Andrew R Gross

The cookie doesn't lie! The hospital I work at just broke into US News & World Reports' top ten! #goteam #wearenumber8 Link to Instagram

Tony received these two Iron Man nightlights ("light up wall art") several months ago.  Neither of us felt they fit our style, partially because they were a bit cheap looking, so he decided to sell or discard them back in June when he was decluttering.  I saw an opportunity, though, and decided to have a go at painting them before we got them out of the house. Painting props is its own hobby and community within the hobbies/communities of cosplay, toy collecting, and replica building.  Individuals will buy toys -- frequently cheap looking toys -- and enhance the quality to that of a piece of genuine art by redoing the mediocre machine-printed details by hand.  I watch a lot of YouTube videos that touch on this.  Most relevant is Cosplay Chris , a burly Aussie who makes his living creating costumes and pop culture collectables and letting fans watch his process.  On Tested , former prop maker and nerd celebrity Adam Savage builds models as well.  And then there's Punishe

I finished the write-up for the sun shade I built in June.  Take a gander. Easy Free-Standing Sun Shade [Instructables.com]

I've been busy.  Work got pretty exciting, and then I went on vacation. The vacation was built around friends' wedding.  Since it was in Pennsylvania, I really made the most of my trip. First, I spent two days in Pittsburgh, during which time I hung out with family: my mom, my grandmother, and my niece, as well as my aunt and sister, as much as the short time allowed.  We went to the zoo, and I watched the first episode of this amazing Turkish drama on Netflix that my grandmother is into (it's called  Kurt Seyit ve Şura , you're welcome).  I also met up with two high school friend's for dinner, and in one case tennis .  It was like what a child imagines grown-up life is like. Then, after about 48 hours of compressed bonding in Pittsburgh, I drove up to Erie with Jack, my mom, and my sister.  We biked along the beach, and hung out on the beach, and saw the new Mr. Rogers documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor".  I'd give it a B: it was surpris