Macro Monday #3

So....



this is a picture of the top of a glazed ceramic pineapple. It sits on my mantle. The wavy pattern behind it is the edge of a picture frame.

Note: Picture posted horizontally for artistic value.

Under the Table

So.... has someone you loved ever looked at you with one of those faces that said, "Please, build me a table under which my crate will fit?"



That may not be exactly how it happened - actually, I recently got a few pieces of furniture for my bedroom and wanted something to disguise the crate (at least a little bit). So.... I cannibalized an old coffee table and an old end table to make a new one.



The bedroom may not be the best place to work on this new construction...



Outside obviously is a more appropriate place for power tools. Check out my awesome Ryobi cordless power drill and freaking awesome Ryobi Circular Saw (thanks, Dad). I'm glad you ladies weren't there, or you all would have mobbed me, possessed by my brute strength and sweaty t-shirt.



One of the more fun parts was distressing the table (hitting it and scratching it up with a hammer).



Not a fan of that lighter wood tone (which wouldn't blend with the "Exotic Fusion Look" I was going for), I decided to paint the new crate table. First Berry Red spray paint (the Valspar Spray paint has a much nicer and wider push button - I highly recommend it) and then a streak or two of gold. I then followed up with a light smattering of Satin Black; it really didn't turn out like I expected, but I started getting a wood tone/grain effect, so I went with it.



The distressing just looks like scratches in the pic. It gives a lot more character in person.



The table in place. It looks pretty good and serves it's purpose well enough. Of course, as soon as I finished the table, Travis found a better spot to hang out.

Macro Monday #2

So....



You guessed it. Cashews - my favorite! (click the pic to see the salt!)

Ghetto-fabulous GameCube

So.... for those of you who don't know, GameCube is a video game console produced by Nintendo - think grandchild of Super NES (remember, Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt) and predecessor to the Wii, or if that doesn't help, think: PONG begat Atari begat .... Game Cube. So anyway, some friends of mine from Murfreesboro and I got hooked on playing GameCube (after church on Sundays, or Tuesdays, or on the big projector at church on Fridays, you get the idea). I enjoyed playing so much that I asked for one for Christmas '06. My console has been played maybe a dozen and a half times.

Well I was jonesin' for a GameCube fix back in January, and after work I pulled out my lil' ole GameCube and hooked it up. The stupid thing wouldn't work - it gave some message like system won't compute - check manual. Well, the manual said, if you get that screen, contact customer support (online). Well, the website said that the machine would need to be refurbished - free within warranty or $50.00 if out of warranty. Remember that I said I got it in 12/06 and found that it wouldn't work in 1/08 - just one month out of warranty - isn't that how it always goes. So, I looked online for a new one - actually, they aren't made anymore, but Target.com still accepts orders ($100.00). My "local" Target (45 minutes away - cruel, cruel world) didn't have one in stock. I called the Wal-Mart in town, and they didn't have one. Was I to be reduced to sending my barely used but not working Christmas Gift to the Nintendo Factory to be refurbished? Well, then I remembered, right across from Wal-Mart is a strip mall (no, not the one where my church is located). You know, the strip mall every town of this size has; it has a Hibbet Sports, a Nail Salon, a PayDay Cash Advance, a Chinese Restaurant (I call ours Great Wall of Buffet), and, you guessed it, a GameStop.

So, I called GameStop, and they had some GameCubes. I could get my fix that evening! I arrived at the store and inquired about their selection. They had a couple of new ones (at $100) or they had refurbished ones (at $30). [GameCube games also play on the Wii (the newest Nintendo console), so I asked about their Wii selection, and they laughed at me - remember, this was right after Christmas] The sales folks said that I could get an extended warranty for $5, so....

Check out this awesome working $35 dollar Ghetto-fabulous GameCube pimped out with lightening bolt decals and a sweet 1-year warranty.



The first thing I did was clean the entire thing with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol.

The games to play are MarioKart and Smash Bros Melee.



MarioKart is a racing game. You have several characters from which to choose, all from past iterations of Mario Games, like Donkey Kong (that's where Mario all started), Luigi, the Princess, and Bowser - the big turtle/dragon guy you tried to beat up at the end of each level of Super Mario Bros. Anyway, you pick your two person racing team and a car, and race your way into loads of fun. Smash Bros Melee has a similar concept: choose one of the many characters from Nintendo's games (Mario, Pokemon, Kirby, Link, Donkey Kong) and street fight your way into loads of fun.

Macro Monday #1

So.... tonight I went a little crazy with the Macro setting on my Point & Click camera. I actually just meant to take a quick picture for a post (while I was straightening up the sun porch so I could start Power 90ing my way to a slimmer me), when I thought, "hey, I wonder how close I can get and keep it in focus." Several successful and failed attempts later, I had made it through most of my house, taking close up photos of anything with an interesting texture. My thought was to use these photos either as a changing desktop for my computer or as a screensaver, but then, Eureka, it hit me - this will be the start of a recurring feature on Pursuing Pineapple (also it will give me something easy to post, so that I'll be more likely to stick with it). So the inaugural Macro Monday Pic:



This is a close up (click on the pic to get closer) of the puff ball trim on a red tea towel, that I usually use as a place mat. Coincidentally, the tea towel has a pineapple embroidered on it.

Laser Tag

So.... after moving back to Arkansas I discovered that Travis could see the red dot of a laser pointer. Hundreds of dollars worth of squeaky, fluffy, bouncy, roll-y, chew-y toys - no, he prefers a dot of light (a free pen/laser pointer from a drug rep). Anyway, it's pretty fun. He'll chase it under furniture, down the hall, and even up the wall.



Sometimes, he loses the dot and looks for help.



It doesn't take long for him to find it.



Then he takes off chasing it - sometimes, so fast you can't catch him on film (please notice the effects of Travis, as evidenced by the disheveled area rug).



Travis being the very smart dog that he is (no, really, this lady at a dog toy company said he was smart after I emailed them to let them know that the toy that "keeps dogs occupied for hours" didn't keep him occupied - it is a soft rubber tube that loosely holds a tennis ball that "your dog may eventually get out," at my house eventually is approximately 42 seconds), anyway, Travis realized that the red dot comes out of the pen, and now he begs for the pen. It's a little creepy - kind of like those movies where the computer becomes self aware.

Happy Easter!

So.... the "crazy" picture was probably the best one. The family came to visit this weekend. We've had a nice time together. We introduced my mom to Mario Kart. Now we're just waiting for the Ham to finish, so we can have the traditional Easter Lunch.




But seriously:

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Luke 24:1-9

Hope you all have a great Easter!