The birthday haul, 2014

Happy birthday, me!  Why thanks, Blogger, I really appreciate it.  How did you know?  Why, it's simple: at this time every year, I post pictures of some of the cool things that I get, and I make some half-hearted joke about how incredibly old I am getting.  So why should this year be any different?  Let's pull up a walker and take a peek at Jeff's birthday things!

We start with the above picture of my requisite Dairy Queen birthday cake, adorned with green roses and the word "Pants".  Classic!  This will live on in the annals of great birthday cake sayings.  Yes, it's a Franks and Beans reference, thanks for noticing.

Amazon was a busy site/warehouse/depository/future site of human enslavement the week before my birthday, as many of my gifts were droned in from the company.  First up on the list, the first two volumes of the early '90s Swamp Thing series!  Apparently, the episode bundling went like this: season one - 13 episodes.  Season two - 13 episodes.  Season three - 50 episodes.  Fifty!  That's Hollywood for ya (I have no idea what that means).  So with these two volumes, I picked up seasons one, two and half of season three.  It should be fun to check this show out.

Next on the list is the critically acclaimed "Heck" graphic novel from Tick alum Zander Cannon.  I've heard nothing but great things about this since it hit the shelves a few months ago and I'm excited to check it out.

I also got the latest collection of the slightly more well known Walking Dead.  If you've only watched the show, don't stare at the cover too long.

I finally got a Pirates shirt that I can wear outside of my house.  It's a nice, soft shirt with that "distressed" look that is so popular these days.  I credit the shirt with the Bucs' early 4-2 start.

The next two items are gifts my wife (who has a birthday just a little while after mine) got, but I like them so much I'm including them on my own list.  The first is the Blu-Ray collection of Firefly.  Amazon had a huge sale on all Joss Whedon properties, so why not get a different version of a series you already own?  We've got to prove, if to no one else other than ourselves, that the show is still popular and should be revived, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Also included in my wife's gifts that I will use as if they were my own is this silicon Firefly ice cube tray!  Just pour some water in and get mini, temporary replicas of Serenity.

The detail on the ice cubes is really amazing, even if it doesn't come out in this picture as well as it could.  The trays can also work for Jell-O molds or chocolate, which would be better if there weren't just six molds.  I suppose that I could just buy three more of these...and maybe I will.

Larry came over, great guy that he is, and blew my mind with this present - it's Optimal Optimus from Beast Wars!  Because of events too embarrassing to recollect here, I missed out on my opportunity to buy this toy when it was first out in stores, and I've regretted it ever since.  Larry was diligent enough to buy a figure that is complete, which is a big deal as many figures out there today are missing numerous parts.  This is because Optimus's arm plates are made to fly off (battle damage) and he shoots clear missiles, both of which would be very easy to misplace in the 15 or so years since this figure was first produced and sold.

Look how happy with this post-transformed figure!  It was a challenge to figure it out but it was a lot of fun.  If anyone on your (YOUR!) list has a birthday coming up, you could do worse than the items on this post.  And of course, I'm happy to spend this next trip around the sun with you, faithful readers.  Every damn one of you.

Bowen Designs' new Thing statue

I'm getting a new random notes blog ready to go.  Who knew I could have so many items to say just a little bit about?  Who indeed.  I'm sure you're all breathless with anticipation.

The following item was originally going to belong to the upcoming post, but I took so many pictures that I thought it deserved its own post.  And when we're dealing with the Thing, who can blame me?  It's not like I don't make some mention of the character several times a week.  A hem.

Anyway, a few days ago I got a long-anticipated birthday present in the mail: Bowen Designs' newest Thing statue.  And what a present it is!  I had seen pictures online, and I own other Bowen Thing statues, but my expectations were far exceeded once I saw this statue with my own eyes.  So I took some pictures.  And here they are.

The first picture is, of course, the box the statue came in.  Upon opening the box and removing the styrofoam protective container, we see the Thing in all his glory.

I was surprised that the Thing isn't permanently attached to the base.  If you look at the right section, you might see a small square indentation.  This picture actually has the base upside down.  The Thing has a peg on the bottom of his right foot that fits in this hole, securing him to the base.

The detail in this statue is just astounding, and it's pretty big, too - 13 1/2 inches tall.  I was surprised, however, at how light this statue is.  It seems that both it and the base might be hollow inside.  This stands in contrast to the similarly-sized Hard Hero Thing statue, which is also nice looking and heavy as all get out.  The weight doesn't take anything away from the statue...it's just an interesting detail.

The other three members of the Fantastic Four come in a three-pack statue set, just as a previous FF Bowen collection.  I guess no one wants to buy Mr. Fantastic by himself, but the Thing is sold separately.  That's kind of weird, but oh well.

In all, this is a great piece and I'm happy to add it to my collection.  Bowen makes great products and this is certainly no exception.  It'll find a prominent place in the display for sure.  I read that there were only 950 of these made, and they've already sold out, so I feel lucky to get one.

There have been so many Thing statues put out in recent years.  Most of them have been well done, but this is in the top tier for sure.  If I had to guess, I'd say that I have maybe 70% of the Thing statues on the market.  I've yet to crack the super expensive Sideshow racket, with their $500+ price tags.  Maybe some day.  But for now, I'll be happy with the more affordable, but still fairly extravagant, pieces in my Thing collection.

Birthday Swag, 2012

Another birthday has come and gone (my...17th...), and there's an annual tradition around these parts - one where I takes pictures of the cool stuff I got and everyone else oohs and aahs because I'm such a lucky guy.  So let's get to it!  Right at the top is a guitar pick with the Thing on it!  Here's a fun fact: there's a company that makes display cases for guitar picks.  Also, I have one.  Also, the Thing is on the  pick.  It's pretty cool.

Some DVDs!  New Adventure Time and the 24/7 Penguins special from 2010/11.

This above shirt is from Larry, and I'm pretty intimidating in it.  It's a Future Foundation shirt...specifically with the symbol the Thing wears.  This is the most obscure Thing shirt I've got, and I love it for that reason.

I stopped and bought another couple Marvel Treasury editions on the way to visit my parents for some birthday dinner.  Look, it's the Thing dressed up as Santa Claus!  Someone at Marvel must have thought that Ben Grimm as Santa was hilarious, because he's been depicted this way quite a few times over the years.

This last image wasn't, well, a birthday gift from anyone other than myself.  It wasn't a birthday gift at all, actually, but I got it in the mail the day before my birthday so it goes up on the blog regardless.  Check out this great print with a retrospective of Al's career so far.

There were a couple other things that didn't get pictures taken of them, so they will remain a mystery perhaps forever, or perhaps until I decide I want to take pictures of them.  All in all a great day.  Next up: an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen with a confusing, obscure quote written in icing.  Can't wait.