Category: Mini Coopers

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #B0G0

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Bruce

bogoWell it’s Black Friday… due some mix up with the space time continuum, Friday actually started yesterday.  I know this is a tradition in many families to go out on this Friday and push and shove and scream and assault people so you can save up to 30 – 50% on something you really didn’t need anyway,  I’ve never been one of those people.  I do remember going out one Black Friday to get a new vacuum cleaner (Yes, exciting, isn’t it) We went in the afternoon, to a store that had already been attacked by the swarms.  Walked in and bought a vacuum.  It seems since it was something useful, it was passed over by the mob.

If this is your thing – be safe.  Remember- it’s not how much you saved, but how much you spent that really matters.  Best of luck finding that one thing you are willing to kill someone over.  May the odds always be in your favor.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1620

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Bruce

1620Happy Thursday! OK, for those folks in the United States- Happy Day Before Black Friday! I know there used to be a holiday around this time, but for the life of me, I can’t recall what it was called. I know it had something to do with turkey, and maybe football? Oh well, must not have been very important.  I’m just glad, you might even say “thankful” that this challenge is coming to an end.  This is definitely the home stretch,  less than 40 MINIons to go… which means there isn’t that much time to finish my Christmas shopping!

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1863

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Bruce

1863Being nostalgic for a moment, remember when you were in elementary school and the day before Thanksgiving the school lunch was something they called “turkey?” It seemed like many schools wanted to replicate the first Thanksgiving (before football). Many of my old (if I’m old, then you’re old) students may recognize the MINIon’s headwear as something they wore at these “feasts.” This was before we stopped candy coating history and kids actually thought everyone in history books were nice. At one school I taught at the principal had delivered an edict that the students should attend this feast as pilgrims or indians (nowadays we say Native Americans or indigenous peoples) so the kids made either a black hat, white bonnet (for the girls), or a headband with feathers from I believe the Hollywood tribe. I was a rebel… I decided to have my class go as turkeys. I drew out the plans for this “hat.” and let the class personalize it however they wanted. One clever student added wings to each side. That became part of the design because when you walked down the hallway, the wings flapped! It was hysterical! Afterwards the kids would bring their turkeys home to decorate their Thanksgiving table.

Yes, I got in trouble with this principal… my students had fun, and the day before any school break all you want is no one getting hurt.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1124

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Bruce

1124Today is officially “Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day” I figured the only unique talent i have is drawing monkeys… so here’s my celebration. I hope you took some time today to celebrate your unique talent… within the limits of the law.

Those of you who have had the misfortune of seeing me draw might have noticed that I use a non-photo blue pencil for most of my sketching, then come back and ink the drawing, later scanning it into the computer, and coloring it digitally.  It can be time consuming, but I just haven’t gotten to the point where I’m comfortable drawing entirely on the computer… maybe someday, but not now- for now my unique talent of drawing monkeys will continue to be old school.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1306

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Bruce

1306My family is “Scotch-Irish” according to my grandfather, on my mother’s side, that meant that we were Irish, but left Ireland after being accused of “sheep rustling” then left for America. So the ancestors spent time in Scotland (a place I have yet to visit) and  Bruce is a Family Name… but weirdly only with middle names. The only one my family not to go by our middle name (never do this to a kid- it confuses the system & causes them untold pain) was my uncle, “Robert Bruce,” who went by “Bob.” I’ve tracked the family to the first or second census in Indiana. Which means at least part of me is a hoosier sin before statehood. The amusing thing is the red hair- It actually comes from my grandmother’s side which was very German. I had a chance to visit Baden-Baden and can’t really understand why they would leave. Unless it had something about locals not allowed in the casino. One regret I have is that my parents (after meeting a long lost family member in Scotland, sent me a wonderful scarf with the family tartan… I wore it every cold day and even brought it on a trip to New York. I was inexperienced in wearing scarves, it blew off me- and lost it… i remember the tartan differently, but sadly I’ve slept since then.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon AZ85

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Bruce

az85I have been known to play a game or two in my day. As a kid there was a game store near where my first job was. I’d get my paycheck, run to get it cashed at the grocery store, then run back to see what new games were there. OK, I may have also stopped by the candy shop for gummi bears, but most of my money went to games. I remember playing a different table top games and a bunch of different role playing games. Recently I’ve tried to get back into gaming and I’ve taken the first step- I buy games. but I tend not to play them that often. Last week I had the chance to play King of New York- a game in which you are a giant monster trying to survive and gain fame to be the “King of New York.” this was for a spot in the national tournament at GenCon in August. I won the game that mattered and lost every other game after that. Today was a little different my local game shop (Saltire Games) was having an “Asmoday” an event from Asmodee Games. Today’s was the game “Cash ‘n Guns” which if you couldn’t tell from the title deals with cash and guns… basically whoever can survive and accumulate the most loot wins. It’s a fun game but not for everyone and you really need more than four people to make it interesting. So today’s MINIon comes from that game, think Reservoir Dogs, but a cute and cuddly version, with foam guns.

After that I played “Villainy” Which I actually own, but have never played.  Now I have… still lost, but I never worry about winning- competition tends to bring out a side of me I don’t like much.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #74499

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Bruce

74499I’ve talked about LEGO before so I won’t get into it too much. Like any collectible item it has a rabid and loyal fanbase. Some talk about the good old days when gray was real gray, and discounts were real discounts. For me being somewhat new to the entire thing I shrug and tell myself, this is what happens when you’re a late adopter, you miss out on some things. I tend to be lost to all the stuff that most AFOLs talk about. I try to just learn what I can. LEGO is expensive so I don’t usually buy a bunch of it.  One thing I try to do when I buy a LEGO set from the store is fill out the survey. I know it sounds silly, but I know that It helps,. After doing a bunch of these I started getting a little punchy. How many different ways can you say “I had a great experience”? So I’ve now written them in Pirate speak, I’ve written limericks- even a haiku.  It lets me be creative and lets the people who read these things get a chuckle for a few minutes, hopefully brightening their day. You should try it sometime- it’s fun.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #0180

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Bruce

0180As I reminisce about my life, I realize having grown up in the time of the rerun… Gilligan’s Island tends to be something I recall watching (over & over again).  As I was growing up in Southern California I also grew up listening to Doctor Demento… another classic.  Wile being introduced to Tom Lehrer , Spike Jones and other classics, I also remember an interesting Gilligan tribute…

 

 

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #0034

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Bruce

0034Time for a trip to the land of nostalgia or as I like to put it “Some things were better when I was a kid, now get off my lawn!” Remember when cartoons only were shown on Saturdays? When you knew it was time to go outside and play because “American Bandstand” was on? When The Friday before the first day of School all three networks took prime time slots to promote their new cartoons? Cartoon adds were in comic books! There was a cartoon of my youth that has gone through the wringer since I grew up. Those meddling kids and the dog would solve mysteries dealing with old Mr. Gobbledegook who dressed up as a ghost to scare people away from someplace. I unfortunately watch a more recent episode of the cartoon, and the ghosts were REAL! It wasn’t some old guy dressed up that they unmasked at the end… It was a real ghost! I was shocked, they were pushing the belief that monsters that live under our beds are real. Yes, I know they are, but we still have to tell the kiddies that it’s all in their imagination or else the monsters might get under our beds.

 

I did buy a couple of the LEGO Scooby Doo sets… What’s a haunted house without the Mystery Machine parked outside?

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #3160

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Bruce

3160If you haven’t heard a funny little comic strip about a boy and his stuffed tiger started on this date 30 years ago. I thank the many people who have posting about this anniversary for the inspiration.
I once had an opportunity to see a Bill Watterson retrospective at the Billy Ireland Museum on Columbus, OH. I may have said something about the experience sometime, but as Sue can attest I was in awe of what I saw there. I felt almost the same way when visiting the Schulz Museum. These are artists I look up to… OK wait… Let me put it to you in another way. You know that football jersey that you spent a boatload of money on? Imagine how you would feel if you could spend an hour or two with that guy. Just sit down, have a beer, and talk football. That’s kind of how I felt, but with less sports and more drawings.

“Let’s go exploring!”