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ChocolateFrogs

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Blog Entries posted by ChocolateFrogs

  1. ChocolateFrogs

    Focusing

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I am off to the FOCUS Conference in Baltimore with 14 other "local" colleges this weekend! (I wish there was an attendance number up. 1000 maybe?) From what I hear it should be amazing. It's a gathering of a bunch of Catholic college kids to have a weekend of fun, gathering, and devotion. And the Baltimore harbor is pretty cool too.
     
    -CF
  3. ChocolateFrogs

    Purchased Sg-1

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I just bought the entirety of Stargate SG-1 on DVD from Amazon for $101.
     
    I almost bought The Ark of Truth for $10, to wrap up the series, but I won't need it for another two years at least probably. And I have Continuum on my hard drive (or else another $10 there). The special edition of Stargate was tempting ($7), but I don't really need it...yet.
     
    And I could have ordered Stargate Atlantis for $80 (making my total purchase around $200), but I should be frugal. I wouldn't touch it until late in SG-1 anyway, probably a year or more considering my viewing habits, so I will wait for another good sale around then (and probably buy Truth with it to save on shipping).
     
    But seriously, SG-1 for half off?! In a cool boxset too! Yeah!
     
    -CF
  4. ChocolateFrogs

    Locked And Loaded

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    (Though really, it's the other way around.)
     
    Birthday celebrations happened a few days early with another friend who's birthday was yesterday! Tonight my friends all celebrated our two birthdays halfway between each, having some waffles and a bit of cake.
     
    Also, with two friends visiting to see the Blue Man Group, my mom had them bring down a cake she baked and some presents from my family. We cut into the cake after BMG, but I saved the presents for my birthday tonight.
     
    Aside from my friend getting me a red Dalek desktop figure (which is super awesome. It moves around a table and won't fall off at the edge, all the while yelling "Exterminate!") direct from Scotland, and my family getting me Inception and Serenity Vol. 2 Better Days, my brother got me a Nerf Maverick (and 20 more darts)! This is exciting because 1) it's a neat gun and 2) I've never owned a Nerf gun before!
     
    B)
     
    Note: We're not supposed to have these in the residency, but all my friends do and haven't gotten caught (my freshmen year roommate did though), and now I can join in on the action.
     
    tl;dr: I have a Nerf Maverick! My first Nerf!
     
    -CF
  5. ChocolateFrogs
    Thank you, everyone, for participating in The Chocolate Froggy Bloggy's Third Building Contest: Bold Colors! Entries were submitted, votes were cast, and now I am here to present to you your champions!
     
    With an overwhelming 15 votes we have ~Felix the Cat~'s Error 404.
    For second place we have, at four votes, Lord Oblivion's The Red Knight (Centaur Form).
    A small snafu came up for third place, as there was a three-way tie. I don't have that many prizes. Luckily I did not vote, and I said I would fix any ties that arose. My favorite MOC just happened to be EYE BALLOM LASERS's Monstrous Eyesore, so I am declaring that the third place prize goes to him.
     
    Honorable mentions go to the finalists, starting with Protosteel's Rend and force_unbleached's Spectrum. Finally there is Brickeens' Obnoxious.
     
    And thanks to everyone who entered! We had 19 MOCs, almost twice as many as my last contest. Many quality, and color-clashing, MOCs were entered. It was quite an awesome turnout.
     
    Now, prizes! I have in my possession three Series 3 minifigs (opened so I know what is inside). Up for grabs are the baseball player, the gorilla suit man, and the Indian chief. Felix needs to PM me his choice and address. Oblivion needs to PM me his first two choices and address. I just need an address from Ballom PMed to me.
     
    This blog will resume normal activity within the day.
     
    -CF
  6. ChocolateFrogs
    Tell your friends!*
    Welcome to the third blog contest in the ChocolateFroggy Bloggy: Bold Colors! Members were tasked with building a MOC using clashing colors and to make it look good.
     
    Please choose ONE (1) MOC from the poll below (entries randomized to be fair) that you feel are worthy of the prize,** and post your choice in this entry. DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, or it will be ignored. (Seriously, I will ignore it. And that post could be the deciding factor between your favorite MOC and the winning MOC.)
    Poll ends Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST (or later if I am not up). The top three MOCs place for first, second, and third prizes,** respectively.
     
    Entry 1. Error 404
    Entry 2. Spectrum
    Entry 3. Obnoxious
    Entry 4. The Red Knight (Centaur Form)
    Entry 5. Rend
    Entry 6. Monstrous Eyesore

    We had 28 votes in the last poll. Let's see if we can beat that this time! (Note: I will not be voting so that just in cast there is a tie I will decide the tie-breaker.)
     
    Good luck to all! And thank you to everyone who entered who is not a finalist.
     
    -CF
    *You know, in a non-spammy, not-fishing-for-votes kind of way.
    **The prize is a Series 3 Minifig for the top three winners!
  7. ChocolateFrogs
    It started with the desire to make Stormer 2.0 completely white, since Nex had a few white pieces of armor. Then I just started switching things up everywhere else and next thing you know...
     

     
    And looking at that picture, I was suddenly reminded that I wanted to replace Stormer's and Nex's feet with Toa Mata ones because I don't like these. (Update: I did that at WAMALUG today, and I think Toa Metru feet look better. So I put those (white) on Stormer.
     
    -CF
  8. ChocolateFrogs
    In designing my SHIP, I think I want it to be Exploriens themed. The initial idea was something generic, but I figure if I can tie it into my favorite theme then why not?
     
    Talking about it with a friend, he said that it would have to be generally white (which mine is) with some black bits and a few parts in dark grey (and I plan on putting some Explorien logos in it to). This all sounds well and good, but I feel like putting some color in it too. While my friend (a graphic design major with a keen eye) says that a black stripe here or there and some grey bits (not to mention how there is a 4x100 stud strip of greebles down the top) will stand out, I feel like having a small amount of blue would be nice (aside from the transparent blue windows I'll place in it).
     
    Here is what I have been working on for the past month or so. It is inspired by the Orion from Stargate Atlantis but, since it is Exploriens, will have to lack weapons and instead of being a battleship will be a colonizer/seeder-ship/transport, which is good considering its shape. (Honestly, though, the Enterprise has weapons despite being exploratory. Serenity, however, does not.) I was really excited about my subtle red placing, using the washing-machine bricks with grills over them. Making those blue shouldn't be too bad, no? (This is minifig scale, BTW.)
     
    So here's the question: With Exploriens being civilian explorers, with the white and slight black and grey tones, and of course transparent-blue windshields, what things about the theme stood out that I should pay attention to and can incorporate onto my SHIP? My friend mentioned things like a telescope.

     
    -CF
  9. ChocolateFrogs
    Due to an odd error on my part, I left out two entries. This is a new poll; PLEASE REVOTE. I apologize to everyone for this inconvenience.
     
    Welcome to the third blog contest in the ChocolateFroggy Bloggy: Bold Colors! Members were tasked with building a MOC using clashing colors and to make it look good.
     
    Please choose TWO (2) MOCs from each poll below (entries randomized to be fair) that you feel are worthy of the prize,* and post your choices in this entry. DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, or it will be ignored. (Seriously, in that last, mistaken poll, someone edited their entry and I was going to have to not count it.)
    Poll ends Saturday at 8:00 PM EST (or later). The top two MOCs from each poll will advance to the final poll.
     
    Poll 01:
    Entry 1: ColorBlindness
    Entry 2: Spinning Top
    Entry 3: ContructoBot
    Entry 4: Monstrous Eyesore
    Entry 5: Harry and his Undead War Toad
    Entry 6: Error 404
    Entry 7: Machiavelli Unit
     
    Poll 02:
    Entry 1: Rend
    Entry 2: Shroom
    Entry 3: Mining Drone
    Entry 4: Golver
    Entry 5: Obnoxious
    Entry 6: NEON SHREDDER!
     
     
    Poll 03:
    Entry 1: Magical Iron Snowflake Girl Robot Suit Plus
    Entry 2: The Red Knight (Centaur Form)
    Entry 3: Rev-04
    Entry 4: Nex 1.5
    Entry 5: Takuri
    Entry 6: Spectrum
     
    We have 19 entries. Let's see if we can get at least twice that number for votes, 'k? (That doesn't mean spam your friends asking for your own votes, but make notion of this cool contest going on that would benefit from some voting.)
     
    Good luck to all!
     
    -CF
    *The prize is a Series 3 Minifig for the top three winners!
  10. ChocolateFrogs
    XCCJ's blog entry on his 2010 LEGO spending habits got me wondering how much I had spent this previous year. So without further ado, my LEGO spending for 2010, and what it means:
     
    Raid VPR ($5)
    Shadow Snapper ($27)
    Atl Manta Ray ($3.5)
    Space Keychain ($5 yet 0 w/ LEGO Store $)
    Mini Torrent V-19 ($4)
    Minifigs S1 (20?)
    Rotor ($21)
    LEGO Element shirt (~15?)
    Skopio ($33)
    Pirate Tank ($32)
    Deep Sea Striker ($10)
    BrickFair Bazaar ($30+)
    Figs S2 ($16)
    Figs S3 ($38)
    HF2 ($8)
    Skrall Star ($5)
    Two Small sets from Target: ($9)
    TS3 alien packs: ($13 (I've only opened one. Might just be better to open the other two or use them at prizes than think I can make profit on them in a year))
     
    Web order of pieces (~$15)
    Mosaic: Baseplate ($5 yet 0 w/ LEGO Store $) ($14 online) ($8 PaB)
    Online purchase ($7)
    Online purchase ($14)
    Online purchase ($18)
     
    Total: ~$366
     
    Plus BrickFair expenses (registration, gas, food): less than $150.
    However, the amount of good times had and free stuff acquired at BrickFair make up for that (of course).
    I also sold quite a few minifigs, spare pieces, and a Viking Chess Set which gave me about $132 in revenue to spend on LEGO, so I really only spent about $235 out-of-pocket-money (not including BrickFair). Scary thing is I might have still spent that extra $132 anyway. But with the amount of non-spending I do on other things so I can buy LEGO (well, I did buy the sonic screwdriver...) and the fact that I have a job make me not worry about this.
     
    -CF
    2011's spending starts with the Midi-Star Destroyer ($18) and HF2 ($14.5), and I suspect it will be significantly larger since I'm making that SHIP, and spending more for BrickFair experiences!
  11. ChocolateFrogs
    Due to an odd error on my part, I left out two entries. Expect a new set of polls coming soon. I apologize to everyone for this inconvenience.
    Welcome to the third blog contest in the ChocolateFroggy Bloggy: Bold Colors! Members were tasked with building a MOC using clashing colors and to make it look good.
     
    Please choose two MOCs from each poll below (entries randomized to be fair) that you feel are worthy of the prize,* and post your choices in this entry. DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, or it will be ignored.
    Poll ends Friday at 6:00 PM EST (or later). The top two MOCs from each poll will advance to the final poll.
     
    Poll 001:
    Entry 1: Harry and his Undead War Toad
    Entry 2: Rend
    Entry 3: Machiavelli Unit
    Entry 4: Monstrous Eyesore
    Entry 5: Obnoxious
    Entry 6: Golver

     
    Poll 002:
    Entry 1: Rev-04
    Entry 2: The Red Knight (Centaur Form)
    Entry 3: Nex 1.5
    Entry 4: Takuri
    Entry 5: Magical Iron Snowflake Girl Robot Suit Plus
    Entry 6: Mining Drone
     
     
    Poll 003:
    Entry 1: ColorBlindness
    Entry 2: Shroom
    Entry 3: Error 404
    Entry 4: Spinning Top
    Entry 5: NEON SHREDDER!
     
    We have 17 entries. Let's see if we can get at least twice that number for votes, 'k? (That doesn't mean spam your friends asking for your own votes, but make notion of this cool contest going on that would benefit from some voting.)
     
    Good luck to all!
     
    -CF
    *The prize is a Series 3 Minifig for the top three winners!
  12. ChocolateFrogs
    Vote!
    Announcing...
    The Chocolate Froggy Bloggy Building Contest #3: Bold Colors!
     
    That's right folks! I have just recently (read: today) obtained a fantastic set of prizes and am not hesitating to announce the contest in which to get these out of my hair. Another building contest is underway and I hope each and every one of you enters. This is especially timely because I know some of you are home from college and near your collections, able to build.
     
    The theme: Mix-and-match clashing colors.
    I have a theory that any color combination is possible, it just takes the right pieces and the right amount of each color to create the perfect blend.
    So it is your job to build a MOC with two (or more if you dare) clashing colors that normally would not be seen together (I'll leave the discrepancy up to you, just no strictly black and white MOCs), and make it look good. (Examples: Red and teal. Tan and purple. White and yellow.)
     
    Deadline: 11:59 pm, Tuesday, January 4th, 2011, or soon after. (That means if I am awake when the clock strikes Wednesday, I close the blog entry. If I'm not near a computer until Wednesday morning, you still have time to submit a MOC.)
     
    Voting will take place soon after, and hopefully everything will be done by the time I return to school the next week, able to send off prizes.
     
    Oh, yes, prizes! First, second, and third place winners get a Series 3 minifig! Don't ask what they are, I'm not telling. They were relatively a chance on me getting them, so it will be up to chance until the winners are announced (at which point the 1st prize winner gets to choose which he wants, and so on), in the spirit of the figs.
     
    General BZP contest rules apply. Or else. (Make it obviously Technic/Bionicle in inspiration, but there can be more deviance into the realm of System than most contests allow.)
    Also: Keep it moderately sized. No monsters, but no 3-piece entries either. Between a Toa and a $20 Bionicle set.
    Questions answered in the second posted reply to this blog entry.
     
    I want at least 5 entries, otherwise the contest is off. I got 10 last time, and I hope we can have more than that this time. Tell your friends! Link in your blog! I'll make a banner soon...
     
    Post questions and entries (with your name, the MOC name, and link to the primary picture) here.
     
    -CF
  14. ChocolateFrogs

    New Bike!

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I got a new bike today! It's a silver Cannondale Quick 5 and is really neat. I'll take a picture of it when I get to school and put it in my room. It's a light aluminum frame, which is awesome, and the transitions among the gears is swift and smooth. Same for the brakes. This will last me quite some time and is a good investment for my time on campus and the small bike rides I take in the neighborhoods around school. Part of it was a Christmas present, the other part wasn't such a thorn in the side of my bank account because I had a job this past semester.
     
    -CF
  17. ChocolateFrogs

    So Here's The Deal

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I had a baby tooth removed in July b/c there was nothing underneath it and it was causing the top teeth to sink too low, so they removed it and there's been a hole in my toothline ever since. Today they're drilling into the hole to place something in my toothbone to later hold the fake tooth they'll place in May.
     
    Long story short: I'm having uncomfortable things done in my mouth (again) which included but is not limited to needles to numb out my mouth but it's still weird and icky and unwanted. Then I have to deal with the pain once I get home.
     
    On the plus side I plan on showing my 11-year-old sister all three episodes of the Star Wars trilogy today (in one day! (probably not)) while I lay on the couch drinking milkshakes and soft, cold foods like applesauce and pudding.
     
    -CF
  18. ChocolateFrogs

    Found Some!

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    Yesterday I went to my Toys R Us looking for the Series 3 minifigs. Upon arriving at 11 a.m., I saw no figs on the shelves but I asked the woman unpacking the LEGO sets if any had come in. She said it was my lucky day, as she had just taken a box out. She opened up a brand new, green Series 3 box and handed it to me (and my 11-year-old sister). We had a quick chat about my dot list and then I had at it.
     
    Turns out she was the LEGO supervisor for the store (someone who I had only encountered once before)--it was her job to know everything about LEGO (as proven by her realizing that the Ninjago sets should not be on the shelf right in front of me staring me in the face. Darn).
     
    So my sister and I picked through the packages looking for various figs. I relied more on feel while my sister checked for dots.
     

     
    Among my spoils:
    2 elves (one for my roommate) (this guy is just plain cool!)
    A cyborg (I was hoping for 2, but turns out xccj is sending me one)
    A tennis player (female minifig!)
    A hula girl (another female minifig! Actually, the hair is for a River Tam fig.)
    An unexpected samurai (but he's pretty neat)
    An unexpected mummy (also an acceptable fig. Maybe I'll trade it; I should probably keep it.)
    A snowboarder for my sister since she was helping me go through them
     
    Two other unexpected figs due to careless lack of feeling along with not being sure about the dots (these things are tricky. Definitely need to also feel the bag). They will be prizes in my Blog Building Contest #3: Bold Colors.
     
    Then I went back later that afternoon because I didn't get an alien. So I got an alien (also pretty cool), a third "random" fig to round out the blog prizes, and two more figs I'm sending to someone.... When I got there, there were three or four opened boxes (wow!). I helped a kid get a few he wanted and gave my list to a mom since her barcode scanner obviously didn't work now.
     
    The figs were ~$2.60 each because TRU was having a BOGO1/2 sale. They're normally $3.50 there now.
     
    Fourteen figs later, I think I am done. There is nothing else I want, so I'll just wait to get some HF2.0 and other sets early next year (or any sales right after Christmas).
     
    Also, the temptation to buy the popular/rare figs for resale is huge. But not something I want to a) deal with right now and B) become.
     
    -CF
  19. ChocolateFrogs

    Pomplamoose

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I just discovered this duo today. You might have heard them singing in some holiday Hyundai commercials--apparently done in their garage by Hyundai with a lot of freedom to Pomplamoose.
    I like the sound they put to some "classic" songs, and a few might be their own.
    Pomplamoose. That's just fun to say.
     
    I'm digging a few of their songs, so I might buy them off iTunes so as to support this small, quirky, fun, not-so-well-known couple.
     
    -CF
  20. ChocolateFrogs

    Loot

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    Aside from spending quality time with my immediate family and then seeing my grandma and uncle at my grandma's place, partaking in a delicious dinner and then an even more delicious dessert (all after Christmas Eve Mass the night before), there were some nice gifts to be unwrapped with my name on them:
     
    Lunar Limo
    Golden Staff Guardians
    Star Wars Original Trilogy (And I say, it's about time. This has been on my list for half a dozen years now.)
    The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Volume 1 )
    Solar by Ian McEwan
    A scarf
    Black men's pea-coat
     
    I got my brother Warehouse 13 Season 1, as he's been wanting to watch it. As stated before, I got my sister Minotaurus. I also got her A Wrinkle in Time, something I enjoyed when I was her age (and should probably borrow from her to read again).
     
    I hope everyone else had a great day as well.
     
    -CF
  21. ChocolateFrogs

    Christmas Music

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    My favorite Christmas music:
    The Calling's version of Carol of the Bells (or any version for that matter, especially Trans-Siberian Orchestra's)
    Snoopy vs the Red Baron by The Royal Guardsmen
    Jack Johnson's Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
    Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Relient K, and Barenaked Ladies Christmas CD's
    Newsboy's Christmas songs
    Anberlin's Baby Please Come Home
    The Stowaway by Murray Gold as appearing in Doctor Who's 2007 Christmas Special
    Shake Up Christmas by Train
     
    EDIT: I'm pretty sure most of you have heard Carol of the Bells. Looking up "Trans Siberian Orchestra Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" might refresh memories.
     
    -CF
  22. ChocolateFrogs

    Tron: Legacy

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I liked it.
     
    However, hear this: You can't go into it thinking it's going to be the best thing since Inception. The story is fairly simple, be warned, but the visuals and worldbuilding of the Grid, the characters, and the action make up for it. If you want to see it, I hope you do and enjoy it for what it is.
     

    » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « In all honesty, it plays out pretty much like Tron: They're at point A, they need to get to point B, and there are obstacles along the way. But there is so much more to it in this one when it comes to character sequences and action scenes.

     
    You don't need to have seen Tron to enjoy Legacy, though you'll be glad you did for little nods towards the first and a better understanding of how the Users' Programs work (and why they look like them), plus who Tron is.
     
    Oh, and the music is amazing. Daft Punk did a great job. I'm listening to the soundtrack right now and it's amazing.
     
    As for the 3D, it is still a gimmick of the movie industry, but Legacy really uses it to their advantage. There was even a moment where I flinched, which doesn't really happen (yet I wish did) in 3D movies. The visuals of the Grid really stand out when they have depth to them.
     
    -CF
  23. ChocolateFrogs

    Skrall, 2.0

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    I don't normally buy myself specific things during the holiday season, but there was a very minimal chance that I'd find these under the tree so I shelled out the cash at Toys R Us when I went looking for minifigs:
     
    Stars Skrall for $5. Probably the only Stars I would get, I was happy to find him at a good price. Black swords (both types), the helmet...
     
    But here's the kicker:
    When I recommended the Hero Factory 2.0 in the Staff Gift Recommendations I didn't think they would actually be available. But TRU also had Furno 2.0, Breeze 2.0, and, what I picked up, Evo 2.0. (I'm holding out for the white set at the least, and maybe the orange one.) What threw me off first was that they all have an orange lid.
    I really enjoy the new pieces and the way the armor attaches to the limbs. What is also interesting is all the connections using minifig-sized rods (think lightsaber blades). I look forward to taking advantage of those. The lack of technic pin holes is slightly offsetting, but these look to have other uses that it will provide a fun, new building experience.
     
    -CF
  24. ChocolateFrogs

    Canceled

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    What a bad day:
    First my Tron Legacy in IMAX plans were canceled, and now it was just announced that Stargate Universe was canceled (say what you will, it was getting pretty good and they had a plan for it). I'm bummed.
     
    I think there were other thing that made this day even worse, but I can't remember them so I guess it's not that bad. Maybe not having people around to play in the snow with me.
     
    On the up side, I'm finishing Chuck season 2 today while packing to go home.
     
    -CF
  25. ChocolateFrogs
    With school out, I've had plenty of time to "catch up" on things I would like to watch.
     
    I have already said I started marathoning Chuck, having watched 7 episodes in one day and am so far 12 episodes in to season 2. I also borrowed a few DVDs from the school library:
     
    Die Hard: A movie my friends said was the best Christmas action movie, and I couldn't agree more. Quite good.
    (For the record, my favorite Christmas movie is The Santa Clause.)
     
    Dead Poet's Society: It was really good. I did not expect the ending, and it was kind of a downer, but overall a really good movie.
     
    Tonight I am watching Pan's Labyrinth (I hope it's not too creepy for me to finish) and unfortunately have to devote my full attention to that (as opposed to sorting bricks or working on my uncle's calendar Christmas present) because of the subtitles; later tonight comes A Knight's Tale (I've seen all but the half hour...ug. I remember liking it the first time, and now I know it has Alan Tudyk).
    Edit: Pan's was indeed weird, but in a good way. In the end though I just have to ask what makes it such an acclaimed film. IMO there were too many storylines to follow, and what I felt was the central one around Ofelia did not have much substance. IDK, maybe it's just not for me.
     
    Tomorrow my friends and I are watching Tron (again, in my case) in the afternoon before out midnight showing at the 3-story tall IMAX theater.
     
    -CF
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