While Mommy and Auntie are off shopping for clothes, Cianna and I are raiding the LEGO Store at Tyson's Corner Maul. I loaded up a couple of the $12.95 fill-your-own plastic cups at the wall of bricks. Also in my shopping bag are LEGO magnets, the "community" set of 30 human figurines, some base plates, etc. I'm going to set up a small LEGO play area in our office's conference room, and use the figurines to create some dioramas to photograph for a future PowerPoint presentation on client service.

- mike lee - tyson's corner, virginia

Viv, thanks so much for the multiple moblog updateson DJ's building the new LEGO Millenium Falcon and big congrats to him on its completion. 985 pieces!

As you can see, I'm all colors of envious!

I'm inspired to finally visit the local LEGO store this weekend to pick up Cianna's first set of Quatro bricks. And I might accidentally buy something for myself too.

- mike lee - baltimore

[Repost to correct RSS feed.]

I brought my LEGO bricks and Pixelblocks together tonight to test the statement on the Pixelblocks web site that their product is compatible

with "other" construction toys. [ read on...]

- mike lee - baltimore

While my wife drove us through the mountains of Western Maryland, I was in the back seat reading some updates on the horrific disaster of the Asian Tsunami. The death toll is quickly heading towards 60,000 and beyond, making this the worst tsunami in history. The stories of children being swept away and the estimates of them comprising a third to half of the lost were particularly heartbreaking now that I'm a parent. Cianna sleeping in the car seat right next to me and holding onto my arm just amplified my desire to do something to help. I'm making a contribution on one of the relief web sites tomorrow.

- mike lee - baltimore

Close-up photos of condensation inside an 8oz. Deer Park water bottle in a cup holder of the minivan we've been riding for the last seven hours. Photos made with my 15x loupe.

- mike lee - cumberland, md

This is a 2 1/2-foot-tall dancing musical Santa figure next to the entrance to the dining room of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Zanesville, Ohio. Perhaps there's a positive health message here, but still, the sight of a skinny Santa that looks like he's on the Atkins Diet disturbs me.

- mike lee -

...the long ride home. We three said goodbye to Amy's folks, our dog, who stays on in her "vacation" 'til the spring and Christmas House. It's 20°F, with the Sun peeking through the overcast. Heading southeast on Rt. 49 into the rising sun, we see two sun dogs (one pictured) in the sky giving us a little extra pull home.

- mike lee - darke county, ohio

From the grandkid's day of play: 1) Cianna enjoys looking at the demo mode animation of Super Mario Brothers on Ben's Gameboy Advance SP 2) Ben successfully testing out his Climb@Tron R.E.X. Robot Explorer, which can automatically climb smooth vertical surfaces with its motorized suction cup feet 3) Jack sleepily waves his Turtle Flashlight 4) Audrey shows off her blinking Crystal Star Spike Finger Ring along with a red asian purse 5 - 8) Firing smoke rings at Jack and Ben from the Zero Blaster.

- mike lee - greenville, oh

After a fun time catching up with Amy's cousins at the house in Centerville this afternoon, her brother's family returned with us to Hickory Top for another gift exchange. Among other things, Cianna got her first box of wooden blocks, and for our family, a transparent mouse with floating ducky and a Zero Blaster.

But the grand finale of the evening was another visit to the drive-in of the local Maid-Rite Hamburger Shop. This is a franchise of the famous loose meat style hamburgers (approximate recipe here) profiled by PBS.

After four of the smallish Maid-Rites, my world is perfect.

- mike lee - greenville, oh

Cianna, Amy, her parents and I are heading east on I-35 to a family get-together on the other side of Dayton. Wednesday's storm has been pushed aside into clumpy beige piles along the road. The Sun is doing it's best to cut through the killer cold of the last two nights. It's bearble out right now.

Kathy is Cianna's co-pilot for a change and reading outloud snippets from The Paradox of Choice, a book that is a current favorite of the technorati.

And check out Cianna's shiny new boots!

- mike lee -