your eyes up to some other lesser known classic characters. *Poo...snicker*
  14. T-Hybrid
    I know what you're all thinking. I've gone and lost my mind, right? Not at all. I had noticed a dip in the excitement level over at the Haven, and despite my best efforts to spruce the place up the customer base just never came back.
     
    Maybe it was the massive Digimon battling it out in the streets outside the club, or maybe it was just the lack of anything interesting in the entires. Or...who knows...maybe this entire world is a figment of my imagination and I'm just talking to a bunch of ghosts that exist only in my head.
     
    Whatever the case, I've grown weary of the nightclub business. So I've left the Haven in the hands of the Blue-Vice and broken off to find my calling. Since the whole "swinging hipster" thing didn't work out, I've decided to try and get in touch with my sensitive side and give gardening a go!
     
    Now, looking over at the sidebar you may notice a fresh set of faces. Well, that's just my new crew in this endevor: The Vice-Sisters...and uh...Kenta. Together we're going to bring a new error of peace and beauty to both the Blogosphere and the Forums.
     
    Of course, this means there's no place for a towering dinosaur with the destructive capabilities of a seven-nation army. So ViceGreymon and I have parted ways. I'm sure he'll do just fine with the rest of the Blue-Vice. Who knows, the change of ownership could breathe new life into it! In the meantime, I've hired on RhodoKnightmon to serve as Guardian of our Garden (I was going to spell it "Gardian" but it looked more spelled wrong than punny).
     
    So everybody, keep on smiling and enjoy the beautiful weather. April's coming, and that means this Garden's going to be blooming!
  15. T-Hybrid
    Since the revelation that the MSRP of the Mistika would be $12.99...there's been talk back and forth as to just how crazy LEGO may have become. The argument I hear is that the price is justifed by the "ever rising price per piece". Another is that sets have been increasing in piece, thus the need to adjust the price.
     
    So I got to thinking, just what exactly has the average price per piece been for the various Toa? And how does the overall piece count compare from year to year? I found the results to be quite surprising.
     

    I'll make an important note: These prices are not adjusted for inflation. Which means the average price per piece has hovered at a very normal price range (between 16 and 20 cents per). Taking inflation into account, the price per piece has comparitively decreased comparred to the number of pieces steadily increasing. I'd like to take inflation into account to make the numbers more accurate...but I think the idea that the price per piece has hovered around the same area even BEFORE inflation is interesting.
     
    When the Inika were released at the then staggering $9.99 price point, it was justified with the explanation that they were the first sets to use electronics as part of their gimmick/feature. It's interesting to note the following year was the Mahri. A significant increase in pieces (averaging 13 more pieces per set) at the same price. The Phantoka dropped the piece count, but maintained a fairly close price per piece.
     
    So with that information, let's take a look at some "projections" I've laid out regarding the proposed $12.99 Mistika price point. These piece counts are purely speculation, used for the purpose of analysis and estimation.
     

    In order to check in at even the highest price per piece we've ever seen...the Toa Mistika would have to weigh in at a record 65 pieces per set. Keep in mind that it's an average as well. As you can see from the previous years of Toa, there's always a variance between sets (LEGO appears to favor Toa of Stone...could it be they're beefing it up to make up for the color?).
     
    The other columns show what it would take for the Mistika to check in at the price per piece from earlier in 08 (a colossal 75 pieces per), and what it would take to match the lowest price on record (80 pieces? Seriously?)
     
    In summation, do I think LEGO can hit the 65 piece per set mark? It's possible. I need to take some closer looks at the Mistika, and I think for "only" having 58 the Phantoka turned out that well. All in all, it's still going to be tough to justify $13 on a set.
     
    Thoughts?
  16. T-Hybrid

    A Year Already?

    By T-Hybrid,

    I can't believe BZP's turning six already. I swear it was only yesterday I opened up The Haven. It's not that I forgot the Anny was coming up, it's just that I've already put it the best I could. But wow, six years! I never thought it'd happen when I first joined.
     
    I'm looking forward to the next set of Spinners, some new Pips, and if all goes well...finally someday getting back to potentially working on Rebirth. Sorry all you loyal readers.
     
    Saw the Mahri as well as the 07 Titans at Wal-Mart yesterday. Was very impressed with Maxilos and Spinax, especially now that I know their true story. Nuparu's coloring leaves a lot to be desired, but Jaller, Hahli, and Hewkii are slick looking sets. I'm in the process of making a rather significant purchase right now (more news on that as it develops) so I have to put the Mahri on the backburner. But I do expect to have them displayed in my hutch by the end of the year. Alongside Maxilos. Unless of course they come up with a new Combiner for the Titans. Kardas will be hard to top, but I'd love to see them try!
  17. T-Hybrid
    What a night. I showed up at the store at 8, and it was a good thing I did. There was already about 15 people wandering around the store waiting for registration. By about 8:30 there were 30+, so they lined us up and did the signup early. At that point, I learned that the nearby Best Buy had put a demo out. So I jumped in the car and cruised over there.
     
    But that's all side stuff. The real fun stared once they lined us up outside and started calling names for the tourney. It's a smaller store, so they only let in the two people who were fighting that round, with the employees serving as the audience. The TV faced away from the windows, so the crowd was left watching reactions to figure out what was going on.
     
    A few rounds in, the crowd started getting into it. Chants of "RAN. DOM. GUY!" started up as people began picking favorites and showing support. Few of us actually got each other's names, which lent itself to finding other things to chant when somebody we had been talking to had their turn. But we didn't really get into it until one match pit two brothers against each other. There was a loud "Oooooh!" as they entered the store. And when the younger brother won, he was greeted by chants of "LITTLE KID! LITTLE KID!", which drew a wide smile.
     
    I lost in the first round, as detailed eariler. At that point I had to run back to the apartment to grab my Wii Code. I got a few of those, and a few Gamertags. So hopefully I'll start building a good list of friends to play against. I could tell one guy was a Melee pro, so I look forward to going up against him. I had some friends that were incredible at Melee, and I only got better by playing against them.
     
    By about 11:30, the crowd was really into it. The group in the front, just ahead of me, started up "100 Copies of Brawl on the Wall!" and showed the dedication to count all the way down to 1. There was one kid in line who kept interjecting "Brawl s--ks!" or "<#> copies of Halo on the wall!" I have no idea why he was in line...but it was interesting to actually witness a troll in real life. I was fully expecting him to start yelling "First", or start communicating in Leet. But in a show of equal dedication (or just outright stubborness) he kept up his yells jsut as long as the singers.
     
    The game came out at midnight on the dot. And by 12:15 I was back home and playing. I was up until 4 (that's counting the hour lost to Spring Forward). I slept until about 11. It felt good.
     
    I've added my Brawl friend code to the Vital Links section to the left. I probably won't take it online until I've unlocked a few of the characters I used in Brawl. And I may toy around with Stage Builder a bit too. But I look foward to seeing you on the Battlefield!
  18. T-Hybrid
    Some of you may remember this lesson from English courses. The whole "Everybody went to their house" vs. "Everybody went to his or her house". Well frankly, I find the whole "his or her" nonsense. It's something about how "their" or "them" refers to the plural form while he/she is for singular use. But if you're like me, you either don't get it or just don't care enough. So I've taken it upon myself to propose a few changes to remedy what has slowly become a complex grammatical issue.
     
    "Herm": (Hurm) A combination of "him" and "her" primarily for use in such sentences as "I'm supposed to greet the new student. Have you seen herm?" I like this one the most, as it's the most natural combination.
     
    "Hes": (Hez) Combines the words "his" and "her" primarily for use in such sentences as "It was Parent's Day at school. Everybody was sitting with hes parents." It'd be confusing at first on paper and when being pronoucned (as it would commonly be mistaken for "his" or "he's"), but just as with purple ketchup, we'd adjust.
     
    "Hesh": (Haysh) Combines "she" and "he"...though at the moment I can't think of when this would be used in a sentence. But since we're combining two words to make new ones, I figured it'd be smart to set up this one. Just in case you know?
     
    If somebody out there understands the English more gooder than I do, I'd appreciate getting a tip as to if this is built on sound grammatical logic. Or if I just spent an entire blog post offering a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. But hey, can you blame me? The English language is confusing!
  19. T-Hybrid
    Well, Creepy Girl and her ilk are now on TV. Though it's mostly been late night. I guess this Chemistry thing is "successful" enough to have gone from an eerie banner ad to a full-fledged TV advertised product. Or perhaps Creepy Girl was able to ascertain our locations and has instructed her leaders to broadcast to those TVs that belong to those she has identified. Be cautious, they are coming.
     
    In lighter news (or not depending on your opinions of the newest film), they've already annouced Shrek 4 for 2010. Odds are right now they'd prefer to do a prequel. Which I suppose make sense. Portray a young Shrek, giving them a chance to gather up a new set of VAs in case the originals can't be brought back. If they can, then it's a prequel set more recently. Otherwise it's young Shrek and friends. Odds are the latter would lead to an eventual Shrek TV series and the guaranteed destruction of the franchise.
     
    Oh, Hollywood...when will you stop annoucing sequels only days after a movie is launched? Though I know it's not the earliest. Saw's IV and V were both annouced a week after the third hit theaters, and there was the talk of a Spiderman franchise to the tune of 6 movies while the second was still filming.
     
    Beh on Hollywood.
  20. T-Hybrid

    Full Throttle

    By T-Hybrid,

    I went to a Twins game, and on the way out they were handing out free cans of Full Throttle. It's an energy drink I guess. So tonight, having run short on pop I grabbed it out of the fridge.
     
    I'm drinking it right now, and I can tell from the taste that it's pure sugar plus some caffine. Mostly because I'm vibrating in my chair at the moment. Excuse me for a second, I'm about to phase through my keyboard...
     
     
    ...
     
     
    Okay, it was probably a bad idea to drink one of these at this hour. I have a feeling by midnight I'm going to be reduced to a heap on the couch. It's tasty, but I dunno if these things are for me.
  21. T-Hybrid

    An Irs Counter-punch

    By T-Hybrid,

    Well, things may have brightened up a bit around the Haven. I talked with my grandpa, who's a financial whiz (runs on that side of the family) about the problem I had over the weekend. Apparently there was more of a miscommunication between the me and the people I had purchased/sold stock through. They sent some info to me, apparently neglecting to make it clear that they weren't sending the rest.
     
    So I had to track down a few forms (didn't know that there was such a thing as the Schedule D until now) and fill those out. Hopefully I did it all right, because it's off and in the mail. If all goes well, it may turn out to be a pretty decent swing...and the IRS could end up owing me money instead.
  22. T-Hybrid
    I was just about ready to make a decision, and was set to hop in my car to pick up a copy...when an old friend paid me a visit.
     
    I'm talking about Mr. My Car Won't Start. After a few unsuccessful attempts to turn the key, followed by the inability to get a jump from anybody, poor little T's Car was toed over to the shop and put up on the lift. The problem? Alternator's shot. Took the battery with it too. Thankfully I had just purchased the battery, so it was covered under warranty. But the alternator was another story. I haven't paid the $360 yet (mostly because the car is still in the shop this morning), but it's effectively made up my mind on a lot of things. Namely, instead of getting either Final Fantasy V or VI...I'm getting neither.
     
    Runner up was FFVI. And had my car not gone out I probably would've been getting FFV after my next payday. Not taking a third party into consideration, the best way to solve indecisiveness is the Yankee-way. And by that I mean just buy yourself out of a jam.
  23. T-Hybrid

    Who Let The Squid Out?

    By T-Hybrid,

    Made an emergency trip into Target today in a futile attempt to complete my Christmas shopping. After giving up on finding that one last gift, I decided to take a side trip and check out whatever toys hadn't been completely ravaged by fellow shoppers.
     
    To my surprise, sitting on the shelf beside the hordese of Inika and few remaining Piraka were two Barakki (the red one...Mantak?) I have to say I was tempted to grab him, but there was no price tag and I've been a bit short on cash recently with bills and other apartment expenses. Not to mention I really wasn't there to buy anything for myself. So I let the opportunity pass in hopes of finding them more readily next year.
     
    But I have to say I was impressed with what I saw, having finally seen one in person. The box is bizarre (for lack of anything better to say). It's titled at an odd angle which will make stoarge a pain, but I will admit it's the most unique packaging I've seen in something like that for a while.
     
    Unfortunately there wasn't a display for the Barakki yet, so I didn't get a chance to actually see one assembled. But I like what I've seen. The pics on the one's box made them appear to be more unique than previous "canister" sets (does that word even work anymore?). I can't decided if I want the Barakki, or if I should save my money for when we get a look at the '07 Toa.
  24. T-Hybrid

    Mooseantlers!

    By T-Hybrid,

    Due to surprisingly unexpected results of yesterday's split double-header between the Twins and White Sox, I've found myself in need of a Justin Morenau jersey. See, in the 7th inning of last night's game, Morenau came to the plate having already hit two homeruns in the game (first to right, then to center). The last time a Twin has hit three homers in a game was Tony Oliva back in like 1973. So it's no easy feat.
     
    Well, I made the comment...in all seriousness...that if Morneau could put the ball over the fence in that at-bat, I would go out and buy myself a Morneau jersey. Two pitches later, Justin had parked a ball in the left field bleachers for his 3rd of the night, 23rd of the season, and 102nd of his career. Besides the fact that it made the score 8-0, it was amazing to see Morneau (in his 3rd full year as a starter) do something for the Twins that hasn't been done since guys like Oliva back in the 70s. Last year Morneau became the first Twin to hit 30 homers in a season since they had three with Puckett, Hrbek...and a guy I wish I could remember.
     
    Thankfully I get paid next week, and I've been wanting to get a jersey for a while. It was a tough choice between Mauer, Morneau, Santana, and Hunter. I guess Morneau must've decided it was time for me to stop pondering and start acting. So by next weekend I'll hopefully be sporting my team colors at the Dome.
  25. T-Hybrid
    Things are starting to feel more like home here at the Haven. As you can see, I've started fixing up the place with some new navigation buttons. It's a chance to keep my Photoshop skills fresh, and an excuse to watch Digimon episodes. So it's win/win!
     
    For those that are familiar with my choice of avatar over the years, as well as the sig I've only recently changed up (only temporarily while the Epics Contest runs mind you)...it should be no surprise I've gone with a Digimon theme. And honestly, I think it turned out pretty well. Almost every season is represented here, and I've come to call the group the Blue-Vice Squad. With the exception of Matt from Season 1 and Davis from Season 2, every character with a Blue Digivice is on here.
     
    It's for a good reason though. I can't find any decent pics of Matt that would fit with what I'm going with for the other four, and I'm not using Davis right now because...honestly...I didn't like him that much. If I had my choice, I'd use Ken. But then I'm cheating the theme. Yeah yeah, Takuya's in the MOC/Fic button...but that pic works really well for what I wanted with that one.
     
    But that's getting way off topic, and though this is a "General" entry, I'm trying to focus on the discussion at hand. You'll also notice the new logo included on the top-most picture. It took a while to figure out what combination of colors worked best, and oddly enough it was the obvious pairing of black and white. In case you're wondering, that is also a button. Clicking on it takes you to the "main" page, which is the same thing that would've happened had you clicked on the <All> link in the original Categories block.
     
    The MOC/Fic link is a dual button. In retrospect, it doesn't look that obvious as I've got it. But I really wanted to fit that pic into the theme somewhere, and that was the best place.
     
    In the upcoming days, I may whip up a few pics to sorta add the finishing touch to it. I was really excited about sprucing the place up, then I saw what Schizo did and was like "Durn! I wasn't first!" But I'm really liking what people have started to do with their blogs. A lot of them have slowly started to adapt their own look and style. I felt it was time the Haven got the same treatment.
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