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In lugnet.general, Jake McKee writes:
> Inspired by John's post (http://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=39785), I would
> love to throw out a question!
>
> What is your coolest LEGO Experience? Maybe you built an amazing castle when
> you were eight years old. Or perhaps you've had a more recent experience
> like watching an FLL robotics competition where you saw kids participating
> in the most thrilling event of their lives. Or maybe you finished the
> perfect train car and posted it online.
Some of my favorite Lego stories to tell:
DaveE and the Music Center
=================================================
Shortly after my introduction to Lugnet, a curious post popped up,
requesting help in modelling a Music Center in Lego bricks:
http://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=5795
The center ( http://www.indianhillarts.org/ ) was raising money to build a
new addition, so that they could finally have a concert hall. The idea was
that instead of your typical "Fundraiser Thermometer" that gets drawn in
with magic marker every week, they would showcase a model of the building,
built from Lego bricks. And the more money that came in, the more the
addition's model counterpart would be built up.
Being that it was a short 30 minute drive from me, I volunteered, along with
a host of other people and groups from around the country. However, both my
proximity and my fee (I said I'd do it for the leftover bricks) won me the
honor of doing the project. (The bricks used in the building were slated to
be put in bins for children to play with in the waiting room, or perhaps
even to be kept assembled in the model for all time)
Working (sadly) with only 3033 tubs, old-style basic-color bulk brick packs,
and a swath of black plate bulk packs, construction began. If only we had
bulk ordering in tan back then! (Tan had only made its debut on the Lego
scene some 1.5 years earlier, and was in short supply) During the course of
its construction, there were several newspaper articles, various expose's
and other events featuring the 3'x5' model.
Finally, payday came. The model was completed, the money was in,
construction began, and I came to collect my "extra leftover bricks".
However, I arrived only to find that about 60% of the extras were 'lost'.
Assumedly given to someone else who was after the bricks as well. :( I took
the remainder (some 2,745 bricks), still more than satisfied since the
'remainder' consisted of plenty of raw brick.
But the real joy came a few months later. The grand opening ceremony for the
hall was scheduled, and I attended its "unveiling". I was invited up on
stage, and, rather shocked, was given the entire model! (Thankfully I didn't
glue it!) 18,290 more bricks to add to my collection! I was swimming with
euphoria. I would never again be in short supply of black plates, grey
bricks (though maybe not!), or black bricks.
DaveE and the Nagging Mother
=================================================
In 6th grade, both my friends and my parents were convinced I was too old to
still be playing with Lego. How could I ever expect to mature if I still
played with Lego? No wonder I was a social misfit! So, one fateful day, I
succumbed to the parental and peer pressure and agreed to put the Lego away
in the attic. Where it patiently awaited my return...
Some years later, in high school, I secretly still yearned to play with my
childhood Lego. I carefully snuck Lego into my room, and hid it inside
drawers I knew no-one would look in. How clever of me! I could still build
with my bricks, and appear cool and mature on the outside-- Lego became a
guilty little pleasure.
Shortly thereafter, my mother was annoyed with me for some reason or
another. One of her peeves being my messy room. With an instinctive urge to
pester, she came into my room and announced that I needed to clean. "You've
got PLENTY of extra drawer space for all this junk on the floor! Why don't
you put it in there?!" With that, she started picking up random piles of
clothes, papers, and knicknacks, and shoving them in random drawers in my room.
I was noticeably petrified. What if she discovered my Lego? Oh, the
humiliation! I began to try and shoo my mother out, promising that I'd
clean. But my mother was not so easily convinced. She saw right through my
attempts, and realized I was hiding something. What could a teenage boy be
hiding in his room? Pornography? Drugs? Liquor? Condoms? Surely, she could
not stop until the secret was exposed!
She grabbed a Bugle Boy shirt off the floor, and opened a would-be empty
drawer in which to stuff it. But instead of an empty drawer, 200 small
smiley-faced Lego figures sat happily in a pile. She stopped dead. My face
exploded in unheard-of shades of red.
She was floored. Should she be angry? Should she punish me? What the heck
was her teenage son doing with his childhood Lego?! Confused, and mildly
embarrassed herself, she attempted to maintain her still-annoyed-with-me
facade. "Well... clean this room up!" She darted out, leaving me to wallow
in my own mortified state....
To this day, I still find myself laughing over how serious I thought the
situation was at the time...
There's probably more stories to tell... but ah well... another day!
DaveE
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Coolest LEGO Experience?
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| More…I need more! ¯¯¯...¯¯¯ ~I crave these stories… There’s just such a level of sincerity in the sharing of personal stories involving our hobby. So far I've read every post (some of them twice) and even all of Hendo’s touching thread which (...) (21 years ago, 7-Dec-02, to lugnet.general, lugnet.people)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Coolest LEGO Experience?
|
| Inspired by John's post ((URL) I would love to throw out a question! What is your coolest LEGO Experience? Maybe you built an amazing castle when you were eight years old. Or perhaps you've had a more recent experience like watching an FLL robotics (...) (21 years ago, 6-Dec-02, to lugnet.general, lugnet.people) !!
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