Top Hat Sasquatch

When I came up with the idea for a series called Late to the Party I never would have guessed my first article would be about books. I assumed it would be about some TV series I just started watching, or even a video game that I missed out on as a kid.

I’m not the most prolific reader; I usually go through phases where I rapidly consume five or six books and then don’t read anything for a few months. Luckily my love of gadgets trumped my inconsistent reading habit when I picked up one of the new Kindle Touches a month or so ago. Since then I’ve been reading a lot more, but for a while before I got my Kindle I knew what I had to start with: The Hunger Games.
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You guys are probably all familiar with Kickstarter, but did you know there is a LEGO equivalent currently in beta called Cuusoo? Over at the new site users can upload ideas for sets and if the project reachers 10,000 supporters, it will get an official review from a LEGO jury and consideration to be a real product. I first heard about it when the Minecraft idea reached it’s goal in 48 hours and got a little closer to becoming real.

Well, I haven’t kept up with a lot of the projects on there since then (most are not that great looking), but I found a jem while browsing the r/lego subreddit the other day. Cuusoo user mb_real uploaded a beautiful and ridiculously functional idea for a Modular Western Town, and I want it to become real even more than the Minecraft sets.

Each building is meant to be a stand-alone set, but can be combined to create a whole Western Town. I think LEGO should bring back it’s Western theme, and I can’t think of a better way than with something as awesome as this. Not only do the buildings look great on the outside, but they’re packed full of detail on the inside and look like a lot of fun to build and play with.

You can check out more photos at mb_real’s Flickr page, and you should sign up for Cuusoo and support the cause.

I hope you all are into LEGO in a big way, because my love for the plastic bricks has come back with a vengeance lately, and I expect to be fully obsessed in 2012. As you heard in episode 10 of Bubble Pipe Theater, LEGO goes hand-in-hand with Christmas in my book, and so I thought it would be a great fit for our latest Instagram Roundup.

With two Advent Calenders out this year (regular flavor and a Star Wars version), I knew there would be plenty of Christmas LEGO goodness spread around Instagram. I got the Star Wars calendar for my nieces for Christmas, and today was the day that the Santa Yoda minifig was unveiled. I hope that set goes on sale after Christmas because I wouldn’t mind having a Santa Yoda for myself.

Today’s Instagram Roundup featured photos by steviebay1, mymeltingbrain, hosshina, mattapp, jijipunch, y_yuki, victoriiakate, ndangwp, and my sister patternpatti.

Have an idea for an Instagram Roundup? Tag your photo with #tophatsasquatch and we’ll see it!

It’s the show’s very first Christmas, and Tim, Rob, and Tommy spend it getting nostalgic about their favorite toys over the years and the presents they never got but always wanted. In this episode you’ll hear about Tommy’s penchant for sneaking around and finding presents early, Rob’s lifelong obsession with getting an AT-AT, and Tim’s knack for living vicariously through his kids, with a ton of retro Christmas and toy commercials sprinkled throughout.