I must admit that I feel a slight degree of apprehension in writing this entry. Never in my life have I had so many eyes watching and reading into my actions and thoughts. It's kind of -- not using the words kinda, prolly or lol in this update... :) -- weird, but also fun.

In case you are curious or slightly outside of the loop, I've been Slashdotted. I guess someone happened upon my journal entry about the big LEGO interview and decided it was potentially of interest to a group of readers who go to this website called slashdot.org. Friday was the first time I had ever been to the site and that was only because my friend Ed called me up at work and left a message that I was in for a surprise when I got home...

Here's what I came home to:

~ My live Journal entry for November 24th now has 142 comments. I average about 4.

~ I received 18 personal emails from random people who got my address off of my website. They came from complete strangers around the world. Three of the more curios messages came from as far away as India, Paris and Texas.

~ My website received 82,000 hits on Friday alone! (I average about 800) Saturday brought along another 12,000 hits. I finally removed the link from my journal on Sunday and still managed to pull off another 5,200 hits.

~ The website that started it all has a forum of sorts where people can post their comments and reply to topics. Currently, there are 293 posts as a result of the LEGO link

~ The LEGO Master Builder Site crashed on Friday as a result of the volume of traffic forwarded to them.

~ Someone from the LEGO group I belong to even found the slashdot link and posted it to everyone on our mailing list.

~ I received 4 phone calls to congratulate me and even got a message via my Friendster profile!!

It's a bit overwhelming to say the least. I think it's all good though. I am just happy to see so many adults taking an interest in LEGO. If you get a chance, you should really check out their more candid comments on the Slashdot website. Even the more critical comments about me and my poor grammar are a lot of fun to read. Just as a quick reply to that last comment-it's a frikken journal! Lighten up! :)

Ok, so most of you already know about all the Slashdot stuff, so here's a bit of an update where the LEGO thing is at.

I'm heading out to California in less than a week and a half! The anxiety and anticipation are starting to kick in. Thank God there are some amazing LEGO sales at Target and the LEGO store in Burlington to distract me. I've managed to pick up some awesome sets for cheap money over the past week. I'll probably bring a few of them along for the trip to build the night before. I'll need that moment of Zen to prepare for the whirlwind that awaits me.

It's going to be a fantastic trip no matter what the results. My friends Matt, Tim and Howie and I all got cheap airfare through Southwest for only $200. Tim was able to pick us up a rental for under twenty bucks a day too. It shouldn't be too bad for the hotel either since we're splitting everything 4-ways. I can't express how happy I am knowing that they will be coming along with me. Not only does it make the trip a little easier to handle on my Carpenter's budget, but it also shows me once again how amazing my family and friends have always been throughout every milestone in my life.

The actual competition starts on Thursday the 21st. There will be final interviews, a competency test and meetings with the current Master Builders. I'm really looking forward to this day of the trip. I had so much fun speaking with such talented and inspirational individuals the first time around, I can only imagine how infectious their energy is as a group!

Friday morning starts with a media breakfast and then rolls right into the building competition. No info on exactly what that might entail, but it looks like it may go for a couple of hours or so. Then, hardly before I can mint away my luncheon breath, it will all be over. They announce the winner and new Master Builder at 1pm on Friday.

And so the countdown begins...