TOMY: Mad Masher - Monster Machine

Shown are two recent shots of my TOMY Mad Masher - Monster Machine. I scored this unit for Christmas in 1986. Played with it indoors, on and off for a few years. I drove it up and down stairs and over the top of my younger siblings as they lay on the floor. One of my nephews abused it back when I was in high school (I think that is when the one smoke stack went missing) so I took it from the 'toy pool' and secured it away in a box. I pulled it out a few years ago when my oldest son was a few years old. He was amazed and loved to play with it together with his younger brother. The boys still want me to get it down from time to time, but it rarely gets touched. Still one of the all-time coolest motorized truck gems from the 80's—ranking right up there with my old Stompers and of course 'The Animal' and 'Water Demon'.

Fabulous Pumpkin Pie Recipe

We've discovered a fabulous new pumpkin pie recipe we'll be trying for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Some of you may have seen this already circulating on emails as "How Pumpkin Pies Are Made." Not revolutionary, but still pretty funny. Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to Nevada Sign

The above image, "Welcome to Nevada Sign" is a small sample of the vector version I created this week. I have it in either editable vector .AI file or high-res Jpeg image. Interested in obtaining a copy—just leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you right away.

Apple Beer

The tastiest beverage made in the States. Fortunately I don't have to worry about apple beer's distribution outside of Utah, as I'm lucky enough to work in the same city as their headquarters. We recently discovered at a local Costco the 24-bottle case for $15.99! That is $0.66/12oz. bottle. A great price for a superb U.S. carbonated soda—though I still like Berliner Fassbrause a bit better.

Bird Man – Updated (Feb'11)

My kids have always liked me to draw for them, and somewhere down the line I began drawing "Birdmen"—a bird with a man’s head or a man with a bird’s head. Frequently now when we get a chance to draw together they always request, “Dad draw me a bird man!” It has become quite a funny series over the years, but rarely more than a quick sketch to hand off to them for coloring. Lately my wife has suggested it might be fun to spend some real time to draw some more detailed ones, so here are a couple of my first for a quick peek:

New Addition, Feb 2011

"Best iPods ever"

According to Apple, the best iPods ever were announced today. In a quick review of the apple.com website I'd have to say that there are indeed some pretty great updates to nearly the entire line. The only apparent changes to the iPod shuffle is the new four "color remix" options. I do not like the new colors. I liked the blue and orange from the last round of colors. I could do the standard gray, however.



There are some very new updates to the iPod nano. Shorter, wider, brighter screens and of course, now video enabled. Again, I do not like the new colors. Exactly how much video content do you think you can pack around in addition to your MP3 files on a 4GB and 8GB device? Not much.

iPod classic replaces what was known as the 'video iPod' from last generation. It is sleeker, all metal and now boasts a 160GB option! Pretty cool. I however will not be replacing my black iPod video 30GB anytime soon. 18 months so far and going very strong!

The newest iPod to the family is the iPod touch. Pretty cool concept. I actually like this idea better than the iPhone because I wouldn't have to sever my current cellular contract and pay for an AT&T contract. Wi-Fi enabled and the 3.5" wide video screen, but only 8GB or 16GB in storage capacity!? That is a joke. And $399 for the 16GB model! This coming the same day that the iPhone was reduced to $399, why would you not get the iPhone? And how stupid do all the people now feel who ran out and paid $599 for the iPhone when they were released. Show some patience people, wait a while and you can save some greenbacks.

Review: 2007 Honda Odyssey (mini-van)

Above is a photo of our new (color: slate green metallic) 2007 Honda Odyssey EX. We have had it for eleven months, and now feel qualified to write an owner's review. We have four young children, and bought it right before #3 and #4 (twins) were born. I was set on buying the new Honda Pilot until we discovered we were having twins. At the dealership we were hoping to get one of the last '06 models, of which they had the last one in the state. It was white, we wanted a silver or metallic color. I kept looking at the one we bought (pictured) and he said he could sell it to me for the same price they were letting the last '06 go for. (It was also the last day of the month) We felt it was a good deal, plus it was the car we knew we were going to want with 4 kids.

(15.Oct.08)
This van has power! We've owned three Accords since being married, all with 4-cylinders, and to have the V6 in the van makes all the difference. 244 Horse Power is no slouch in any vehicle. We've averaged about 23 mpg on our many road trips, nowhere near the 34+ mpg I still get in my '00 Accord EX with 157k+ but decent nonetheless. We've had the 8-seat option in when the twins were babies, so my wife could sit between them when needed in the middle row, but now we don't have the 8th seat in unless we anticipate needing it when we have extra family around. The older kids love the back row, still a booster seat and car seat for them in the back, but getting them in and out is no fuss at all. The electronic sliding door openers make that very easy. The A/C and heating systems are great, easily customized for driver, passenger or rear. In short, we love the vehicle, it has been exactly what we've needed. We are Honda people though. And now with the new Pilot fresh on the market, I may find a way to trade the van for one of those as the kids get older and we start to lose the car seats... Don't let my wife know.

Here are several other references for Odyssey owners (or potential owners) Have children like we do? Car Seat Safety Info We currently have 4 child seats strapped in and love the flexibility and options available in the Odyssey.

Looking for advice online from other Odyssey owners? Yahoo Honda Odyssey Forum

And of course the online club here: Odyssey Owners Club, where you can see photo galleries and read more about what owners do and don't like about their Honda mini-vans.

Image of the Week: March 07

Just in time for spring/summer, here are some popular vintage fishing lures that I'm pretty stoked to be sharing right now. These illustrations are only one third of my vector lure renderings on iStockphoto.com >>

To download this file or to choose from over two-million other stock photos and illustrations, simply follow the red button (below) and 'View Portfolio'.