Welcome to the SideShowJournal

When thinking of the most famous hands of all time, what comes to mind? Perhaps the hands of Michelangelo as seen in his masterpiece 'David.' Maybe it's the Queen of England with her royal wave. Or more likely, Hamburger Helper with his curious grin and optimistic 'cook your own damn food' attitude :)

Well, after many months of training in the off season, my hands have finally been discovered as the next Scandinavia's Top Model--Hand Edition. Ok, not really, but they are now up on the LEGO website in a series of new web tips that launched just a few days ago! You can find them at http://creator.lego.com/en-us/buildingtips/Default.aspx. I'm in three so far--one of which is on You Tube. Feel free to check them out at:

http://creator.lego.com/en-us/buildingtips/Category2/Creatures%201.aspx

http://creator.lego.com/en-us/buildingtips/Category3/Columns.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITJXiqM0Le4

I also just found out last week that I will be included in a new book that's coming out later next month called "50 years of the LEGO brick." I saw a preliminary copy and have to say it looks pretty sweet. They've really gone all out with the book by including special inserts throughout including copies of the original patent as well as other nostalgic goodies. The German version is already available through the publisher at:

http://www.heel-verlag.de/cgi-bin/cosmoshop/lshop.cgi?action=showdetail&wkid=9552&ls=d&nc=1209318363-9583&rubnum=&artnum=9783898808606&file=6&gesamt_zeilen=0Tsuche--lego

Wow, that's one-crazy-long link up there!

In other news, I will be acting as the MC for on one of the two LEGO Inside Tours this June. It makes me smile to think back just a few years when I would have sold my left kidney just to go on the tour!! And now...how strange how things come around.

I'll also be heading to BrickWorld in Chicago for the 19th to the 22nd of June. I'm planning on giving one of the 50 minute presentations, so feel free to let me know if there's any particular topic you think I should talk about.

Then after BrickWorld, I'll be headed to the East Coast where I will try to help promote my brother's new chiropractic office. I'm still trying to think of how I can tie LEGO into chiropractic health, but I'm sure I can figure it out :) I'll also be giving away some very cool goodies that will hopefully bring in families from all over the Merrimack Valley.

I'm sooooooo looking forward to visiting the family this summer. My nieces and nephews are too much fun to be so far away from. Plus I miss my brothers and sister and Mom & Dad terribly. We've been working pretty hard over here to meet some ambitious deadlines, so a few weeks state-side should really do me some good! :)

I'm off to the Nürnberg Toy Fair tomorrow. Woo-Hoo! It should be a smashing good time.

I'll give an update when I get back on Sunday.

www.google.com

Only good today. I'll try and post a screenshot for tomorrow :)

Hi everyone,

I know it's been a while, but I thought I'd just post a quickie to address some of the messages and emails I've been receiving about the Green Grocer images that have surfaced on the web this past weekend.

As much as I would like to talk all about the project and the model, I unfortunately have to keep quiet for now because the set has not been officially announced yet.

What I can say is to check out the next issue of BrickJournal to find out lots of cool stuff about the 10184 Town Plan that just came out for our 50th anniversary of the LEGO Brick. I'm pretty excited about the model and am happy to have worked on it with two of our most talented designers. See if you can guess which two buildings I designed...

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=10184&cn=245&d=100

Tomorrow is the official birthday for our beloved 2x4 brick, so I'm looking forward to a fun-filled day at work. Yay!

On a completely non-LEGO related topic, I just tried my first iTunes movie rental tonight. Woo-Hoo! It took almost an hour to download Transformers. Blah! If you're hoping to try it out, I'd definitely plan ahead before sitting down for a romantic evening with your date :)

I haven't given up on this whole journaling thing, btw. It's just a bit more tricky now as LEGO tries to better manage its outlets of information dissemination. Ooh, that one just rolls off the tongue.

Which reminds me, have you had a chance to check out the CREATOR website yet?

http://creator.lego.com/en-US/designstudio/bios/Jamie.aspx

Oh man, I'm just all about tacky self-promotion tonight! Anyways, the design studio section is pretty cool. I like the way they created little cartoon characters of each of the designers on the team. Stay tuned for some pretty neat improvements to the site over the coming months. I don't want to give away any details, but lets just say that my hands might be famous ;)

It's good to be writing again. I'll see what I can do to post more soon.

A teenage boy cautiously stood up in front of the gathered crowd of twenty. Eager anticipation grew as he revealed his newly created masterpiece model. Built over a single night's time, the beautifully designed LEGO church teemed with timeless charm and exquisite detailing. The crowd marveled. This was truly something to be proud of.

Gaining confidence with each reassuring nod of his inspired audience, he spoke: "I tried to make it as close to reality as possible. It's got a stained-glass window and a wooden door. I used a whole bunch of different colored bricks to make the walls look old and worn. Here's the alter and there are even three people in the pews..."

"Just like a real church," I quipped.

The crowd nervously chuckled and then a few began to "oooooooh." Oh man, I can't believe I let that one slip out. The kid smiled and continued onward with his exposition.

Later in the evening, the boy's father sat down next to me and politely smiled. "You know, I couldn't help but comment on your remark earlier. I'm a Baptist Minister..."

When I worked at Disney back in 1995, there were three simple topics that we were completely forbidden from talking about with guests: Sex, Politics and Religion. To entertain such a conversation with anyone on Disney property was grounds for termination. You would have thought that I would have learned a lesson so long ago. Nope, instead, I yet again had to acquaint myself with the unpalatable flavor of foot in my mouth.

Actually, the father was very cool about the whole thing and we had a pretty lighthearted conversation about how religion is struggling to reconnect with today's society.  But it just reminds me yet again how I really need to work better at filtering my own thoughts.

On a less awkward topic, The Cafe Corner, now on it's third month on the market, has really inspired some very cool stuff in the fan community.  I've been contacted almost every week now with someone showing me a link to someone's cool creation.  If you're really bored, feel free to check out some of these fun links:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2395335

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=242115

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=241402

http://festum.de/1000steine/myimages/album836

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=243096

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=244148

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=245077

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=243628

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/matthewcrandall9/BF2007pix/pict0067.jpg

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/BrickMeister/Liberation10182/liberation_at_cafe_corner_001.jpg

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=242586

http://brickzone.net/reviews/10182.html

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=244908

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2372535

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2408666

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2376217

http://www.maj.com/gallery/Timothy-Smith/10182/10182Modules/002.jpg

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=247453

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/mumu/Vignette/MiniCC/minicc_01.jpg

My favorite link, however, has to be the new blog that Richard created for fans of the Cafe Corner.  You can check it out at:

http://bricktowntalk.blogspot.com/

In non-LEGO news, I'm finally moved into my new apartment.  It's a pretty decent place and the neighbors are really nice.  After being in storage for over a year, all my stuff is finally over here too.  Woo-Hoo!  No more living out of the two suitcases I brought here 15 months ago :)

One of the other nice things about having my own place is that I now finally have internet access.  Yay!  Hopefully this will give me more opportunities to try and keep up with some of the family and friends back in the States.  I miss you guys!

Heya!

I know I've been away for a while, but I assure you, it's all for a good cause. Hopefully you'll think it's worth it when you get your LEGO catalogs in the mail early next year.

In the meantime, I'm happy to announce that my second LEGO set is finally on the market. Woo-Hoo! I have to warn you though--this is no $20 airplane :)

Weighing in at a cool 2056 bricks, 10182 Cafe Corner is a whopper of a set. It just went up for sale today at LEGO Brand Retail stores and at Shop@Home for a mere (cough, cough) $139.99! It's a lot of money, for sure. But I'm hoping that it offers a completely unique and exciting building experience that makes the price a little easier to swallow. It's been something that I've always hoped that LEGO would release and I'm just happy that they trusted me enough to finally make it a reality.

BrickJournal interviewed me about a month ago to find out how the whole project developed. You can read all about it in the issue that just came out today:

http://news.lugnet.com/publish/brickjournal/?n=156

You can also check out the Cafe Corner at Shop@Home if there's no LEGO Store near you:

http://shop.lego.com/ByCategory/Product.aspx?p=10182&cn=233&d=263

Ok, enough LEGO talk, I have to get back to work in order to make my deadlines for Friday. Wow, 2008 is looking good :)

So much to write about, so little time. I'm with LEGO fans all week, so you likely won't here from me until next week or Christmas.

Also, big changes for the journal coming up. More details to come early in January.

Cheers and Happy Merry Christmas if I don't talk to many of you before the holidays!

Would you be impressed if I told you I was famous in Thailand? Hmmm... With absolutely no connection to Asia, I had to think about that one too :)

Two weeks ago I was quickly rushed across the street for a very impromptu meeting with a Thai TV crew who were touring the LEGO facilities. My Creative Director Rosario had snatched 4 of us from our desks on her way out the door. There were two female designers from Creative Building and Phil and I from CREATOR. Our brief was simple. Smile for the cameras and enjoy some quality time with our guests. It sounded tough, but I was sure that I could take up the challenge.

With lights all around and this slightly eccentric guy posing us in the most unnatural of positions, a nice woman did her best to break the ice with a simple question:

"What makes Denmark the happiest place on earth?"

Of course my first thoughts were of swimming my hands through a basement of brick here at work where hundreds of thousands of little plastic gems tickle my fancy and bring nonstop smiles to my face. But then I snapped out of it and thought about the rest of the country. Surly, they didn't have limitless toys in their basements? It was a pretty good question indeed! Why are the Danes so happy?

It's not the taxes. It's not the cheese. It's not the endless supply of gray wet mornings and early afternoon darkness…

Her question stemmed from an poll (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5224306.stm) that was recently released showing that Denmark is the happiest place on earth. They attributed it mostly to health, prosperity and education. I agree that Denmark is excellent at all three, but I still think there are greater factors at work like the relative lack of stress due to job security (the commune finds you another job if you're let go) and the strong belief that family comes first above all else. Those to me are very powerful.

Anyways, we never really got a chance to answer the question before flashes burst and direction from the photographer took over. At the end of our session, Phil and Cynthia stayed a bit longer to answer more questions. Benedictine and I joked that we were coming back to our building as mere mortals...but in Thailand--watch out!

Only a week later, a blast from my LEGO past paid me a visit. If any of you have been reading this journal for a while, the name David Sheff (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Over-Press-Start-Continue/dp/0966961706 ) might seem familiar to you. He's an author that I met a few years back in California at the LEGOland Master Model Builder Finals. At that time, he had just started preparing content for an upcoming book about LEGO. We've stayed in limited contact since then and recently I found out that he's still working on the book and now even has the blessings of LEGO upper management.

It was very cool to see him here in Billund. He really got the royal treatment--a manufacturing tour, access to the archives and interviews with all of the who's-who in the company. I was really quite honored that he managed to squeeze me in his tight schedule for a dinner conversation. We had a blast. I could just talk with him for hours. Hey wait, we actually did talk for hours! Although, any of you who know me are quite aware that I'm not one who's short for some good conversation. He's going to continue working over the coming year or two on the book and even mentioned a possible opportunity to get together some time that I'm back in the States. How cool is that?

I'm convinced that things happen in threes for me. No sooner did David Sheff hop on a plane back to the California, that Phil asked me if I'd be interested in speaking with a gentleman from the New York Times who was looking for a designer to interview. Woo-Hoo! I was on a roll.

John and I sat for about an hour geeking out about LEGO. I got to show him several of the prototypes that I made leading up the the finished plane that's coming out in January. He was very nice and enthusiastic. I knew up front that his article will likely not have much to do with the design process. It's even very likely that I won't make it in the final piece. But, whether mentioned or not, I can hardly pass up a chance to talk about LEGO. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything more about the article.

Wow...TV, a LEGO book, and The New York Times... Are there any good agents out there?? I'm starting to think Hollywood might soon come knocking! I just hope they like shooting in a dark grey mist on location because my bike only takes me so far ;)

Well, it’s official. I’m no longer a well-seasoned 30 year old. As of Saturday the 14th, I’m now a very young 31 year old. Woo-Hoo! Thanks to everyone who took the time to send me some birthday wishes. I definitely am feeling the love.

Normally turning 31 would seem to be a fairly uneventful time in people’s lives. Most have already had their pre-midlife crisis at 30 and are now just resigned to the fact that they need to accept nothing better than the prospect of an increasing waistline and receding hairline.

I like to take a more positive approach to aging. I mean, it’s going to happen whether you like it or not, so you might as well smile and enjoy all the perks you can get with it. For example, I managed to get lots of phone calls, cards and cake, a very cool care package from my mom with cookies, cereal and LEGO, and I got a free cup of oolong ginseng tea at the amusement park Tivoli in Copenhagen. Not a bad start to the year!

Tivoli is such a great place to visit. I think I remember reading somewhere that Walt Disney came up with the idea of Disneyland after a trip to Tivoli. Of course, he decided to take out some of the more unsavory aspects of the place like the sale of cigars and beer as well as the abundance of topless women images throughout the park. There is just something weird about kids getting their photo taken with their head sticking through a cutout of a painted topless woman in a bathtub.

My friend Dennis works at Tivoli and was kind enough to give me the VIP treatment during my visit. He introduced me to one of my new favorite roller coasters. Named "Roller Coaster," this firecracker of a ride is one of the oldest Woodies left in the world.

To give you an idea of how old that is, the train cars only have wheels above the track which leaves nothing to prevent riders from jumping right off the rails. Quite simply put, your fate lies in the hands of one very important brakeman who skillfully throttles back your momentum as you careen full force around intense curves and dramatic dips. As soon as you feel those wheels jumping free from the track you pray to god that your teenage brakeman didn’t just have a break-up with his oh-too-beautiful girlfriend.

I was completely up for it when Dennis recommended we try out the new tower swing ride that just opened this year. Of course that all changed as soon as our spinning seats began climbing higher and higher into the air. With feet dangling and no more than a chain-hung small basket to sit in, I very quickly experience paralyzing fear. Every small breeze of air would twist the chains and toss my seat like an insignificant leaf to and fro. It was one of the scariest rides I’ve ever been on. You should check it out ;)

That weekend in Copenhagen afforded me yet another unique opportunity to see just how different cultures across oceans can be. When I bought a beverage in Tivoli, they charged me 5 extra kroner than the list price on the sign. I just assumed it was a sugar tax of some sort, but the kind lady behind the counter informed me that I could deposit the cup in any one of a dozen or so machines around the park for a rebate. Finished with the drink, I placed the inverted cup in the machine. Suddenly a frenzy of high-pressure activity within climaxed with intense whooshing and splashing sounds. As a finale to the show, my 5 kroner coin dropped down the shoot and gave me good reason to buy another drink just to see the show all over again!

I think Europeans in general have a much healthier view of the world we live in and what it takes to ensure its environmental health and prosperity. Recycling is taken very seriously here. When you buy a bottle of coke, the bottle is likely to have several scratches and nicks in the glass. Unlike the States where we grind up and re-form a new hermetically sealed package, the idea over here is to clean the container and reuse it.

On a side note, have you ever seen about a dozen or so blind people getting hair cuts outside at a public plaza? Yeah, I can't say that's something I come upon regularly, but sure enough, that's exactly what I saw on my way to Tivoli. It was some sort of blind awareness day and it drew quite a crowd. I couldn't help but wonder what it must be like getting a haircut if I was blind. Do blind people get hair coloring?

I started writing this a couple of weeks ago and now have a whole new host of things to talk about. Two weeks ago I went to LEGO World in Holland and had a blast. My plane seemed to go over really well with the kids at the event. It was so cool seeing their faces light up once they discovered the mechanism that makes the wings swing open. I tried my best to answer their questions, but it was much trickier than I imagined on account of the language barrier. Having just started learning Danish, there was no chance I was going to translate much of the Dutch most people were speaking. All I have to say is that my roommate Nathanael was a rock-star for the week. As the sole native dutchman in our group of 9 designers, he was very much the man to talk to at the event.

From LEGO World back to work, I've spent the past two weeks building models for some major deadlines coming up next week. We're working like crazy on preparing concept models for the 2008 product line. We also had a test last week in the UK where several of our models were shown to kids to get their impressions. The ones that tested best are now being further developed for an internal review from upper management. I'm really excited about some of the stuff the kids chose. I think we've got some awesome sets in the pipeline. I just have to keep my excitement in check because it's still a very long way until 2008.

Oh, and how could I forget the most amazing Halloween party ever? Some of the designers here had been preparing for it for the past two months. Wow, it was amazing. They had all the essentials, black-lights, spider-webs, a creepy old organ, corpses, a blood splattered shower, a skull and bone chandelier, a cadaver on a table split in half by a giant blade that swung from the high ceiling, and so much more. The costumes were over-the top. My friend Dave went as a fortune teller complete with portable booth and crystal ball. We had Bender from Futurama, a pregnant nun, a tribal chief, a squid man, Tetris pieces, and tons of spooky ghouls and funky monsters. I went as luggage. :)

Throughout the night everyone was talking about this one creepy guy who always seemed to be watching us silently through his nasty old man mask. No one knew who he was or how he got in. He spoke to no one. He just was there. Wouldn't you know it, he even won a prize at the party for having the most terrifying costume. Of course he went up and took his prize without offering so much as a hint of his true identity.

The next morning there was a note in the mailbox from the mystery guest. With a drawn profile of is face creeping across the left hand side of the paper, he offered a hand-written thank you for an evening of amazing memories. He said it was the best party he had ever been to and wanted to congratulate them on their success. And true to his form, he finished the letter without even his initials. We'll just have to wait til next year to try to pull a Scooby-Doo to unmask that mystery man!

Well, as of last Friday, the local convenient store served their last ice cream cone for the season. As of last Sunday, LEGOland closed its gates and won't open them again until the spring thaw. And just today, a freaky snow storm ripped through Billund blanketing the town with foam-like winter pellets. Yup, it looks like I'm in for 6 more months of wet gray darkness. Let's just hope that the freaky guy from the party hibernates for the winter. I'd hate to bump into him while searching for the last tub of Boston Ice Cream in the Brugsen Frozen Food Section :)

I'm currently on a photo shoot for the new LEGO Direct set that's coming out in April. I just wanted to tell everyone that I haven't disappeared! My birthday last weekend was awesome and I have lots of stories to share. Huge thanks to everyone who was kind enough to write and call. That was awesome.

Just in case no one hears from me for a little while, I'm headed to LEGO World in the Netherlands later today and will be there until Monday. Woo-Hoo! The fun never ends :)

Stay tuned...there's lots to share with the next journal update!

What fun! I just found out from our marketing guy on Friday that I can finally talk about the first sets I worked on for 2007! Woo-Hoo!!

Oh where to begin... Before I say anything, I just want to lower your expectations a bit. Years ago I learned a valuable lesson from the first Batman movie. Everyone was telling me how amazing it was and how I absolutely had to go see it. As a result of having such high expectations, I was doomed to see the movie as a letdown. It was only years later that I was truly able to appreciate the movie as the terrific after-school special that it was.

The list below represents different sets for early 2007 that I've contributed to in some capacity. I've labeled them differently to highlight the fact that some of my models include building instructions while others are just for inspiration.

If labeled 'INSPIRATION' the model will only appear in picture form on certain pages of the building instructions. These models will not have instructions on how to build them.

If labeled 'ALTERNATE' the model was built using only pieces available from the main model on the front of the box. These models include building instructions and are often shown as smaller pictures on the front and back of the box.

If labeled 'MAIN' the model is the largest of the set and is the focus of the front box-shot. Building instructions are included. All alternates and inspiration models are built using only the pieces from this model.

Here they are!


4916 Mini Animals

ALTERNATE 'Turkey'
ALTERNATE 'Dinosaur'


4917 Mini Robots

ALTERNATE 'Magic Crazy Cat'


4918 Mini Flyers

ALTERNATE 'Biplane'


4939 Cool Cars

INSPIRATION 'Tele-handler'


6163 Creative Building

INSPIRATION 'Dragon with Knight'


4953 Fast Flyers

MAIN 'Swing-Wing Jet'
ALTERNATE 'Hovercraft'
ALTERNATE 'Helicopter'
INSPIRATION 'Speedboat'
INSPIRATION 'Space Shuttle'

If you're looking for one set that has the most jamie bang for the buck, the Fast Flyers is your best bet. It's my first set, so I'm particularly proud of it. Please be sure to run out an buy cases of them :)

The main model is an f-14 type stunt show plane complete with swing-wings, working wing and tail flaps, working landing gear and huge air intake and exhaust engines. My friend Nathanael dared me to make a hovercraft as an alternate, so the first alternate is indeed a hovercraft with hidden wheels beneath so that it can roll around and steer on the floor. The second alternate is an Airwolf-style helicopter. It is meant to be the easiest build of the three, so the functions are limited to spin-able main and tail rotors. I'm hoping at least one of the three models on the box front will tempt $20 out of the pockets of some eager kids and adults!

The inspiration models are pretty fun too. The speed boat has some cool detailing while the Space Shuttle has working bay doors and a functional robotic arm and orbiting satellite. I'm also lucky to say that LEGO legend Steen Sig Andersen created a fantastic Cargo plane as the final inspiration model in the set.

I will be unveiling the Fast Flyers at LEGO World in the Netherlands next week. LEGO asked me last week to join a team of representatives for the week long event. Although I will only be there for the long weekend, you should definitely stop on by and say hi if you're in the neighborhood.

I know a lot of you will be asking for pictures of the new sets, but that will have to wait for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to grab some for an upcoming post where I talk all about my experiences at LEGO World.

Considering that it use to take two years to send a product to market, I'm grateful to already be able to talk about the stuff I worked on. I can't imagine what it must have been like back then. I mean it's just been over 10 months and I was about ready to burst having to wait! Of course, now we're already working on some way-too cool 2008 products, so this could be a rough year for me ;)

This whole journaling thing is so bizarre. If I write an entry a week, I can just about handle recapping all the necessary fun and happenings without a problem. As soon as I miss a week, oh man, I’m in for trouble. Since my next holiday isn’t until Christmas, I’ll hopefully be able to better keep you up to date for a while :)

To begin with, there was BrickFest about a month ago in Washington DC. A nice surprise greeted me my first morning of the event. Gentle rings from the bedroom phone tempted me from my oh-so soothing shower. Intrigued—and dripping wet, I answered the call.

“Hi, this is the front desk. We need you to come down here right away to pick up a very large package.” I asked if I could head down in a bit on my way to breakfast but they insistently repeated that I was needed right away because the package was far too large for them to handle.

I hurriedly threw on some clothes and headed down. Upon arrival at the desk, I quickly realized the urgency of the request was strangely unwarranted. There was nothing at the counter. No big package…no gigantic obstacle blocking them from their duties.

Completely beside myself, I turned and came face to face with the real surprise they we hiding. With big smiles and outstretched arms, there stood my mom. I couldn’t believe it! She and her friend Charna drove all the way from New Hampshire just to surprise me. It was awesome.

BrickFest itself really was amazing. I mean, I knew I was going to have a good time, but I never imagined that I would be getting the full VIP treatment while I was there. Joe Meno is to be commended for his excellent job in putting the whole thing together. He really made a very fun event that I will always remember.

I think I mentioned last entry that I was presenting "Stressing the Elements." That went extremely well. If you were unable to check it out, the PowerPoint is available at:

http://cache.lego.com/downloads/brickfest2006/BrickStress.ppt

My other presentation on 50 Years of LEGO Commercials also seemed to be well received—to the tune of four encore showings! In addition to that, I’m happy to report that our moon bases fetched top dollar at the auction on Saturday. The Hungry Hippos sold for $500! Woo-Hoo! What’s even better is that all four of the moon bases were purchased by the same guy and will be the centerpiece of a display at a toy museum in Ohio. Very cool.

The rest of my stay in the States was even better than BrickFest. After months of separation, I was finally reunited with family and friends that I missed so much. I'm hooked on my family. I can't get enough of them. I got to play Transformers and LEGO with Connor and Brianna. My godchild Anthony is riding his bike like a big boy. My niece Isabella is walking. My other niece Avonlea is almost talking. It’s amazing how much happens in 3 months!

My cousin Gail cracked me up. She beamed with excitement as she asked me how much I thought a Connecticut quarter from 1788 is worth. I didn’t have the heart to take that moment away from her so I just smiled back and said I have no idea.

I could have easily stayed another month and not seen all the people I wanted. But I’m unfortunately learning that that’s the most expensive cost of this whole adventure. Lucky for me that Christmas is only 3 months away :)

Back in Billund, I dove right back into the 2008 product development. We’ve been going full force trying to come up with some cool models for a kid’s test later this month. There are so many different directions we can take different themes that it will be great to hear what they are into.

I also ran into a bit of trouble with the LEGO Direct model that I designed. We have a wonderful team of ladies here that have been kind enough to make duplicate copies of the set for an upcoming photo shoot.

As I walked by to see their progress, I noticed that all three copies of the set had an error in the way they were built. I tried correcting one of the models and quickly noticed the cause of the problem. One of the elements they were building with was far tighter than the ones I used for the prototype. They could not physically position the part properly, so the model ended up with a very visible flaw.

When I brought the issue to Design Lab they informed me of some unfortunate news. It turns out that the way I built that part of the model was completely legal. However, that having been said, they then further brought to my attention the fact that the assembly was a hazard to children and that it should be changed.

This was not good news to hear this late in the process. The BOM had already been locked, production has been planned and the first run of building instructions is already finished. To make any changes now was a very big deal.

I approached my Creative Lead and told him about the issue. Simon recognized the potential safety hazard and assured me that he would stand behind any changes that had to be made. Lucky for me, I was able to do an even swap of pieces to make the fix. Now the assembly will break if a child falls on it. Before, the connection was too solid and could cause a puncture wound.

Linda in Building Instructions assured me that she could handle the change and Helle, my Project Support, was able to unlock the BOM, make the change and inform production of the new materials needed.

I can’t tell you how cool it was to see everything happen the way it did. It really makes me proud to know that the company I work for genuinely cares about the products it releases. Man, I’m learning every day just how much goes into getting a product to market.

One final story involves a trip to the zoo last week. Our marketing and creative leads decided to take time out for a team building day where everyone who contributes to the CREATOR line got to get to know each other a bit better. It really was great fun.

The zoo was like nothing I had ever been to. In addition to offering the traditional layout where you can walk from one animal to another, this zoo also maintained a section that you could drive through.

Now many of you are probably thinking that you’ve heard of this safari-type thing before at parks like Six Flags Great Adventure and the likes. But would any park in America let you drive your car into a pen with a dozen hungry lions wandering around?? And yes, I knew they were hungry because the posted feeding schedule had changed the day we were there—which meant they were now over a week since their last tasty meal.

With absolutely nothing separating us, these fantastically beautiful cats seemed really unimpressed by Simon’s beat up old Saab. I guess I never pictured Danish lions as being car snobs. I should have known this zoo would be different as soon as I saw the brochure picturing a Gorilla chucking his middle finger at the camera.

So that’s some of what I’ve been up to for the past month. I swear, I'll get better at updating this journal...at least until Christmas ;)

This past weekend I experienced my very first Danish circus. Well, actually it was a German circus in Billund, so we’ll call it a draw. If you talk to the others who came along with me, they’ll tell you it was pretty good. If you ask me, however, I’ll tell you it was wicked!

There’s just something about a circus that brings out the little kid in me. I’m a junky for visions of elephants and camels, and clowns and more! As soon as I saw the signs being posted around town, my heart began to skip beats. I know the others likely just came on my behalf. But I’d like to think they too were hooked as soon as they saw the midget surfing on a pony.

At one point mid-show the lights dimmed to a black-light glow and white-sheeted horses appeared from behind the dark curtain. I couldn’t help but feel a degree of discomfort at the thought of these hooded marauders entertaining a southern crowd back in the States. The Danes for some reason don’t think that KKK might stand for more than just Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.

As the equestrian cavalcade danced before us, I couldn’t help but gaze at the myriad of twinkling LED stars up above. How they were able to set up such a marvelous display of electrical ingenuity was beyond me. Of course, the magical moment escaped me as soon as I realized those sparkling gems were actually holes in our well-worn tent. Ah, perhaps even the circus sometimes can't escape the cruel economics of reality.

There was more exciting news on the work front this week. The head of LEGO Direct flew to Billund to check out first hand the models we’ve been creating for 2007. I was psyched to hear him get all excited about the set I made. What’s even better is that he’s raising the sales forecasts again! Woo-Hoo! He says the preliminary pictures he saw were good, but to see it in real life was fantastic. Let’s hope all the buzz that’s building pays off next year.

This past week I payed my first visit to Havremarken. That's a building where all our graphics are internally handled. I had to go over there to approve the final box art for my first LEGO set. All I have to say is that that place rocks! I've heard rumors and stories about how cool it is...but to go there and see it for myself...I'm in awe. How many places can you say you've been where they have a hallways with basketball hoops, pool tables, ping pong, a rock climbing wall and dart boards? There are scooters everywhere to whisk you from one amazing place to another. They have an area with two motorized massage chairs. There are chairs 3 or 4 times normal size and tables oversized to match. And how cool is it to work in a place with a fireman's pole to quickly jump down to that late-morning meeting? I'm definitely looking for excuses to go back there.

Good news on the BrickFest front. My two presentations have been approved by LEGO! Woo-Hoo! What’s even better is that my PowerPoint presentation for “Stressing the Elements” will be available for download from www.lego.com. I will have a URL to share in a couple of weeks, so make sure to check back.

My video presentation called “50 Years of LEGO Ads” will unfortunately only be available for those in attendance at BrickFest. I kinda figured there would be an issue with offering it for download. There were some very valid points brought to my attention which made me appreciate the fact that I can even show them in the first place. For those of you who can make it, you’re really in for a rare treat!

I will be in Washington DC from Thursday August 24th until Tuesday August 29th. From there I will be headed up to New England where I will stay until September 10th when I fly back to Denmark. Hopefully I’ll be able to see a bunch of you guys while I’m in town!

After holding you in suspense for an extra week, I’m happy to announce that I am a co-winner of the first ever LEGO Designer Moon Base Module Competition! That’s right, due to the overwhelming response to both mine and Tim’s modules, LEGO has decided to send the two of us to BrickFest 2006. Woo-Hoo!

Bonus points will be given to those of you who guessed the Hungry, Hungry Space Hippos as my entry. I’d also like to think I had a hand in Tim’s Squidman victory on account of my superb skills as cameraman, director and background screaming guy in the Squidman video. ;)

We will travel to Washington DC later this month to include our modules in the fan-created moon base layout. In addition to that, Tim will be giving a presentation on how he became a LEGO designer with a little help from the Squidman. No really. You won’t believe how far back the Squidman chronicles go.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I will be giving a presentation on the many rules and guidelines that govern official LEGO product design. Since that initial post, I’ve received some email from fans who will not be able to attend BrickFest, but who want to know if I can post my PowerPoint material after the event. I can update you insofar as to say that the proper people are looking into it. I guess there is no issue with me giving the talk. But when it comes to rebroadcast or dissemination of company material, that’s where the legal mess comes in. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Just to help work everyone into a frenzy for BrickFest, I’m also happy to announce that I’ve been able to score a few rare and discontinued airline promo sets at the employee shop. For those of you savvy enough to answer the right questions during my talk, you might walk home with an 11 year old MISB set!

To top off the madness, I’m also thrilled to announce that I have managed to become friendly with the LEGO video archive lady. Why should you care about a professional and strictly platonic relationship between me and a 40 year old Danish woman? Well, maybe it’s because I’ll be bringing to BrickFest something that I never imagined possible.

For the first time ever—and likely the only time ever—I will be presenting to the fans a compilation of video clips from across a half-century of LEGO history! Titled, “Fifty Years of LEGO Ads,” this presentation will include over 40 LEGO tv spots and promotional clips dating all the way back to 1953! I’ve got commercials from Korea, Germany, England, USA and The Netherlands. This promises to be an amazing opportunity to see how LEGO has evolved from a simple idea to the Toy of the Century.

Thanks again to everyone who voted for the Moon Base Competition. I'll hopefully be seeing many of you in just a few weeks :)

After three very late nights last week, I'm happy to announce that I managed to complete my entry for the first ever LEGO Designer Moon Base Module Competition. Five designers from Billund have entered and now it's up to LEGO fans to decide which one of us gets to go to Brickfest to show off our creation.

Just as a quickie overview, a few years back the fan community came up with a set of guidelines for a "moon base" layout. The idea was simple: everyone builds on a 48 x 48 stud base plate where up to four connection points must all be at the same height and location. This modularity ensures that any two units can connect together in a limitless display of imagination. Beyond the defined connection points, anything can be built in the middle. That's where the fun really comes in. More info can be found at http://www.zemi.net/moonbase/

Some builders maintain a purist approach and only build space stations or research facilities. Others stretch the concept to more fantastic scenarios involving castles or pirates or even bizarre creatures. Some go completely off the charts like the one that recreated a Pacman video game. Again, so long as the corridors match up, anything is fair game.

My fellow designers and I have offered a perfect slice of this range of possibilities. One entry is of a space castle complete with Jar Jar Binks and references to the DaVinci Code. Another is more in line with classic space and offers the fans a taste of an ultimate Ice Planet outpost. A third entry remains virtual at this point, stressing a futuristic theme for the contest. It promises a myriad of space ships and cannons and towering docking stations. Finally, the fourth and fifth entries include video presentations. The "Squidman" tale is a mad and mysterious one involving a crazy scientist and his unfortunate incubator mishap. A base squirming with tentacles and overtaken chambers is sure to capture the vote of those out for a taste of the bizarre. And at last there are the hippos...four hungry hungry space hippos. That's right, the timeless game from our past has warped light speed ahead into the future! After such a long space journey, it's no wonder they've got more than a case of the munchies.

So there you have it. You can check out http://news.lugnet.com/events/brickfest/?n=3470 to see what the fans think of our entries. One winner will be announced next Monday July 31st. Woo-Hoo!

Since we're on the topic of LEGO (not a big surprise in this journal :) I have recently been informed of an "Easter Egg" on the LEGO Mindstorms website. For those of you unaware of such a concept, these bonus eggs often show up in software programs or video games but are the privy of insiders and uber-geeks who happen upon them after restless nights of trying to save the Princess. Examples of famous eggs can be found at http://www.eeggs.com/ An easy one to find is on the Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Rings DVD (Extended Edition). A secret ring appears when you click on the final chapter choice. Jack Black has his own take on the Council of Elrond!

Well, here's an insider tip for you. If you go to http://www.mindstorms.com, move your arrow down to the exclamation point at the end of "What is NXT?" section. If you click on it, you'll get a treat from our favorite robot, Alpharex :)

On a completely different topic, LEGOland has been having Western Nights for the past few Thursday evenings. My roommates and I checked it out a couple of weeks ago to see how the Danes pull off Johnny Cash and Garth Brook. And yes, those are the only two country names I can pull out of my head--and one of them was only because he did a remake of a Nine Inch Nails song. Anyways, what a hoot seeing an ocean of blond Scandinavians walking around with their cowboy boots and ten gallon hats. Oh, and designer jeans. Yup, it was just like the old west I remembered as a kid...growing up on the outskirts of the Wild Wild Methuen Mall...

Only a year ago, who would have thought I’d be soaking up some beautiful sunshine on a sandy Danish beach with topless European women and two new friends from Ireland and the Netherlands. Who would have ever imagined me in full military fatigues running through the woods last week in an ultimate paintball game where everybody wins free bruises and exaggerated bragging rights? Who could have ever foreseen a time and place where McDonalds is regarded as healthy?? This truly has been one of the more unusual weeks for me.

To begin with, you should know that for the first time since college, I’ve got a new haircut style. It’s the “Harm Special” and only cost me a case of beer. Harm is one of the guys here at Gravhøjen who decided to give us all an alternative to the $40 men’s cuts offered downtown. His work can now be seen all around the Design building and will surely spread to other places once word gets out.

I’m convinced that even my new haircut could not have saved me from the painful defeat I suffered in Paintball last week. I say painful only in the physical sense. The game was otherwise a lot of fun.

Fully prepared for summer combat, I took comfort in knowing that a full winter coat under my camo jumpsuit would easily protect me from the sharp sting of an oncoming assault. Little did I know that my head was a magnet for paint pellets. I tried to play it cool by saying that my mask was all that could be hit on account of my stealth-like blending abilities…but I think we’re all quite aware that I’m just not cut out for the death business. I went through 3 games before I shot my first paintball!

After a 4 hour evening of stings from both man and mosquito, I was ready for a nice relaxing Sunday at the beach. Following an “inside tip” from one of their travel books, Harm, Andy and I ventured to Hvidbjerg on the east coast of Denmark. Even though this entire country is only the size of Maine, the 3 hour bus travel made it feel like we were traveling to the ends of the earth.

This slice of heaven was totally worth it. After walking up a decent hill through thick trees and dense vegetation, we reached a clearing on top of a giant sand dune overlooking the breathtaking ocean below. Had we the proper equipment, this could have been one killer sled run to the bottom. Instead, we meandered down at a casual pace soaking up every last drop of luscious sunshine on this beautiful cloud-free day.

At the water's edge lay odd gelatinous discs, rolling lifelessly with the ebb and flow of each rolling wave. Andy immediately took to one of them, almost claiming it as a pet. Gently stroking his fingers over the delicate sea creature, he soon became immune to its charm and felt compelled to launch his jellyfish friend full force like a grenade out into the open sea. Sometimes I wonder about the Sponge Bob generation...

After thoroughly enjoying this Scandinavian oasis, our sun-burnt bodies let loose at the local bus stop. Of course, Andy's loosened up a bit too much and squealed the nastiest of flatulents right past us and towards a little old lady right beside us. Horrified and embarrassed, I staggered away from Andy towards the frail woman. Just as I was within reach of her failing vital signs, she counter attacked with her own screeching bum brew that set me back a half dozen paces! Without so much as a flinch, she then stepped towards the curb and signaled the bus driver for a quick escape.

Now back at work, I'm spending every night this week working on a moon base for Brickfest. Fans next week will be able to vote on their favorite module. The creator of the winning design will fly the fan’s pick all the way from Billund to Washington DC for Brickfest 2006 later this summer. I won't give any clues just yet on my own creation since all the designers names will be anonymous for the voting. Don't forget to check out www.lugnet.com next week to cast your vote!

And as far as the McDonalds health food thing goes, my sister-in-law Amy sent me a whacky article from the New England Journal of Medicine that showed the differences between fast food restaurants around the world. Wouldn't you know it, Danish fast food leads the health pack with the lowest fat content of any other country in the world.

"A large meal of chicken nuggets and french fries at McDonald's in the United States contained 10.1 grams of trans fatty acids, while the same meal in France contained 5.9 grams and just 0.33 grams in Denmark, Steen Stender, who headed the research project, told AFP"

Does it strike anyone else as odd that the author of the study is named 'Steen'?? :)

Yup, it's official. Summer Holiday is in full swing. It's amazing how drastically things have changed around the workplace. Last week everyone was running around like crazy--working 10,12 or 14 hour days trying to get everything wrapped up for the 2007 product line. Now, the deadlines have passed and a calm has settled in over Concept and Design. It's so nice shifting gears towards planning CREATOR 2008.

Just to give a quick recap of my Model Review, everything went really well. I'm still waiting for something to swing back and take the wind out of my sail, but so far things are looking good. My model passed it's review without any major changes. I'm on budget and on schedule--even with the launch date being moved up by 6 months! I've even begun consulting with the packaging team who will be putting together the box graphics. Having been disappointed as a consumer in the past after passing up sets because functions or cool features weren't highlighted on the box-shot (think 4403 Red Helicopter), I'm taking an extra interest in making sure that everything important is communicated effectively.

I got an email last week from an adult fan named Anthony in Cape Town South Africa. He was responding to my last post where I mentioned I would be presenting at Brickfest some of the rules and guidelines about building with LEGO. He asked that I try to offer information to even those who are unable to attend the event. It's a great idea. I've been in talks with the proper people at LEGO who can help make this a reality. I'm really hoping to put together something that will finally shed some light on some of the restraints that help LEGO designers become better builders.

There was a great forum that Anthony linked me to where LEGO fans where wondering why designers use certain colors or elements while building. The example given was a Star Wars set where the whole thing was essentially gray and then there was a tan brick right in the middle. The fans couldn't figure out why a designer would pick such an odd color when gray seemed such a natural choice. Steve Witt correctly offered a great explanation of how some colors like black are cheaper than others and how if you don't see the piece, a cheaper color would help keep down the cost of the set for the consumer. It's also true, as Steve pointed out, that the more a part is used by designers, the cheaper it becomes. This does encourage us to sometimes make choices based on economies of scale.

I just want to further his comments with a few observations of my own. It is true that color prices can vary greatly--especially when multiplied by 2, 4 or 50 elements. Black is usually the cheapest color, but it is also often the least preferred on account of it's poor showing in photographs and building instructions. Granted the issue should be null with some changes made this year. But if you've ever tried to build a Star Wars set in the past few years, you're probably very aware of the difficulty distinguishing gray, dark gray (blay) and black. Throw in medium blue into the mix like on the Titan XP and you've really got some tricky situations. By placing a tan brick on gray, you not only make it easier to see in building instructions, but you also make it easier to find in a box dominated by gray brick. The quicker you find a piece the quicker you get to enjoy building your set. Gray on gray is also not preferred because it is easy to overlook. Never loose site of the fact that children are our main audience.

Another factor that many fans might not consider is that there are thousands of different LEGO elements in the assortment. With millions of bricks being pumped out each day, it is inevitable that machinery might fail and maintenance will need to be performed. When this happens, designers often get that horrible visit from project support to tell us that we can't use a particular piece. This is a real situation that happened as recently as three weeks ago when a fairly important element in the new LEGO Direct set I just finished became unavailable on account of a machine failing. This is not an issue exclusive to LEGO. It happens on occasion in any mass production line. Who am I kidding, it happens in any mechanical system. When was the last time you had a car that didn't need repairs?

The key as a designer is never to fully commit yourself to just one design. The cool thing about LEGO is that there is always at least one or two other ways of accomplishing the same thing. Think of how many ways you can make a 2x4 brick and you can see exactly what I mean. You can stack plates. You can use two 2x2 bricks. You can use a 1x2 and a 2x3. You can use half plates and half brick. It goes on and on.

BTW, not all visits from Project Support need be bad. Helle, who supports CREATOR and LEGO Direct does an amazing job taking care of us. She brought me fantastic news last week when she told me that the machine was fixed and that everything was a go. Woo-Hoo! That one called for cake :)

Of course there are tons of other considerations that influence brick choices. Some decisions are made in model review to limit the complexity of the model. Some colors help lower the age of the build. Some designers just have a preference for one color over another. It's never a black and white decision.

I hope this shed a bit of light on the design process. Next week I'll be announcing the next LEGO Legends set---that's right, Galidor is coming back*!


*Galidor is a registered trademark of the LEGO Group and should never be purchased under any circumstances no matter how discounted you find it at Toys R Us. And no, it is not coming back :)

This week begins the final stretch of my LEGO Direct Project. I have model review on Thursday and Friday, so I need to finalize many of the last details of the set. It's going to be interesting to see how everything turns out. Unlike the Creator sets that I worked on earlier this year, this new project is not geared so much for children. We're aiming at a 16+ market instead of our usual 6 or 7+. That's exciting for me. It means I can build in more creative and challenging ways. I really hope this model gives LEGO fans at least a few "ah-ha" moments. I've really been trying to test the waters with this one. It would be great to see the sales validate the LEGO Group's new focus on LEGO fans as important consumers.

After this week, things really wind down for a month or so. In Denmark, as in the rest of Europe, this week and next week mark the beginning of what they call summer Holiday. It's an absolutely crazy notion for me to handle. Coming from the States where I had 5 vacation days last year, it's inconceivable to think of having an entire month off of work. That's one month now and then there's still two more weeks of vacation on top of that for the rest of the year!?! Wild.

I'm bucking the trend by not taking this month off. It makes much more sense for me to break up my vacation time so tht I can enjoy more trips home to see my family and friends. I'm hoping to get a couple of weeks in August and September for Brickfest and then a few weeks for Christmas and then a couple of weeks for Easter. For me, that works out a bit better.

That reminds me, I've signed up to give a presentation at Brickfest this year. I hope to talk about all the quirky rules and guidelines that govern official LEGO sets that make it to market. It's amazing how many techniques that I use to build with are illegal. I want to call my talk "Stressing the Elements." I even plan on showing a few sets that broke the rules! Woo-Hoo! It's going to be fun.

On a side note, I got an interesting email last week from a gentleman in Europe. He says that he was doing some research on LEGO Master Model Builders and ended up finding my journal in his Google search. What a hoot. That entry was from back in 2003! He says he ended up reading my whole blog and was thrilled to find out that I now finally work for the company. I couldn't help but smile. It's amazing how small our world has become. It's also a bit daunting now knowing that my words could come back to haunt me years later. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that story about the Altoids scam...

I have a cell phone now too. If you need the number, shoot me an email and I'll give you all the necessary numbers in no particular order.

It's going to be 85 and sunny all week. Hmm...Holiday sounds like a pretty good idea right now :)

I’m finally back into the swing of things here in Billund. Wow, it’s been an active couple of months. I’ve gone from Denmark to Atlanta to Boston to New Hampshire to Providence to New York City to Boston to Amsterdam to Billund to London and then back to Billund. After all that travel, I’m very much looking forward to more reasonable journeys on my bike from here to the Brugsen.

I was originally supposed to start work on the first of May, but immigration fortunately intervened and gave me almost three weeks more time with my family. I’ll admit the delay was frustrating at first, but circumstances proved to be a blessing in disguise. With that little twist of fate, I was able to share some amazingly precious time with my beautiful grandmother Gabrielle Cassista. After struggling to maintain a failing body, she finally traded it for eternal peace just days after I flew back to Denmark. Her last words to me were that she was happy to have stayed alive long enough to see me leave for my dream.

Life in Billund has dramatically changed since I left back in April. It’s been absolutely gorgeous here for about three weeks now. Temperatures average in the 70’s and we’ve now got daylight until about 11pm. The grocery store is even open on Sundays now. Woo-Hoo! Billund is the place to be... :)

Work has gone into overdrive. I was thrilled to find out that I’m still the lead on one of the LEGO Direct projects. It’s definitely something that I’m excited about. It’s already created a decent amount of internal “buzz.” I’m very much enjoying the extra traffic around my desk. Random people just seem to be stopping by to take a look and comment. It’s amazingly cool.

Should everything work out, the X-Pod replacements should come out for Christmas. I did a few alternates and inspiration models. My first main model comes out for just after Christmas and should sell for about $20. I did the main, two alternates and two of the three inspiration models for it. Then March or April should see the launch of my LEGO Direct model. I’ve developed multiple versions of the same set, but it should sell for $100-$120. I’m hoping for the pimped out version, but I’ll be happy with either. Did I mention yet how awesome this is?!?!

I just can’t help but wish that my family and friends could be here to share all the excitement. At the least, it’s great calling them and keeping up with all the activity back home. Hopefully next week I’ll be getting a cell phone, so communication should improve exponentially.

Oh yeah, I also wanted to comment on LEGO’s announcement that they are outsourcing manufacturing, relocating distribution and cutting over 1200 jobs. It’s amazing to think of a LEGO with only 3000 employees world-wide. I know of single automotive plants that have twice as many workers.

I spoke with our CEO Jorgen Vig about a week ago and learned that LEGO is still in a fight for it’s very existence. The toy market has become so competitive over the years, that LEGO needs flexibility like never before. As much as I understand the business case and logic behind the move, I can’t help but feel a horrible sadness at the thought of all those dedicated employees leaving the company. For someone like me who lives for LEGO, I just couldn’t imagine such a loss if it were me.

That having been said, I was at least comforted to find out that product designers should have a decent future. We are considered to be core to the creation of LEGO products and Jorgen assured me that we will always be a part of the company. Of course that’s no guarantee of job security, but at least it’s not a pink slip either.

I’ll still be planning on coming home for Brickfest this August. I’ll hopefully be seeing many of you during my visit. In the meantime, I’ll be updating my journal again weekly and keeping you all up to date on all the exciting news and happenings during my crazy Scandinavian adventure.

Ok, ok...I've fallen way too far behind on this journal. There's so much to update!

First and most important, I got hired by LEGO!!! Woo-Hoo! As of May 1st, I will be working as a Product Designer here in Denmark. It's absolutely Mad Crazy. For years I've been trying to get my foot in the door. I even drove all the way to Enfield, CT to ask if there were any warehousing jobs. I figured that any job would be one step closer to my ultimate dream of designing official LEGO products. Who would have guessed that a single Brickfest encounter in Washington DC would end up leading to this!? Thanks Paal and Simon for giving me a chance. I'm still in disbelief.

In a few days I head back to the States for a month. It's going to be so great finally seeing my family and friends again. That's the worst part of this whole deal. If it weren't for email care packages and phone calls, I would be seriously hurting. I'm planning on flying home a few times a year, so my loved ones will never be that far away.

Monday I had my very first Model Review. I think it went pretty well. Just to give you an overview, Model Review is pretty much the last step in developing a product before it is finalized for building instructions. It is an important opportunity for the designer, building instructions representatives, experience model builders and technical professionals to all sit down and build the model from start to finish to see if there are any issues. Usually there are minor color changes here and there to help make the build easier, but sometimes there are more substantial alterations that need to be made.

During the development of the model I was presenting, we have been anticipating that it will be for children 7+. After the review, we discovered that an 8+ age marking would be more appropriate on account of the complexity of the build. Without giving away any specifics, I am quickly learning that there are certain elements which immediately raise the age level of any set.

I went to a building test a couple of weeks ago and experienced this first hand. LEGO gathered 8 children and gave them one of our currently released sets to build. Only in Denmark could 7 of the 8 children have blond hair, but I digress. When it came to pushing some of the pieces together, they physically lacked the strength to do it. It was quite an eye opener. Of course you could say that they could just get help from an adult, but many children build by themselves—especially if parents are working or unavailable.

So I’ve made a few modifications to my model and will return to the second half of my review today. We’re focusing on the alternates, but I’ll run my changes by them first to make sure everything is copasetic. I’m optimistic that everything should be fine.


On a more bizarre note, I went on a bike ride earlier this month which turned into an off-season excursion through LEGOland! No, seriously. My roomies and I were touring the town when Tim offered to show me where the park is located. Approaching the hallowed gates, I couldn’t help but notice they were …open?

Shouting a big “Woo-Hoo!” I peddled my ghetto bike right through the entrance and into brick heaven. Tim and Nate reluctantly followed behind insisting that this was not a good idea. I assured them that the gates were obviously open as a sign that we were meant to be there. I don’t think Nate believed that one bit, but peer pressure is a marvelous motivator.

We rode around for about ten minutes. I stopped and took pictures of the few Lilliputian creations that were still exposed to the elements. It was quite a treat. All around us were white shrink-wrapped cocoons. I could hardly wait till the spring thaw to see the metamorphosis of marvelous models everywhere!

All thoughts of spring vanished, however, at the site of a bright yellow security van heading our way. Feeling compelled to take the lead, I told the others to just smile and follow me. I hopped on my bike and drove right towards the oncoming vehicle. With a confident nod and a flip of my hand, I looked right at the gentleman and said “hi.”

The security guard looked right at me without so much as a flinch. His arm shuffled up from his waist and his hand shot the most casual of waves right back at me. The window never even rolled down as the van continued onward without even a tap of the break lights. In disbelief, I turned to the others and we all about fell off of our bikes in laughter! What fun. It’s amazing how much trust plays a part in Danish society.

We rode around for another 20 minutes or so and then headed back to the gate…a very locked and closed gate! DOH!! Nate was not happy. I laughed like a loony. I knew it was too good to be true. Determined not to let a little obstacle get in my way, I decided to think like Macguyver. I thought long and hard about possible Matrix moves that could get us across the walls… But our bikes—dammit, we can’t leave them behind.

Just when all hope was almost lost, I noticed a beautiful green button—a magical key that would release us from our unexpected confines. Sure enough, a simple touch was all it took and the gates temporarily opened to send us on our way.

Last night on TV there were advertisements for American Idol, American Chopper, American Hot Rod, America's Next Top Model and Pimp My Ride. At the local grocery store you can find classic American-Style Pizza and Lays All-American Potato Chips. Local radio stations and clubs dance to the beat of American music. And finally, George W Bush is setting record disapproval ratings everywhere across the country. Yup, the more I look around, the more I'm beginning to see that maybe life over here won't be so foreign after all. :)