Transformers Feature: Shattered Glass Thundercracker

During the nomination period for the recent "Transformers Hall of Fame," I posted the following banner in an attempt in inject some humor into the proceedings.

Thanks to BotCon 2011, I can now say that the answer is "yes!"

Un-Cool Churches vs. Excellence?

A couple of weeks ago, Rachel Held Evans wrote a piece on the need for “Un-Cool” churches.  It has generated quite a lot of buzz, both within the post’s own comment section (243 comments at the time of this writing!) and on other blogs that have chosen to weigh in.  Clearly, there is something there that resonates with people, and rightly so.  Yet, I find myself struggling with some potential implications of taking these words seriously.

The Return of a Transforming Seminarian Tradition

Back when the first Transformers Club exclusives came out, I grabbed a picture of the new boxes alongside my cat, Turtle, who was a rather curious critter. I did the same when the next set of exclusives came out nearly two years later. By the time the third set of exclusives came out, Turtle was gone. Now that we have another cat, I decided to attempt to restart the tradition, but I have to confess, Kona really isn't as curious about this kind of thing as Turtle was, and so getting a decent shot was much harder to do.

I'm getting ready for a week of traveling, and thus haven't had time to do much else with these toys yet, nor to take the pictures I'd like to take of the other Transformers I'm hoping to feature here in the near future.  I'll try to keep up with posting this week, but both the schedule and the content will reflect what I'm able to do while on the road.

BotCon Freebies

Everyone talks about the toys you can buy exclusive to every BotCon.  Some folks complain about the high prices, which isn't any surprise, given the price tags of about $300 for the main box set (5 toys) and about $100 for each of the souvenir sets (2 toys each).  But surprisingly little is said about the stuff one can get for free at the convention.  Well, there's usually discussion about the "attendee freebie" which is given to folks who bought the $300 sets and attended the convention.  This year, that toy is Fisitron, and it really is a pretty cool toy.  But there were a lot of other potential freebies, as well, that don't get so much buzz. This review is by no means exhaustive, but I can at least show off a few things.

Less-Than-Perfect Weddings

Weddings have been on my mind a bit lately.  I have not one, but two cousins who will be getting married this summer.  Also, one of my co-workers is getting married, while another will celebrate her first wedding anniversary (in Rome!  Can you believe it?), while yet another is going to be attending a friend's wedding with her boyfriend.  On top of all that, my wife is getting ready to officiate her first wedding as a priest this weekend.  I've heard it said that these things seem to happen in waves, and that's certainly true in my life right now.

Confusion and Clarity

I used to watch Doogie Howser, M.D. when I was in high school.  It's actually a bit mind-boggling to realize that Neil Patrick Harris is not only currently better known for his role as Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, but that the Stinson role will (rightly!) be better remembered as Harris' legacy into the future.

Transformers Feature: Micromaster Erector

My original intention was to have this posted last week, so that it would be covered before the BotCon 2011 Transformers Hall of Fame ceremony.  Sadly, I got too busy with other things, but I can still talk about the Hall of Fame and this toy's somewhat unique place in it.

The BotCon 2011 Experience

Now that BotCon 2011 is over, the message boards have been engaging in the traditional debate about how this year's convention compares to conventions of years past.  There is already an emerging consensus that in terms of the news to come out of the convention, there really hasn't been that much of interest.  For those who didn't actually attend the convention, that means that the convention as a whole appears to be one of the less successful ones.

For those of us who did attend the convention, a different impression quickly becomes evident.

Volunteering at BotCon 2011

Well, I'm back at work now, having spent most of the past three and a half days on my feet attending, enjoying, and assisting at BotCon.  By volunteering both with the convention itself, as well as with Captured Prey, I intentionally set out to make this experience a bit different than what I'd had in the past.  I find myself at the end very tired, but glad to have made that decision.

It's Real and it's Spectacular

BotCon 2011 Begins

If you're a Transformers fan, you don't need me to tell you that BotCon 2011 is about to begin (and, indeed, for some of us, it's already started!).  If you're not, then I'll have to try a little harder to provide something of interest for you to read in the next few days.  But bear with me, and I'll try to make it worth it!