Year: 2008

Cardboard Boat Race 2008

Projects, Stuff and Things

Well it was that time of year again. Time for the Stafford Cardboard Yacht Club (SCYC) to release the boats from the dock (ceiling of my parents garage) patch the holes in the bottom and create another miracle of cardboard engineering. Since we made such good boats last year we didn’t have to do a lot of work this year. Which is great because I think we’re all getting a little weary of building a boat for 4 weeks that’s only going to last one race. But luckily there are at least 8 people that want to do it and keep this thing going.

There were a lot of people there this year, it was really exciting to see all the different boats. All the other participants seemed to be really exited to be out there, which was a departure from last year, which seemed like a chore. Maybe it was because the weather was better, it was a bright and sunny Virginia day. The SCYC took home “Pride of the Regatta” for our 25ft battleship and we actually won a few races (which is different!) The prizes really aren’t that important… but it was nice to have some good rewards for our efforts! This year we got things like $45 gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse (awesome!) I actually felt a little bad that the year we get good prizes, we win 4 of them.

For all the complaining we did about the work leading up to the race, I really think that we all had a great time at the race. This years event was definitley the biggest and the best ever. I hope I can get them to do it again next year. Click the picture for my gallery of the regatta.

#1 idea for next year. Spanish Armada.

Later!

I'll be watching "The Watchmen"

Entertainment, Movies

Mark this date. This is the date that the Watchmen trailer came out.

This is definitely going to be my “Dark Night” next year. I’m not sure that it has the following that Batman has so I’m not counting on the box office. Actually I’m sure that it doesn’t but It is definitely the graphic novel that got me into comic books. My friend Brian was always into comics (Spiderman, Spawn, and X-men mostly) and I liked them too, but I was never really a fanboy.

Then I found “Watchmen“.

It was the first time I realized that there were comics out there that were written for adults (not talking Fritz the Cat here). Comics that delt with real issues. I mean what would happen if people really started taking to the streets and dealing out beatdowns vigalante style? Who would be in control of them?

Who’s watching the Watchmen?

I hope this is the movie that makes Alan Moore proud. Moore has been vocal about his hatred of the other movies based on his properties (V for Vendetta, League of Extrordinary Gentlemen) and he’s actually taken his name off of them. The artist, Dave Gibbons, has been involved in the process from day one, which I hope bodes well for the production. I’ve heard that the director, Zack Snyder (300, Day of the Dead) is taking everything very seriously, which is how I think you have to do it with this subject matter.  What I really want is for this film to be so bad ass and frame by frame accurate that Moore will shrug his shoulders, stroke his giant beard and say “Not Bad Guys”