I’ve never been into Lego. Didn’t really see the draw as an adult. Sure I’d bought some of the Buzz Lightyear Lego stuff when it came out, but nothing beyond that.

Then the other day I came across this amazing video describing the upcoming R2-D2 model from Lego.

I knew from the moment I saw that thing that I needed that model. I contacted my a friend who works at the Lego store in Orlando about the possibility of getting one. She’d offered in the past to help me out if I ever became interested. She said it was due out in May but in the mean time there were other great Star Wars models available… like the Millenium Falcon and the X-Wing Fighter. Plus she would be able to help me out with a bit of a discount. So I packed up the family and we drove an hour and a half to Downtown Disney and bought those two plus Luke’s Landspeeder, some dino stuff for the boy and the new Lego Friends science lab set for Jenna.

The next two days were spent back at home assembling these things and let me tell you… I am hooked. Not only is it a blast to have these things… it is downright relaxing to work on them! Therapeutic even. Anyone else feel that way?

Now I’m totally into Lego. I wish I had a room full of them so I could build custom stuff in my spare time. Currently I’m designing a few Buzz Lightyear figures using Lego Design Studio, but I’m finding that it’s hard to track down lime green and deep purple pieces. Luckily there are plenty of online resources for buying those hard to find parts individually. I’ve already poured $13 into a very small package of 1×1 purples.

My first figure is a recreation of CubeDude’s amazing Buzz Lightyear rendition.

I’m also into the stuff going on at Lego Cuusoo. I’ve pre-ordered my Minecraft Micro World set and am eagerly anticipating the approval and creation of The Winchester from Shaun of the Dead as well as an official Back to the Future delorean. Go over and vote for them!!

I’ve been checking craigslist and ebay for a huge (cheap) lot of random Lego bricks so I can start building my own creations. I just wish that more folks who create amazing Lego models would post more about how they put them together.

I’m jumping back on the weight loss bandwagon. Back in 2001 I reached my goal weight… then the holidays hit. I gave up and gained it all back plus some. I’m 38 and overweight and have decided to take control of at least one of those two issues.

I’m using the online version of Weight Watchers for Men. I never liked the meetings anyway. Now there are loads of online tools and tracking help that makes carrying around a mess of manuals and reference books a thing of the past.

I only started yesterday so there’s not a lot to report so far. I have added some mini goals this time around. The first mini goal is to lose 5% of my body weight. My second goal is to fit into XL T-shirts. Mostly because there’s this really cool Buzz Lightyear Tee at Downtown Disney that I want and the largest size they have is XL.

Along with the obvious task of tracking my weight on a weekly basis, I’ve also decided to track measurements. My experience has shown me that there may be weeks that the scale doesn’t change… but the measurements will. Basically I’m trying to create as many “wins” as possible for myself. I’ve measured my waist, calves, thighs, upper arm, neck and my belly. I don’t expect much chance in the calves. They’re solid muscle… but my neck and belly… looking forward to seeing some changes there. I would wear a suit at work a lot more often if the shirts didn’t choke the life out of me. And since most of my weight is in my belly I’m looking forward to pulling that tape measure tighter and tighter each week or so.

Here are some of my stats as they stand right now:

• Starting weight: 262 lbs
• Goal: ~170 (not sure yet. I’ll know when I get there)
• 5% Goal: 248.9 lbs
• Daily points: 53