Don't call it a comeback...

Well, I suppose it is a comeback...

At the end of February, I had to hang up my Lego spurs and put this blog on indefinite hiatus while I took care of me.  Life caught up and overwhelmed me.  It was draining.  I had no energy, no desire, no time.

There was too much to do.  My wife wanted to move to a place closer to her place of work, since I can work remotely.  The new place is smaller, so we had to get a larger storage space, closer to the new residence.  Everything had to be packed up, including the Lego's.  I must have went through 20 boxes, and most of them are still awaiting unpacking.

When we weren't planning to move or actually doing so, I had school.  As I've progressed through the University of Minnesota Carlson program, the coursework has gotten tougher.  I've had to put more and more hours in to pass the class and keep my grades up (I want to finish with a GPA around 3.2).

I've also been busy with work.  I'm expected to take more of a project management role in my current position, so I'm constantly working on software rollouts.  I've been putting in extra time to ensure things go smoothly.  And I can't afford Lego fun time if I can't pay the bills with my mad programming skills, defragging my hard drive for thrills (Weird Al Yankovic - "All About the Pentiums").

Whatever free time I've had has been partially spent playing Pokemon Go.  A distraction?  Yeah, but I need to get out of house so I don't go mad.

Speaking of getting out of the house, my wife and I did some travelling this summer, post-move.  Disneyland, Kansas City (to see the solar eclipse), Duluth (her parents were in town a week)...  Can't sit around and write Lego blog posts when you're away from your source material.

So, after all that, am I back?  I hope so.  I don't have class again until late October, so I'll have some nights off to go through some boxes, find elements of my Lego town, and blog about their design, their construction, their purpose.  I never finished the Marina district.  I've got two more posts to write there before the next overarching theme.

I just have to dig everything out and reassemble the buildings.  Shouldn't be too hard.  The big question will be, can I?  Or is there another major obstacle in my path?  We'll see.

Just don't hold your breath quite yet...

About Me

Who are you?
Well, I'm a married man in my mid-30's living in St. Paul, MN who recently re-discovered the joy of building things out of Lego bricks.

I work for John Deere as an Infrastructure Analyst in the Enterprise Desktop Standards team. We determine what kind of hardware and software all 60,000+ employees worldwide get on their desktop computers, how the software is loaded on them, how the settings for computers are managed, etc.

I go to school at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  I started January 2014, and I expect to be done by the Spring of 2019.

When I'm not playing with Lego's, working, or doing school work, I'm hanging out with friends I met on social media, going to Golden Gopher Men's Hockey games (I'm a season ticket holder), going to rock concerts or movies (especially Marvel Cinematic Universe films), and just being my regular awesome self.

What does your wife think of a grown man assembling things out of plastic bricks?
She enjoys it.  It gives her yet another topic to blog about and make some money through affiliate programs (she's a blogger and social media assistant).  It keeps me at home, instead of getting into trouble (gambling, drugs, smoking, womanizing, drinking, etc.).  And she understands that this is my creative outlet.  My wife is constantly amazed by the ideas I come up with.  It's great to have someone who appreciates that.

How did you get into Lego's?
I started playing with Lego's as a kid, when I was about 6 or 7.  It was one of my favorite activities until my family moved to an army base in the Pacific when I was 15.  I couldn't bring all of them with me, so some went into storage.  Money was kind of tight, so I couldn't afford to buy any.  And the stores rarely had them (if ever, because I don't remember seeing them in there).  The dream didn't die, it just went into hibernation for a while.

How did you get BACK into Lego?
I was visiting friends in the Twin Cities (I'm from Fargo, ND), and my pal Kate wanted to meet up for lunch on a Sunday afternoon at the Mall of America.  She told me to meet at the Lego store, and the rest was history.  I had no idea that there were Lego STORES.  I knew about the catalogs and ordering through the mail, but a whole store devoted to those plastic bricks?  Stick a fork in me, I was done.

But why are you writing blog posts about it?
I do it for me.  And my friends, because I'm sure they don't want to hear me constantly talk about my Lego collection.  This way, everyone can take it at a pace that's comfortable for them.  And if they have questions, I can discuss my hobby with them.

How often do you plan on posting?

I've got a schedule set up to post about one building or theme on the 15th and end of each month, starting January 2015.  I'll throw some random ones out there too, especially when I buy a new set, read an article on Lego production, or find a cool picture of something built with Lego bricks.

What project(s) are you working on?
I just want to build a large Lego town.  I started working on designs like that as a kid, and every time I tried to branch out, it always came back to the town idea.  I found it was the most logical conclusion as to why there were Castle, Pirates, Space, Racing, etc. elements all together as one.  After discovering the Lego Store and the Pick-A-Brick Wall, I found I could put together a number of large buildings to REALLY help me assemble the town idea.  It was perfect.

How big is your collection?
Too big to count, but I'd say it'd take up 200 to 300 square feet of space to set up my Lego town.  I've got maybe forty to fifty thousand bricks and nearly 700 minifigures.  Yeah, it's a bit of an obsession.  But it makes me happy.

What happens when you have kids?
Well, I'd cross that bridge when I get there, but I'd probably box everything up until the kids are old enough to play with them.  I'd teach them about my grand plan, and someday, they'll take over.  But that's a long ways away.  I'm staying focused on the here and now.

What does "Velspillet" mean?
It's Danish for "well played".  I use that term to commentate on current events in the outside world or within my own little bubble of it, usually expressing how impressed I am by a clever ploy (but sometimes pointing out a boneheaded move someone made).  Since Lego was founded in Denmark, I thought putting that little spin on the name of my blog.

Can I come over and play Lego's with you?
If you pass a stringent background test, and you do not object to a vigorous pat down upon your departure from my residence (Sorry, but with all the cool stuff I have, I just don't trust anyone not to try and walk away with something, Lego or otherwise), you can come over.  But, please, no unannounced visits.

Will you bring your Lego's over to my house?
No.  But I will come over to share my ideas and designs.  Maybe we could build something together.

Aww, you're no fun.
Yeah, well...  Lego is very serious business.