Day 738, Quasi-Quarantine: Giving Echo A Hand In His Emergence As A Bad Batch Hero

During last year's "Summer of Bad Batch," "Echo" quickly emerged as our favorite member of Clone Force 99.

With an emotional and physically distressing origin story, CT-1409 emerged as a hero of the Clone Wars, and he was adopted by the Bad Batch as an outlier from "regs," or normal clone troopers.

Echo is notable for his mechanical arm, which features socket options that offer a number of ways for him to help extricate the unit from difficult situations.

Clone Army Customs created a custom printed version of this arm at a highly affordable price, and when we saw this option, we had to pounce.

The result is tremendous, with a seemingly small addition making a huge impact in the overall look and feel of the minifigure. We look forward to taking Echo into future Bad Batch missions as we not-so-patiently await the next season of their show.

Day 737, Quasi-Quarantine: Don't Be The Guy Who Killed The Bit

Highly relatable (not thinking of anyone in particular except for those particular people I'm thinking of). 

Limerick Friday #539: The Real March Madness Is The Dolphins We Met Along The Way -- Day 734

Money for dudes with holes

And pretty ill-defined roles

Turning over every leaf

But where the hell is the beef

Miami free agency steals souls

Time for March Madness expanse

When teams big and small have a chance

But I looked high and low

Up and down, to and fro

And didn't see the Pack in the Big Dance

Wear kelly green

Try not to be mean

Slainte with a Guinness

And curse every menace

On St. Patrick's Day I'm keen

Silence from every personnel guy

As fan angst gets high

Cash to spend

As free agency pends

Tense times in Indy by and by

Players jumping ship

Looking to play for a 'chip

Lighting up the portal

In hopes of becoming immortal

As State searches for anyone who won't trip 

Last time ...

Day 733, Quasi-Quarantine: The 'Fins Kick Off Free Agency 2022 Somewhat Underwhelmingly With Chase Edmonds

Miami started the free agency period by adding a tone-setting offensive lineman, inking signing a scatback in Chase Edmonds. A former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals out of Fordham in 2018, Edmonds earned a two-year, $12.1 million deal with a $4.1 million signing bonus.

The pluses: Quicker than fast, Edmonds is a dynamic weapon for a backfield that desperately needed one. Only 25 years old, he's capable of chunk plays, reeling off runs of 54 and 40 last year, to go with a catch of 36 yards. Edmonds is coming off a career high in rushing yards with 592, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, and his 128 career catches and 921 receiving yards attest to his ability in the passing game.

The negatives: There's no sugarcoating the fact that the Dolphins just dedicated a lot of money for a gadget player. At 5-9, 205 pounds, Edmonds has a similar build to incumbent Duke Johnson, and durability has been an issue. Edmonds has 14 touchdowns in four seasons, so he's also not really a red zone answer, and his ability to pass protect has been problematic in the past. Weapons of any kind are a need, but a smallish halfback in the profile of a third-down back was not among Miami's top needs.

The bottom line: The Dolphins need to remake their entire offense, and if new coach Mike McDaniels thinks Edmonds is the first key to doing so, god bless. With such dire need along the offensive line, a splash signing was anticipated from the jump, so Edmonds caught many off guard. Later free agent signings and draft picks will lend more context to Edmonds's eventual role in the offense, but this felt like a bit of a head-scratcher at this price tag. That said, any pressure that Edmonds can help take off of Tua Tagovailoa and help Miami find some balance is likely to be worth the investment.

Day 732, Quasi-Quarantine: Transcendent "Cloud Cuckoo Land" Magically Weaves Together Eras And Cultures

 

"'And the tale I have to tell is so ludicrous, so incredible, that you'll never believe a word of it, and yet' -- she taps the end of his nose -- 'it's true.'"

Somehow managing to traverse the Middle Ages, mid-20th century, present day, and the future while visiting Constantinople, Idaho, and outer edges of the galaxy, "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is a bonafide feat.

Anthony Doerr brings a high level of intensity and suspense as he explores magical realism, ecoterrorism, and government plots. The pace can be a bit dizzying and justifications can seem slightly flimsy at times, but the novel is emotional, revealing, and timely (one character's name is Omicron).

"In a life you accumulate so many memories, your brain constantly winnowing through them, weighing consequences, burying pain, but somehow by the time you're this age you still end up dragging a monumental sack of memories behind you, a burden as heavy as a continent, and eventually it becomes time to take them out of this world."

The author's meticulously researched explorations of Greek folios, Italian architecture, and abandoned castles lend a fantastical element to interweaving plotlines.

Seeing so many threads come together so elegantly toward the end of "Cloud Cuckoo Land" made you want to applaud Doerr. His ability to translate his imagination into execution makes this book a must read for anyone who has a silent appreciation for writers of uncanny talent.

"One bad-tempered abbot, the tall scribe said, one clumsy friar, one invading barbarian, an overturned candle, a hungry worm -- and all those centuries are undone. You can cling to this world for a thousand years and still be plucked out of it in a breath."

Day 731, Quasi-Quarantine: Weaving The Crystal Laser Into Tattooine Shenanigans

 

We picked up this clear printed pistol as part of a broader Lego parts restocking. Dubbed the "crystal laser," it has featured in some missions as part of the hidden treasure inside Boba's throne room.

Here we see 4-LOM -- one of our favorite bounty hunters -- rocking the transparent blaster. It's a small piece, but helps to build context and texture as we build out narratives around the new Boba Fett set.

Anything to hold attention and focus against the draw of Madden '22 ...

Day 730, Quasi-Quarantine: Amazon Go Gets The SNL Treatment

One of the best SNL sketches I've seen in a few seasons.

Limerick Friday #538: Indy Recognizes Mistake And Dumps A Dud -- Day 727

An anti-vaxxer dense

Decisions that rarely made sense

The Colts took a risk

With many picks

Now off to Washington he Wentz

Hilarious loss for Coach K

Finally didn't know what to say

A home defeat for Rat Face

Tears fell throughout the place

Now can he just go away?

A Monster of the Midway

A force when he could play

Khalil Mack wrecked games

Injuries became a shame

Now goodbye the Bears must say

Seattle kicked up a fuss

Back up your draft-pick bus

For the 'Fins I held out hope

Or the Colts, but a big nope

On to Denver goes Russ

Business ain't boomin'

Fraught offseason loomin'

The season ended with a whimper

With 'bout every player a limper

With Gottfried Keatts soon might be roomin'

Last time ...

Day 726, Quasi-Quarantine: Saturday Night Live Tackles The Paw Patrol Menace

It's been a minute since "Paw Patrol" dominated our TV watching, but the passion for it was pretty intense there for a while.

Good to SNL pulling no punches with this unflinching political ad about the dangers of leaving civilian security to a bunch of mutts and a small child.

Day 725, Quasi-Quarantine: Starting 2022 With The Heartbreaking Beauty Of "Men We Reaped"

"We all think we could have done something to save them. Something to pull them from death’s maw, to have said: I love you. You are mine. We dream of speaking when we lack the gift of oratory, when we lack the vision to see the stage, the lights, the audience, the endless rigging and ropes and set pieces behind us, manipulated by many hands."

Jesmyn Ward's memoir is alternately devastating, melancholic, loving, poignant, and revealing. The result is a searing commentary on the psychic and emotional toll that poverty and racism wreak on tight-knit communities in the South.

With a title pulled from a Harriet Tubman quote ("We saw the lightning and that was the guns; and then we heard the thunder and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling and that was the blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was dead men that we reaped."), the book is the result of excruciating, painful work by the author, dealing with avoidance and reliving devastating moments.

" ... Grief doesn’t fade. Grief scabs over like my scars and pulls into new, painful configurations as it knits. It hurts in new ways. We are never free from grief. We are never free from the feeling that we have failed. We are never free from self-loathing. We are never free from the feeling that something is wrong with us, not with the world that made this mess."

Through the stories of loss surrounding five men beloved to the author, "Men We Reaped" pulls no punches in discussing faith, addiction, trust, and hopelessness in a crumbling Mississippi town. Ward is at her best when examining the life-long struggles to shake the grief associated with the death of her brother, Joshua.

While Ward largely brushes aside her own role in breaking out of the mold set for her by virtue of her upbringing, she doesn't ignore the constant call of home and family amid her experiences at elite academic institutions around the country. 

"Men We Reaped" stands tall among the ever-growing oeuvre of one of America's most gifted and unflinching writers.

"Once, they lived. We tried to outpace the thing that chased us, that said: You are nothing. We tried to ignore it, but sometimes we caught ourselves repeating what history said, mumbling along, brainwashed: I am nothing. We drank too much, smoked too much, were abusive to ourselves, to each other. We were bewildered. There is a great darkness bearing down on our lives, and no one acknowledges it."

Day 724, Quasi-Quarantine: Stunning, Flexible Set Renders Boba Fett's Throne Room

With Lego having a mini-revival in our house, my building partner was not-so-patiently awaiting the arrival of Boba Fett's Throne Room (set 75326). 

He had been slow to take to Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett saga, but worked his way through it at his own pace and ended up loving many elements of it.

The 732-piece build features a slightly-too-steep price -- making decisions to use allowance money on it fraught -- but the tag is somewhat offset by the stellar, unique minifigures.

On top of the Boba Fett featuring new printing and the Fennec Shand that comes with a hairpiece instead of a helmet, five new characters are included. Bib Fortuna, Quarren, the Weequay Guard, and the Gamorrean Guard are all beautifully rendered, and the Theelin Dancer is a nice addition as well.

On the playability front, the set can be moved into a number of configurations, with a hidden compartment, a pop-up ejector function for the throne itself, tilting steps, and an opening gate.

By folding out the front, a kitchen and barbecue area with rotisserie is revealed. The throne room itself if flanked by a guard tower and gate on one side and a small bar nook on the other.

Best of all, the set can be combined with a number of other Tattooine-centric builds to re-create the most impactful planet in the Star Wars universe. This dad and building partner can't wait to see all the different ways we can incorporate this set into a myriad of missions.

Day 723, Quasi-Quarantine: SNL Nails The Julia Garner Frenzy With "Inventing Chloe"

Based on her work on "Ozark" and "Inventing Anna," Julia Garner is staking her claim as our best contemporary actress. That doesn't leave her above satire, however.

Chloe Fineman crushes this sketch that features her channeling her inner Anna Delvey around the "Saturday Night Live" offices.

Limerick Friday #537: "Office Space" Meets "Westworld" Equals A Stunning "Severance" -- Day 720

Occupational perseverance

Institutional reverence

Memories cut by knife

To serve the duality of life

The sterile terror of "Severance"

Excuses swarm

As the seat gets warm

Not time yet

But State fans fret

As Ls become the Keatts norm

The "Killing Eve" final season

Has lost intensity without reason

Tied their success to Sandra Oh

The audience said, uh, no

Villanelle the character that's pleasin'

Devoid of shame

Passing the blame

Mock confusion

Gaslighting profusion

"Leadership" only in name

Delivery anticipated like a goal

Boba's throne room now whole

A son's joyous cheers

A dad's quiet tears

Lego time, good for the soul

Last time ...

Day 719, Quasi-Quarantine: "Book Of Boba" Gets The Honest Trailer Treatment

While this feels overly heavy handed (by intention, of course) and misses the mark on a few plot holes, this honest trailer of "Book of Boba" is irrefutably hilarious.

This is the way ... to giggle.

Day 718, Quasi-Quarantine: Seeing Red On The Mandalorian Light Wave

 

As part of a recent multipurchase, we secured the "Mandalorian red GHS" helmet on a whim.

The printing on this Arealight Customs piece is stellar, punctuated by a skull on the top. We then modified a red trooper with color-complementary arms and hands, topping off the ensemble with a DIY comms backpack.

With Lego Star Wars making a mini comeback (thanks, "Book of Boba"!) in our house, this specialized and distinctive Mandalorian is certain to figure prominently in future missions and mocs.

Day 717, Quasi-Quarantine: Reviewing 2021's Reading Efforts Has Been A Beautiful Burden

 

While the creation of The Scooties for last year is taking a bit longer than expected, I think I have a pretty good reason.

I overshot my reading goal by eight, reading a whopping 50 books in 2021.

Trying to identify the best amid all the wonderful books has been a welcome chore. I'll get there, I promise -- I just need a minute.

Until then, keep calm and read on.

Day 716, Quasi-Quarantine: Articulate Fury Propels Hop Along's Unique Sound

Intense alternative/indie rock band Hop Along has emerged as one of my go-to listens deep into the pandemic. The Philly band burst onto the scene with 2012's "Get Disowned," powered by bangers "Young and Happy!" and "Sally II."

The lead singer, Frances Quinlan, started the band as an acoustic solo act initially, before brother Mark joined as drummer and Tyler Long came aboard as a bassist. Joe Reinhart, who produced "Get Disowned," eventually became Hop Along's lead guitarist.

Three years later, the band released "Painted Shut," then put out "Bark Your Head Off, Dog" in 2018. After 15 years fronting Hop Along, Quinlan went solo with 2020's "Likewise," representing a more muted, personal tone.

While Hop Along hasn't released new music in three years, they've become one of my work-from-home soundtracks, and I hope more music is coming from this talented quartet down the road.

Limerick Friday #536: That Continental War Your Global Catastrophe Bingo Card Needed -- Day 713

For anyone with a brain

The situation in Ukraine

Is heartbreaking and scary

So we all should be wary

Of Republicans who revel in the pain

Escaping the work beast

With another trip east

Toes in the sand

A gaze across the land

Immersed in the ocean's peace

Heroes that leap off the page

A rancor on the rampage

Boba Fett back in fashion

Rekindling Lego passion

Ready for a return to that stage

Another closeted bigot

And a raging hypocrite

Michelle Tafoya the latest

Revealed as a GOP sadist

As a fraud, the shoe does fit

Hope in a free agency candle

Or a draft we might handle

But this is the 'Fins

So on needles and pins

Instead we await the next scandal

Last time ...

Day 712, Quasi-Quarantine: "Murderville" Is The Under-Promoted Reality-Ish Show You Didn't Know You Wanted

 

"Murderville" is the hysterical, tongue-in cheek show that the world needs right now, and that's no small thing. With a refusal to take itself too seriously, an engrossing unscripted feel, and a rotating cast of diverse, real-life participants who aren't always in on the joke, this Netflix show arrives right on time.

Quickly infringing on "American treasure" territory, Will Arnett is, quite simply, built to play the lead role. His quick wit, seamless ad libbing, and ability to incorporate even the most nervous co-star make him the perfect protagonist as Senior Detective Terry Seattle.

A six-episode season of ~30-minute cases doesn't feel like quite enough, but I'm hoping beyond hope that more of this show is in the offing. Detective Seattle has so much more to share with us.

Day 711, Quasi-Quarantine: "Project Hail Mary" Is Long On Science And Short On Believability -- But Finds A Feel-Good Balance

"These kids were going to grow up in an idyllic world and be thrown into an apocalyptic nightmare.

"They were the generation that would experience the Sixth Extinction Event." 

"Project Hail Mary" arrived as timely escapist fiction, in the sense that Earth is under siege in the form of a virus-like issue impacting the sun. Andy Weir doubles down on the science, at times turning this into a dense, complex read.

A dramatic, highly absorbing opening kickstarts the story, with a number of variables lending a degree of annoyance. The protagonist suffers memory issues, yet somehow refuses to use a notebook or mission log to help him combat this challenge.

Weir offsets some of these plot potholes with welcome, sneaky humor.

"Besides, if I had a nickel for every time I wanted to smack a kid's parents for not teaching them even the most basic things ... well ... I'd have enough nickels to put in a sock and smack those parents with it."

"I want to know how this affects humans, and when. I don't care about the mating grounds of the three-anused mud sloth or any random biome."

"This is happy! Your face opening is in sad mode. Why, question?"

At its best, this novel is a human-alien buddy story, blending giggles and surprising emotion to create a memorable tale of interstellar survival to save multiple species. Suspension of disbelief is called for on a number of occasions, but the result is a book that offers something that can be in scant supply these days:

Hope.

"The situation was dire and deadly, but it was also the norm. Londoners during the Blitz in World War II went about their day as normal, with the understanding that occasionally buildings get blown up. However desperate things were, someone still had to deliver milk. And if Mrs. McCreedy's house got bombed in the night, well, you crossed if off the delivery list."

Day 710, Quasi-Quarantine: Up Here, I'm Still There

 

That is all.

Day 705, Quasi-Quarantine: Channeling Even More Nostalgia, "The Book of Boba Fett" Gets The "Airwolf" Treatment

While there were a lot of conflicting reviews of the recently concluded "The Book of Boba Fett" show, there is one thing that it not debatable.

It would have been better if it aired in 1985.

Proof above.

Day 704, Quasi-Quarantine: "Our Country Friends" Explores Love And Culture In The Time Of COVID

" ... Thought of the raft of mystery that floats between two partners, even contented ones, as they turn in for the night. He wished he could fall in love with someone as his wife evidently had done. He had chased after beauty for such a long part of his life, until he had caught up with it and found it, like everything else, worthy of no more than a chapter or two of heightened prose."

This novel was the first purely pandemic-driven literary vehicle I've encountered, and the results are entrancing.

"Our Country Friends" is intensely personal to Gary Shteyngart's experiences, and the hilarity and melancholy seep through every page. From love triangles to technological enslavement, racism to classism, culture to self-possession, the book touches on massive themes in a very accessible way.

"'I don't care if I live or die,' Lara said, which in Russian was equivalent to 'I'm doing fine, thank you so much for asking.'"

"It occurred to her now what the driver of the pickup had seen, an Asian woman walking with an Asian child, both of them wearing masks, at a time when people who put up black-and-blue flags honoring the police were inclined to despise such people."

The ending can be a bit hard to follow as the lines between reality and unreality blur, but the author assures that is by design, echoing his own challenges in the course of writing. "Our Country Friends" blends the call for deep thought with the appreciation of high comedy, creating a singular book for our times.

"It wasn't about history in the end, his novel, it was about them clinging to each other as the tidal wave of time rushed in and then slowly let out. It was about the elegant seething of the wave against the sand as it retreated back to where it came from."

Day 703, Quasi-Quarantine: Resurrecting "The Cable Guy" On Super Bowl Sunday

"The Cable Guy" is low-key one of my favorite comedies of all time, and just a phenomenal vehicle for peak Jim Carrey.

Now, a quarter-century later, Carrey reprised his role as Ernie "Chip" Douglas for a Verizon Super Bowl commercial. In the spot, the cable guy learns that 5G Internet has rendered his ubiquitous cable superfluous.

In a mostly-miss roster of Super Bowl ads, "Goodbye Cable" blends nostalgia and technology in a rather irresistible way. 

Kudos, Verizon. All that was missing was a lead-in PSA reminding viewers never to go bungee jumping in Mexico.

They just don't have the regulations.

Day 702, Quasi-Quarantine: Honoring The End Of "Book Of Boba" With A Symbolic Gesture

 

Back in November, we revealed how we were sleeving up Fett on the eve of the arrival of "Book of Boba."

To add to the ensemble, we secured a custom Mandalorian cape. The mythosaur symbol rounds out this look of Boba (along with the Gaffi stick), cementing the relationship we saw developing between Boba and Din Djarin toward the end of the new series.

With football season (temporarily) in the rear view, it will be good to turn our sights back on the "Star Wars" Lego universe.

This is the way.

Limerick Friday #535: Zach Thomas And Torry Holt Get Hosed Again -- Day 699

Some make it never

It's a waiting-game lever

After Hall of Fame voting

It's hard not to be noticing

The weakest nomination class ever

Many groans and "mans"

But no actual plans

Details come scarcely

Between talk of parsley

Of clarity, we're certainly not fans

Seen this one before

Maybe a time for 24

State scratches back to tie

Then crawls off to die

With brick after brick but no score

Bonuses instead of firing

Promotions instead of retiring

Conspiracies in league

Spreadsheet fatigue

Is the ABC Store hiring?

Drabs and bits

Starts and fits

No rhythm to the year

Unchanging, I fear

2022 is the shits

Last time ...

Day 698, Quasi-Quarantine: A Dark Melancholy And Fatalism Pervades "Best American Short Stories 2018"

"I am not avoiding reality when I read fiction; I am strengthening my ability to cope with reality."

Featuring guest editor Roxane Gay (her words above), this collection is most embodied -- perhaps unsurprisingly based on the timeline -- by an overall darkness. The 20 short stories touch on themes of loss of innocence, the role of faith, and the pervasiveness of racism.

"In this very balcony he had sat, not so long ago, with his eyes closed, pretending not to hear as his wife and children gathered around the kitchen table to discuss the problem of his continued existence." ~Yoon Choi, "The Art of Losing"

"You pressed slightly on the world and it showed its odd corners, revealed its dim and helpless desires. It seemed insane at first. And then, like other jokes, it became curiously possible the more she referred to it in her own mind, the uncomfortable edges softening into something innocuous." ~Emma Cline, "Los Angeles"

"The guards think: The smaller the box, the  more we can control them. But everyone else knows: The smaller the box, the more out of control people become." ~Cristina Henriquez, "Everything Is Far from Here"

The highlights include:

• "The Art of Losing," by Yoon Choi
• "Unearth," by Alicia Elliott
• "Boys Go to Jupiter," by Danielle Evans
• "A Big True," by Dina Nayeri
• "What Terrible Thing It Was," by Esme Weijun Wang

"A grand empty washed in sand and mottled with vegetal scrub under the unchanging, unforgiving dome of the desert sky. Their house, a lone outpost built up against the edge of a wasteland, fortified with rust and steel and magic and blood and hate." ~Matthew Lyons, "The Brothers Brujo"

Gay set out to curate stories that were captivating but difficult, and the result is a set of tales that is challenging -- yet important -- to read. While the experience can be devastating, there are messages to be found in the blend of disturbing poignance that marks this collection.

"Yas, I know the Internet isn't some deity. I know it's made up of people trying to inscribe the void, to mark the very either with what they've lived and what they know. Thank you for etching me a corner in that vast, unfathomable place." ~Dina Nayeri, "A Big True"

Day 697, Quasi-Quarantine: Logan Thomas Cannot Be Contained

It's always hyper-intriguing to see who the Madden franchise determines has untapped beastly qualities revealed by the game.

In this instance, it's one-time college quarterback and current journeyman tight end Logan Thomas channeling his full Marshawn Lynch on a breakaway.

The giggles are much-needed these days.

Day 696, Quasi-Quarantine: Work-In-Progress Jungle Kashyyyk Driver Starts To Come To Life

We've long been fans of the look of the Jungle Kashyyyk Driver, fashioned on the AT-RT driver that appeared in the Battle of Kashyyyk.

The custom clone helmet that makes the minifigure was increasingly rare, so when we discovered one back in stock recently, we had to pounce.

We added a T-7 Ion Disrupter weapon in gunmetal gray to give the driver some personal protection. Then we topped off the ensemble with a communications assault pack to give the driver a tactical backpack for any forays into enemy territory.

We still have some work to do to build out the ideal torso and legs for this custom figure, but we've become adept at building around unique helmet pieces.

We're up the challenge -- which certainly could be no harder than learning how to spell "Kashyyyk."

 

Day 695, Quasi-Quarantine: The Dolphins Raid "Portlandia" Cast For New Coach

 

Overly caffeinated barista who, unprompted, tells you about the retro emo band that "slaps" and is playing in the coffee house that afternoon at 3:45?

Or new Dolphins head coach?

Let's get weird, Miami.

Limerick Friday #534: That Time When Boba Got Written Off His Own Show -- Day 692

Cameos haven't depleted yet

Treats for every fan to get

Grogu and Luke and Cad Bane

But one thing, can you explain

Why it's called "Book of Boba Fett"?

Attacks on voting rights

Ongoing COVID plights

Rules abandoned

Democracy stranded

Oh hey, is it "Masked Singer" night?

Both blowouts and bad beats

Injury after injury depletes

As losses mount

So many to count

Hard calls coming on Kevin Keatts

Betting hits the mainstream

Caesars Sportsbook on your TV screen

But can we talk about Cleopatra?

That's Halle Berry coming at ya

55 years old and right out of a dream

Dysfunction falls from the skies

This offseason might take the prize

More embarrassing by the year

Makes it all the more clear

The 'Fins are the NFL's worst franchise

Last time ...

Day 691, Quasi-Quarantine: Duel On Mandalore Represents An Affordable Tribute To The Dearly Missed Clone Wars

 

As an ideal stocking stuffer, Duel on Mandalore (set 75310) is a worthy build that allows you to re-create iconic scenes from the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Checking in at just 147 pieces, some balked at the $20 price point, but the reality is this set is worth it for the minifigures alone. The Ahsoka Tano -- with two lightsabers -- is a repeat version from a previous set, but Darth Maul features impeccable printing and a double-bladed lightsaber.

In terms of playability, there is a little here to work with. The throne itself features a secret drawer that holds a blaster pistol -- a nifty and unexpected addition. There is a pop-out window element that you can toss a minifigure out of, and the Mandalorian vault used for imprisoning Darth Maul can be repurposed in a number of scenarios.

Differences of opinion abound on the use of stickers in Lego sets, but they work great in this instance, in my opinion. It should be noted that this set is also ideal for including within a larger moc as well.

Let's be honest: most collectors are purchasing this set for the minifigures alone, and working under the reality that you can never have too many Ahsokas or Mauls, it's worth a buy for that reason alone. Additional value comes purely from your individual ability to come up with creative situations and contexts in which to assimilate the build.

Use your imagination. It's Lego, after all.

Day 690, Quasi-Quarantine: Manic "Mosquito Coast" A Powerful Testament To The Lure Of Disillusionment

"'That's business,' the captain said.

'That's ruins,' Father said. 'We eat when we're not hungry, drink when we're not thirsty, buy what we don't need, and throw away everything that's useful. Don't sell a man what he wants -- sell him what he doesn't want. Pretend he's got eight feet and two stomachs and money to burn. That's not illogical -- it's evil.'"

Featuring one of the more memorable and unintentionally hilarious characters in literature, "The Mosquito Coast" follows the travails of Allie Fox and his family as they seek to start anew in the Honduran jungles.

Paul Theroux's 40-year-old novel still resonates today, with Fox echoing many of the current state-of-the-world complaints. 

Tethered to the world by a mentally imbalanced and abusive father, the 14-year-old narrator documents what happens when an American family tries to eke out an existence where no human life was intended.

"I was rehearsing an excuse for giving up when, in the sallow late-afternoon light, I saw Father's silhouette, the sun beneath his shoulder. He was dark, I did not know him, and he watched me like a stranger, with curiosity rather than affection. And I felt like a stranger to him. We were two people pausing -- one on a rock, the other on the sand, child and adult. I did not know him, he did not know me. I had to wait to discover who we were."

"When America is devastated and laid to waste, these are the skills that will save these kids. Not writing poetry, or fingerpainting, or what's the capital of Texas -- but survival, rebuilding a civilization from the smoking ruins."

Blending elements of Jack Kerouac's Dean Moriarty and Joseph Conrad's "The Heart of Darkness," "The Mosquito Coast" is a staggeringly vivid work, full of surprisingly emotional moments and an apt conclusion.

"Once I had believed in Father, and the world had seemed very small and old. He was gone, and now I hardly believed in myself, and the world was limitless. A part of us had died with him, but the part of me that remained feared him more than ever, and still expected him, still heard his voice crying, 'They'll get me first -- I'm the last man!' It was the wind, the waves, every bird, every cry from the shore. Like him, they thought out loud."

Day 689, Quasi-Quarantine: Magical Realism Lets Miami & Mack Win The Lombardi

I've resigned myself to the fact that this highlight moment on Madden '22 is as close as the 'Fins will ever come to the Super Bowl.

Thank you, Marlon Mack, for this random -- but meaningful -- moment.

Day 688, Quasi-Quarantine: SNL Goes Really Real On Dog Shows

This is highly relatable to the point where it is almost a little too on the nose (dog pun intended).

Limerick Friday #533: Chitown Finds Its Dude -- Day 685

 

Hiring in pairs

GM and coach snares

Approved by Brothers, Blues

The name's Eberflus

A fresh look for the Bears

Promotions passed around

Money falls to the ground

Rewarding threats

Ignoring debts

Patent hypocrisies abound

Your jokes make me curdle

And trust is a hurdle

Performative posturing

And problems not curing

Just gonna go play some Wordle

In pursuit of consistent wins

Pressing restart agains

But we're keeping Grier

And saying your "D" staff is here

Embarrassment, they name is 'Fins

Appreciate when and how

When life's roads you plow

Make yourself clearer

When you look in the mirror

And recognize who you are now

Last time ...

Day 684, Quasi-Quarantine: Despite Warts, "Razorblade Tears" Pulls No Punches

 

S.A. Cosby continues the propulsive pacing established in "Blacktop Wasteland" with "Razorblade Tears," which follows a pair of mismatched ex-cons as they seek redemption for their sons.

There is a lot at work here: racism, transphobia, misogyny, homophobia, classism ... Cosby attacks it all head on. Featuring spartan prose, an undeniable story unfolds at breakneck speed to a satisfying conclusion.

"Razorblade Tears" is not without difficulties, however. Some shifts in perspective are a little jarring, some of the moralizing feels rather overt, and the author tends to rely on noir tropes -- there is much clenching of fists and sucking of teeth and cracking of knuckles.

While to me this lacked the heart of its predecessor, at the end of the day, this is an absorbing and frantic story. Peppered with flawed characters, gallows humor, and antiheroes you can root for, "Razorblade Tears" is a fun read from a needed voice in southern noir.

Day 683, Quasi-Quarantine: Wordle Takes The World By Storm

 

Most people don't know about Wordle, but it's this really clever word puzzle game that ...

I'm kidding.

You're likely over seeing people's social media updates on their scores. But mine's different. I swear.

You see, I tied a world record by nailing one of my word guesses in one try (as far as I know, a record that can never be broken). 

My overall goal is three-guess answers, but maintaining a string of successful solves is more important. I'm currently working on a 31-game winning streak by working through an archive of previous puzzles.

Check back here for more updates on my life-altering progress through the world of Wordle.

Joking. Unless I tie more world records.