An Easy Place to Have a Conversation

I don't spend a lot of time talking to random people in public.  I am friendly, just not that outgoing.  I don't really want to bother people.  The funny thing is, that usually doesn't apply to visits to the hobby store.  In the hobby store, or at hobby shows, I find myself drawn into all kinds of conversations--sometimes not even about hobbies.

 

 

If I had to guess, I would say that there is something special about hobby shops.  The atmosphere lends itself to conversations that you might not otherwise have.  This is true of other hobby related shops as well.  I have had some rather interesting conversations at comic books stores...but since everyone has seen episodes of The Big Bang Theory, this is no longer a nerd only shared mystery.  Some people might think that the show is an exaggeration.....how wrong they would be.

The hobby shop, or comic book shop, or some other specialist shop, is an easy place to have a conversation.  Most people have too much knowledge to contain within themselves for too long, so they have to let it out.  Most of the time the advice I have received has been wonderful and amazing.  Some times I took it, and sometimes I didn't--sometimes that was a smart move, and sometimes I regret not taking it....such is life.

The most interesting of these times for me were in Japan.  Hobby nerd that I am --I wish I could say hobby professional, but until this blog is seen by thousands I day, I can't really do that..... but I digress.  Hobby nerd that I am, I have been to hobby shops in Japan.  I have been to model shops, train shops, electronic shops.  Yes, I have been to the nerd Mecca of Akihabara.  My Japanese is pretty good, but I always feel better when I can strike up a conversation in a hobby shop.  I come away feeling pretty good about my skills, and I have usually picked up quite a few words to add to my vocabulary.

For those of you who are even less outgoing than myself, but still want to strike up a conversation, I suggest wondering something out loud.  It should work like a charm.

The Post Christmas Hobby Blues

January seemed to fly by.  Before you know it we will be in February.  Yes, we have the spectacular Groundhog Day to look forward to, but .... things seem to be moving too fast.

I realized, perhaps too late, that I had fallen victim to "the post Christmas hobby blues."  It happens every year, or almost every year.  Christmas brings on many hobby opportunities, some self indulgent hobby spending, and some very ambitious plans for the upcoming year.  January sees all of these things fall by the wayside.

What is it about January?  Is it the worry that I should be in the gym like every other resolution maker (and breaker) or is it the amount of snow I should be shovelling?  Is it sobering reflection on that aforementioned self indulgent spending?  Is it that there won't be any new nanoblock releases for a few months?  In truth, I am not really sure what it is.  I know it's real, but I don't know the cause.

I would love to hear from the rest of the hobby world.  Are any of you experiencing the post Christmas hobby blues?

What's Next?

As a hobbyist with too many hobbies, I am most often juggling several at one time. Nothing wrong with that as it keeps me from getting bored.  I realize that I have not posted an update on my hobbies lately--mostly because I am not particularly satisfied with the results, partly because I am preoccupied with Christmas (and memories of Christmas' past) and partly because having so many hobbies, work, obligations and a rather long commute, I haven't completed that much.

lots of kits to build

I have managed to actually finish some things, and that means I have to look ahead.  That's the topic of this blog: What lies ahead?  I am sure most hobbyists confront this question.  Mostly, they are confined within one hobby, but I am sure they ask it.  Train layout builders ponder if they should expand their layouts, or redo some part of it.  Video gamers wonder which game they want to beat next.  Puzzle makers consider which kit has the least amount of sky.  Music makers are looking for the next beat.  All of us are wondering what's next.

What makes this question so difficult for me is that it has so many meanings.  Which kit should I build next?  Which Nanoblock kit should I buy and build next?  Which train building needs to get done next?  Which set of freight cars should I buy?  What layout project should I tackle next?  Which blog should I update next?  Should I start a new blog?  Which books should I get from the library?  Should I start a new hobby like remote control helicopters?  Should I get a pool table for my house? (The Hustler was on TV this weekend.... just so you understand how my mind works)  Should I get my motorcycle or pilot's licence?  Should I join the gym?  Wouldn't it be cool to make my own beer?  Baking seems like a good way to feed myself.



lots of model railroad buildings to make

Yes, not only do I wonder what is next in the hobby queue based on what I am doing (I finished one kit, what's the next one?) but also on what new hobby I would like to take up.  Is this wise?  I can't really say that it is, but that is just how things go.  That's what makes the question, what's next? so difficult.



The other wrinkle in all this is preparation.  I might want to do something, but that doesn't mean I am ready to do it.  I might pick a model kit, or building kit and find I don't have the paint or that my glue has dried into a rock solid mass that will never dislodge itself from the bottle.  There is nothing more of momentum killer than having to go out and get something.



and a nanoblock project awaiting

Sometimes a trip to the hobby store is good for getting oneself going again, but for someone like me, it just opens up too many avenues of exploration.  Going to the hobby store for glue might mean the beginning of an entirely new hobby.



So, what's next?



Comic Books, Prices and Priceless

Why do comic books have to cost so much money (and why do any books have to cost so much for that matter.  Shouldn't we be encouraging literacy instead of discouraging it?

I went to my local bookstore, and found myself looking at the latest comics as well as their repackaged (and now hardcover) versions.  I must say the art looks great, and the production seems pretty slick, but the price left me gasping for air.  Comics were about a dollar when I was growing up, but now they are closer to five dollars.

We live in a modern world, and you would think that the technology for printing and binding books would be much more advanced, and also cheaper.  As the price of comic books, and regular books for that matter, has increased over the last decade, I am left to conclude that this is indeed not true.

I guess I should look at it another way.  Maybe now creators, writers, artists, and all the other people involved in producing the books are making more money now.  Maybe this means that they can focus on a smaller number of books in order to survive.  This should me better quality, but probably not a better price.

I still like my comic books and I am a sucker for any superhero movie that hits the big screen.  I think the genre is largely untapped, and there is a lot of room to grow.  I am sure we can count on sequels to the Avengers, Iron man, Spiderman, and The Xmen.  There is also likely to be other major superhero movies, but I don't know which ones they are yet.

I would love to have a big collection of books, but that doesn't seem likely.  Both space and monetary considerations make this less likely than I thought in my past.  If I filled up the guest room with comics where would my family sleep when they were visiting?

 

That's pretty cool

On the subway the other day I saw someone reading a comic book on his iPad.  I can't deny it, I felt incredibly jealous.  Not only do I not have an iPad, but I certainly do not have the app that lets you read comic books.  It seemed really cool.

Yes, technology lust had reared its sleek head.  I saw it, and I want to have it.  Funny how that works.  Watching a TV commercial about it wouldn't have elicited the same response.  I seem to have some will power where TV is concerned.

Knowing that I really shouldn't be investing in the iPad (I like how the word investing makes it seem more worthwhile)  I probably have to avoid the iStore with every fibre of my being.  It is definitely a trap.  Definitely a trap.  What a fantastic trap.

I guess there will be a day when all comics will be digital and won't be released in paper form.  That might actually be okay--probably play havoc with the collector market, but what else is technology for.

With enough memory, I could probably load every comic book ever made into the iPad and carry them around with me all the time.  That would be cool.

Calvin and Hobbes

There is nothing that makes me more nostalgic, or take me back screaming to my younger days than Calvin and Hobbes.  There is no denying it, it was a fantastic comic strip, and it makes me laugh every time I open the book--and I do that a lot.

I am not sure if it was the theme of a boy and his tiger, or the time travelling, or the incredible daydreams..... but it struck a chord with me that has never stopped.  I love it now as much as I did the first day I read it.

It raises the hard what if question.  What if Bill Waterson hadn't stopped when he did?  Would we still be laughing at the exploits that precocious boy and his rational, sceptical tiger?  I would like to believe that we would.  In that way the world would be a better place.

I still find a few comics worth reading.  Zits and Retail come to mind.  In recent months Dilbert has also come to have greater importance.  They are funny, and occasionally profound.  However, if I miss them, it doesn't cause any fuss.

All I can say about Calvin and Hobbes is that profoundness along with humour were a given.  If I missed a day, (and this was pre-internet) I was crushed and recovery was a hard road.

I miss you Calvin and Hobbes.

Lego Update

My will remains strong--barely.  By mere chance, Friday saw me perusing the store once more (perhaps if I avoided the mall altogether....)   And, as if the train, and Lord of the Rings kits weren't enough, they now have an array of superhero kits.  I suspect a conspiracy to separate me from my money.  Will this assault on my bank balance never end?

Which one do you think looks the best?  My vote goes to Thor--though I thought he'd be taller.

Comic Book Day

Today is Comic Book Day.  You can walk into a comic book store and walk out with a free comic book.  It makes me wonder what I am doing inside, typing this, rather than at my local comic book store.  Sadly, I had made other, unchangeable, plans before I found out that today was comic book day.  For those of you who are reading this, you should be out there getting your comic--after you finish reading this of course.

As you might of guessed, comic books, and the superheroes they were full of, played a big part in my early years (and later years, but that isn't the point really).  The epic struggles depicted on those pages were great food for my imagination.  Every month my heroes fought the villain, overcame great odds and personal doubts, and eventually triumphed.

These days comic book characters have made the jump to the big screen.  Yesterday the long awaited Avengers opened.  I wanted to be among the first in line, but sadly it will have wait until later this week--but it will be this week.

Comic books might get a bad rap but, honestly, how can anything that promotes literacy be bad.  Besides, comics haven't just been about superheroes for a long time. They have been used to tell a wide variety of stories with appeal to more than just your stereotypical teenage boy.

Enjoy Comic Book Day everyone.