davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2024

[Alliecat]

Still hard at work, I see.
My first thought with the first pic was that she had a lightsaber on her belt

[davidd]

20 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Juke Joint

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The boys found a jukebox for the tiki bar.
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The jukebox is a holiday decoration, $20 at Walmart. It was easy to remove the back panel and replace the image in the window with a picture I printed out on plain paper.
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The jukebox is slightly undersized and lacks realistic detail, but for the price it is adequate as a background prop for 1/6-scale (Barbie doll size) scenes. Plus, it lights up without the need for extra wiring.

[Alliecat]

I think it's cute, and it's a great addition to your tiki bar.

[davidd]

21 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Waiting for Warmer Weather

It could be a long wait.

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22 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Waiting in Place

My dolls and action figures "wait" usually remain they fall until they are either needed again or the space they're taking up is needed for some other purpose.

[davidd]

23 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Emmy seems dubious as the 2024 Doll & Action Figure Holiday Pub Crawl preparations commence.

[Alliecat]

Perhaps their wait for warmer weather will be brightened a bit by the holiday decorating and lights.

[davidd]

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24 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Spooky Skin Diver

The plan was for Vampirella to appear during the Halloween season, but then I got to thinking: does anybody even know who the Vampirella character is anymore? Sure, a few "comic book geeks" might, but otherwise, Vampi is pretty much a relic from the days of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, and that was a while ago. To anyone not-of-the-era, Vampirella could be any run of the mill smokin' hawt babe in a barely-there bathing suit. Thus, here's Vampi looking for skin diving gear at the local surf & dive shop, where she fits right in with no background knowledge necessary.

TBLeague + Executive Replicas "Vampirella" 1/6-scale Action Figure

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25 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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It's Been a While since we've Heard from Captain Gwendolyn Shilling-Tuppence

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26 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Mischief A-Brewing? What is Bratz Yasmin up to?

[Alliecat]

Is Gwendolyn booking tickets?
Going on that world cruise???

[davidd]

Is Gwendolyn booking tickets?
Going on that world cruise???

Not a world cruise, alas, but we will be "AFK" for the next three weeks.

I apologize for not yet commenting copiously on your new arrival. "Real Life" stuff has been crazy hectic. I hope to have time when, or if, I return.

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27 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Veteran Travelers

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Those veteran travelers, the Pinky Street girls, are off on another adventure, and against their better judgment they're allowing me to tag along. I'll be AFK - Away From Keyboard - for the next three weeks or so. Maybe I'll be back after that. Or maybe the siren song of the open road will prove irresistible and I won't be back at all.
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'Til L8R, keep it in shady!

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[Alliecat]

Oh boy. Have fun! And safe travels.
Man, wouldn’t I love a one-way road trip somewhere else right now

[davidd]

Playing Catch-Up... yet again....

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28 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Ugh! Airport pizza! I shoulda had breakfast before I left!"

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29 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"How many connecting flights?"

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30 November - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Time zones, connections, lay-overs... I have no idea

where we are or when we are... but hey! This same suitcase

went to Rome in 1960 during the Olympics!"

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1 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Ahhh... Estrella in Barcelona! It's been a long time -- eighteen years, in fact!"

(Yes, the girls have been traveling for a long time.)

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2 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Roman amphitheater in Cartagena, Spain

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3 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Castles in Spain: Malaga

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4 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"I thought this was Africa! Where are the elephants? And the giraffes?"

Grand Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco

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5 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Yasmin boards a "hop-on / hop-off" tour bus in Cadiz, Spain

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Yasmin climbs a cathedral bell tower in Cadiz, Spain

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Cadiz Navidad! Bratz Yasmin gets in to the holiday spirit in Cadiz, Spain.

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6 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Transatlantic voyage: first full day at sea and a

wake that disappears beyond the horizon

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7 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Transatlantic voyage: second full day at sea.

"These life rings are just for show, right? I mean,

we won't really need them... will we?"

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8 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"... and a grey dawn breaking."

Transatlantic voyage: third full day at sea.

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9 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Transatlantic voyage: another sea day, another "specialty act" in the ship's theater.

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10 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Transatlantic voyage: another sea day, and visions of sugarplums are dancing in our heads.

Probably just delirium.

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11 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"And the smoke so black from the old smokestack

Goes a-floatin' up to heaven and it won't come back!"

Transatlantic voyage: entering cursed waters - The Bermuda Triangle

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12 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Transatlantic voyage: unlimited dessert buffet!

"This is the real reason we're here, right?"

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13 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Transatlantic voyagers: the world travelers add another adventure to their list -

crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship

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14 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Miami. Airport. Rain.

"We're back in the real world, aren't we?"

"And this flight... these flights... are gonna suck, aren't they?"

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15 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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UAS: Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome - Las Vegas

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16 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"We gotta get out of this place."

The melancholy tedium of bland earth-toned upper-middle class suburbia

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17 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Do you remember when we lived in a place we were always excited to come home to?"

"Yeah. That was kind of long time ago now, wasn't it?"

"What happened? How did we end up... wherever the hell this is, living in whatever the hell that is?"

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[Alliecat]

Whoa! Transatlantic voyage?!?! Yay you! And Spain, AND Morocco?
I love how the Pinkys are dressed for each occasion.
No "white sails shaking" though, by the look of that.
Wow, just a week across! What were you on? [OK nvm, I saw on Flickr] How was the weather? Didja get sick?? Really pleased for you that you got to add that to your list of adventures
And oh boy, I can sure relate to the girls' comments on the last pic.

Welcome back!!

[davidd]

Whoa! Transatlantic voyage?!?!    Yay you!  And Spain, AND Morocco?
I love how the Pinkys are dressed for each occasion.
No "white sails shaking" though, by the look of that.
Wow, just a week across!  What were you on? [OK nvm, I saw on Flickr]  How was the weather?  Didja get sick??  Really pleased for you that you got to add that to your list of adventures 
And oh boy, I can sure relate to the girls' comments on the last pic.

Yes, trans-Atlantic from Barcelona to Miami, with stops at three ports in Spain, one in Morocco, and Bermuda.

The Pinky crew are dressed similarly to how they appeared during their first cruise, in Hawaii, way back in 2007.

No "white sails shaking," definitely a motorized vessel, the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Norwegian Pearl.

Yes, the passage was fast. Most of the time the ship was making 18 to 20 knots.

Weather was good. Daytime temps mid-60s / 18 C, with water temp about the same. Mostly moderate seas, 5 to 8 foot swells. One day was rough, with swells up to 12 feet and 30 knot winds. Even the giant cruise liner with stabilizers was rocking and pitching a bit. Some of the ex-perienced crew members admitted to feeling queasy that day. I somehow managed to avoid turning green. Wind and surface chop the final day as well.

Some of my questions about the "middle of the ocean" were answered. Is it dark at night? Yes. Are the stars clear and bright? No. As the air cools, fog lifts, so nights were mostly hazy. Very few stars visible. To my surprise, there was a four day stretch where no other ships were visible, no land, no sea birds -- nothing. Not even jet trails across the sky. I spotted a pod of whales briefly on the second or third day out. Other than that, it was just water.

Back in the day, I used to feel excited returning home after traveling. After all, I was returning home to a place that was a once-in-a-lifetime dream destination for many people. How did I screw that up or why did I give that up? As I begin my tenth year in Utah I grow increasingly despondent about what I left behind. Yes, I still live in a "visitor destination" popular with travelers from all around the world, but... it ain't the same. And it's cold.

I managed to leave "the real world" behind for two weeks. I wasn't going online, I wasn't watching TV news, and after a few days I didn't really miss it. Now I'm back and aware of the world again and what the hell? While I was away the American government tried to shove through an "Australian style" Internet ID and tracking law, and right now they're trying to vote through an "omnibus bill" that includes eanded "emergency powers" for the government, including the ability to mandate masks and vaccines and the authority to require vaccine passports, along with additional funding for the "gain of function" labs that created COVID in the first place. And they're planning to vote themselves a 40% raise - $70k per year. Their raise is nearly twice the median individual income in the country. So in a matter of a few days I've gone from being in the middle of the ocean with nary a care to just wanting to end it all. What is the effing point of even trying anymore when the fascist thugs do more every day to increase their stranglehold on power and authority?

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18 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Captain Action 1/6-scale Action Figure

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Round 2 Toys Captain Action uniform on TBLeague M33 body with unbranded aftermarket head sculpt.

[Alliecat]

Wow, 18-20kt, hahaha.... I have a video clip from a... um... "windy" day *cough* in which you can hear someone say "We're doing NINE knots with just that one little sail" 
I'm impressed by your weather.  I thought, "I sure wouldn't want to do the north Atlantic in December."  We had enough "weather" in July!  The 20-foot seas were not fun, and looking back, it's rather a miracle that we didn't lose anyone.  Guess it depends on the timing; you had it pretty good.  Glad you had some sea legs!
I'm curious; did you ex-pect it to not be dark at night?  That would depend on whether you had moon/star light, and if you had haze, well -- that's too bad that you didn't get to see the stars much.
I'm also surprised that you were surprised, about not seeing any other ships.  We didn't, till we were almost across.  Then it was kind of funny with people saying "Look, everyone just ran to that side of the boat to look at us." 
I don't remember about jet trails.  We had a fair bit of fog.  No birds in the middle of the ocean unless they were real long-range ones like albatrosses or something.  And maybe not in December.  Seeing birds is a sign you're approaching land anyway, if I recall.
It sounds like you had some cool port visits too.  Awesome that you got to do that    Hang onto the memories of fun things; they help you get through the dark times.

...wait, what?  Is that the federal government?  Weird, I follow several groups that are interested in news related to "that sort of thing" and haven't heard a peep about that.  "What the hell" is my typical reaction to much of the world these days.  Especially with our gov't teetering on the verge of collapse and our [censored]-potato-in-chief running south of the border to suck up and all the provincial premiers in a panic because trade war.

Back in the day, I used to feel excited returning home after traveling. After all, I was returning home to a place that was a once-in-a-lifetime dream destination for many people. How did I screw that up or why did I give that up? As I begin my tenth year in Utah I grow increasingly despondent about what I left behind.

This is what terrifies me about moving -- making a mistake and having regrets. 
Wanna buy a house???? 

[fishy]

[quote="Alliecat" pid="8269911" dateline="1734501054"]
I managed to leave "the real world" behind for two weeks. I wasn't going online, I wasn't watching TV news, and after a few days I didn't really miss it. Now I'm back and aware of the world again and what the hell? While I was away the American government tried to shove through an "Australian style" Internet ID and tracking law, and right now they're trying to vote through an "omnibus bill" that includes eanded "emergency powers" for the government, including the ability to mandate masks and vaccines and the authority to require vaccine passports, along with additional funding for the "gain of function" labs that created COVID in the first place. And they're planning to vote themselves a 40% raise - $70k per year. Their raise is nearly twice the median individual income in the country. So in a matter of a few days I've gone from being in the middle of the ocean with nary a care to just wanting to end it all. What is the effing point of even trying anymore when the fascist thugs do more every day to increase their stranglehold on power and authority?

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18 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Captain Action 1/6-scale Action Figure

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Round 2 Toys Captain Action uniform on TBLeague M33 body with unbranded aftermarket head sculpt.

I'm now convinced the shot is at least part of the Mark. (Didn't the people behind the shot like Trump and Fauci have Jesuit ties?)

I hate this time...