Author: grasshopper

DIY – Star Trek Peg Dolls

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Star Trek: The Original Series Peg Dolls

Wooden peg dolls are fun, they make great gifts, and they make wonderful additions to your collectables shelf. For those who have been following this blog for a long time, you have seen my intricate Babylon 5 peg dolls. I decided it’s time to take a minimalist approach and post a DIY for you all!

I chose Star Trek: The Original Series because their uniforms are basic, and skimping on the details won’t matter. Why? They still look great, and you can identify them as Star Trek from a mile away.

What you will need:
1 (or more) blank wooden peg
1 Pencil
2 Paint brushes – 1 tiny brush, and 1 small/medium brush
Acrylic paints – you can get a basic set fairly cheap
1 Cup of water and paper towel (to wash/dry the brushes)
1 flat surface to hold the paint – a paper plate will do just fine

The first thing you want to do is to sketch your design onto the peg(s). The trick is to emphasize characteristics unique to that character so that the minimalist approach won’t matter. For this exercise, I am doing a peg doll of Ensign Chekov and myself (hey, who hasn’t wanted to be a part of their favorite TV show?).

Chekov is known for his yellow/gold shirt and the way his brown hair is parted. Those will be the two aspects I will emphasize. I have curly brown hair…and etc!

Dot the eyes and mouth with the tiny brush and let it dry (it only takes a few minutes!). You want to do the face first because you will need to hold onto the head when you start painting the body.

Once the face dries, hold the peg between your thumb and index finger. I like to hold the base of the peg on my thumb while my forefinger presses down on the top of its head. It makes it easy for me to turn it as I paint the body because it helps keep both of my hands steady.

With that being said, be careful; you may get paint on your thumb! Keep a watchful eye and immediately wipe it off in order to prevent it from smudging a spot you’ve already painted.

Paint the large, basic areas first (ex: Chekov’s yellow shirt and black pants).

Next, paint the black collar with the tiny brush. It should look like a simple, triangular stripe as shown. Let the body dry before you start the hair (you will need to hold onto the body in order to finish the head). In this case, I grabbed the “me” doll and started painting her red dress and black shoes while I waited for Chekov to dry. By the time I finished her outfit, he was dry.

…And here we have them! Two Star Trek: The Original Series peg dolls.

Guess how long they took?
Thirty minutes!

That’s it–thirty minutes for two dolls! You can apply the minimalist technique to any show and end up painting some awesome pegs.

Anthem – Review

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Anthem by Ayn Rand
I forced myself through this book for two reasons:
1. I’ve always wanted to read something by Ayn Rand.
2. The novella is public domain, so it is free on the iBookstore
Anthem is set in a dystopian future (I love a good dose of dystopian fiction if you haven’t guessed it by now). Rand’s writing in this particular work is unique and daring, especially considering that Anthem was published in 1938. What makes it so different? The futuristic society has no conception of “I.” All manner of individuality has been stamped out over the years.
I’ve seen complaints about how it is hard to follow because the main character refers to himself as “we” instead of “I” and “he” as “they.” I found it refreshing. If done right, experiments in writing (such as point of view and setting) are a thrill to read–this is coming from someone who has read her fair share of bad paperweights!  
Anthem follows the plight of a young man stuck in a pluralistic society that has lost all of the scientific and technological advances that mankind once boasted of. Relics from mankind’s illusive past are banned, and citizens are prohibited from straying off the path laid before them by the Council of Vocation. 
The council makes him a street sweeper, dashing his hopes of becoming a scholar. However, it doesn’t stop him from pursuing knowledge. Upon the discovery of an ancient, man-made tunnel, he begins conducting experiments of his own. Marvels dazzle his mind, and even though he finds himself falling for a woman, he continues his quest for knowledge. 
He eventually discovers the secret to electricity. Excited that this innovation will benefit his brethren, he has plans to take it to the Council of Scholars.
It sounds exciting, doesn’t it? The fun ends there.
Once he flees from the Council of Scholars, he turns into a running version of Ayn Rand, spouting her chilling viewpoint from every last corner in his mind. Anthem stops being an entertaining work of fiction and transforms into a terrible attempt at political commentary.
Some of “his” thoughts made my skin crawl. I found it ironic (and hilarious), that while “he” was spouting off Rand’s pure objectivism, he treated his love interest like property. The scene where he said that they needed to pick names for themselves because they were individuals made me want to delete the novella right then and there. Why? In the next heartbeat, he forced a name on her.
If you want to delve into Anthem, my recommendation is to read it up until the Council of Scholars refuses his discovery. You are better off writing your own ending for it.
I give it 2/5 Is. 
The only reason I gave it an extra I is because the first half was enjoyable.

A Sneak Peak!

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It is a snowy Monday here in DE, and with the exception of the photos you see on today’s blog, I have done nothing but nothing. Sometimes you need a good dose of lounging around just for the sake of it.

I am working on my next short story. Its working title is “The Moon Colony.” I suppose that is better than what I originally had for Lucius Sinclair, “Patrick the Telepath.” Lucius’s name was originally Patrick.

I’m looking at my documents, and I see some doozies of rough drafts including “NextStory” and “Dustybadhabit.” This is where I am thankful for the ability to revise.

And on that note, here is a passage from “The Moon Colony.” Keep your eyes peeled because I have something awesome in store for this story once I finish revising it.

“The Moon Colony”
This snippet is subject to revision before I finalize the story!

Aside from the dust, the greys of the hallway were just as pristine as the glowing halls of her home. Her beam fell across a gaping shadow. Nez headed for it. It was a slender doorway. The door itself was twisted on its hinges. She grimaced as she peered at the warped metal. It looked as though a giant hand had grabbed the upper left edge and started peeling it away.

Nez shivered and stepped around it, into the opening behind it. The adjoining room was only ten by ten feet. A compact, metallic desk lined each wall. Papers were strewn about the floor, covered in a thin layer of dust. Nez noticed a black coffee cup on the desk directly across from the remains of the door.

She stepped over the papers, closing the gap between herself and the desk. A reflection of light glimmered off of something inside the cup. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was a thin layer of coffee. Turning, she looked at the other desks. Drawers were open, their contents shuffled like cascading dominoes.

I need to hurry up…My air won’t last forever. She faced the desk with the mug because it was a little nicer than the other two. A folder rested at the far edge of it, which she fumbled with until she got it open. A single sheet of paper without a proper heading stared up at her. It’s a memo.

We’ve been ordered to move. Grant funding enabled the research team to re-purpose and utilize the old military facilities here…Long story short, I angered the wrong person at Command, and the grants have been washed up. Take the cargo and transport it to you-know-where. Don’t be alarmed with the screams; the cargo makes that noise when it is transported. Take an extra fuel tank. Sometimes a piece of cargo will fall out. It is a bothersome task to collect the cargo, especially without extra fuel.

Major H.R.

Party Like It’s Awkward

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Sometimes you just need a good ‘ol prompt to get you going:
 “When you can’t be yourself” –Via @journalprompts

This is not a true story, but who hasn’t been the awkward outsider before? 

I play with the folds of my itchy dress. Why do social gatherings always involve uncomfortable clothing? I gaze at the others. I was coaxed into this. My friend had finally pushed my last button.
“It will be fun,” she had said. “It won’t matter if you don’t know anyone.” As I stand near the wall, hoping that some sort of four legged creature lives in this unfamiliar abode, I clear my throat and attempt to assume the Joe Cool position.

My friend had abandoned me for her coworkers. It seems gossip is the hot topic tonight, and she is hungry for it. I issue an unconcerned “cool” nod whenever someone walks past me. People I don’t know are mingling around the TV, the buffet, and the liquor. If only they had a cat or dog…You don’t need to pretend to be fitting in a sea of strangers when there is a pet to play with.

I watch a trio of men my age chat by the couch. They are talking about computers. I actually smile. Finally. Something I can talk about. I listen and wait for the perfect moment to approach them. Jokes are always great, aren’t they? I’ve got the perfect one in my head. It will fit right in with ports, male and female connectors, and cabling.
 
“What did the port say to the RJ-45 cable?” I ask, cocking a grin. The males eye me with an unsettling, wary hesitation. “Oh my!” I squeak. No! I missed the punch line! I clear my throat and try to smile, but they mumble excuses like needing to refill their drinks. I suddenly realize that I had not been Joe Cool leaning against the wall with a hearty swag.

I had been Socially Awkward Penguin with two left flappers the entire time.

I turn and survey the so called party. Would they notice if I slip out? I wonder. I don’t even know what I am doing there anymore. It’s all unnecessary suffering to me. I look over at my friend. Her sloppy movements and glass of whiskey tell me that she has forgotten all about me.

Yep. I’m out. I’ll sneak out the front door, and if anyone asks questions, I’ll just say I’m out for a smoke.

One to Beam up – Review

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As any sci-fi fan knows, collecting related memorabilia is part of the game. It’s fun, and it makes for excellent interior decorating. Move aside, Grandmother’s Wallpaper, we’ve got some honest-to-goodness science fiction classics coming in!

I got myself a late little Christmas present, Quantum Mechanix’s Star Trek: TNG replica communicator badge (say that ten times in a row!).

It was advertised to be “real” metal, but you know how such things can go. Any collector knows how misleading product descriptions can be. “Deluxe Adult Star Trek Tunic” is at the top of my list when it comes to this. Almost any Star Trek fan knows what I’m talking about, the overpriced costumes of the wear once variety–an innocent gesture like sneezing, and you have a series of runs in your not-so-spectacular command tunic. 

I decided to take the plunge and get this one because there was no evidence of the wear-once-phenomenon in the reviews.  I was thrilled when I opened it to find that the metal was solid, and not the weak sort that bends when you bump into something. It’s a little on the heavy side, but I like it. The weight gives it a more realistic appearance.

It comes with a strong magnet and metal backing instead of a pin-like clasp. I was skeptical of it at first, but once I put it on, I found that the large back helps keep it from drooping (I’ve found that some badges and broaches with clasps will sag). The magnet works through heavy fabrics–just don’t put several layers between it and the back! It holds up pretty well.

I give it 5/5 starships!
It’s fun, it’s durable, it has a nice shine, and it is a decent replica. I recommend this for all TNG fans with a $20 bill that is burning a hole in their pockets.