Retirement Update: July

Since I retired from teaching at the end of May I have been keeping busy, but also trying to be cautious. I have not gone out and bought a bunch of stuff, or even traveled to far off places. I am trying to be conservative until I can figure out what the norm will be. I’ve tried to be aware that my “stop and think point” when it comes to buying stuff has shifted since I no longer have a paycheck and and won’t until the State of Indiana untangles their red tape to get my pension out to me. I have been told that August is most likely when that should happen.
I’m starting off each week by making myself a pitcher of iced tea. It seems like a good habit to get into. I’ve also tried to walk a few times a week, but due to health advisories (Blame Canada) and this being summer in the Midwest, that has not happened as much as I would like. The cats having lost one of my earbuds doesn’t help… but I still love my cats and I know the darn earbud is around here somewhere. I have gone out with some friends- something I really never did over the summer when I was teaching. These have been helpful in just understanding who I now am… I’m no longer a teacher, and I am really trying to figure out how that change impacts my sense of self. One thing I have tried to avoid is being an ever-present entity on social media. While I think I have increased my time, I’ve also consciously made sure I am not commenting on everyone’s posts, or posting meme after meme just to make sure people know I’m around.
So far I have spent a great deal of time in the “Pit of Despair” aka the basement, trying to organize 20+ years of junk that has accumulated there. Mostly, it seems that I have a lot of comic books that needed to be sorted and organized and then decisions needed to be made. It seems that I have around 8,000 comics from collecting since I was a child. I’ve gone through them once before, but not in earnest. I’m taking my comics to my favorite local shop, Comic Carnival, and giving them first go at buying what they would like. I know some people might not agree with this, but I am all for simplicity and for helping out a local small business that I want to keep going long into the future. My plan is to take the store credit I get and buy a few key “collector’s” issues to actually invest with. I know I won’t sell them unless I absolutely have to, but if something were to happen to me, I want it to be easy for someone to get the best value for the collectibles I have.

The Pit of Despair… I have moved a few things to make it less “Hoarders” like and easier to navigate around. I’m still going through things, but trying to be thoughtful as I decide what stays, what goes, and what is what.

The Pit has been on my mind for years so getting to that has been important, though slow going. Which leaves me to other projects and trying to figure out exactly what retirement will look like. I have a number of things I geek out about, so what will I focus on? Many people think about all the crazy things I did as a teacher with robots and that is one thing I’m avoiding. I’m going back to drawing, and well, just being creative. While I still think robotics is important I think I need a break, from that and school related stuff. I started by snoozing pretty much my social media feeds from any group related to STEM, Robotics, or School. As they resurface after 30 days, I’ve snoozed them again… someday I may want to go back, but not right now.
What has been on my mind (and the mind of a lot of people new to retirement I guess) is serious adult stuff like income, health insurance, and how am I going to afford this? Fortunately, Sue is still happily working, but I’m still waiting for my pension, to determine health insurance options, and to get all the various other retirement accounts in order and humming along. These all require me working with people who calmly tell me to be patient and don’t worry. While they have the experience… I have watched people burn through a lot more money than I will ever see which is why I’m not doing a lot of things, besides cleaning out the Pit of Despair and mowing the lawn.
I have gone on a few day trips- the Geocaching and Pizza Trail in Seneca County Ohio was a wonderful day trip as was starting the Aviation Trail in and around Dayton, OH. These are getting me out of the house, but also giving me a chance to do small things while I wait. I have a few plans that I’m looking forward to which will help me to understand the direction I want to take- Gen Con, Going Caching, & New York Comic Con and chance to try out a few tribes and see where I fit in.
I have always enjoyed gaming, but being anti-social and an Introvert can make it hard. Gen Con will give me a chance to play and for the first time I will be able to attend the entire four days. I’ve signed up for a few things, but am taking an entire day to play around with puppetry. They have a writing workshop and a puppetry workshop as part of the Con and I’m going to try my hand at puppets- because I’ve always enjoyed the medium. I’ll also be trying out some games, but I have found that I’m always anxious when playing a game, that I will make a mistake… which I tend to do.
I started Geocaching in 2006 after the ISTE conference and while I still enjoy it, Sue is the real cacher in the family. Going Caching is a one day (not really, but the event happens on one day) puzzle based event with a different theme each year. This year it’s based on Vikings so “Uff Da?” We are teaming up with some friends (yes, I do actually have a few of those) and we are trying to decipher the clues to figure out what we need to do. It should be a blast, but only time will tell.
I last went to New York Comic Con when I first started this strip. I went to Web Comics Boot Camp and was given some advice that I wasn’t ready for and a harsh critique of my work which I needed. This time I’m going with my brother and it will be “fascinating” since according to him, he has never attended a comic book convention ever. I was hoping to make this an annual thing with my niece and nephew, but “dad” needs to check it out first. I’m looking forward to being the tour guide fro him and hopefully get him to understand my tribe… if this is my tribe.
So what have I done to celebrate the end of a 35 year career besides clean the basement? I had plans, but until I can feel secure, I’m not doing much. I have commissioned graphics for my Roadster. They will be put on in the next few weeks and I’ll go into details with pictures sometime after that project is done. That is probably the celebration of my new found or yet to be really discovered freedom. In preparation I removed the LEGO bricks from the car, making it less noticeable to former students. In that same thought I shaved my beard. I’ve finished some drawing projects, and started more. I fixed Cecil’s chainmail for Going Caching and have attended a few more geocaching events since I took a hiatus for the hobby. I’m really taking time to discover who might have been hiding behind the guy who devoted 35 years to teaching & his classroom above everything else. Am I a geocacher? Am I a cartoonist? Am I a gamer? Am I a LEGO enthusiast? Am I comic book geek? Am I something else or an amalgam of everything? Only time will tell.

Project 1701: Where No Bruce Has Gone Before

As I have talked about in the past, each year I try to push myself into a creative project that gets me out of my comfort zone. When I decided to retire, I know I would lose access to some really nice equipment that was (for the most part) rarely used. I wanted to engage my students in a final project for the end of the school year and challenged myself at the same time. “Design something using the laser cutter or 3D printer based on something from Pop culture that you like” this was the assignment. A way to get them to work in CAD and try something new. Like anything dealing with technology the assignment had to be changed as the technology advanced. In this case TinkerCAD the entry level online CAD application we were using had just added a simulation part to their interface. So you could simulate how things would behave in real life. So for many of the students who (I don’t know why, but I have my guesses) couldn’t come up with a cartoon character, or something from a video game they wanted to make I added make a carnival game that you can’t win or a marble run. The last few days when most students were done, they were challenged to make Sponge Bob Squarepants. Only one student cheated by finding and copying a file, everyone else tried and did a pretty good job.

This leads me to my project… The third (“and final”) season of Picard was airing while this assignment was going on, so I decided I would try to make the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701 “no bloody A, B, C, or D.” With the addition of “Strange New Worlds” the Enterprise had changed since that original design I first saw growing up in California. I was such a geek I would proudly carry around my copy of the technical manual scouring over it during recess. So I decided to finally finish the project I tried and failed with in Industrial Arts in Middle School, a model of the Enterprise. For transparency, I had the full plans of the refit from the film in 8th grade and just didn’t have the technical skill or the time (mostly the skill) to get past making the saucer out of wood. This time it would be different.

I decided to start by not trying to be exact. I know I have a certain “style” to my art and decided I would just have fun with it, making it a lot more cartoon in its proportions. I took one class period (when I did not have students and threw together a quick model that was recognizable. Then I copied it and started working through adding details and cleaning it up. Iteration 2 wasn’t too bad and I felt from there (after learning how TinkerCAD behaves on an iPad) I was ready to print off a trial.

One thing I knew was our filament based printers weren’t perfect. In fact, they were great in certain circumstances, but in many others they lacked certain abilities. For the record The school had Dremel 3D40 printers using the stock Dremel software to slice .stl files from TinkerCAD. I knew that the software would build scaffolding to support the build and that it would need to be torn off. Also I knew this would be difficult since I had my share of scars from doing this with student projects in the past. I took the design and created various parts to reduce the scaffolding and from there printed a small version to see how it fit together. While it did work… It wasn’t as good as I had wanted. I had the fill set to be more hollow so as I removed the supporting elements the skin was not as strong. Basically the bottom of the saucer was “squishy.” So it was back to TinkerCAD and see what I could do. It was here where I added a few more details, just to see how they would work out.

My next print truly demonstrated on of the limitations as I had taken the saucer section and split it in half when printing so I wouldn’t have as much that needed to be torn away. Unfortunately, the portion of the saucer that should have stuck to the build plate, rose up giving it a curved bottom which would not stay flush with the other half- this led me to going to the dreaded hobby shop and look for things modelmakers use, and things I haven’t played with since I was maybe 12. I bought sandpaper, plastic model cement, and putty to fill in the gaps. This would not be my last trip to the hobby shop- I was going step by step not realizing how much stuff I would need for one “simple” project.

After putting the two halves of the saucer section together and fitting it to the secondary hull. The warp nacelles and deflector dish are still being worked on.

I was really excited about how it was coming together, although I knew there was a lot of work needed to be done. The biggest question was: Are my fixes working? The only way to tell would be to head back to the hobby store and get paint. I started with simple grey primer. and sprayed parts as I worked on them, sanding down parts and realizing that it would take forever to smooth all the ridges formed as the filament went around and around. The other issue would be the flat sections which were part of an intro level CAD app like TinkerCAD. Some of these I was willing to live with, figuring that I could always go back and improve the file later.

Once I thought I was done fiddling with the sandpaper and putty it was time to head back to the hobby store to get paint. Now when it comes to paint, I need to be clear, I was doing this as economically as i could. I was not going to invest in an airbrush (still have nightmares about airbrushes from middle school- my parents told a teacher that I would be happy to give a presentation on how airbrushes work… I had only watched my dad use the airbrush, so when it would work and I was embarrassed in front of the entire class… well middle schoolers can be cruel and back then, they were. This started my extreme belief to always have multiple back up plans whenever dealing with technology). I had stuck with simple spray paint and then started looking for the correct shade of blueish grey for the Enterprise… um, they didn’t have anything like what I wanted, so I went with whatever was closest… which ended up being almost the exact same color as the primer. I also started pulling paint for the other portions that needed painting. trying to stick with basic colors. Oh, a brush and paint thinner were also needed. One thing I had forgotten about over the years was how badly the fumes from this stuff permeate a room. I tried painting in the basement, but quickly moved to the garage with the doors open.

So, how was I going to add the lettering? I could purchase decals from another model, but those would be made for a certain scale ship, and definitely not the one I had made. Back to the hobby shop. I discovered that they now make decals that go through a printer. I have a simple black and white laser printer so I bought the kind that work in a laser or copy machine. Then I had to create the files. and now the geek comes out. OK so there is an “official” Start Trek font, there is also a “Federation” font like the one used on ships since Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The font used in the original series, was pretty much simple sans-serif military font, like those found on naval ships. Was going to try to be accurate, or was I going to go with whatever I wanted. I then looked at what was happening in Strange New Worlds and the font there is somewhat of an amalgam of the two, leaning more towards the later films and shows. I was scared, since the instructions all mentioned putting a layer of decal protection stuff over the decal so it wouldn’t smear, or whatever. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. I still need to deal with the color portion of the design (the red stripe and yellow chevron) but so far…

Now I just need to figure out how to properly display it once I add the color graphics to it. I’m also looking at fiddling around with a silver paint pen, but as always I’m a little apprehensive – then again what’s the worst thing that could happen?

The “R Word”

For those unaware in a few weeks I will bring a close to my teaching career after serving for 35 years in a variety of roles.  I will retire at the end of the month.  Since I suffer from being an introvert, and having low self-esteem. This being the result of a confusing childhood as the second child- retained in third grade (I was “immature”) but later put in the gifted and talented program.  Later on being the black sheep of the family… lots and lots of baggage, most of it just needs to be put back in the attic.  I joked with my parents about the painful mess of being “held back” (something my peers at the time referred to as “flunking”) by reminding them that at over 50- I carry around a stuffed monkey, read comic books and play with LEGO bricks.  Maturity and I don’t get along.  That said, I decided it might help me to go through some of my highlights.  I’m sharing those here because… why not?

I started working with kids when I was in elementary school and hung out with the kindergartner next door doing my homework and teaching him what I was learning.  Then came my little brothers and formally when I turned 18- I became “Mr. Bruce.” I worked in a preschool in Southern California my senior year and during breaks throughout college.  I was that person who would get off the plane from college then get dropped off at school and work until close.  I loved what I was doing and really found joy in working with some amazing teachers who influenced my later teaching- where else would I have learned to say the alphabet backwards?

When I came back to Indiana (against the wishes of my parents) I wasn’t hired until after the start of school.  I had been working for a week as a substitute and had been offered an assistant position, then offered my own classroom.  I felt that I may not have deserved the opportunity, so as with all of my future jobs I felt I needed to prove that my principal had not made a mistake in taking a chance on me.

At my first school I (1988-1994):

  • Started the school’s Young Astronauts program
  • Initiated Movie Nights – watched old 1950’s Science Fiction movies to raise money for the Young Astronauts.
  • Arranged an annual Huntsville US Space & Rocket Center Trip which later became the highlight of fifth grade.
  • Did multiple Graphic Design projects including Brochures & Shirts
  • Was Math Pentathlon coach for Division 1
  • Instituted a Video Portfolio grade 1 of highlights from the year.
  • Weekly poetry recitations with first graders (My favorite was Shel Silverstein’s “It’s Dark in Here” recited while wearing a bag with a lion’s head drawn on it.
  • Help create the School Wide Aerospace Theme
  • Was invited to be a part of the NASA Educational Workshop for Elementary School Teachers
  • Attended the Space Orientation for Professional Educators through the University of Huntsville
  • Presented at a few conferences
  • Worked on a planning team at the Children’s Museum on their redesign of their Science Gallery.
  • Trained teachers in using the StarLab portable planetarium

I left when a new school opened up… I applied as a way to get a friend of mine to apply (she was really into International Education and thought it would be a great fit) I was asked to join the staff, she wasn’t.  There is part of me that still wishes I had stayed at my first school, but I did what I thought was expected.  Time to make sure my new principal thinks they made the right decision, especially since I think they were told to take me by central office administration.  

At my second school I (1994-2005):

  • Enrolled at Butler University’s EPPSP (Group XIV was in the top five of my school law class)
  • Started a short lived Young Astronauts program and took those kids to Huntsville
  • Started a classroom theme: “World Wide Studios” in which the class created video portfolios of their year.  Running around with a VHS camcorder on field trips, editing tape
  • One year my 3rd grade class created a Film Adaptation of the opera Turnadot (no singing- although Nessun Dorma by a children’s choir might have been interesting)
  • Set up the format for daily video morning announcements that the students were in charge of everything-  I only served as Executive Producer
  • Assumed the role of Technology Coordinator for the building which morphed into computer lab teacher and building technology support and professional development
  • Coordinated a curriculum highlighting the works of Alexander Calder
  • Received a Calderfest Creativity Award
  • Helped create the initial District Website and served as the webmaster for multiple schools doing web design and graphic design
  • Started a Comic book club
  • Received my first Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship where I studied animation at Disney and brought back what I had learned to incorporate it in my classroom
  • Started a Heroclix Club
  • Helped develop an astronomy curriculum for third grade culminating in Starry Story Night and overnight filled with activities for students and parents
  • Worked with a group of students to create a short film: The Great Brain Robbery for the National Children’s Film Festival that took second place and was later aired on HBO 
  • Served in a variety of roles for the Indiana Computer Educators on the board and conference committee
  • Received a District Above & Beyond Award

After years of being told I should go to the district’s Science & Technology Magnet school and multiple failed attempts, I fell into a teaching position there.  Once again, especially in this case after so many failed attempts & the reason for moving schools, I felt the need to prove that I deserved to be at this school.

So at my most recent school I 2005-2023:

  • Using my certification from NEWEST brought Moon Rocks for fifth graders to examine 
  • Even though I had been nominated a couple times and never received the award I served as an IPL Golden Apple Judge
  • Served as Magnet integration Specialist at two schools- developing the vision for the STEM program and creating an online hub of resources an and lessons for each grade
  • Created the Social Media presence for the elementary schools and provided professional development to the other Magnet Specialists on all things technology
  • Served as a Technology Integration Specialist for a year providing PD and just in time troubleshooting
  • As Magnet Specialist, I created a VEX robotics team through a grant from Bloomington Robotics Club-  One team won the Rookie Team award – since there was no elementary school program, they competed with High School teams
  • Started a VEX IQ team funded by a grant from TechPoint Foundation for Youth and served as coach – in my time six teams went to State, one to the World Championship 
  • Served as a REC Foundation Event Partner 
  • Served on the inaugural REC Foundation Coach Advisory Board 
  • Was named a LEGO Education US LEGO Master Educator 
  • Was named a LEGO Education Ambassador
  • Served as a FIRST LEGO League tournament director
  • Helped create and coordinate the District VEX IQ League serving over 11 schools and 33ish teams.
  • Received a second Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship this time to visit the UK and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mini Cooper through a webcomic
  • Curated a graphic novel/comic book library in my classroom
  • School Teacher of the Year
  • District Teacher of the Year
  • Article: Technology & Learning on the importance of failure in learning & teaching
  • Served as a VEX IQ Worlds Judge
  • Served as a VEX IQ Worlds Scorekeeper
  • Received an Above & Beyond Award from the district 

For the most part the stuff I have listed are outside of just teaching… You see to me kids (and teachers) are different after school and sometimes the best way to get to know a student is to not be in the role of teacher. Here’s the thing… it looks like I did a lot.  Maybe I did, but I have to ask myself… was it enough?  Every time I received recognition I wondered if it’s because I did something, I was in the right place at the right time, or if there was more I should have done.  My identity has always revolved around my career.  Many people know that if it has to do with school, it is my priority & has been pretty much since I was 18. My kids and their needs have always been the most important thing.  I don’t have my own kids- I borrow some for 180 days and try to do my best for them.

I’m asked – do I have a favorite class? I have memories from every year. I wish I could remember every student- I do. I actually can, if you give me enough time, but pouncing on me with a “Do you remember me?” in the middle of a store will make me run away in terror and then remembering the highlights of your antics while driving home, depressed that I couldn’t pull it all up that instant.

So why stop now?  Lots of reasons- a story for another day when I decide to unpack some of the more recent baggage. Now I head into that “Undiscovered Country” I wonder what will happen.  Part of me feels like David Tennant at the end of his run as the Doctor*… “I don’t want to go.”  Then I think… He regenerated into Matt Smith… and bow ties ARE cool.  Here’s to my regeneration at the end of the month- GERONIMO!

*Yes, I know he’s coming back for a brief time but still – he did regenerate.

Uncle Bruce’s Guide to Dungeons and Dragons Or like it was known in the late 70’s and 80’s: Satanism 101

Role playing games are basically choose your own adventure stories in which everyone gets to decide the path the story goes. They range in complexity and are usually set in a Fantasy, or Science Fiction world. Think about it, being a level 14 elementary school teacher might be adventurous, but after a while grading papers for nights on end can get a bit boring.

Dungeon & Dragons is the grandfather of them all (I’m sure someone will argue the point, but for me it was a great starting place, and still is).  Based on a fantasy world in which magic is in the air and mythical creatures exist.  Just watch the beginning of Disney’s “Onward” from 2020- just watch out for gelatinous cubes. 2023 will bring a new live action film which looks rather good – “Honor Among Thieves”  as of this writing all we have are trailers, so- Caveat Emptor.

Starting out:

What do you want to be?  You pick your character, the person running the game “The Dungeon Master” also known as “Game Master” also known as “Jeff” or in your case ‘Uncle Bruce” is more of a narrator and rules arbitrator.  They set the world before you and adjust to what the group decides, guiding them through the story to hopefully a happy ending.

Do you want to be an elf or a dwarf?  Do you want to swing a sword or throw lightning bolts?  When you create a character there are pros and cons to every choice.

Character Creation Basics:

Attributes:

Strength- How strong you are

Dexterity- How fast you are, how accurate you are when hitting something

Intelligence- How smart you is

Wisdom- How wise you are- can you be fooled?

Constitution- Health, How much damage can you take?

Charisma- How people see you- Are you a pretty boy? Are you someone people fear? Do people naturally trust you?

Races/Species:

Each race/species has their own pros & cons.  One thing to always consider is what are the disadvantages and how big are they.  For example:  I have learned that for me having a character that has “darkvision” is better than carrying a torch around.  Torches tend to be like bright targets to dungeon dwelling monsters.

The basics are:

Humans-  Just your average “Joe” or “Josephine” +1 to all ability scores, no darkvision

Halflings (Hobbits) – Short, furry feet no darkvision +2 Dexterity, Lucky (reroll 1’s

Lightfoot – +1 Charisma, Stealthy

Stout – +1 Constitution, advantage vs. Poison

Dwarves – Like mining and beards. Darkvision advantage against poison

Hill Dwarf- +1 Wisdom

Mountain Dwarf +2 Strength

Elves – can be rather full of themselves  Darkvision, +2 Dexterity

High Elf- +1 Intelligence, Wizard Cantrip

Wood Elf- +1 Wisdom

Drow- +1 Charisma, Superior Darkvision, disadvantages to sunlight usually seen as evil- c’mon they worship a giant spider goddess

Lesser known: which means the DM can say “no” or make it really weird every time you need to go into a town. “The townspeople shutter their windows as the Dragonborn walks by…”  “The priest at the local temple gathers a mob to drive the Tiefling out of town before evil descends and destroys this season’s harvest”  “There’s something weird about the way people look at you.”

Gnomes – +2 Intelligence, Darkvision, advantage on INT WIS & CHA saves vs. magic

Forest Gnome +1 Dexterity, minor illusion cantrip, talk to animals

Rock Gnome- +1 Constitution Tinker

Dragonborn – Don’t ask me how, but half dragon half human +2 strength, +1 Charisma

Draconic Ancestry breath weapon varies

Tieflings – demons get around =1 intelligence, +2 Charisma, darkvision, Thaumaturgy cantrip Hellish rebuke spell, darkness spell at 5th level

Half Elf – Elves slumming it +2 Charisma, +1 two other scores, darkvision, advantage vs. charmed and sleep magic

Half Orc – Orcs meet up with humans who are into bad boys & girls- you know the ones trying to rebel against their parent’s authority  +2 Strength, +1 Constitution, darkvision, extra damage on a critical hit

Character Classes:

What is you job/profession?  What are you doing adventuring around?

The basic character classes are:

Fighter – hits things with a sword

Magic-User – when in doubt, cast a fireball at things.

Cleric – OMG! Help me!  Usually uses the divine to help and support characters.

Rogue – Where’s my wallet?  Hides, and picks locks.

There are others, but these are pretty much the root of all characters each has their pros and cons and in the old school D&D subclasses:

Fighter: Strength or Dexterity, Constitution or Intelligence (if you want to cast spells)

Barbarian: Fighter with anger management issues  Strength, Constitution

Paladin: Fighter + Cleric  (Holier than thou attitude) Strength, Charisma

Monk: “everybody was Kung-Fu fighting”  Dexterity, Wisdom

Ranger: Fighter + Druid  Dexterity, Wisdom  Think Robin Hood

Magic-User:

Wizard:  Knowledge is POWER  Intelligence, Constitution or Dexterity

Sorcerer:  I was just born this way Charisma, Constitution

Warlock:  Power from a devil or Demon. Charisma, Constitution

Cleric: Wisdom, Strength or Constitution

Druid: Wisdom, Constitution

Rogue: Thief, spy, con artist Dexterity, Intelligence or Charisma

Bard: A little bit from column a and a bit from column b.  Charisma, Dexterity

Check to see when things happen for each class- When do you get certain powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men?  Each class will have a point where you can increase an ability score- this would be when (if you wanted to) exchange this for adding a feat.  

“I think your Alignment might be off.”

Every fandom has their version of Alignments. I agree with one of my old DM’s who had one rule- we do not play evil characters because that is who we are fighting against. To put it simply these are the Alignments. I have found that while it is fun to play something that isn’t “you” it is harder than you think, since your own morals tend to get mixed up in how to react to situations. For this I tend to play either Lawful Good or Chaotic Good which is determined by my characters background.

The Naming of Names

The last thing you should do after rolling everything out and figuring out who your character is would be to give it a name. I have found that this can be the window into the player’s soul. If you are serious you create some fanciful name that fits within the world. You may just name it after a character from a story. How many fighters are named after Arthurian knights, or Conan the Barbarian? How many wizards are named “Gandalf” or something similar? How many elves are named “Elrond” or Halflings named “Frodo”? The name should be meaningful for you and who cares what other people think? As you will see, I’m a little silly when it comes to my naming of characters, because that’s the way I play. I don’t take the game or my character too seriously.

Over complicating things at the start…

There are a few things that are listed as optional or at the “DM’s discretion” sometimes these are little things that aren’t a big deal, just understand that while your character can be used in another game, another DM may not have the same open-mindedness that another one has. Also keep in mind that everyone has a different level of experience or even access to materials. When I am playing with a new group, I always start with a simple straightforward character out of the Player’s Handbook. I don’t add anything outside of the basic rules. I figure until I know the group, this is the best. I chuckle when a new player who has just finished rolling out their character sits next to someone who starts off with, “My character is a Warforged.” Which is from a book that the DM and the player might have access to, but no one else. Then they announce that they are an Artificer, that class is from a different book, so now instead of a world inhabited by elves, dwarves and humans, we now have droids with blasters…

What happens after your first adventure?

Good question. For a lot of people that is the time where they need to decide if they like the character they have and want to continue or if they want to try something else. Sometimes, after one adventure, a player will realize that they like what another player’s character was doing and will want to start new. Sometimes, one adventure automatically leads into another – hence the chance to have an EPIC campaign rivaling the Odyssey or Le Mort D’Arthur or Game of Thrones or Toy Story.

The Awesomeness of Third Level-

Most character classes require you to make some choice at third level.  The idea is that you have a basic knowledge of how the game functions so now you can customize your character to better meet whatever your vision may be.  By this time if you have not come up with a backstory, you may want to since it helps in roleplaying.  You should look at what those options are and maybe start steering your character that way from the beginning.

Uncle Bruce’s Role Playing Evolution:

I started off playing a Lawful Evil assassin (Thief subclass) and basically did everything that in real life I would never do.  The Marquis de Iblis served me well through many adventures throughout high school.

In college I played a magic user who carried a katana.  We used the Middle Earth Role Playing System based on ICE. He was pretty much a bait and switch character.  You saw this vagabond on the road, thinking he was a down and out fighter and then from out of nowhere you got hit with a lightning bolt.  Greyf was actually used by my DM at home to confuse his hone group during one of their adventures.

I returned to D&D playing a rogue in a few games (Cecil), a Wizard in a few games (Bibbiti Bobbiti Boo) a Barbarian in one game (Oogachucka) finally settling on a series of Bards (Lennon McCartney, Simon Garnetfunkel, Peter Paulenmary, and now Arlo) to me the bard is the most versatile of the classes allowing you to heal, cast spells, and fight. The Bard College you choose at third level helps to refine what direction you want your character to go.

Snow Day 2023

Adults tend to have fond memories of “Snow Days.” Those magical breaks due to bad weather that happen throughout those places that get snow.

Years ago Snow Days were just part of doing business. In Indiana a school district would apply for a waiver and not have up make them up, unless you took off weeks at a time. My first few years we had “Make Up Days” Martin Luther King’s Birthday and President’s Day we’re on the calendar as days we would go to school if we needed. One year, it happened. The community got upset, the media was called and we ended up adding days to the end of the year. Which was good since the last possible day for a blizzard is well into March. Having taught for as many years as I have I know if we can make it past the High School Boys Basketball Finals we are safe.

Make up days are still around and part of the calendar but waivers died when a new Superintendent of Public Instruction came into office and decided besides that public money should go to vouchers and charters, that test scores should be used to punish schools and teachers, that also all days need to be made up- no matter what. The school year is 180 days, period. Waivers were a thing of the past. We started dealing with delays instead… did it help improve education? Not really. It did give me two hours to shovel my driveway. Once we finally got used to the “new normal” we had a pandemic.

The race to virtual schooling and its impact has been debated and discussed so I won’t even go into that here. What it did really, was put a nail in the coffin of the “Snow Day.” Even though devices may not normally go home, if there is a chance of bad weather, suddenly it’s OK. There’s a scramble to make sure the system works and Zoom links working. Virtual classes replaced sleeping in, playing in the snow, just being a kid. The gift of an unscheduled reprieve from the daily grind is no longer. If anything it has become worse than a regular day. Trying to figure out device/connectivity issues through a screen. Trying to mute parents talking loudly about things they should talk about around small children, but now the entire class can hear. You see the inequities firsthand and wish the people who had the power to change things would understand.

I guess just wish the kids could have played today, but with the high stakes tests on the horizon what else can schools do?

What are we up to… take 47?

It’s been a long while and many things have changed since I last posted anything. So let’s try this whole thing from the beginning…

Hi! I’m Bruce, sometime cartoonist, most of the time stressed out elementary school teacher “happily” living with my wife, two cats and a stuffed monkey trying to figure out the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything or at least trying to figure out what 42 has to about it. I like to draw (but don’t do it that much) I like to motor (that’s the MINI term for driving aimlessly around), I build LEGO sets, I play games, read comic books, and I stress about all the adulting I should be doing.

During the week I teach Robotics & Design to grades 1-6 in a public school. I coach the robotics team (yes, it is a sport) and try to figure out how to prepare elementary kids for a future I may never see. I’m glad I read science fiction as a kid, but somehow that isn’t helping since we didn’t colonize the Moon in the 1980’s and aliens have not made their presence known, yet. Also… flying cars?!? I know I was suppose to have one by now. The current view of the future is grim.

I have tried to do a blog in the past and end up figuring out that what I have to say isn’t that important- I’m not a celebrity. I’m not too controversial (teachers learn to hide that side, if they like to stay employed). I’m just a geek traveling through life trying to make sense of it all, and learning that failing is all part of the process. So for today this was a start… we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Simpler Times?

This is a stream of consciousness so ignore all the mistakes.  It is a simplified response to something that really made me scratch my head. You see when everything first started closing down due to this global pandemic I recall thinking that this is the “new 9/11.” Hear me out on this and the countries reactions to both from my point of view.

September 11, 2001 started off pretty normally for me I was preparing for Morning Announcements at school when I recall how, but I saw something about the first plane. I went to one of the TV’s near the office and turned it on so that the office staff could keep up with what was happening. While walking by that TV I saw the second plane – My first thought was it was a clip from some new action movie. From that point on it was a whirl. If I recall correctly since the kids didn’t know, it was decided that we would “act normally” and let each family discuss it in a manner that they chose. Being the Technology Coordinator for the building I spent the rest of my time sending updates out to the staff from various news sites so they wouldn’t be wondering about what was going on. Four planes that changed the world.

Before 9/11 there wasn’t a Dept. of Homeland Security or a TSA. Before 9/11 security checks at airports meant you quickly walked through a metal detector and your bag went through an x-ray machine. You could meet people at the gate as they got off the plane. You could bring a bottle of water through security. You didn’t have to take your shoes or belt off.  When things started to change and rules were enacted I remember people were annoyed, but it was something we all put up with to make sure air travel was safe. The world changed they way they did things. We worked together to come up with a solution. We changed and things got safer. I still grumble a bit about flying, but I acknowledge the reasoning behind the inconvenience and am will for the greater good to just do it.

Imagine if people reacted the way they are for COVID-19 on 9/11.  After a quick security check we’d reopen all the airports after an hour or two. Each airport would be responsible for how they dealt with security, those larger airports doing more than the smaller ones. We would not have nationalized airport security.  Half the population would comply to whatever the airports asked them to do, the other half would claim their freedoms were being attacked because they had to take off their shoes.  No one claimed the other political party planned the whole thing to bring down the president. No one said that the planes really didn’t hit the towers, that the numbers of deaths were inflated (You know any death that happened on 9/11 was counted, even if it had nothing to do with it- a person dies of natural causes in Ohio- it was 9/11), or that 99% of people in the buildings actually got out safely.  Yes, there were conspiracy theories, but most were ignored until we had taken care of everyone.

What happened in between 9/11 and now? How did we get this messed up? in 2001 as a country we pulled together and comforted each other. We didn’t fight each other over wearing a mask in public. Did everyone like the president? No, but when it came to this, we got a clear message from Washington, not being spun to try a sway an election. No one even considered that the message was political. Politics for a time were taken off the table. A short time but still a moment of peace. We acted like adults. Why is that so difficult?  Just because we can’t see what’s going on?  Just because there isn’t a big explosion?

The big question is- when this is all over (and at some point it will either be over, or we will adapt) what will the new normal be?  I’m not sure, because right now all we have are people clinging to the old normal and hoping that the problem will all disappear if we just wish hard enough. Unfortunately adults know wishes don’t always come true.

For the record, I did not formally research anything, it is strictly from my memories and observations, I’m sure I’ve got some things wrong- but this is my little world and you don’t have to live in it if you don’t want to.  Your mileage may vary.

A “Typical” Day Under Quarantine

Since we’ve been doing this for more than a few weeks, I’ve started to get into a routine. Now with the Governor of Indiana closing schools for the remainder of the year, I thought it would be nice to go through my typical day.

Typical Quarantined Morning:

  • 5:00- 5:30 ish- Hemi wakes me up to feed him
  • Go back to sleep Hemi on my chest, Issi plopped next to me
  • 7:00 ish (give or take an hour) go through email and the news on my phone. Reply to messages from family or are/seem urgent. Note: cats have not moved. Issi flopped on my hip & Hemi purring on my chest. Post something profound while trapped.
  • Shower, brush teeth, get dressed
  • Turn the kettle on for tea, toast some bread, sometimes I’ll fix bacon & eggs.
  • Eat breakfast
  • Go over any tasks for the day that are time sensitive – Monday’s record weekly drawing lesson & LCL meeting, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s Zoom meetings with kids. Thursday’s staff meetings.
  • Look at daily to do list- check email, Seesaw & Canvas. These are learning management systems- Seesaw for grades 1-4, Canvas for grades 5 & 6. This is where I post activities and lessons. I am currently looking at adding Flipgrid to the mix.
  • Throughout the day
    • Share appropriate tweets for school (building challenges, new things that have become available online) post similar items to Facebook
    • Read currently reading Lifelong Kindergarten. Finished The Queens of Animation, rereading Ready Player One, Understanding Comics, and Making Comics.
    • LEGO- could be sorting and cleaning up or building
    • Work on something for school- I have brought a number of things home to learn more about including WeDo 2.0, Spike Prime, micro:bit, beginning Arduino, Makey Makey, Chibitronics… and every time I have a chance to get into the building, I bring more stuff out. I still need to bring home: a Sphero RVR, a Qdee, so many Kickstarter things I felt would be cool in my classroom and haven’t had the time to figure out.
    • Lunch happens sometime along with lap time for Hemi.
    • Draw
    • Clean my studio
    • Look at the long list of projects that I said “when I have time I really should…” shrug shoulders and move on.
    • Check Social Media, Seesaw, Canvas, & email.
    • Think about heading out to: Comic Carnival, the LEGO Store, school… remember- I can’t do that.
    • Shake my head at something silly someone seriously posted in Social Media.
  • Dinner- either look around the kitchen or (once a week) order out and pick up.
  • Play with cat (Issi)
  • Sit with cat (Hemi) on my lap wondering what happened to the TV remote- use my phone instead.
  • Have cat (Issi) meow incessantly about playing, even though we just played for ten minutes.
  • Watch something silly on TV so far: The Tiger King, Ugly Delicious, Making It Season 2, Frozen 2, Tangled, The Princess and the Frog, Jack Ryan (we saw an episode at ComicCon Paris), one episode of Kingdom, a Korean historical zombie series… basically a wide variety of junk, that will grow bigger and bigger as the weeks go by. We subscribe to Disney +, CBS All Access, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime- so there is a large library of dumb things we can watch.
  • Complain about how I need a new phone because mine doesn’t hold a charge that long. Especially since the iPhone SE was just announced and a re-engineered iPhone 8 > an ancient iPhone 7 but still a manageable size.
  • Look at the time- go to bed, with Hemi on my chest and Issi attacking my feet through the covers or flopped on my hip.
  • Rinse & Repeat

The differences between this and a typical school day not during robotics season.?

  • Cats wake me up at 5:30 for breakfast. Return to bed.
  • Wake up rush through a shower, etc. no time for breakfast.
  • Arrive at school between 6:30 – 7:00.
  • Get things ready. Start answering email- have alarm go off for bus duty before I get anything finished. Grab a breakfast/protein bar or whatever is around for breakfast at my desk get a large cup of tea (Earl Grey- Hot)
  • 7:30 Bus Duty
  • Continue prep/office work until alarm goes off to pick up breakfast trays for first grade classes at 8:00
  • 8:10 today’s 6th grade class starts, followed by 5th, and 4th grade classes. 5 minutes between classes if everything is going perfectly- humans are involved, so it doesn’t ever run perfectly.
  • 10:30ish Prep time- clean up from morning classes get ready for the afternoon classes, have kids come in to work on projects during their free time.
  • Work on LEGO project at the window if a build has been started (one bag a day)
  • Check email
  • Grab lunch
  • 11:55ish 1st grade class starts followed by 2nd, and 3rd grade classes.
  • 2:35ish Bus Duty
  • Clean up room- let late bus kids check out books from my graphic novel library. If robotics kids are staying late, help them as needed.
  • Review projects from the day, adjust plans accordingly- fix any glaring errors or add new discoveries.
  • Check email
  • Work through project ideas & grant opportunities
  • Look up at clock and realize it’s after 5:00
  • Get whatever I’m working on to a stopping point.
  • Go home between 5:30- 6:00

My “contract day” is from 7:30 to 3:45 with a 45 minute prep period and 30 minutes for lunch. I think the most difficult thing I’m having to adjust to during the quarantine, besides not interacting with the kids (I never realized how the kids give me energy throughout the day), is being able to use the bathroom whenever I need. This will be one of the most difficult transitions when we return.

As for time and projects- I’m finding the time I spend directly working with kids has flip-flopped with the time I prep and research. Instead of teaching 6th graders about building and programming Sumobots using NXT blocks I’m building and programming a Sumobot using Spike Prime to see how that transition might work. I’m finally working through some of the items we have in the maker space, or I’ve had for years. I’m learning how and when to integrate Makey Makey into lessons. I’m reading books like – Mitch Resnick’s Lifelong Kindergarten, and Michael Cohen’s Educated by Design. I’ve always done various webinars, but I was able to go to Wonder Workshop’s Virtual Summit, and I’m part of the Learning Creative Learning group through M.I.T. So I’m learning Scratch all over again. Many of these activities I would not be able to actively take part in during the school year.

Another thing that is missing- the sometimes panicked rush of the school day. What I mean is, I’m having time, actual time, to really get into a project and spend an entire day on it. School days I’m bouncing between classes. During my Lunch & Prep time is when I get to read and respond to emails during the school day. On a normal day I will have just started to work on a reply to some urgent request when my alarm will go off saying I have 5 minutes until my class shows up. by the time I get back to my computer 3 hours have passed, and hundreds of micro-events so I basically need to start over.

A Few Thoughts for Adults Trapped with Kids.

This week while it being Spring Break (for some strange reason I just am not feeling it right now) I have been asked to answer a few questions for a local publication on Teaching & Learning during the Quarantine. This is what I came up with after reading and answering the questions. This is not what was published, I’ve added a few more random clarifications, and thoughts. As with anything I post you get typos free of charge.

Before you say anything else- 1. No, I don’t have kids, therefore I really don’t understand anything about kids, or raising them. I’ve enjoyed hearing that for over 30 years. Ask my little brothers- I have done my share of raising kids. 2. I’m a proponent for playful learning and believe younger kids especially, learn best through play. Structured sometimes, guided sometimes, but still play. I don’t know of a single primary ages student who likes doing worksheets, unless they are coloring pages-I like coloring pages. The adult just needs to watch and ask questions, even silly ones throughout the process. 3. For the most part everything I mention I have tried in some form in my own classroom. Genius Hour for example, I failed many times, just because I am not good an managing the progress of 200+ individual projects from 5th & 6th graders who all they want to do is avoid doing anything. However, one kid- I think I could handle that. Just always keep in mind that children are just as anxious as we are- maybe even more so because they haven’t had their imagination squished. Don’t expect everything to work- everyone IS different. Oh, I was planning on doing a lot of this while visiting my niece and nephew this week, but something came up and I find traveling to New Rochelle, NY a little bit more difficult than I had first thought. So here in unedited glory are my thoughts on spending unlimited time with kids trapped in a house.

Bruce Nelson is the 2019 Lawrence Township Teacher of the Year, after almost 30 years as a classroom teacher, technology coordinator, and STEM specialist he now serves as the Robotics and Design Teacher at Indian Creek Elementary working with students from first to sixth grade. Mr. Nelson is currently the only LEGO Education US LEGO Master Educator in Indiana. As a LEGO Master Educator he works with LEGO Education on development of new products and curriculum.

Opportunities to learn surround us every day, it just matters what we choose to do with them. As adults, we’ve learned to focus on the task at hand and ignore many of these opportunities. To a child, they tend to be filled with questions- “why?”tends to top the list. Learning at home is not going to be the same for every family. As a parent you need to work within your available time and comfort level. Setting up a basic routine helps, but things happen so unlike at school your routine can be a lot more flexible. If there are specific times you need to be “at work” schedule some independent activity for your children at that time. Let them know that you will be glad to see what they have done after you have finished. While this is a scary time for all of us, it is especially frightening for kids- everything that they know has changed. Be aware of this and be patient. While this is a hard time for everyone, it can be a wonderful adventure too. Make time to create happy memories for both of you. In 20 years, around the dinner table think about the stories you and your child can share about the 2020 quarantine.

Every school is different in what they are asking students to do. Do your best to help your child through whatever work they have. If you have a question, get in touch with your child’s teacher. I know that the teachers at my school have been asked to contact their students and families at least once a week. Many are using email, text messaging, or social media to stay in touch some are even video conferencing with their class so the students can see each other and know their friends are safe and healthy. One of those routine things that is missing are kids having a chance to socialize. You can have your child talk with friends and family via, any of the software and websites available (FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, etc.) Right now I’m using a combination of social media and email to try to keep all 700 students at Indian Creek up to date with activities. Please feel free to follow @explorobots on Facebook and Twitter to see some of my suggestions. I tend to post links to some of the amazing free resources authors, museums, and companies have made available. Starting the first week in April I’ll be releasing a drawing/design unit on YouTube, for any interested students. As for a silver bullet website or app? There is no easy answer to that, all I can say is if your child’s school is using it, that is a pretty big endorsement. As for limiting screen time- I’m usually a big fan, but right now the key is be flexible.

As a parent their are hundreds of activities you could do with your child they may not match the state standards, but they do teach valuable skills. Playing a board game or card game (winning against an adult is something to be proud of- don’t be easy on them). Games teach math skills, active problem solving, perseverance, and how to lose graciously. To take this to the next level- have your child create their own game- Maybe something where the players have to find toilet paper.

Making sets and costumes from whatever you have around the house- this leads into story telling, maybe movie making. They might even be able to make a stop-motion LEGO movie!

Cooking and learning how to follow a recipe are great activities that teach math, sequencing and patience. Look online for simple recipes.

As students get older “Genius Hour” where the student decides on a project and then they do it. This could be solving a major problem like trash in the ocean, or maybe researching how hospital workers are protecting themselves and see if they can find a better way. Maybe trying to figure out how the pyramids were built. This type of project follows the engineering design process- basically see the problem, research what has been done, develop a solution, test it, then improve on it. When a student decides on something they really care about- they won’t stop working on it.

Also for older students- think about things that you wish you had known before you became and adult, things that you had to learn- the hard way. Maybe it’s figuring out loan interest, budgeting, changing a tire, or taxes. Give your child some firsthand knowledge on things that they will need forever. Middle schoolers are notorious for asking “When am I ever going to need this?” Teach them something they will need.

Have your child read or read to your child. If you aren’t comfortable reading aloud- Find an audio book you all may like. Stop every once in awhile and ask questions- like “Why do you think that character did that? Or”What do you think will happen next?” Have everyone guess and see who is closest to what really happens- then again someone’s guess might be better than what the author came up with.

You all know your child better than anyone else, you know when they get frustrated, or tired- no matter what, this shouldn’t be a time where you are fighting with you child. A large portion of the day should be up to them. Have your child set a daily goal- some things may be nonnegotiable- like schoolwork, or reading time, but you’ve got all day there isn’t a rush.

I have been amazed at how everyone is stepping up to help out. online many authors, actors, museums, artists, and even publishers are sharing with the public. Find your favorite author, or cartoonist and see what they may be doing. It could be posting activities, maybe a video, or an online Q&A. It’s been wonderful to see how everyone is trying to help out.

As for your child’s teacher- Believe me teachers are missing their students just as much as some of the kids are missing school. Schools are figuring this out as we go. The analogy I keep coming back to is “We are building the plane while in flight.” ‘Fasten your seatbelts it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” Those of us who feel comfortable with technology are trying some pretty awesome things, but not all teachers are the same. Your child’s teacher may be a wizard at teaching face to face. So don’t judge- we’re all in this together and teachers, in a lot of cases, are parents too.

Remember: be patient, be flexible, and wash your hands often.

A Geek Quarantine: Week 2

The best laid plans of mice… so I’m starting to get into a rhythm, but not like the off season (aka Summer). Monday I returned to school this time to stay out of people’s way as they handed out food, school supplies, and Chromebooks. I had made the decision to contact a few of the kids on the robotics team and give them a task to accomplish. 5 students on Monday picked up complete robot kits. Basically, the robot they had used for the season, a charger, a battery, a controller, and the necessary wires. Their job- become experts in programming. VEX released VEXIQ blocks this season as their own programming solution. In the past robots were programmed using a variety of programs: Modkit, Robot C, etc. for those of us in the elementary school these wear all block based programs, meaning that instead of typing in commands, commands are dragged into the workspace, and variables are changed to get the results you want. That’s pretty basic, but that’s it in a nutshell- as always there is more to it, but I have never been a good programmer (ask my wife- she still chuckles over the fact that she got an A in programming and I dropped it! Although I still claim it was because I had the class at 8:00 AM and in college I wasn’t a morning person.)

I have been quietly waiting to find out exactly what eLearning looks like for me. For the classroom teacher with “only” 30 students, while not easy, there is a limited scope to what you do. Mostly you stay in contact as best you can with those 30 kids and make sure that they know you are there for them. Helping them keep some sense of normalcy. While focused on learning, we are mostly (and rightfully) focused on the child and meeting their needs. For me I’m trying to figure out how to do this with over 700 kids. The school has been experimenting with solutions. That’s really all we can do right now- try something out and see how it works. From calls & emails, to video conferencing we’ve tried a number of things- Talking Points (text messages to families) Canvas & SeeSaw (online Learning Management Systems), Zoom (video conferencing) and many others. The issue is how can the students access the information. We are discovering that everyone has a smartphone, not a computer. So many of our solutions only work well on a computer. Currently texting through Talking Points is the best solution. I just don’t feel right texting 700 people just to say “Hi.” I’ve learned as a special area teacher that for the most part families care a lot about the core subjects, but as for Music, P.E., Robotics, etc. unless they are interested in the subject, or are grade driven, it isn’t as important. So for the time being I have been using Twitter and Facebook to send out resources and activities to the world. That is about to change, hopefully for the better.

As I sat thinking through what I could do with 700 kids from Grades 1-6 in Robotics & Design, I fell back to Design. Design is something I have tried to do to make up for the lack of an Art class at my school. This year as I have waited (almost patiently) for certain bits of technology to work I have fallen on drawing as an alternative. So what if I did this online? Then this led me to the 3rd grade Fairy Tale unit that ends with the students creating a fractured fairy tale in comic book form. The culminating activity is a “Comic-Con” in which everyone dressed up as a hero of their own making for a day. I chuckle, because when I last checked no one in third grade had ever attended a Con, so all they had was the media’s view- which is weird people wandering around dressed up in costumes aka society’s view of Cosplay. I didn’t want to overstep so I asked the third grade teachers and only heard back with “we were hoping you might do some drawing with our kids”or something like that. I pressed on and asked my principal, so I brought I up at the daily meeting of the grade level PLC leaders. It got a lukewarm warm response, but no one said “no.” So now we are on Spring Break, and I have a week to put together a multi-week unit on comic book creation using the other thing that everyone has access to- YouTube.

Besides school/work the rest of the week had some high points and low points. You can decide what goes into column A and which goes in Column B. Sue is now working mostly from home. Everything nonessential has been closed down. We have started ordering take out to support some of our local restaurants. Comic Carnival, my local comic book shop, has had to close for the duration. They were able to get out Wednesday’s books on Tuesday. I have purchased gift certificates to help them out. Saltire Games, my local game shop sent out links to game companies that are giving a percentage of each sale to local game stores. My niece & nephew just got a few board games heading their way. I’m getting to all those pesky projects that I have been putting off.

The rebuild of the LEGO Batcave is one of those projects. Those of you who don’t know (how could you not know?!) I build with LEGO. The term is AFOL Adult Fan Of LEGO. I have found it a nice way to relax after a hard day. In past I have displayed things at some of the local shows. One thing I built after the LEGO Batman Movie was a Batcave. I incorporated an iPad Mini into the build as the Batcomputer- which would cycle through trailers of the film and finally the film itself. It was enormous, taking up at least one full table. I liked it, but it just was missing something.so I took the whole thing apart and walked away from it. This week on the show LEGO Masters the teams were asked to build a superhero/supervillain headquarters/lair/hideout. I decided to go back and try the Batcave again, but concentrated. My first two iterations dealt with area- how much space could I take up? This one I’m limiting to just two base plates in area, so I need to build up not out. I’ve started on the base which would be the water- so the home to bat boats and bat subs and bat kayaks. So far I have not added any details, just the setting. Building it as sturdy as possible – with the time I have this could be a challenge, especially if I run out of elements, but then again, that’s what makes it a challenge.

Finally- I’m catching up on things either Sue or I have missed. We saw Outbreak, for the first time, because… it seemed appropriate. We’re getting to know our share of Disney princesses. Learned way too much about the tiger trade in the U.S. We discovered love isn’t always blind, and what a “catfish” is in social media (I guess we just don’t hang around with the right crowd online, or maybe we actually do). We’ve learned about Viking warrior women, and drained the Bermuda Triangle, San Francisco Bay, and the area around the Titanic before looking for Atlantis. All this while our cats have snoozed on our laps.

So when will this all end? I’m guessing not for a while. Knowing how the world changed after 9/11, I wonder how the world will change after this pandemic? 9/11 brought about massive changes in the way we travel, some rules make sense, others not so much. Will we end up with a Department of Pandemic Preparedness? Will everyone be required to carry disinfectant wipes & hand sanitizer? Will maximum occupancy rules take into account social distancing? Will we build monuments to those who lost their lives or to the people who helped keep life going? So many ways this could go only time will tell.