Man-Box 2.0

Its finally happened! I have a Man-Box! Was it 2 or more years ago that Josh Jeff and I originally started our first version Man-Boxes... ah, I can't remember anymore. And I'm still planning on putting the finishing touches on that Box that I started carving on, made from a rich mahogany. But something better came along many months after. I was casually browsing the internet, and for some reason I was looking through Pirate Chests. And all of a sudden, this one website showed me the coolest thing that I'd ever seen (well, almost the coolest, but it ranks pretty high!). Once I saw it, I knew that it had to be mine, and I knew that It would replace the original Man-Box.

Here is my Man-Box

Here is my Man-Box with the lid open.

Here is the top of my Man-Box

Here is the side of my Man-Box

Here is the back side of my Man-Box.

It measures 27"X15"X15". And I'm far from finished with it. I plan to make inserts for all my super cool belongings. As Cheryl has so often suggested, I will have a pull-out shelving system for all my sunglasses, and also real glasses now, as well as a small bottle of cleaning solution and a small rag for wiping down the lenses when the occasion warrants such a need. On the other side I will have a series of racks for hanging my large supply of beautiful watches! You will be able to pull each hanging Watch-carousel out and twirl it around and see the many sparkly watches that I have. I will then be able to select which watch I will accessorize with that day. The middle portion is reserved right now for an undetermined number of things which right now rest on top of my regular dresser.
I was thinking of having cool top-secret stuff like my gun and loads of bullets in there too, but then I realized that if there was a break in it would be to hard to get to, so I'm still going to leave it under my pillow for now.
In addition, the insides, although nice, won't be left unfinished. I have selected a wonderful asian style fabric from JoAnn's that I will be lining the box with. Not that I need it, but it will be more like a Treasure Chest, similar to my Man-Box 1.0 idea.
It is so cool.
I got it from Woodchests.com if you want to look further.

My Baby Dragon

This is my Baby Dragon Abraxas.

I'm not exactly sure about the name Abraxas, but its cool, and its one of the first Dragon names I found that I liked. I'm considering a few other names too, but it has to be one of the coolest names ever, cause he's one of the coolest dragons ever!

And yes, he is a dude. Don't let the thorny eyebrow/lashes throw you off. His whole species is quite deceptive. His eye lashes could bat your arm right off. And if he were to squint at you, you'd see two rows of sharp, war hardened, thorny spines point toward you, and if he were to actually strike at you in that mode... you'd be done for. And the rescue team would have trouble finding enough pieces to identify you, so be careful around him.



If you were to look close, you'd notice his powerful lashing tongue. It sparkles in the light, and its tough as nails, literally. It has to be to tolerate the intense flaming fiery breath. He could also wrap his tongue around you and squeeze you to death, even if you're wearing a shiny suit of metal armor.

Notice his beautiful copper tones on the underside. They shimmer like a bronze torchlight. Oh his fiercely hardened other scales, you can see the green scales sparkle in the light as well. But this sparkle is like the dew on morning grass as the sun rises. But don't let their beauty

Here is what he looks like from behind. And don't be mistaken, just cause you can't see his eyes, doesn't mean he can't 'see' you. His devilishly forked tongue can sense disturbances in the atmosphere, similar to a snake, as well as his concealed ear holes that provide for razor sharp hearing.

Here is a belly shot, in case you want to see what he looks like inside. This of course is after the clay is baked, and most of the foil structure is removed. I'll never get it all out.

Here is my living room work space, where my Baby Dragon was born.

Oh, don't let me forget to include parts 2 and parts 3 of Abraxas. Here is his curling mid-section as it magically leaps from the table surface and then back down again. He feels vulnerable if he is completely exposed above any surface, thats why you see him mostly hidden.

Its difficult to capture his tail on film, but I've done it! It usually sways like a fish-tail, keeping his muscular torso stable, but this time I caught him leaping in and out of the table. And as he usually does, he was swaying and twirling his tale like a whip, or like a streamer. You can see that the scales at the tale are different than that of the regular torso. They are much leaner and a bit longer, but still just as tough, and spiny, and painful if he decides to smack you with his tail. The tip is capped with a dense, bony, pointy, club; emphasized by a few veins of bone yellow at edge.

Here he is dancing in and out of the table. He is so playful.

Jim the Super Hero/ Super Villain

Have you ever what kind of Hero or Villain you'd be if you were caught up on the Comic book world? Well, me too. I did a little research, and this is what I found out:

My results:
You are Superman

Superman 90% Green Lantern 75% Iron Man 70% Robin 67% Supergirl 62% The Flash 60% Catwoman 50% Spider-Man 45% Batman 45% Wonder Woman 42% Hulk 20%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...


I also realized that on the weekend I feel different than I do during the week, so I then punched in those numbers, and this is what came up:

My results:
You are Dr. Doom

Dr. Doom 91% Apocalypse 87% Magneto 82% Lex Luthor 81% Juggernaut 73% Venom 70% Kingpin 67% Mystique 65% The Joker 61% Poison Ivy 60% Riddler 60% Mr. Freeze 58% Dark Phoenix 55% Catwoman 47% Green Goblin 37% Two-Face 37%

Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain am I?" quiz...

Italian Landscapes

Let me take you on a fine walk through my new Italian Landscape. As you might notice, Spring has just sprung in this late afternoon Tuscan setting. Some of the local farmers have just planted a new crop of grapes all around the villa-style houses getting ready for the new harvest. It rained yesterday morning so the air is crisp and fresh, and full of life, a nice contrast to the warm air and sun beating down on you as you walk thru the grassy fields. You might even be able to make out some of the early red poppy flowers just coming into bloom in the distant hills. In case you can't hear them, the residents are having a party in the back yard and all the neighbors are attending. Oh I can hear Uncle Luigi playing his old accordion again. No wonder everyone feels like retiring here. Ahhh, the life!

500

Wow, who ever thought blogging would be so fun?! I've been signed up for about 18 months now, and I've just hit my 500th Blog entry! As a matter of fact, you're reading it right now! Congratulations. Thanks for all the support over the many previous months.
I assure you all that I have plenty more exciting stories/entries in store for you.
As a matter of fact, here's some of what I have in store:
Movie Reviews,
Essay's on Life series,
and possible more Vacation series'
just to name a few.

Our Apartment

Our Apartment:
Its been a while since I've put pictures on my blog it seems. So I wanted to make this one a special one. So, I decided to take you on a tour of our apartment, as its the first time its been Fully Clean! Its only 4 months in, but well worth it... or something.

This is the entryway. Its the scene we would see if we were to hear you knocking on our door, and IF we were answering. Just left of center is the passage that takes you to the other rooms, but on the right side you can see our stash of Coffee Table Books. Yes, we both had so many that we needed an entire bookshelf for our casual reading material. In the corner we (I) have 1 crate of magazines, 1 crate of sketchbooks, 1 shelf of travel books, and one shelf of other artistic and wonderful things.

Please notice the beautiful brown curtains, hung by the masculine curtain rods. The fluffy couch pillows were sewn by Cheryl too. Sure its the same ol' white couch but its comfy to lounge on.

Oh, look at that, more sassy curtains, and Manly curtain rods. Here you can see where I spend most of my time, in my computer chair, and you can also see my Sleek Gaming Station lit up in blue too. My computer desk separates the Dining room from the Living room. Its a lovely interstitial space, that provides a moment of relaxation between eating and sitting. No, that's not wall art behind my computer, that is our Air Conditioning unit.

Ah, the dining room. This area is pivotal to the space's coherence. The dining room is a very important room after all. Its where I eat!

Here is our Entertainment Center. Its hidden between our two indoor gardens. You can see our clever storage space below our Home Theater. Most of our (my) music, and extra stuff is hidden therein. The clever white wall is highlighted behind the entertainment center with four exquisite European Water Color paintings depicting my 4 most favorite sites in Rome.



As you may have guessed it, this is my side or the bedroom. You can see my two 'mostly' wood dressers; one pine, one fake-oak. Mmmm, you can almost smell that 'fake' wood aroma from being freshly sawn. In case I want to jam in the morning, I got my 'almost' antique Boom-Box on the tall dresser, towering over the bed, ready to rock out to any hit 80's Hair Band song. I'm king of sneaky, but you can still see a sliver of boxes and clothes hidden under the short dresser, and oh, whats that behind the tall dresser?! Oh, that would be more boxes, a suit case, and a few extra back packs and day-bags that I've secretly stashed out of Cheryl's sight. (shhhh, don't tell her they are there, otherwise she'll try to get me to 'put them away' :)



This is Cheryl's side. Sure its cleaner, but she's a girl, she's supposed to be cleaner. Do notice two of her purses right and large bag next to the night stand, ready to go at a moments notice.



Here's our Kitchen. Oh look, you can see Cheryl hard at work in the kitchen, cleaning up after one of her baking experiences. How delightful!
Now, I don't want to perpetuate any stereo types about women in the kitchen, and why they don't need to leave that room (our stove doesn't have a clock on it anyway). Its mere coincidence that She's there when I'm taking the picture. But yes, the picture was taken in the evening, and yes she is still wearing her pajamas having slept in quite late.


Then we have The Library. Its wealth of knowledge is indeed quite vast. On the south side of the Library we can learn about Botany and Herbology. On the bottom shelf of the library we can research Geneaology, Art History, The second shelf is more History. The Middle shelf is Romance, Drama, and other Girlie Stuff. The fourth shelf provides us with plenty of Girl Fiction. The top shelf is Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and more Girl Fiction. On the very top of you can study Art & Architecture, Astronomy, Painting, Drawing, Geography, Mechanics, and Fire Hydrants. You might be able to tell, this is the only shelf that 'The Librarian' can't reach, therefore, its exclusivly mine; and the only shelf I was given. Well, actually taken, cause I still think she's miffed that my stuff is there. And to the north of the library we have our Reserve section where you can find books on Government, Finance, and similarly related documents.

Jim's Movie Watching Schedule - 2009!

So I was just thinking of what kind of movies I might be interested in seeing in the upcoming future, so I put a little list together, and I've ranked them too, depending on how much I might want to see them. Check it Out!

key: 1=want to see
2=I kind of want to see
3=I'll see it if its playing at Fox (free)
4=I'll see it if I'm really bored

Jan 23:
Underworld -2
Killshot -2
Inkheart -3

Jan 30:
Taken -1

Feb 6:
Push-2
He's just not that into you -3
Fanboys -3

Feb 27:
Street fighter -1

March 6:
Watchmen -1

March 13:
Race to Witch Mountain-2
The Horsemen -2

March 20:
Knowing -3

March 27:
Adventureland-3
Monsters vs. Aliens-2

April 3:
Fast & Furious-3

April 8:
Dragonball-2

April 17:
17 Again -3
Crank 2 -1

May 1:
X-men: Wolverine -1

May 8:
Star Trek -1

May 15:
Angels & Demons -2

May 22:
Terminator 4 -2
Night at the Museum 2 -1

May 29:
up -3

June 5:
Land of the Lost -1

June 12:
The Taking of Pelham 123 -2

June 26:
Transformers 2 -1

July 1:
Ice Age-2
Public Enemies-2

July 17:
Harry Potter- its about damn time!

July 31:
Funny People -2

August 7:
G.I.Joe -1

October 16:
Where the wild things are -1
Astroboy-3

Nov. 6:
Disney's Christmas Carol -2
Wolfman -1

Nov. 13:
Sherlock Holmes -2

Dec. 18:
Avatar -3

Then of course looking ahead to the future for more great shows-
2010:
X-Men-Magnito
The Smurfs
Harry Potter pt.1
Iron Man 2
Shrek 4
The A-Team
Toy Story
The Green Hornet
Thor
Hoodwinked 2
Alice in Wonderland
How to train your Dragon

2011:
Captain America
Harry Potter pt.2
The Hobbit pt.1
The Avengers
Cars 2
Spider-Man 4
Kung-Fu Panda 2


2012:
The Hobbit pt.2