Broken Finger

Remember how I broke my wrist about 20 month ago?  This time I broke my finger. Yep, playing hockey, again.

This one is not as bad, I did not skate into a goal post or anything.  I just happened to be blocking a shot.  The puck hit me right on the fingers, essentially smashing my finger between the pick and my stick.  I shoot left, so the fingers on my left hand are more 'exposed'.  And yes, I was wearing a glove.  I guess the shot was hard enough, or just hit the perfect spot, to smash my finger.

Taken about nine hours after initial impact

My fourth finger took the most of the impact, the fifth finger also sustained minor bruising.  Oh, this happened in the first game of a double header that day.  I still played the second game, but never got a shot on goal as there was discomfort...pain...in that area.

That was 9 June 2012.  I watched the bruise form and fingers swell up.  Did not think anything of it at first.  A week went by, bruising and swelling went down...yet the pain and discomfort was still there.  I kinda had a feeling it was broken, but since I could move the joint, I just ignored it.  Besides I had a DeLorean Convention to go to the next weekend.

A doctor's appointment was scheduled when we got back from Orlando.  The appointment was not until Monday.  So naturally, I played the game on Saturday, 23 June.  Why not?  Hey, I even scored two amazing goals, including the game winner.

Yesterday, I go see the same doctor, Dr. Steven Shin at Kerlan Jobe, that repaired my wrist.  They already have my record on file and I know the doctor.  Results, broken finger...achievement unlocked!

Broken fourth finger, at the tip

Luckily, the impact was at the very tip of my fingers.  If it had hit the joint, I would have needed surgery to repair joint damage.  But if I was going to be cut open, I was at the right place as they service all the professional sports teams in the Los Angeles area.

Dr. Shin tells me there was nothing they could do about the break.  I knew that, not like they would put a cast on just the tip.  He even cleared me to play hockey.  I just need to tape it up, which I did last game, so there is some support for the finger.  I can feel the bone move when I bend my finger.  I guess it has not quite fused yet.  Dr Shin said to give it time, about four to six weeks, and it will be fine.

On a side note:  I may or may not have broken a rib. Although it has only been a few days, I still feel a little discomfort...pain...when I move my core.  It even hurts a little when I take deep breaths or sit up too fast.  It might be a bruise, but there are no signs of discolouration on the surface, nor is there any swelling.  

DeLorean Car Show 2012 - Part III

DeLorean Car Show 2012

Wings up!

Saturday, 16 June 2012

This is a car show, so of course there were cars at the show.  There were over forty DeLoreans at the show.  Not the largest gathering of DeLoreans, but the largest I have seen.  Quite impressive to see all those cars lined up with their wings up.  Getting that 'tunnel' shot is always a favourite.  Owners were up early in the morning to register their cars for the show.

Meanwhile, the DCS Tech Talks were going on.  I only stayed for the first two presenters, then went on the floor to check out some of the cars and vendors, and mingle with the DeLorean community.

Top secret meeting with Mike from DMC-Midwest

Mike is responsible for the two latest additions to my car, the Shock Tower Brace and the Sequential Fan Controller.  He works with Julee and Dave at DeLorean Motor Company- Midwest.

Really excited to meet Andrew Probert

I got to meet Andrew Probert, without his vision, Back to the Future would not have looked as cool.  Special thanks to Stephen Clark of BTTF.com, for giving me a Hot Wheels Time Machine so I could get it signed by Andrew Probert.

Oliver and Terry Holler's Time Machine

Christine was there

Rich Weissensel's DeLorean Limo

Rich Weissensel's D-Rex

Lots of DeLorean cars...

...even a DeLorean bicycle.

Oh yeah, of course I got to ride the bike.

There were some interesting cars on the floor.  Tony Ierardi brought his DeLorean to be judged at the Delorean Marque Certification Event.  It was perfect!  Well, almost.  It got a point and a half taken due to some dry rot in the tires.  These were original 30+ year old tires, and it had a little dry rot in them.  The car is spotless, it looks better than any DeLorean ever did, even ones fresh off the factory floor. Basically, Tony took the entire car apart, cleaned, and reassembled it.

Proto-1

Another car Tony brought was Proto-1. The first prototype of the DeLorean built.  This was the car John DeLorean used, in the late 1970's, to promote to car.  Seeing this in person is orgasmic...yeah, I said it.  At the end of the show, Tony passed the torch of ownership of Proto-1 to Cliff Schmucker.

Interview with JLP Movies for a documentary on DeLoreans

JLP Movies was there filming a documentary.  Jordan Livingston and his crew interviewed me because of the Hot Wheels DeLorean.  Hey, I may get to be in a documentary.  You know how I love documentaries...this is like 'Living the Dream'!


After the car show, we were treated with another set of presenters.  I am too lazy to list the presenters.  The evening was capped off with Bob Gale (my new best friend) some of the cast and crew from the Back to the Future trilogy.  Also the Time Machine Restoration Team presented updates on their project.  Yup, you guessed it...another nerdgasm.

Cast and Crew of Back to the Future

Pictured above:  Jeffery Weissman (George McFly, Part II and III), Claudia Welles (Jennifer Parker, Part I), Bob Gale (Writer/Producer of the trilogy), Andrew Probert (Storyboard artist, Time Machine concept artist), Kevin Pike (Special Effects Supervisor, Time Machine Builder), and Donald Fullilove (Goldie Wilson)

Oh, almost forgot.  They gave away the raffle car at the end.  There was also a raffle for prizes, I won two prizes, a DVD and a Shift Boot Cover for my automatic car.  Tony let me return it to his shop for store credit.  Once I get a part from DMC-Florida, my car will have at least one part from all the DMC vendors.

That was it, three days of DeLorean and Back to the Future madness.  The next DCS will be in Dayton, Ohio, 12-15 June 2014.  Hope to make it there, and see everyone there.

Go to Part I - Part II

The End.

DeLorean Car Show 2012 - Part II

Group shot in front of the raffle car.  Picture by Kevin Abato

Friday, 15 June 2012

We spent the morning and afternoon at Downtown Disney. This time, we hit the shops and Planet Hollywood for lunch.  The convention pretty much starts this afternoon.  There were about a dozen guest speakers, including myself, giving presentations on all things DeLorean and Back to the Future related.

By late afternoon, the crew had brought in around 40 cars

The best part of any convention is meeting the people that share the same passion as yourself.  I got to meet Stephen Clark, the guy who runs BTTF.com.  Great site, check it out.  If you ever need anything Back to the Future related, Stephen's site is the best place to go.

Stephen Clark of BTTF.com

Finally got my picture taken with Bob Gale

In all the excitement of our meeting with Bob Gale, I totally forgot to get a picture with him.  Well, three months and three thousand miles later, I finally got that picture with Bob.  You want to know the cool part?  Bob remembered my name.  Classy guy!

Finally a picture with Don and Nancy

Speaking of time and space, this picture with Don and Nancy of DMC-California, took over two and half years and also three thousand miles to happen.  I got my car from their shop, as well as having it serviced there.

The raffle car

We took a group shot with the raffle car, see picture at top of post.  Then, it was back inside the hall for dinner and presentations from the guest speakers.  We were unable to get photos of some, busy listening and preparing for my segment.  Kenn Knowlton talked about Cliff Schmucker's collection of original DMC documents, some were displayed at the show.

Production Illustrator, Andrew Probert

Andrew Probert gave a presentation on his work on Back to the Future.  The highlight was the storyboard sequence of an alternate ending.  I love alternate endings and I love storyboards, this was amazing.

Shawn Kerkhoff and Donald Fullilove

If you ever saw the episode of American Dad where Stan and Steve drive in DeLorean in search of a door, you will recognize Shawn Kerkhoff.  Shawn works on American Dad, and is the guy in the Time Machine that was racing against Stan to get the DeLorean door.  There was a surprise appearance by Donald Fullilove, you probably know him better as Goldie Wilson from the Back to the Future series.

Oliver and Terry Holler discussed their Time Machine that was featured in an ad campaign for Garbarino, an electronics store in Argentina.  Christopher Lloyd reprized his role as Doc Brown for these viral ads.

Then there was this guy.

Holding up my Hot Wheels DeLorean

There were a lot of speakers, so we were limited to about twenty minutes of babble.  I went a little over at about thirty minutes.  My presentation included:

- A brief history on the relationship between Hot Wheels and the original DeLorean Motor Company.
- Story of the almost Hot Wheels DeLorean, released as Turismo after slight modification to the casting.
- My responsibilities at work
- How I finally got the DeLorean into the Hot Wheels line up
- Process of how I made the DeLorean
- Summary of the different versions, including the Back to the Future Time Machine
- Mattel Hoverboard and my involvement on the project
- Sneak peeks that were exclusive to DCS 2012
- Q & A session

Yeah, I covered a lot.  You can see how I went over.  As you can tell from reading my posts, I am not the best at communication.  Things get a little harder when there are 300-400 people in the audience, plus video cameras pointing at you.  A lot of pressure when you are representing a big company like Mattel.

After my long-winded portion, there were a handful of other speakers, including Stephen Wynne, who spoke about how he acquired the parts and the name for DeLorean Motor Company.  Tony Ierardi talked about his involvement with Proto-1 and the promise that it will always be preserved and part of the DeLorean community.

Going back in time, there were two presenters that spoke about their time with the original DeLorean Motor Company.  Mike Knepper and Nick Sutton gave us some interesting historical information. They probably could have had more time, but some idiot was talking about toys and went over his time limit.

Back to the Future Special Effect Supervior, Kevin Pike talked about his experiences in working on the movies.  

Kathryn DeLorean

Last speaker of the night was Kathryn DeLorean, John DeLorean's daughter.  Always fascinating to hear behind the scene tales as she shared interesting stores about her father.  Afterwards, before we were kicked out of the hall, there was time a little time for guests to mingle.  I got a picture with Kathryn. 

Photo with Kathryn, with Danny (DMC-CA) in the back.

See that hoverboard?  That is the prototype board that was shown at Toy Fair in February.  I had to carry that thing around the whole day...the things I do for work.  It gave a lot of people a chance to handle and take pictures with the board.  Many came up to me and had questions and comments about the board and Hot Wheels.

End of a long day, and there is another day to go. Luckily, I will not have to talk in front of hundreds of people and cameras, tomorrow.  I can fake one-on-one conversation, but winging it on stage is another thing.
 
Go to Part I

To Be Concluded...

DeLorean Car Show 2012

The DeLorean Car Show was in Orlando, Florida on 14-17 June 2012.  I was there as a guest speaker. I talked about the Hot Wheels DeLorean and the Mattel Hoverboard from the Back to the Future series.  Here is a quick recap of the event.  I will have more on stuff we did in Orlando that was not part of the convention in later posts.

Thursday, 14 June 2012

Arrived at the Hilton at Lake Buena Vista and checked into the hotel and event.  The hotel is located right next to Downtown Disney.  Not much went on today as most convention goers were just getting in late.  The organizers were still setting up for the event.  There were a few DeLorean's beginning to assemble in the hall.

Screen used Time Machine Back to the Future Part III, owned by Bill Shea

Rich Weissensel's DeLorean Limo

'Regular' DeLoreans lined up perfectly

After dinner, we walked to Downtown Disney and watched Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba.  Then it was back to the hotel to get some rest.  That five hour flight plus three hour time difference equals an eight hour shift in the space-time continuum.

To Be Continued...

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - June 2012

Summer is here, school is out.  There are losers just getting out of school, looking for summer jobs.  What better way to spend your summer than to harass people?  Instead of getting a respectable job, try telemarketing and go nowhere in your shitty life.

4 June 2012
   253-246-8514  Kent, WA  Ah, fucking douchebags from Kent are back.  Technically, this is the second call.  Well, from this number.  In fact, if we apply the SACAPDE rule, this is the 18th call from Kent.  So, for the 18th time, I say to you, Kent, WA...go fuck yourself! 

   253-246-8514  Kent, WA  I was not even done typing about the first call of the day...and these motherfuckers call, again.  Fuck you, fuck you, and oh yeah...fuck you! 

Fun fact:  The number one search that leads to my blog is a number from Kent.  So, if you are here because of search, welcome...and share the hate.

   253-246-8514  Kent, WA  Third call today, makes the total four.  The record for calls in a day is six.  See if you can beat that.

   253-246-8514  Kent, WA  That would be four calls in about eight hours, today.  Only two more to go to match the record.  Are you going to step up?

Bunch of fucking assholes

 5 June 2012
   971-220-1003  Gresham, OR  Well, where the fuck have you been?  Crawling back to me, as if I am going to feel sorry for you?  Your thirteenth call, not bad...you still suck big donkey dick.

11 June 2012
   503-457-1003  Tillamook, OR  I was just thinking to myself, "It has been about a week..." Oh, you motherfuckers!  Here is Tillamook, again....SACAPDE.  This is the fifth call from Tillamook, all from different extensions.  I should have known, I had some Tillamook cheese this morning.  Are they somehow tracking my dairy intake? 

16 June 2012
   704-747-7415  Charlotte, NC  Hey, I think this is a first from North Carolina...only this was a fucking text.  Fuck you and your fucking texts.

25 June 2012
   503-457-1003  Tillamook, OR  Two weeks since my last call.  That is some kind of record.  Note:  I am not count a fucking text as a call.  Still, even with that text, it has been nine days.  I almost felt neglected.  I have a feeling that they are going to cram a few calls before the end of the month.

   503-457-1003  Tillamook, OR  Of course you are going to call again.  Wait, are you trying to remind me that I still have some cheese in the fridge?  This is the last time I buy Tillamook cheese.  

26 June 2012
   503-457-1003  Tillamook, OR  For those of you new to this, do you now see how this shit works?  They take a fucking break...most likely calling someone else...then bombard you with string of calls on consistant days.  Fuck this shit.

28 June 2012
   971-220-1003  Gresham, OR  What the fuck is up the extension 1003?  Both Gresham and Tillamook can go fuck each other while jumping off a cliff.

29 June 2012
   971-220-1003  Gresham, OR  Fifteenth call.  Can you believe it?  The record is twenty-seven calls from Astroia.  Come to think of it, I have not heard from Astoria in a while.  Where are those fuckers?

   971-220-1003  Gresham, OR  Still ringing as I type...oh, I guess they hung up.  Only eleven calls to tie the champ.  Notice how they cram all the calls towards the end of the month. 

Joe Cool For DeLorean

Joe Cool

The famous Joe Cool is back for a limited time.  Normally, with the original Fan Fail Module, the two cooling fans and compressor turn on at the same time, creating a spike in amp usage.  This spike in amperage could cause the fan fail module to fail or burn out.  Imagine the 80's films when a guy gets electrocuted and all the lights in the prison flicker and dim...that is what happens the electrical system.  Hey, maybe the guys who designed prison camps for 80's movies also designed the electrical system for the DeLorean.

The Joe Cool unit provides a time-delay for the cooling fans, so that the compressor and fans do not all start at the same time, resulting in less amp stress and less chance of failure in the electrical system.  That is generally how it works, there are better descriptions that you can look up...basically, I think it is magic.

Joe Cool (Snoopy) with Peanuts Gang

Joe Cool with Peanuts

I ordered my Sequential Fan Controller (former known as Joe Cool) from my good friends Julee and Dave at DeLorean Motor Company - Midwest.  It is a simple installation...simple enough that even I can handle it.  Obviously, this goes in the relay compartment of the car.  

Relay compartment, before installation.

I know, the grey relays and nest of wires makes it look like a homemade explosive device.  There seems to have been an issue with the original Fan Fail Module, surprise, this is why the Joe Cool was invented.  Notice the yellow wires in the lower left.  One of the previous owners had replaced the original Fan Fail Module with a fused wire link, a cheaper solution to a new module. 

Close up of the relay compartment, before installation.

The Sequential Fan Controller has two plugs, replacing the Fan Fail Module (blue relay, part #106046) and the Changeover Relay (part #106269).

Removed the two modules.  The two plugs of the new unit will go here.

This was by far the most simple installation for my car.  Hunting down the extension cord, for better lighting, took longer.  It took a bit of effort to wiggle the existing relays out, the OEM Changeover Module had be in there for over thirty years, once that was out, the unit plugged right in.  I made sure to snap photos of the area before installation, in case things do not go as planned.

Sequential Fan Controller installed.

Well, there you have it.  One of the best upgrades one can do for a DeLorean, and the easiest one to do.  Special thanks to Julee and Dave Swingle at DMC-Midwest.

Joe Cool Snoopy 'installed' in DeLorean.

Little known fact:  I actually have a Joe Cool Snoopy that I keep in my DeLorean.  Yeah, Snoopy is my co-pilot.  He even has a DMC t-shirt.  This was the first thing that was 'installed' in my DeLorean, all before I even knew about the Joe Cool unit.

LEGO Harry Potter - Part II

I just finished LEGO Harry Potter:  Years 1-4 for the Nintendo DS, good game. As I have mentioned here,  it is a relatively easy game to play.

Interesting note, the maximum number of LEGO studs you can collect is 4,200,000,000.  The game took be about twenty-four hours of game play to complete.  Well worth the price of $20, and worthy of a repeat play.  8/10

Now, I am on to Years 5-7.  I just finished the Story level of The Order of the Phoenix.  I have to say that this game is not as good as the first one.  For some reason, the game developers decided to eliminated the 'casting of the spells' with the stylus.  The touch screen is used to select spells, which is 'casted' by pressing the Y-button...or you can use the shoulder buttons to shuffle through your spells menu.

Another feature different from Years 1-4, the use of the microphone to speak Parseltongue is gone in favour of a Simon-like memory game.  Although Years 5-7 does make use of all the buttons on the DS, I really enjoyed the use of the mic and stylus.  Poor choice on the part of the developers to eliminate this and the casting elements from the game, you could say that they took out the magic.  It makes it seem like these are two completely different games and licenses.

The game play is average. The lack of the features I mentioned really hurt the game play.  Also, I find myself just walking around as I have no clue what I need to do.  The direction is not clear to the users as it was in the first game.

I will finish the game and give a final review, but I do not think I will play this one again.

Republicans, Get In My Vagina!

This is from Funny or Die...and features Kate Beckinsale, need I say more?

Republicans, Get In My Vagina! from Kate Beckinsale     

"Let the Oval Office take care of your oval office." - Kate Beckinsale