Ta-metru_defender

I work in advertising and I try to live my life in such a way that I see as few ads as possible. Fëanor did everything wrong. It's really cool, very community-focused with a delightful anarchist bent of helping one another out as much as possible. A lot of it is looking up how to do it on YouTube and in car manuals and then working together to do the thing, asking each other for tips or an extra hand. As I've told people when I teach them to do things, cars are designed to be taken apart and fixed. The fun is learning how. It's like Lego, ha!

And this blog entry is coming a week into June. Time has no meaning. What happened in May? I've started using a wall calendar in my home office to keep track of events. Incidentally, it's a calendar of Alan Lee illustration's of Tolkien's First Age I picked up at a small, used-and-new bookstore here I really like. Now that's a sentence that tells you a lot about me, lol. May was busy. The first weekend was a meet up a community car repair group I've thrown in with. Since I live in a car-focused city (which, well, describes most of the US) I wanted to learn the basics of car repair. So that day I changed my oil and then helped someone else change theirs. It's cool group — I've learnt to change breaks, check my air filter, charge my AC. In June's meeting a week ago I rotated my tires and changed my transmission fluid. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun to be getting under a car, taking parts off, putting stuff back together, getting my hands greasy and a metal splinter in the side of my hand. Though my back the day after is less pleased with me. A good friend of mine who once upon a time went by Motago on this website came through town for a couple days. It's always good to see him (and yes, folks find it amusing that we met each other on a Bionicle forum). Something truly special about that. The busy-ness of May was very much that sort of vague non-specific busy-ness that I find somewhat hard to define. Weekends of errands and all those sort of things that fill the day-to-day. Another piece of mine finished in May — a 15-second TV spot for the second season of Deli Boys: 0033-OXEY1-6015-0_H_H.mp4 I haven't seen it in the wild anywhere (probably on account of my myriad ad blockers), but hey, did that! Another editor addressed some client notes on the backend, swapping in the emotional support gun for the other gag we had, but the core structure's mine. Pretty proud to get a spot out, especially for this show that I do really like. And Clair Obscur. So much Clair Obscur as the wife and I platinum'd it then ordered an Esquie mug and pre-ordered the vinyl soundtrack and Esquie plushie. What a game, man.

Snails freak me out, man

I intermittently realize how much I miss these blogs. And the idea of a personal blog in general. A place that's not about trying to have a 'hot take' or being insightful/incisive but just, well, talk about life. More than anything, it's missing the Old Internet, as it were, where there were little niches and a measure of anonymity that let this kinda thing happen. Maybe that'll be in a May update!

Oh dang, is this a new fad? We're still doing fads? So. April. Man, I think a big chunk of adulthood is routine. Working the day job. Finding ways to relax. Repeat. Oh and housework and chores, can't forget those. But as I say that, April was a fun month. To that work part, the day job has been cool. I got a piece out on social media and I have another that locked and should hopefully be out to the world soon (assuming it doesn't die after lock, like something of mine did last year). I've been at this company for over three years now and moved from a support role to a primarily creative position a few months ago and it's so cool to finally get stuff I'm making out there. And it's still surreal to be getting to work on the projects I work on, so even when I'm up at 4am in several hours of overtime getting stuff out, the fact that I'm working on Thunderbolts is still pretty cool. Does it make it worth it? Is any job or creative endeavor worth 15+ hour days? I don't have an answer to that. But I've had worse jobs for lousier stuff, so overall, I'm fairly content. To think, twenty-two years ago I was making gif cartoons on this very website. The wife and I have a couple friends in San Diego and we headed down to visit them since one had organized a Fish Taco Biking Tour. Which was exactly what it sounds like. So we spent the day biking around the city, then went back to their place for drinks and Wingspan. Because grownups. An old friend of mine from New York would do annual taco crawls and I asked him to send me the rubric he gives out to rate each one so we got to describe each taco with a haiku. April also saw my brother-in-law get married, a wedding that I was asked to officiate. Did manage to compile my scattered notes on the back of work calendars, a pitch outline, and envelope into a decent ceremony, even if I was making final notes at the venue's bar right before the ceremony began. Because I'm organized like that. But congrats to him and his wife! The Lego Rivendell was on their registry and we contributed the final chunk to that one's fund. Because Rivendell is a great set. A local brewery hosted a 20s-themed Murder Mystery too, that the wife and I attended. The organizers got the memo from our answers to their google form and we were cast as a Hollywood power couple — except I was the diva wife and she the French artiste husband. Us in drag for a Murder Mystery is par the course, but us cast as an actual couple? That's new, haha. All that, of course, are the exceptions to the routine of the everyday life of work, housework, and all the rest. Written out here it makes it sound like I had an exciting April but those are a few days out of the month. I guess a blog is to highlight those exciting days, like how social networks used to be about documenting those fun and special times. A lot of April was spent on the couch with the wife playing Clair Obscur, which isn't as ~exciting~ as the above, but I'd say is a pretty special time too.

Alright! I'm game: Name: Tiemdee, T'emdee, or something, have fun with it Mask: Red Akaku Torso/Hands/Feet: Black Arms and legs: Red Body type: Lean Lunch: Grilled fish. Can't wait to see what you do with this.

There's a new movie out (Pizza Movie, by BriTANicK). And if you go on Hulu's social media right now you'll see a pretty bonkers ad for it: Instagram, TikTok (heads up: it's not quite BZP safe). I cut that. That's my spot! It's not a one-me-show, to be fair: graphics were done by our graphics team, I got feedback and a brief from the producing team, but the editorial, sound, and creative nonsense? All me, baby. I made a thing! I got paid to do this! And for my favorite sketch group's movie too.

The Build Together feature on the LEGO Builder app is one of the best darn things the company has made. The wife and I built Chopper together and had a ball and half the reason she got me Tudor Corner for my birthday was so we could built it together. Now Red Dragon's Tale is waiting in the wings and man, I want LEGO to add this feature for everything so we can go through my backlog together. If you haven't checked it out, it's a really neat way to build a set with someone else. The app has everyone building small sub-assemblies that you add together. There's lots of jumping around the build and lots of swapping sections. It also means that no one's waiting for someone else before you can turn the page and everyone gets to feel included. Heck, I'm planning on picking up The Shire for when I see my parents again so we can all crack into it. Honestly, it's brilliant and I love it. But yes! LEGO! Heed my call, add Build Together to everything, like the Jazz Club and Boutique Hotel and Space Shuttle Discovery and whatever else I have lying around in my closet!

Ah! Hey! Congrats!

Wuuuuut. This is so very cool! Thanks Mushy, I'm honored.

Woo! Lhikan! Honestly the Metru Hau might be the best mask that's not from the original six Toa.

Ace books you got there. (also yes)

I will not stand for this Last Jedi slander.

We do really need a dope "Where are they now?" segment. Like what did these people do with their lives?

You forget about the lime green when you remember how cool her wings are.