Defender of the Universe

Monkey-Girl's childhood hero was Voltron III. You may be remembering him as just plain old Voltron; but , as many Japanese imports, it's more complicated than that.

Voltron III, the first shown in America, was the second cartoon produced in Japan. He's made up of five robotic lions. The story is set the furthest from Earth.

Voltron I, the second shown in America, was based on an earlier Japanese show. He's made up of fifteen vehicles. The story is set the closest to Earth.

Voltron II, a show never seen in America (but I remember seeing the toys at Kay Bee as a little penguin), was supposed to be based on yet another Japanese cartoon. He's made up of three smaller humanoid robots. The story's location was somewhere between the other two.

So, there you have it. The roman numerals are reflective of the Americanized characters' relative proximity to the Earth. It must have made sense to someone.

Anyway, the only socially relevant Voltron is Voltron III. For that, he gets to drop the roman numerals.

The first birthday present I ever got for Monkey-Girl was a reissue of the old Matchbox Voltron III gift set. (The box just calls him Voltron now.) All five die-cast metal lions were recreated for the set. I never had this Voltron growing up, but I'm happy to see him surveying Money-Girl's office today.

BIG Announcement

I've come to the decision that this week (Monday to Sunday, how European of me!) will be Monkey-Girl week. I'll be dedicating each post to some wonderful aspect of my better half. Why? 'Cause.

So, why does today's entry feature a couple of toys? Well, this is an archive photo of the present Monkey-Girl got for me while in Florida. When I returned from my visit to Wisconsin this summer, I opened the trunk to drop my luggage in when what should I discover but the object of my childhood's unanswered prayer: the Imperial Walker a.k.a. AT-AT.

When I was a little penguin, this thing was ALWAYS on my wish list. I never got it. My assumption is that it was just too darn expensive. I shared this little tidbit with Monkey-Girl once. (When you've known someone for over 10 years, there's little they DON'T know about you.)

I guess she must have missed me. She actually went into Toys 'R' Us (WHAT!?!) and lugged this huge box up to the counter. When asked why, she said that she wanted me to know how much she appreciated all that I did for her this summer. Wow!

Knowing how much my toy collecting is "tolerated" by Monkey-Girl, and how pricey this thing is, I can only say I'm floored. This is the greatest physical gift anyone has ever given me.

Yet, the AT-AT had fallen victim to it's original and greatest flaw. It's just too expensive. I couldn't keep it and not feel guilty about it. Monkey-Girl understood how torn I was and gave me permission to do what I felt was necessary. We returned it from whence it came.

I made sure to take a ton of pictures. This one features my 12-inch tall Optimus Prime for size comparison. (The AT-AT could totally kick any one on my Transformers' asses.)

Thank you, Monkey-Girl!

A Rest from Our Labors

Monkey-Girl and I took a little time to relax and enjoy each other's company. It was really nice. We've been taking care of the house and our respective schools lately: cohabiting. It was nice to sit on the sofa and do nothing but listen to music and be with each other.

At times like these, I play with Monkey-Girl's toes. I guess it's one of those primate social grooming type thingies. It's comforting to be that intimate with someone. I like it.

As you can see, it's not so bad for her either.

Up Late? Thank a Union.

I'm up late on a Sunday. That's because I don't work tomorrow. I'm one of only 8% of the national workforce that's unionized. If you're off tomorrow and don't pay union dues, you're welcome. (I'm just teasing.)

I stumbled on this picture moments ago. Apparently, Disney isn't making enough money off of normal holidays anymore. Here is a "pin in pin" set commemorating the unofficial end of summer. That's not all! This is just the Walt Disney World Labor Day pin for 2008. There is also a Disneyland pin. I'm sure there will be a Labor Day 2008 pin for both coasts as well.

If you'd like to know more about how Disney is planning to replace calandars with pins, go here.

Now go grill something quick. Wal-Mart's putting out Halloween decorations already!

We Went to a Luau. Dealt with THAT!

To kick things off (yet again), the seminary threw a good, old-fashioned, Tennessee-mountain-top, luau. The meat was barbecued, the decorations were kitchy, and we were all festooned in Hawaiian prints.

It was nice to talk to my friends within the community. (Thank you Eric for the title to this post.) I made plans to play HeroScape with Gordon on Monday. The brisket was delicious. My "dish to pass" was complimented. It was a really nice time.

As for the picture, I completely acknowledge its offensiveness. I choose to deal with it by appreciating the artist's chosen aesthetic. I see that it draws its inspiration from a more naive time. I'm okay with it.

How will you deal with it? You have to deal with it. You can't not deal with it. Can you?