Earlier this year, the Washington National Cathedral announced plans to build a replica of the cathedral in LEGO in order to raise funds for the repair of the cathedral due to damage from the 2011 earthquake. I bought some bricks online early on, which went into construction of the Bethlehem Chapel, but I wanted to … Continue reading Building the LEGO National Cathedral
Author: Allyn Gibson
A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.
When I get home from work tonight, I get to set up a new phone. For you see, I am, like Daffy Duck, a maroon. A week ago, I was petting Jones, the neighborhood cat. It was a nice evening, Jones was stretched out in my lap asleep, I was petting him with one hand, … Continue reading Replacing the Phone
Yesterday afternoon, I left work early and drove down to Bowie to see game 4 of the Eastern League Championship Series between the Bowie Baysox and the Trenton Thunder. Wednesday I toyed with the idea of attending, if there were a game four. Thursday I went back and forth a few times, choosing a seat, … Continue reading Lightning Strikes in Bowie
Recently, I found a photograph of Baltimore, circa 1871 — downtown Baltimore, as seen from Federal Hill. There are things about this photo that are familiar, and many things that would be a mystery. Let’s take a look. Consulting with maps, I feel that this photograph of the Inner Harbor and environs was taken from … Continue reading A Look at Old Baltimore
There was a lovely sunset tonight in North Carolina. Rain threatened and never came, but the clouds left behind were gorgeous.
It transpires that Tiger is not homeless, nor is his name Tiger. His name is Jones. He was rescued two years ago by a couple who live in the townhouse complex next to mine. (The intersection between my complex and theirs is where I first saw Jones about two months ago, in June.) Over the … Continue reading A Mystery Solved
Fade In Int. Allyn’s Bedroom. Night Allyn is laying in bed, his head resting on a stack of pillows, hands not just behind his head but beneath one of the pillows as well. The lights are out, though his bedroom is partially illuminated by a street lamp somewhere beyond the window. His eyes are closed. … Continue reading Fade In… Gutenberg Blocks and Styles
At Midsummer’s Eve, a visitor to my apartment complex arrived, an orange tabby cat the neighborhood kids dubbed Tiger. He was waiting for me when I arrived home from work tonight, laying down against my front porch step. He saw me coming up the walk, stood, met me halfway, then followed me back to the … Continue reading A Feline Visitor
Yesterday morning I decided I wanted to go to a baseball game. I’d not been to one in three weeks, work had been overwhelming, and my soul was missing green fields, blue skies, the crack of the bat, the smell of grilling meats. But Harrisburg (first choice) was out of town, York (second choice) was … Continue reading Baseball Night in Aberdeen
Driving home, north on 74, the moon was over my shoulder. It was eerie through the light clouds, and just to the east, shining brightly, was Jupiter. Astronomical pictures from a smartphone often fail. More luck than skill that anything turned out at all.
If the first book in Alessandro Gatti’s Sherlock, Lupin & Me series, The Dark Lady was the secret origin (ie., how they met) of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler, and Arsène Lupin as teenagers, the next two (The Soprano’s Last Song and The Mystery of the Scarlet Rose) are in the main Sherlock … Continue reading The Cathedral of Fear
While looking through the Library of Congress’ website yesterday, I found this vintage 1852 image of Washington, DC, done by the same company that did the map of Baltimore of 1868. “Oh, wow,” I said. “This is cool. There’s the Smithsonian Castle, designed by James Renwick. There’s Trinity Episcopal, also designed by Renwick. There’s the … Continue reading The Washington That Never Was