My Mobile Home Gourmet Blog

Sunday 2024.12.8

More Patience, and Some Glue

I lost a battle, but not a war (I hope). I was unable to complete that LEGO-fake Egyptian temple I started. The taller the structure became, the more unstable it was. It got to a point where I couldn't add more pieces without other pieces falling off.

To be honest, I should have known better. I suspected it wouldn't go well early in the assembly. As I mentioned in Wednesday's blog entry, several sections lacked support from underneath. I tried propping those up with additional pieces, but the problems were worse than I could solve. Finally, in frustration, I tossed everything into the trash. I wrote a negative review, but I couldn't help thinking I'd like to try this kit again, but with glue.

And then an odd thing happened. The kit was offered again on Amazon Vine. I ordered it. I also ordered some super glue. I learned my lessons the first time. I know where the weaknesses are. Glue should be a great help. And I recovered most of the pieces I tossed in the trash. I don't need them all, but having many extra parts will give me what I need to stabilize the structure from the inside.

And maybe worth mentioning: You might remember that homemade base plate I assembled from leftover pieces. It didn't work. The temple baseplate pieces wouldn't attach to it. Evidently, they're not precisely compatible with genuine LEGO. However, I was able to use the LEGO baseplate I ordered. And then I got another seemingly bright idea.

What if I were to carefully glue together all the baseplate pieces from the set I tossed in the trash? I had them all; so, I laid down a piece of parchment paper (lest I accidentally stuck any pieces to my work surface) and glued the baseplate together. It worked fine. However, something odd happened.

I thought I might make the plate more rigid by attaching spare pieces to the button. I tried, but the pieces immediately popped out of place. The parts don't attach underneath the same way they attach from above. I could glue them into place, but I decided the now-one-piece base plate would suffice. I'll know when the second kit arrives.

Meanwhile, I've been working on the Cousin Eddie's Christmas RV kit I mentioned in Sunday's blog entry. I finished it on Friday afternoon. It isn't perfect, but it went together reasonably well. It didn't come with mini-figs; so, I added my own.

Usually I like to disassemble these later and save them to build again someday. But I don't plan to save this one. It just doesn't capture my interest enough.

Something New

Walkabout released another mini golf course this week. It is inside a small "Holiday Hideaway" cabin. I wondered how they would fit 18 holes of golf in one little cottage. When the game arrived on Thursday and I went inside to explore it, one of my first thoughts was the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. They fit us in by shrinking us down to the size of mice. Better yet, the whole course is beneath and inside the Christmas tree.

It was fun to look at. The cottage was festooned with holiday decorations — huge presents with huge bows and ribbons, huge toys, a huge tree, etc. Furniture towered above our heads. We played the easy course first to find the 18 "lost" golf balls and then the hard course to solve the fox hunt clues and get the custom putter designed from the course — which looks like it's decorated for Christmas.

I've mentioned this before: One of the features I most like about Walkabout Mini Golf is that I can play with my friends in Kentucky. They're more than 2,000 miles away, but it's like we're all together in the same room. I can hear their voices as if they are standing next to me. We play every week and it's good to enjoy the association.

How About a Crazy Idea?

I ordered a package of 24 sponges from Vine. They are those orange sponges you see in hardware stores like Home Depot, often used by artisans who work with grout or mortar. I use them at my kitchen sink.

They came compressed and vacuum sealed. I wondered what would happen if I were to vacuum seal one of my sponges in a plastic pouch.

It compressed the sponge really small and supposedly it expands back to normal when placed in water. I had to test this; so, I left it compressed overnight and then cut the packet open in the morning. Without even going into water the sponge sprung back to normal size.

Movies

This is the time of year to enjoy movies with a Christmas theme. I've watched these already:

Ernest Save Christmas
Fred Claus
Just Friends
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the Jim Carrey version).

I watch them mostly in the order of how they're rated on IMDB.com, getting the lowest rated ones done first as I move up to my favorites.

Wednesday 2024.12.4

A Little Patience

Wait long enough and you're bound to find what you need for free on Vine.

I have a portable air conditioner in my bedroom. Most of the year it is stored in the closet, but for really warm nights I like to use it to stay comfortable while sleeping. However, the window where it needs to exhaust is high in the wall and the hose isn't long enough. I ordered a second hose, but trying to attach the two together was difficult. I managed, but the outcome wasn't ideal. There is only so much you can do with duct tape.

When I first joined Vine back in May I saw a hose coupling I thought I needed. I ordered it without doing any measurements. The coupling was four inches. The hose is five. I didn't waste any time tossing it into the recycling bin.

This week Vine offered a five-inch coupling. I measured carefully and then ordered it. It arrived yesterday. It took only a few minutes to join the two hoses together. I couldn't ask for better. The fit is perfect. So, okay, it took seven months, but anything worth having is worth waiting for, especially if you can get it for free.

More LEGO-fake

As previously mentioned, I have an Egyptian temple to build. It was free on Vine and I need to write the review. I've been working on the kit.

This is one of the oddest kits I've seen. First, they included a bag of "Complimentary Spare Parts." That was thoughtful because I did need them. One piece was not fully molded, but there was a duplicate piece in the spares.

Second, bag number two also contained surplus pieces, with no explanation. I was careful to follow the directions in the book closely. Maybe those extras are complimentary spares too. I don't know.

Third, this kit lacks some structural integrity. It helps to have a mechanical aptitude. As I've said in the past, I used to repair typewriters for a living. (And thankfully I don't need to depend on that career anymore.) Some of the pieces in this kit are fastened by only one stud at one end and the rest of the piece is simply left dangling without any support from beneath. It makes it nearly impossible to attach additional pieces on top without sections coming loose. I used extra pieces where needed to build up the integrity of the structure. It helped a lot.

I'm halfway through the assembly, having completed three of six bags of parts. I'm really looking forward to this kit being done so that I can upload my review on Vine.

Movies

And, finally, this being December, it's time to watch Christmas movies again. I have quite a few. Yesterday evening I watched Ernest Saves Christmas. It's a silly movie, but fun to watch. I start with the films having the lowest rating on IMDB and then work my way up to my favorites. Next up: Fred Claus, which I think is better than its 5.6 rating.

Sunday 2024.12.1

Thanksgiving

I enjoyed a quiet holiday. I didn't do any special cooking. I enjoyed two bowls of my chicken soup made with a little pasta and some of the frozen mixed vegetables I dehydrated.

A Pleasant Surprise

This past week I watched the movie Harvey, one of my favorite films. In the first scene when Elwood is leaving the house there is a lawn jockey statue in front of his home. I never thought much about it before, but having restored the one I received from a neighbor, it really caught my attention.

Mine is a lot smaller and not as fancy, but I really like it.

A neighbor doesn't like my lawn jockey. She thinks it's a reference to slavery. Why can't it be a reference to the slaves freed by the Emancipation Proclamation? I think she just uses it as an excuse to parare out her cultural awareness.

LEGO-fakes

The Arc de Triomphe LEGO-fake kit is disassembled and stored. If I remember, I'll build it again in the fall. With the way the pieces are all organized now, assembly should be easier. And one little thing worth mentioning: I discovered there were a few pieces I missed when putting the kit together. I thought they were extras; so I set them aside. The missing pieces didn't affect the structural integrity; however, it's one more reason to organize the parts the way I do. I won't accidentally omit those pieces next time.

I have one Christmas set to build. I've mentioned it before — Cousin Eddie's RV from the movie Christmas Vacation. I also have a new kit, the Egyptian temple I mentioned in last month's blog.

There was one kit on Vine's "Recommended for You" page and I was tempted. It was the Greek Parthenon. However, I could see in the images several pieces were held in place by only one stud. Those fall off easily, unless glued. I passed. I don't need the frustration.