Action Figure Collecting Tips

Here are a few tips for any of you who may be interested in pursuing the hobby of action figure collecting.

1. Abandon all hope if you dare try to collect Star Wars figures. There are just too many, and people will laugh at you and you will gain 100 pounds and loose all of your hair. It's just not healthy. Don't do it!
2. Always always always always check what you have sitting around in your closet FIRST. You never know what treasures you may have already sitting in your closet!
3. When selling, always remember that a figure is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Keep an eye on ebay to see what is currently selling well, and strike while the iron is hot!
4. Rarity + Popularity = Big returns for a figure. See Cortana from Halo series 1 for example.
5. Sometimes it may take a few YEARS for a figure to reach a good resale value. Patience is key in this hobby.
6. Never collect Halo figures for any other purpose besides turning around and selling them on ebay immediately.
7. Re: Marvel Legends chase figures: Just give up, man. You'll only ever find them on ebay for infinity billion dollars.
8. Never spend more than $15.00 on a figure (apart from shipping). There are very few exceptions to this rule (see rule 3).
9. Never never never never petition for pointless action figures on a company's online bulletin board. We do not need twelve versions of Freddy Kruger floating around there. Give input where it's asked for, and keep it civil. We all want a Balrog, to be sure, but there are proper ways of pursuing such ends.
10. Let's face it... there are only two reasons to collect things MOC... to sell them later at a high price, or because you just really really really like the figure.
11. Never get sucked into any form of completionism. Ever. Period. It's just not healthy.
12. Variants are stupid. You don't need them. So don't buy them.
13. When possible, support your local retailers. Otherwise, ebay and online stores are the best places to find stuff ever!
14. PACE YOURSELF. You don't have to buy something from every line.
15. Never buy a figure you don't absolutely, completely, 100% want.
16. Remember... you only make your girlfriend mad when you spend more money on the figures than you do on her. She always comes first.
17. Some good lines to start out on:

• Marvel Legends
• McFarlane Sports Picks
• Spawn
• Alien Vs. Predator

And for the more mature collector:

• Classic G.I. Joe
• Anything and everything ever done by ReSaurus
• Classic Transformers
• Old School Star Wars Figures

Nearest Book Game

1. Grab the nearest book.

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.

5. Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

"When you're logged on, you'l find yourself in one of many chat rooms. In the chat room, you can meet friends for a prearranged game or find other players to battle. To join a game, hit the Join button and pick a game from the list, or type the name and password of a game you've previously agreed on with friends."

I Never Thought It Would Happen...

I have actually now seen a movie that actually freaked me out: The Exorcist.

It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but it still bugged me.

I mean, how is the subject of demon-posession NOT freaky?

Anyway, I thought I should share that with everyone. I guess there is a movie out there that is capable of creeping me out. I never thought that would happen. I was wrong.

The movie does add a very interesting perspective to all of the stories in the four gospels about Jesus confronting demon-posessed individuals. The demons basically panicked the instant they saw Him... it's good to remember when watching a movie like this, "greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world," and "even the demons believe in God... and shudder."See Matthew 8: 28-34, 17:14-20, Mark 1: 21-26, 5:1-20, and Luke 8: 22-39 (and the parallell stories... if you know where to find them) and James 2:19. Demons were (and are) terrified of Jesus!

Anyway, besides the initial creepiness, The Exorsist is by far one of the best horror films I have ever seen... hands down. The director really knew how to terrify an audience and how to get a movie to stick with you after you watched it. Man... it was really, really good. It kind of makes me want to see the other films in the series...

...And Back Again

Well, I'm home. I'm going to take today to just rest and get some work done on my car, then I'll be driving back to T-town on Friday (I was going to try and make it today, but I'm just not up to it).

I'll be making the official announcement sometime this week. I think it's pretty clear where I'll be ending up.

Until then, I'm going to take a much needed break.

Time to go out to the places that you will be from

Heading home tomorrow. This will be my last post until I get back.

Why is it so hard to leave a place that you have only just been to?

God is making this choice so easy. I already feel like I'm home.

Last Day

Well, this is my last full day here. I'm meeting with another professor at noon, having lunch with Dr. F, and then going to dinner with two grad students and another prospective grad student who just recently arrived here.

Matt's presentation went pretty well yesterday. I got to see what it's like to be critiqued by your peers out here, and they all seem to really want each other to succeed.

Matt and his wife Beth and I watched the Exorcist last night for their five month anniversary. Bit creepy, that film.

Oh, and I just found out about the fellowship. Apparently, $500 of it will be deposited to my university account directly and can only be spent on books while the other $1000 will be distributed through my paycheck at the beginning of each semester for four semesters. Basically, that means I have to use $2000 of it on textbooks, etc. The rest I can use at my discretion. Either way, that's still freaking cool.

I'm getting pretty tired. I've seen a lot, and I have a lot of information to process over the next few days when I get back home. Dr. F has been very understanding, and has done everything possible to make sure I get some time by myself to process things and just to rest.

Tomorrow I fly out of Spokkane at or around 1:00 pm PT. I'll get back in KC around 7:00 pm CT. And then, the hard thinking really gets into motion.

I'm almost sad to leave here...

Also, thanks to my very dilligent roomate, I now have a new Grad School Update to bring you:

• Recieved a rejection letter from Wisconsin
• Also rejected from Arizona, Iowa, Oregon, Michigan
• Have yet to hear from Emory and Wash U in St. Louis (and I really don't care)
• Waiting list at Rice
• In at KU without financial support
• In at WSU with financial support...

Eight down, two to go. But I really don't care for the last two I'm waiting to hear from.

I love it when God makes things painfully obvious to you...

Good News

Wow. What a day. I got to talk to a handfull of professors, and there are some very cool things happening in this department in terms of research. One professor is doing physiological research on the interaction between cognition and emotions - the very thing my honors thesis in philosophy was about. I also got to meet with the program director briefly and got a good overview of the nature of the program.

This place is amazing. They openly encourage students to work with other professors in the department, and if my interests should change during the course of my work here, I can freely switch advisors. They discourage "lab-hopping", to be sure, but they also seem to have created a good environment for pursuing diverse interests in this place.

I spent the afternoon talking with Dr. F about her research interests and also about what it's like to be a grad student. Apparently, the sequence of events goes a little like this:

1. Start out by getting your feet wet in an already existing project in the lab your first semester.
2. Second semester, start working on an idea for your masters thesis.
3. Complete and defend masters thesis by the end of your second year or the fall of your third year.
4. Take your preliminary examinations as soon as you can after your masters thesis is done.
5. Start teaching classes your third year (or second, if you want to).
6. After your prelims are done, commence working on your doctorate (assembling your committee, getting your idea set up, running the experiment, etc.).
7. Finish your doctorate degree, graduate with your name on whatever publications you've worked on and with at least two years (four semesters or more) of solid teaching experience under your belt at the end of your fifth year (fourth if you're a workaholic).

Having Dr. F lay out the sequence of events really demistified a lot of things for me about being a graduate student and made it seem more like a realizeable goal that I am very capable of doing. Most of the time, you hear people say things like "grad school is really hard," "I hope you like reading and having no life," "a grad student? Good luck with that!" and "I'll see you in five years when all the reading has ruined your eyes!" To be sure, it takes dedication and a lot of hard work. But from what I can see in the attitudes of the graduate students here, it's not the miserable experience everyone seems to make it out to be. The grad students here seem to really love being here, and love doing what they're doing. True, it is a bit out of the ordinary... but I think that's a very good sign.

I was also informed that after I met with the program director, he ran my name through their computer system and found out that I had been awarded a fellowship through the graduate department. If I decide to come here, I will be awarded $1500 each semester for the first four semesters through this fellowship for a total of $6000 over the first two years to be spent in whatever manner I deem right. And that's on top of the five year standard stipend and full 12-month health insurance coverage for all 5 years, too.

God is good, people!

Academic Monday

Well, today is the big academic day. I'm meeting with Dr. F in about 1 hour to kick off what I'm sure will be a very intense day of questions, answers, prayer, and intense thinking. I'll post a big update after the dust settles and I can use a keyboard that is 1.) Much quieter than the one I'm using now and 2.) not located in the middle of a very quiet library. (Yeah, I'm THAT GUY right now...)

Last night was pretty fun, staying with Matt, Beth, and their four cats, fifteen fish, and single turtle. Surprisingly, I had less of a reaction to the four cats of various breeds than I have had to Mothergoat's Kitty. Strange.

The GF made it back home safe and sound (as far as I know), so that's a relief.

Today, as I have been praying, I just asked for the wisdom to keep my mouth shut and my ears open. Sound familiar, Dad? Solomon did always say to keep the teachings of your parents as a garland around your neck, after all...

There...

Well, after a few days of not having enough time to post an update, I finally have some time to sit down and... well... do the obvious.

We're here.

And so far, it's been absolutely amazing.

The geography is schizophrenic, at best, with boiling green hills (that look EXACTLY like the windows XP start-up wallpaper) rolling as far as the eye can see, interrupted by very green mountains. The air is cool, crisp, and clean. The town of Pullman is very small (you can get anywhere on foot in less than 5 minutes), and sits less than eight minutes from the Idaho border (and Moscow, Idaho, where the University of Idaho sits). The population is about 25,000 with students (and there are about 20,000 students).

Well, as for what we've been doing:

The first day we were picked up by Dr. F ("Call me Lisa") in Spokanne. Over a 90 minute drive back to Pullman, we got to know her and learn a bit about what we were doing that day. She dropped us off with Dee and Brian, two grad students who are both finishing this year with their doctorate degrees. We stayed with them the first two nights out here (which was kind of interesting... they had a cat named "Kitty", oddly enough).

The first afternoon, Dee graciously showed us around campus and the town of Pullman. It's not quite as big as Lawrence, but it is very nice. It's a major football school (the basketball team sucks, apparently, but is getting better), so most of the campus is literally structured around the football stadium. The nice thing is that they leave the stadium open all the time, and they even let intramural teams play on it.

After sightseeing, Dee and Brian took us out for dinner in Moscow (only an 8 minute drive, mind you), showed us some of the appartment complexes (which are all set up on four hills... more on that later). After dinner, we watched the Jayhawks loose (AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!), then crashed.

The next day, we took Dee and Brian out for breakfast, our treat, for putting us up on such short notice. Brain is finishing up his doctorate in chemistry (and is doing some very cool things, by the way, regarding isomers and airborne particulate toxins) and Dee is wrapping up her doctorate in social psychology. Fun was had by all, and many egg-type foodstuffs were consumed.

Dr. F picked the two of us (the lovely GF and I) up and took us on a short hike. Being able to go hiking whenever I want is a definate plus. I realized while catching my breath atop the not-quite-a-mountain we had just scaled that I would probably be more motivated to exercise in an environment like this, as all of the outdoor sports I like to do can actually be done fairly easily out here (hiking, skiing, camping, and if I can get someone to teach me, fly fishing).

That night, it was a steak dinner (and man, they were HUGE) with Dr. F and her husband (who is also an avid PC gamer) along with an introduction to Matt and Beth. Matt is her grad student (second year right now), and would be my co-worker should I elect to come here. We stayed up very late talking about all kinds of random things (like the proper way to brush one's teeth, humorous family moments, etc.). And thus did the second day conclude.

The third day, today, the GF hopped the airport shuttle to return to Kansas City. Matt just ran me through the experiment he's working on (it had a lot to do with pressing buttons and touching the computer screen forcibly). For the rest of the time here, I'll be staying with Matt and Beth (and their four cats). On the agenda for today: More exploring of the campus, many questions about the program, and a few rounds of one-on-one Halo with Matt.

Now, regarding the more serious academic stuff:

We've had several conversations about a variety of things (job placement afterwards, workload, stress levels, grad student retention, flexibility within the program regarding various interests of the students and faculty, health insurance coverage, cost of living and the graduate stipend, student loans, the undergraduate population's general attitude towards academics, and many, many more). Due to the sheer volume of the academic information (and the fact that I still have a LOT more to find out), I won't post any major academically related information here just yet. I'm meeting with Dr. F tomorrow and going to a symposium that Matt is giving about his research tomorrow evening, as well as meeting some of the other faculty members. Dr. F deliberately avoided talking "shop" while the GF was here mostly because it would take up a lot of time, bore the poor GF to tears, and also prevent the GF from finding out what she really needed to know about regarding the area (a wise choice, I must agree... I actually intended to keep the "shop-talk" to a minimum myself until the GF learned all she needed to, as she had the greatest time limit). But now she's gone, and the shop talk shall commence.

So... Washington State University:

• Mascot: The Cougar
• School Colors: Crimson and Grey
• Archrival: The University of Washington
• First Impressions: Frikkin' Awesome

Getting ready to leave...

Well, it's finally (almost) here... my long-awaited trip to Washington State University. I will be updating this page as frequently as I can with news and information regarding the daily activities of this trip, as well as thoughts about the school and town as they pop into my mind. I'm very excited about this, and can't wait to meet Dr. F (my potential graduate advisor) and her grad student Matt.

Keep checking back here during the week as I update things. Since I don't know if I will have cell phone service, the best way to reach me would be to leave a comment here (see the link below that says "comments", click on it and use a name that CLEARLY INDICATES to me who you are) or to email me.

I will be leaving with my girlfriend early Friday morning. She returns on Sunday, but I will be flying back on Wednesday.

Man, I can't wait to get out there. I am really really excited!

Swamp Monsters

I was attacked by Swamp Monsters the other day. There were about three or four of them. I don't know the exact number mostly because I wasn't sure how to count the swamp monster that had two heads.

So what did the Swamp Monsters want? My flesh? My soul? Nope. Money to go buy tacos. And they communicated this to me by using crudely drawn images of a person handing them money to go buy tacos. It was sort of like pictionary, except with a group of three or four angry taco-crazed swamp monsters making slobbery sounds at you while emphatically pointing at the drawings.

After I explained to them that I didn't have any cash on me, they forced me to drive them to the nearest Taco Bell and made me buy each of them at least a dozen tacos. Stupid pushy swamp monsters. The worst part is that I'm not sure how I'm going to get the swamp monster smell out of my car. I mean, those things reeked of nasty swamp gas. I smelled them long before they jumped out of the bushes (I thought it was just the river stinking to high heaven again, so I didn't really think anything of it until it was too late).

After they devoured the tacos with their icky tentacled mouthes, the three or four swamp monsters shambled off into the night leaving me with a foul-smelling Honda and a few lingering questions:

1. What on earth are Swamp Monsters doing here in Kansas? There aren't any swamps around here for miles!
2. Why did they want tacos?
3. Does a two-headed swamp monster count as one or two swamp monsters?

I don't really have a lot of time to ponder these important questions, of course, as I have midterms to do and a graduate school to visit next week. In fact, I'll probably forget all about the incident once I neutralize the odor in my car. Still, it was both more pleasant and less absurd dealing with taco-crazed swamp monsters than a hierarchical linear regression of variables in a data set about the taste and texture of different types of cookies. Go figure.

Grad School Update Part 4

I received notification that I will not be admitted to the graduate program at the University of Arizona this morning.

So, again, to recap what I know:

• In at Washington State with financial support
• In at KU without financial support
• Waiting list at Rice
• Rejected from Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, and Arizona
• Haven't heard anything from Wash U in St. Louis, Wisconsin, or Emory (and don't really care about Wash U. and Emory... Wisconsin's really the only one I want to hear from out of this remaining lot)

Seven down, three to go.

In other grad school news, I will be visiting Washington State this coming week over Spring Break. I'm very excited to get out there and see what it's like. I'll post updates of my trip out there as things happen, to be sure (as I'm certain that I'll get the opportunity to use the internet). Keep checking back as things develop.

Project Torlan

I downloaded Project Torlan's Halo Content Pack (version 1.75) last night and gave it a try. They did a fantastic job porting over the models and the weapons. So far, they've implemented every vehicle from the original Halo and three weapons: The pistol (with zooming sights!), the Plasma Rifle, and the Assault Rifle. The Flood Invasion gametype has also been implemented.

So far, I think they're doing a great job. The weapons feel great, and retain the sense of power that they had in Halo. I can't wait to see what the other weapons are like when they finish them. Now if they could only get a melee function implemented, that would be freakin' sweet.

They have also finished a few maps, and I'm excited to try them out. Go check out their website at http://torlan.forerunners.org and give this mod a try!

Grad School Update Part 3

More news:

Received rejection letter from Oregon.

Overall Recap of what I know so far:

• In at Washington State with financial support
• In at KU without financial support (as of yet)
• Waiting list for Rice
• Rejected from Iowa
• Rejected from Michigan
• Rejected from Oregon

Six down, four to go!

Fun With A Cop

Wow. Did we ever have a busy day.

Got up.

Watched Kirk fire diamonds at a lizard beast.

Entered blue vehicle, drove it.

Consumed fried bread and meats.

Drove to a nice parking space.

Gave Cop a tour of the lab.

Talked to various people.

Lost to Cop three times.

Consumed half-priced burgers.

Harassed a minister with a neck-brace on.

Messed with Cop's mind by making him watch Donnie Darko (and I thought I had a ton of questions when it was over).

Mmmm... sleep...

Worst Feeling Ever

I absolutely hate feeling sick.

And what's even worse is knowing that I ate something that caused me to feel sick, meaning that it's my own darn fault.

I tell you what, that's the last time I eat a cream cheese chipotle omelette EVER.

Well, it's either that or I'm experiencing very mild food poisoning.

Either way, I don't exactly feel like running a marathon right now.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to drink four glasses of water and curl up in a ball somewhere in my appartment. Perhaps if I think happy thoughts, the icky "sick" feeling will pass.

Grad School Update Part 2

Updated Information:

In at Washington State and at KU

Waiting list at Rice

Rejected from Iowa and Michigan

5 down, 5 to go

A Supernatural Gospel

Some wise words by James Montgomery Boice:

"I close this study by suggesting that a gospel in which we must do everything possible to attain a victory over sin - but in which, in spite of all we do or can ever do, the victory when it comes is by God alone and not by us or for our glory - a gospel like that must be from God; it could never have been invented by man. The very nature of our gospel is proof of its divine origin.
Left to ourselves, what will we do? We do one of two things. Either we create a gospel of works, so that our salvation depends upon our own ability to defeat sin and choose righteousness. Or else we retreat into passivity and say, "Since the battle is God's and there is nothing I can do to achieve victory, I might as well just sit back and let God work." To our way of thinking it seems that it must be either of those two choices. But the Bible, through Paul, says something quite different: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my abscence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Phil. 2:12-13, emphasis added).

"The Christian life is not easy. No responsible person ever said it was. It is a battle all the way. But it is a battle that will be won. And when it is won, we who have triumphed will cast our crowns at the feed of the Lord Jesus Christ who worked in us to accomplish the victory, and we will praise him forever. "

James Montgomery Boice
An Expositional Commentary: Romans Vol. 2: The Reign of Grace
Baker Bookhouse Publishing, 2001
Page 770

Bad Food Combinations

1. Clam chowder, milk, and two big pieces of unfrosted yellow cake

2. Hot wings and rice krispies

3. A chicken sandwich and a slice of cream cheese pizza

4. Milk and ketchup

5. Tomato soup, milk, and habanero tabasco sauce

Grad School Update

What I know so far:

1. In at Washington State with financial support

2. In at KU without financial support as of yet (but may change soon)

3. Rejected from Michigan

4. Still waiting on 6 other places to get back to me

That's all I know so far. More on this as things develop.

Brothers in Arms

Play it. Now.

Why Meatwad is awesome

1. "Dear Carl... please feed my dolls while I'm gone..."

2. "I don't have a job, my wife left me, and I don't even know if anything I just said is true."

3. "Hell, no! That SOB had an AXE!!!"

4. "I don't know if you got the memo, but I'm dumb."

5. "Do what now? Do what now? Do what now?"

6. "Frylock, get away from the pool."

7. "Do not drink the milk! Do not drink the milk!"

8. "Whatever you do, just don't ask him to dance!"

9. "I'm gonna go ahead and plant these azaleas!"

10. "This is your left, this is your right... this is your left... YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" To which Meatwad replied, "Now this is quality television."

I dumb, you dumb...

The basic rules of human nature:

1. People are stupid.

2. People are really stupid.

3. People work hard at being stupid.

4. When people start acting in an intelligent manner, they get bored and go back to being stupid.

Tow me out to destruction

Thank God my opinion doesn't really matter. It is, after all, an imperfect judgement based on imperfectly formed perceptions produced from electromagnetic signals collected from my sensory organs. Mix that with a little erroneous judgement and a few false beliefs and you get yourself an average human mind.

And how do we keep the average human mind in check? Scripture, cartoons, and frequent breaks, along with a little logic and a healthy portion of hard work and intellectual activity. Yup. That's how to keep your mind on the right track.

Nothin' quite like God's word to shut a man up and set him straight.

And nothin' quite like a Ralph Wiggum quote to remind you how truly stupid you are.

"I'm a brick!"