Category Archives: toys

On plastic building blocks (Legos)

Posted on by

I secretly desire seeing the new Lego movie. As a kid, of course, I had a modest set of Legos, blocks of all sizes, shapes, and colors. I liked the wheels because then I could build things that rolled. Not cars, really, but rolling multi-layered and multi-colored sculptures that I could consciously morph into new and bigger and more bizarre shapes. Plastic building blocks offer a challenge for both the imagination and the possible creativity that it might engender. The biggest challenge was often finding a way to keep my latest creation from coming apart and going to pieces. Symmetry was frequently an issue. Finding enough bricks or blocks of a certain color or shape is always an issue. I came to Legos early, before the introduction of the little people, so I either had to build my own people or go without a driver or pilot or Darth Vader or mechanic or fireman. My favorite piece was a giant gray slab upon which I could build many different things, but I also like the thin, white planks that were great for building wings or platforms. The tiniest of the pieces, a “one”, whether round or square, are great for little kids who want to stick something dangerous up their noses (please don’t try this–we have stunt doubles who know what they are doing), but the actual utility of these pieces is doubtful. The best part of Legos is the endless variety of things that you might build, bounded only by your imagination, time, space, and your blocks.

On plastic building blocks (Legos)

Posted on by

I secretly desire seeing the new Lego movie. As a kid, of course, I had a modest set of Legos, blocks of all sizes, shapes, and colors. I liked the wheels because then I could build things that rolled. Not cars, really, but rolling multi-layered and multi-colored sculptures that I could consciously morph into new and bigger and more bizarre shapes. Plastic building blocks offer a challenge for both the imagination and the possible creativity that it might engender. The biggest challenge was often finding a way to keep my latest creation from coming apart and going to pieces. Symmetry was frequently an issue. Finding enough bricks or blocks of a certain color or shape is always an issue. I came to Legos early, before the introduction of the little people, so I either had to build my own people or go without a driver or pilot or Darth Vader or mechanic or fireman. My favorite piece was a giant gray slab upon which I could build many different things, but I also like the thin, white planks that were great for building wings or platforms. The tiniest of the pieces, a “one”, whether round or square, are great for little kids who want to stick something dangerous up their noses (please don’t try this–we have stunt doubles who know what they are doing), but the actual utility of these pieces is doubtful. The best part of Legos is the endless variety of things that you might build, bounded only by your imagination, time, space, and your blocks.

On my cell phone and me

Posted on by

I spend way too much time with my cell phone. Yes, it is useful in almost any situation, but we still spend too much time together. The other day I walked out of the house without it, and I felt just a little naked, just a little uncomfortable, a bit out of sorts. It’s time for me to reconsider how hung up on my cell phone I really am. I lived most of my life using landlines, traveling the world without that little electronic crutch in my pocket, and I was fine, just fine. I don’t cry when I don’t have my cell phone with me, but I often check my cell phone, thinking that I have phantom phone calls. I don’t feel bad if it doesn’t ring. I find that the cell phone is most useful when it is getting me out of trouble in some out-of-the-way place–some two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere, for example. Cell phones are particularly useful for finding lost people, calling for tow trucks, ordering pizza, keeping track of the kids. Yet, I wonder. I grew up in a world with no cell phones, and we seemed to do just fine. I can probably identify a few moments in the past when a cell phone would have been very useful, but we still got by. When I watch people tallk to themselves in airports, or walking and talking on the street, I think they need to examine where their lives are headed, and I am particularly weary of drivers who are talking on their phones while driving. They could at least put down their coffee and steer with one hand. Really, who’s in charge, me or the phone? I worry about whether it has enough charge or not or should I plug it in? I carry my charger almost everywhere I go. Is this really something I need to do? Wouldn’t I be better off just turning the thing off? What I am wondering about is my mental health–am I too dependent on this mechanical device which is supposed to make my life easier? Is it really making my life more complicated than it needs to be? I have always preferred face-to-face conversations, and I think that my phone is going to get turned off for awhile and we’re going to try a trial seperation for awhile. I don’t think I’m obsessed, but this month of August might be a good time to try and live without it for awhile. Just turn it off, put it in a drawer, and walk away. And then I’ll reassess at some moment in the future, and maybe we can renew our relationship on a limited basis, but this cell phone thing has got to stop.

On my cell phone and me

Posted on by

I spend way too much time with my cell phone. Yes, it is useful in almost any situation, but we still spend too much time together. The other day I walked out of the house without it, and I felt just a little naked, just a little uncomfortable, a bit out of sorts. It’s time for me to reconsider how hung up on my cell phone I really am. I lived most of my life using landlines, traveling the world without that little electronic crutch in my pocket, and I was fine, just fine. I don’t cry when I don’t have my cell phone with me, but I often check my cell phone, thinking that I have phantom phone calls. I don’t feel bad if it doesn’t ring. I find that the cell phone is most useful when it is getting me out of trouble in some out-of-the-way place–some two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere, for example. Cell phones are particularly useful for finding lost people, calling for tow trucks, ordering pizza, keeping track of the kids. Yet, I wonder. I grew up in a world with no cell phones, and we seemed to do just fine. I can probably identify a few moments in the past when a cell phone would have been very useful, but we still got by. When I watch people tallk to themselves in airports, or walking and talking on the street, I think they need to examine where their lives are headed, and I am particularly weary of drivers who are talking on their phones while driving. They could at least put down their coffee and steer with one hand. Really, who’s in charge, me or the phone? I worry about whether it has enough charge or not or should I plug it in? I carry my charger almost everywhere I go. Is this really something I need to do? Wouldn’t I be better off just turning the thing off? What I am wondering about is my mental health–am I too dependent on this mechanical device which is supposed to make my life easier? Is it really making my life more complicated than it needs to be? I have always preferred face-to-face conversations, and I think that my phone is going to get turned off for awhile and we’re going to try a trial seperation for awhile. I don’t think I’m obsessed, but this month of August might be a good time to try and live without it for awhile. Just turn it off, put it in a drawer, and walk away. And then I’ll reassess at some moment in the future, and maybe we can renew our relationship on a limited basis, but this cell phone thing has got to stop.