The life and times of Brad Hardman

Yoda versus Shifu

2008-08-15T06:51:02Z

So Belle and I were talking the other day about Kung Fu Panda. She really liked the movie and all the characters. Somehow we got on the topic of Star Wars and Yoda. I mentioned that Yoda could probably win in a fight against Kung Fu Panda's Master Shifu.

Belle thought about it for a minute and then asked me, "How do you know that Yoda would win?"

"Well," says I. "I figure Yoda's got the force."

"Ah..." quickly chirped Belle. "But Master Shifu has the Wuxi Finger hold!"

I just didn't have a answer for that one.

I still think Yoda would win, but it's nice to have these kinds of conversations with my kid. :)

Truck Nutz

2008-06-19T03:46:11Z

On the way home from work tonight, I saw the most awful and tacky vehicle accessory. I guess these things have been around, but it was the first time I had ever taken notice.

Anyhow, there was this big ass truck on the road and hanging from the bumper were a pair metal testicles.

Yes, you read that right, the truck had balls.

Man balls. A happy sack. Ghoulies. Huevos. Nads. Testicles!

I had to do a double take because I thought it was a defective trailer hitch or something. I don't spend much time looking at cars, let alone all the bling that people put all over them, it is just not my thing.

Now, I find large trucks to be rather ugly to begin with. I truly loathe things like the "Calvin peeing on the Ford logo" sticker, the steel-chains license plate frame, or the ever popular "Mudflap girl" silhouette. A constant reminder that there is many in this world with different taste than I. Bully for them, I guess.

Sadly, I felt the need to write about it here. Even more sad, I did a quick google search to find out the correct terminology of said truck balls. Apparently they are called "Truck Nutz", also known as bull balls, bumper nuts, hanging truck balls, hitch nuts, etc.

Googling anything is always a risk and I was very scared of what I would get for searching under the words truck and balls. Luckily, I was very late to the Truck Nutz party and there were a ton of sites dedicated to the selling of these bulbous accoutrements.

It was amazing to see the large variety of colors, sizes, and materials available for you to personalize your own set of truck nutz. It reminded me of all the various gamer dice one has to choose from when selecting a new set of dice for a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

At least neuticles have a purpose. These were for dudes who were already compensating for a lack of something with their huge trucks...this was a way to really drive in that point. That is not to say that some people just find them funny and proudly display their balls to offend people. I can see some value in that, I guess. But the joke is already old on me and I only just saw them.

Thank you, world! You have brought me up to speed on a new level of tackiness. I wonder what will be the next big reveal that the universe will share with me?

_bloodstain_ @ 2008-06-06T20:24:00

2008-06-07T03:29:07Z

Tonight's first pint? Boddingtons. Ahhhhh.

Good, but I'm moving on to Harp (I only bought one Boddy)

Just glad that it's the weekend.

Will be seeing Kung Fu Panda with Belle tomorrow. For the first of a few times I am sure. At least WALL-E is coming out this month too. Having to see the same kid movies again and again can melt your brain.

Taking the day off for Batman in July. Hell yes.

Guess who is about to turn five years old?

2008-03-20T00:00:20Z

My little baby girl is gonna be five in a less than two weeks.

She gets a little annoyed when I break out the camera all the time...

But she does like being in the spotlight.

And enjoys showing off her range of emotions.

Sure, she's almost five, but she's still my baby. I wonder if I'll ever get tired of snapping shots of her when she's napping?

Fear of Girls

2008-03-09T07:30:51Z

I could watch an entire series with these guys. Any old-school RPG gamer would get a kick out of it:

Fear of Girls 1:

Fear of Girls 2:

So awesome.

The Force is with Belle...

2008-03-05T01:42:00Z

Belle's been in a Star Wars mood lately. Today she asked to borrow one of my white T-shirts for play...

Belle - Now and Then

2008-02-24T20:10:12Z

My little baby girl in 2003:

My little girl in 2008:

I just love my little darling. :)

_bloodstain_ @ 2008-02-19T16:36:00

2008-02-20T00:37:42Z

Somebody opened up a comic book store near my home.

Outside of getting married and becoming a father, this is one of the best days in my life.

<--- NERD

_bloodstain_ @ 2008-02-11T09:59:00

2008-02-11T18:18:41Z

Wow:

This was the only thing that came to my mind after seeing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H47QlGq3zQ4

You gotta love YouTube.

_bloodstain_ @ 2008-02-02T16:25:00

2008-02-03T00:35:56Z

I saw an online debate regarding the important question, "Can a lightsaber cut through Superman?"

I chuckled and turned to my wife and posed her with the question. We both agreed that since Superman emits a sort of bio-electric aura that shields him from most physical attacks, the lightsaber would NOT cut through the man of steel (hey, lasers don't work on him either).

My four year old daughter quickly added, "You shouldn't mix Warner Brothers with Star Wars characters...it just doesn't work, Daddy."

I'm impressed that she not only had a strong opinion to add but that she already knows that WB owns DC Comics and understands that fictional universes differ from brand to brand.

That all said, I'd like to think a lightsaber would sting Superman at least a little bit on contact.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080131010337AAOiy32

_bloodstain_ @ 2008-01-24T17:09:00

2008-01-25T01:10:18Z

This was something my Dad e-mailed me, I had never seen it:

http://www.disappearing-car-door.com/

Pretty cool.

10 years ago today...

2008-01-02T18:55:48Z

Jerusha made me the happiest man on the planet. Thank you, darling. I love you.

It has been a wonderful ten years. Here's to the next ten.

My baby, the little gamer...

2007-12-22T05:00:33Z

Belle's been getting more into video games lately.

My little baby is growing up... *sniff* and I now have a new gaming buddy! >:)

Guitar Hero - Belle Edition

2007-12-19T01:15:01Z

Belle discovered Guitar Hero...

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-11-29T17:53:00

2007-11-30T01:54:23Z

I haven't done one of these in a while.

49%

Looking for payday loans?

I guess I got dinged for not instantly killing off my zombie-fied loved ones or owning a gun.

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-11-19T16:37:00

2007-11-20T00:38:58Z

Belle was wanting a little bandage for a tiny cut she got on her hand. I took her into the bathroom and mentioned, "There are bandages in the First Aid box, honey."

Belle thought for a second and then asked me, "What is Second Aid?"

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-11-12T21:04:00

2007-11-13T05:12:47Z

Got my copy of "The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories" by Nicholas Gurewitch today. So happy.

It's a collection of comic strips from one of the best online comic strips on the Internet, the Perry Bible Fellowship. If you aren't familiar with the strip, check it out here (sometimes not for the kiddies, just a warning).

Good stuff. :)

Gelatinous Cube!

2007-11-08T17:44:59Z

I picked up a few packs of the newest themed Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game and was delighted to find in one my of my packs a Gelatinous Cube.

For those not in the know... the Gelatinous Cube is D&D "monster" that slides through dungeon corridors, absorbing everything in its path, digesting everything organic and secreting non-digestible matter in its wake. Contact with its exterior can result in a paralyzing electric shock, after which the cube will proceed to slowly digest its stunned and helpless prey.

It's Death Jello. A bit silly, but hey, so's a bunch of nerds "slaying" dragons from the dinner table.

Once again, it reminded me of the good old days of being one of those nerds at the dinner table. I do miss gaming. I'm just a nerd with no time for games these days (been saying that for a few years now...yikes). I've had more than one character get caught up in one of these Jello cubes. It felt good to think back on it.

Here's hoping I'll have more time in 2008 to slay some Orcs. Given how D&D 4th Edition comes out next year, there's a good chance I'll at least try the new system. We all knew that I'd at least buy all the books. ;)

Art (From the D&D Monster Manual) and photo above from Wizards of the Coast.

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-10-23T15:41:00

2007-10-23T22:46:30Z

Got the keys to my new home. Brought over a little something to make it feel more like "us":

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-10-15T23:10:00

2007-10-16T06:18:26Z

Belle shows off some of her moods:

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-09-19T23:39:00

2007-09-20T06:43:05Z

Loving the new job.

I'll never get used to travel though. I just miss being away from my girls too much. Need to remember to pack them in my bags before I leave next time.

I also can never get the same quality of hair spray while on the road.

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-09-14T11:26:00

2007-09-14T18:28:16Z

We're looking into buying a new house. Last night Belle told us that she needs three bedrooms.

One for resting in, one for playing in, and one for sleeping in.

I guess she's got it all planned out.

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-09-05T19:26:00

2007-09-06T02:37:31Z

Life is good.

Things I like:

My daughter's voice.

My wife's smile.

Not having a full calendar.

Reading the collected Order of the Stick trade paper paperbacks.

Summer's fading strength. It's wheezing right now, autumn is almost here. :)

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-08-23T20:39:00

2007-08-24T03:44:49Z

Tonight I was running late getting home because I had a business dinner. I was able to join my family at the dinner table. Having already eaten, I sat at the table with no food. My daughter asked, "Where's Daddy's food?"

"It's okay, honey. I already ate tonight, we had dinner at work." I answered.

"Where did you eat?" she asked.

"We ate at P.F. Chang's".

Belle blinked looking confused. "You had to pee on chains?!"

_bloodstain_ @ 2007-08-19T22:26:00

2007-08-20T05:31:10Z

This was the first Morrissey video I ever saw. I was up late watching 120 Minutes on MTV. This video comes on and I'm all "This dude has hair like mine."

I bought the CD the next day. A week later I owned all of his solo albums and everything he did with the Smiths. Sometimes you just instantly click with something.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4N48OEDnseI

You get the sense from this that Morrissey just doesn't like doing videos.

"You will do this in one take and then I'm gone."

Funny bit of trivia for this video, it was directed by Zak Snyder. The man who later went to direct Frank Miller's 300.