Advent Calendar, Day 20

Today's activity: Walk around the neighborhood to look at decorations.

I was worried that we wouldn't be able to do this, because it was raining yesterday. It melted a good deal of the snow, which disappointed me, but we are supposed to get more on Monday and Tuesday. Just in time for Christmas!

I took my actual camera on our walk (as opposed to my phone or iPod camera). It's just a point-and-shoot digital camera, but it takes some pretty good pictures.

I like the icicle lights here. Jason liked the starburst in the window, which flashed in different colors.

I'm not sure if those dots on the picture are water droplets or lens flare or something else entirely, but it looks like it's snowing. I like it, even though the effect was entirely accidental. Here's a photo that shows it off pretty well.

Here is a Plastic Nativity Scene being invaded by Plastic Tin Soldiers.

I have never understood the desire to combine Santa or other secular elements with a nativity scene. It's fine to have a religious display, it's fine to have a non-religious display. I just think it's kinda weird to put both of them together. We all know that Santa Claus wasn't one of the Wise Men, right?

Anyway, here is a family of inflatable singing snowmen.

We also saw a couple inflatable snowmen who shook like they were shivering. It must be controlled by the air fan somehow. There was also this guy...

Run! He's almost at your front door!

HEEEEEEEEEEERE'S FROSTY!

Photos!

This post comes to you in two parts.

Part 1: My review of the Lego collectible minifigs. Lego sells them in series of 16, one figure per bag. These are all unique figures that are not available in any sets. They are sold as "mystery" items; there is no way to see which figure is in the bag until you open it. I decided to start collecting them, and picked up one from each series at Borders today.

This is the baseball player, from Series 3. I love all of the details here, particularly the little design on his baseball cap. I was hoping for the Lego elf, but this little guy is pretty cool too.

I wish the same could be said for my Series 2 figure.

With her long blond hair, red swimsuit, and pouty lips (which are too small to show up in the photo) I swear Lego was trying to create a Pamela Anderson minifigure. Is there really that great of a demand for Lego Baywatch? I will chalk this one up to Rule 34 and back away slowly.

I realized later that there is a way to at least guess which figure is inside the package. If Lego really wanted to be devious, they would pack the figures in bubble envelopes, but they have not done that. By carefully feeling through the plastic, it is possible to determine which of the 16 figures is inside. I decided to try it out, and was quite pleased when I correctly identified the 2 figures from Series 2 I wanted most. Here we have the Wicked Witch; with her skirt and pointy hat, she was pretty easy to pick out.


Finally, I was quite pleased to find the Lego vampire. I was able to identify the bat here.

"Children of the night...what a mess they make."

It took me a bit to figure out how to put his cape on, but he is definitely my favorite from the lot. Was my method of identification cheating? Possibly, but Borders was charging $3.99 each for the figures. If I am spending four bucks on a Lego person, it darn well better be the one I want.

Part 2 of this post is what I have been doing this evening. Jason found a Tenth Doctor action figure for me online, and so I have been posing Ten and Eleven to take some pictures. Here they are working on my laptop.


And again, trying to break into a safe.


I like this shot, particularly the way Ten is looking over his shoulder to make sure they are not about to be caught.