davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2023

[davidd]

Do you take shells to the beach for the pictures or do you always find them on the scene?

The seashells are all found on-scene, usually within arm's reach of wherever I set up for the photo. Of course, I usually set up for the photo where there are shells, but so far there have always been shells on the beach, sometimes more and sometimes fewer. The shells are usually heavily worn and damaged, but they are colorful and the shapes are often interesting.

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5 February - A Doll A Day 2023

"Unlike many of our projects where, in authentic DIY TV fashion, we 'hype up' the level of difficulty or danger, this project offers a very real possibility of serious injury or death. On the bright side, it's a relatively simple project, and offers very little chance of minor injury. But major injury... or death? Yeah, that could happen.

Because, y'see, before you remove this cover to pull out the old circuit breaker switches -- that's what we're doing today, replacing a couple of faulty circuit breaker switches -- particularly if they are old and damaged, it's a good idea to turn off the MAIN POWER BREAKER servicing the breaker box. In fact, there's even a label on the box, there, that says TURN OFF POWER SUPPLYING THIS EQUIPMENT BEFORE WORKING INSIDE. They have to say that -- liability concerns and stuff."

"Problem is, some old houses, like this one, DO NOT HAVE a main power breaker switch to turn off. Turning off the power to the breaker box requires either asking the power company for a temporary disconnect, or calling an electrician to physically disconnect the power feed. Either approach is time-consuming and ex-pensive.

Like... ex-pensive.

So rather than shell out hundreds of bucks by calling 'a professional' for a ten minute job replacing a twenty dollar part, we're gonna go with the Potential Major Injury or Death option.

If you're seeing this post, things probably worked out all right.

If you're not seeing this post, you probably won't be seeing any further posts from us."

"Do you see that strip of metal, there, that looks all rusty and burned and stuff? Yeah, well, it's not supposed to look all rusty and burned and stuff. That's called the 'bus,' and it's what you call 'hot,' which means it has a lot, and I mean a LOT, of electricity poised to LEAP OUT in what's called an 'arc' and cause a whole lotta havoc... unless you're careful.

It's hard to be careful when the breaker box main bus is falling to pieces. This box needs to be replaced. That's a job that's probably better left to a professional. A real, electrical-specialist type professional. You know, the ones called electricians?

For now we're gonna snap in a new breaker switch -- the back of the old breaker switch looks as bad as this bus -- and hope it works for now. This circuit doesn't actually get used much, so we'll probably turn it off and hope it'll stop making that hissing sizzling sound."

[Alliecat]

Wow. No main?? Didn’t know they made them that way. I see you are on here so unless the dolls are into your account, I take it you survived!    I’ve changed a breaker but I have a main switch. Good thing because an electrical fault could burn your house down here before you got an electrician to respond to a message.
I do hope things are not still sizzling. You don’t want to mess around with electricity.
Good episode of Smarts And Crafts  

P.S. For some reason the crooked letters “HE” and the squiggle in the first picture make me think that is a switch labelled “help”.

[davidd]

Wow. No main?? Didn’t know they made them that way.

P.S. For some reason the crooked letters “HE” and the squiggle in the first picture make me think that is a switch labelled “help”.  

  You know, maybe that is a cry for help! I assumed it said "Heat," but the last two letters are garbled.

I felt like an idjit when I couldn't find a main shut-off. Online research eventually revealed that mains shut-off switches are for sissies are often not installed in older homes.

One more component to potentially fail, maybe? Or back in the day, they... well, they figured if you were going to mess with it, you knew what you were doing, and if you didn't know what you were doing you wouldn't mess with it.

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6 February - A Doll A Day 2023:

Surfing In to Ankylosaur Week 2023

Ankylosaur Surfing never really caught on. Veteran surfers likened the ex-perience to trying to ride a waterlogged longboard with a misaligned skeg.

[Alliecat]

  That's really cute.  Love the perspective. 
...yeah, you might want a rather lighter dinosaur... 

Or back in the day, they... well, they figured if you were going to mess with it, you knew what you were doing, and if you didn't know what you were doing you wouldn't mess with it.

Well, everything was built simpler "back then"... and maybe people were a little more capable...?
There's an interesting comment I've seen more than once about how "back in the day" your car's owner's manual showed you how to change your own oil or replace small parts, whereas now it just warns you not to drink the battery fluid 

I wish we all had a "HELP" switch on the Breaker Panel Of Life.

[davidd]

There's an interesting comment I've seen more than once about how "back in the day" your car's owner's manual showed you how to change your own oil or replace small parts, whereas now it just warns you not to drink the battery fluid  

That's an accurate summary of the owner's manual for my 2015 car:

For everything else, the suggestions are to "take your vehicle to the dealer."

YouTube has taken the place of the operator's manual for most basic tasks, like changing light bulbs or diagnosing small problems

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7 February - A Doll A Day 2023:

In the eras before steam power, the mighty Ankylosaur often provided valuable motive power for major construction endeavors.

Ankylosaur Week 2023

7 February - A Doll A Day 2023

[Alliecat]

Haha.
So is there a “stegosaurus week”, or a “triceratops week”, or a “pteranodon week”?
Justice for these underrepresented groups!! 

I am a big fan of the School Of YouTube.

[davidd]

So is there a “stegosaurus week”, or a “triceratops week”, or a “pteranodon week”?

I have not heard of weeks for any of these prehistoric creatures, but there should be!

I suspect Dr. Darren Naish, the originator of Ankylosaur Week back in 2008, would be on board with a Pterosaur Week, as pterosaurs are one of his special interests.

In 2008, Dr. Naish ran a week-long series of scholarly articles about ankylosaurs on his Tetrapod Zoology website, calling the series Ankylosaur Week. I do not remember how I happened to run across those articles, but they inspired me to snap a photo of a toy ankylosaur dinosaur each day. At the end of the week, Dr. Naish actually featured one of my Pinky Street & Ankylosaur photos in one of his articles.

The Tet Zoo website has changed hosts and formats a number of times over the years, and currently serves to augment a regular podcast:  https://tetzoo.com/

 Dr. Naish is a prolific author. His most recent book, Ancient Sea Reptiles, is available for pre-order on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Sea-Repti...588347273/

Dr. Naish is also an active poster on Instagram: @tetzoo

I have been largely alone in carrying on the annual Ankylosaur Week celebration... or, more accurately, and acknowledgement... during the second week of February each year, except for the years in which I forget, which has been fairly often.

Anyway... I'd be on board for a Pterosaur Week, because cool; or a Stegosaur Week, because one of my favorite fiction books when I was a kid was called The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek, plus there's that infamous "brain the size of a walnut" thing; or pretty much any other fun Dinosaur Week. I'm sure if you wanted to make such weeks A Thing, you could easily be as spectacularly unsuccessful as I have been in popularizing Ankylosaur Week. It just hasn't caught fire the same way as Talk Like a Pirate Day or Towel Day have. Maybe a week is too long, and a day would be better.

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8 February - A Doll a Day 2023:

Shorebreak Seashell Searching – Ankylosaur Week 2023

In addition to its popularity as a Spring Break destination, Daytona Beach in Florida is becoming a go-to location during Ankylosaur Week!

Or... maybe not.

Internet rumors, gotta be careful with stuff like that.

[Alliecat]

I guess you need to join a dinosaur forum and post your Ankylosaur Week pix there. I'm sure archaeology and dinosaur fans would like the idea if they knew.
I never hear about Towel Day. I know what it is, I just never hear of it.
(I do almost always pack a towel, even though I know wherever I'll be staying will have them )

[davidd]

Do you take shells to the beach for the pictures or do you always find them on the scene?

I snapped a pic today of what the beach looks like with shells... and condo and hotel towers:

There are stretches of sand, of course, with comparatively few shells; and then there are sections like this.

[davidd]

9 February - A Doll A Day 2023:

Ankylosaurs are naturals when it comes to the venerable pastime of golf, equipped as they are with a built-in combination mashie, niblick, and cleek.

"Och, 'Tis Good t' Play the Old Old OLD Course Ag'in!
Threescore Million Years on the Links!"




"Mashie? Or Cleek?"




Venturing Through the Preternatural Gloom of a Primordial Cavern

Ankylosaur Week 2023[/i]

[Alliecat]

Ha! Neat how you turned the little golf setting into a giant cavern!
What a fantastic treasure trove of shells.

[davidd]

Ha!  Neat how you turned the little golf setting into a giant cavern!

There really is a giant cavern! It is a pirate themed miniature golf course and includes a treasure cave!

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10 February - A Doll A Day 2023:

Trivia sets up a diorama scene for Ankylosaur Week 2023

[Alliecat]

Ah, so people can fit in there too? I thought it was like the last hole where the ball goes under something and you don't retrieve it.
Very cute pic today too, and makes me recall you thought you had trouble posing them once upon a time, didn't you...? One would never guess.
Looking forward to seeing your dino-rama

[davidd]

Ah, so people can fit in there too?  I thought it was like the last hole where the ball goes under something and you don't retrieve it.
Very cute pic today too, and makes me recall you thought you had trouble posing them once upon a time, didn't you...?  One would never guess.

There's even a nook in the treasure cave where, if you peek through the broken door, you'll see a treasure chest and its departed guardians!

On the final hole, the ball disappears down a literal hole in the ground, never to be seen again... or at least, not until you cough up another seven dollars... or if you managed to get a Hole-in-One on the prize-winning hole that is randomly selected each day.

Yes, I used to agonize over posing the Smart Dolls. I think perhaps turning them loose to work on so many construction and carpentry projects has helped me to not overthink things so much. Instead, I pretty much tell... I mean ask... them to do something, and then I snap a few pics.

I still can't really get them to look "feminine" or "girly" or "fashion-model-y," but maybe that's not their personality types.

Speaking of posing:

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11 February - A Doll A Day 2023:

Random Posing and Balancing Practice

The larger figure is a Jiaou 10E.
The smaller figure is a TBLeague S45.

Each is balanced on one foot with no external support.

[Alliecat]

Pretty cool.

A whole game of mini golf for $7 sounds pretty good, even with the exchange.