Blog of Josh Hall

Much like sidewalk in Michael Jackson’s video for Billy Jean, I always wanted some cool walkway that lit up.  I saw this show up in a friend’s facebook feed and thought it was awesome.  It might be a little much for a driveway, but I could definitely enjoy a nice little walkway around the side of the house or something.  Glow in the dark stones are a great idea for any subtle hit of light without having to worry about electricity.  http://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/how-to-have-the-coolest-driveway

Here’s the best part about those yellowed Legos:  You’re able to turn them back to their original color cheaply and easily!

I had just googled for a solution (pun intended) on getting all my discolored bricks back to normal.  All that playing in the sun really did a number on them.

As it turns out, all it takes is some Oxyclean and some hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).  I went to Family Dolllar, picked up 5 32 ounce bottles of 3% H2O2, and Kallie already had a box of the oxyclean powder for the laundry  (pro tip: oxyclean does wonders when your husband leaves chapstick in his pocket and cycles it through the washer and dryer).

Now, I’ve got a couple thousand of newly acquired white bricks that have been yellowed.  I sorted them by shape and then into shoe box sized plastic containers.  I poured in the H2O2, then a scoop of the oxyclean.  Give it a good stir and shake to start the reaction, and you’ll start seeing bubbles.  Now, let that sit in sunlight for a few hours.  I let mine sit for 6 hours total.  I stirred it around every 2 hours to make sure all the pieces got some sun light.   Depending on how many pieces you have, you might want to just get them to lay flat and leave space around them so you don’t have to stir.  The other obstacle to think about is that these plastic parts float!  I put enough hydrogen peroxide in so the whole clump of pieces floated about an inch above the bottom of the container, so sunlight could still get to those bottom pieces.

Here’s a before and after of some of the worst pieces I hand selected to test:

WOW, right?  No washing or scrubbing or anything.  Notice the 1×1 didn’t change much.  I realized afterward that it’s not a LEGO brick, but some imitation, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I’m super satisfied with how well they turned out!  Apparently, this can be done with any of those white plastic devices around your house that turn yellow over time, like printers, air filters, etc.

If you don’t like the results, add more oxyclean and let it sit in the sun longer.  It will work for all those discolored bricks too, not just white.  Let me know if you found this helpful and you end up doing it too!

Cops can ruin your day.

Maybe even your life.  Don’t mess with them.  Even if you detect them trying to ensnare you in mind games, don’t call them out on it.  Just respond with unemotional facts.  Seek resolution promptly.  Nothing is worth the fight.

I had a weird dream that my 4 sisters, my mom, and I were all watching old slides with my step-grandfather (pap-pap) and grandmother.  We’re flipping through the slides and we get to one of people posing around a birthday cake on a table.  It’s from the early 80’s.  I don’t recognize anyone in the picture and ask who a certain man is.  Pap pap responded that it was my Uncle Charlie  (I have no Uncle Charlie).  I was confused, and asked how I was related to him.  Pap pap and my grandma looked at me perplexed, as if I should know already, but they said it was through my step sister.  I think her name was Amy.  They went on to explain that my dad had a daughter out of wedlock before he met my mom.  Uncle Charlie was really her mom’s brother.  I flipped out.  How can my sisters and my mom live knowing there is another sibling out there that we don’t talk to?  How come I was never told about her?  I think J’aime or my mom said they thought about telling Amy when my dad died, but they didn’t know how to get in touch with her.

Carpets do not belong in bathrooms.

That’s just nasty.

Why do they check babies at the airport? More practically, how do they reasonably justify their actions to check babies at the airport as worth while? What are they trying to prevent? What are they really able to prevent?

Think about it. A baby is stolen from a hospital or a family. doesn’t matter where. The first question asked is do you have any idea who the suspects are. If so, then you’re looking for the people, not the baby. If you have no idea who took the baby, what leads do you have?

photo ID checks don’t tell if you have a baby or not. COPIES of birth certificates can be pretty easily doctored or created.  I’m not even sure they check birth certificates.

I’m not saying don’t check.  I’m just asking, in reality, what are the checks actually capable of revealing?  What are the statistics around people being caught with a baby they stole at an airport versus people who get their airport security with a baby that is not theirs?