Leaths of Fape

Alright, I'm getting to it once and for all. I finally did it. I jumped off the highest platform. What is it, like 33 feet? I think so. Sure, it isn't that awesome compared to other amazing feats like skydiving or what-have-you, but I've got to admit I've been beating myself up ever since I was 12 and my 11 year old brother jumped when I didn't. I think my dad gave him 5 bucks too...

Also worth mentioning is the fact that I hadn't been swimming in almost 2 1/2 years, which makes what I do next all the more ridiculous.

Did it hurt? Yeah, but not enough to stop the likes of me. Unfortunately this isn't the best of dives from that night, I continued to practice until I got a little better. Emphasis on the little, though. My favorite part is the off screen gasps. Pretty sure I was the only one to attempt a dive that day, along with being one of the few who jumped off the top repeatively. Also, big props to Spencer and Marquee for getting this footage via cell phone.

The ghost ship of the Kaplan Seas

My last job was pretty awesome, and it happened to be located in one of the coolest places ever; a.k.a. the Justice League Space Station. However, janitorial work doesn't pay great in space, and the commute was terrible, so I relocated. Since then I've been been able to get in touch with my inner child at the local Children's Museum. How do I like it? I don't.


I love it.





One of my personal favorites - and that of most of the staff too - is the legendary Kapla Blocks. They might just be the great toy ever invented, in fact they are down right award winning. (see http://www.kaplatoys.com/)





Well, one fine day I began an epic construction, the likes of which had never been seen before. I called it, the Ghost Ship.

I don't know if any picture can do it justice. I mean, can you tell that it consists of about 300 small wooden blocks? held together only by gravity? I admit that I had to bend the rules a bit, though; I used the half pipe beams to hold a real curving hull, and I had to branch out to some other toys once I used all available blocks.

Fact is, I actually stayed after hours and off the clock to build this bad boy...which in retrospect probably seems more pathetic then creative...

I would mention that I was actually there at work waiting for my mom to give me a ride, but that too seems to add to the patheticness.

I should also mention that the word KAPLA comes from the dutch term for "small planks," (kabouter plankjes) and the game, according to what I've read, was the baby of some art historian seeking to build a model of the castle of his dreams. Well, Tom van de Bruggen, my castle is a pirate ship. Yargh.

Climbing Proof