I tested the giant goul yesterday and found its performance satisfactory. There were a few issues with the cloth that has to be addressed. I was able to walk around and manuver pretty well. I did however have to make changes to the hand grips to make it easier to manipulate. The neighbor girls across the street got a big kick out of it.

The house is a 8 ft tall playhouse, jsut to give you an idea of scale.
To see more pictures of the goul in action visit my 2005 House Display Photo gallery.

Why is the song “old time religion” going through my head insessently?

Tonight I finished the basic structure of the giant puppet. So far it still seems light enough to manuver easily in and it has a good range of motion. I decided to attach the arm joints with some waxed twine to allow for maximum flexibility.

I ordered and received the HS-125 voice amplifier from Hisonic International, and it seems like it is definitly going to help keep me from losing my voice. It doesn’t really handle low frequency ranges well but I will make due. I stopped by the local radio shack today and picked up a 20′ extension cable for the mic. It turns out this is the perfect length. I was able to run the cable up the ’spine’ of the puppet. I then ran the cable down the right arm and down the support arm used to manipulate the arm. The cable loops back up the arm and over to the amplifier located just below the neck. The reason for this long loop is so that I can add in a switch to turn off the mic when I do not want to be amped.

Another day in Chicago, another person I know. This time it’s Phil a former painter from the college.

Todays train ride includes new car smell as a bonus. Toss in the smell of a man who bathed in cologne and you get olfactory hell

I’m on the train going home now. I stand by my earlier comment about not doing this daily.

Excitement on the way to the hotel included the cab hitting a bicycle rider.

Here I am on the train on the way to a conference in Chicago. I just can’t imagine doing this daily. I love my job.

Ok, everyone else is doing it, so why not me:

Oh, and the 1st person to lecture me on lemmings gets a taste of that vorpal blade!

Well, becasue I’m a terrible procrastinator and becasue I’ve been busy with Renaissace Faire stuff, I haven’t really gotten going on Halloween yet this year. Or Perhaps I should rephrase that, hadn’t really gotten going… This of course is compleetly undetectable by my neighbors or the rest of the town becasue my entire display usually goes up in one day and down that very night. (Less vandalism that way) So anyway, I was in a store with a friend last week and we came across a foam giant skull. (Mightmare factory sells them as item # VA696) The minute I saw it I knew I had to have it. You see I have been wanting to create a ‘giant puppet’ type prop for my yard haunt for years. Now that I have the skull I have purchased other supplies I think I will need to build it. I plan on posting pictures of the progress as I go, and hopefully in the next 10 days I’ll actually be able to create somethign that will work for my needs. Ahh nothing like waiting until the last minute.

So the Sox aparently won a big game and are in the world series… Sorry, but I really don’t care for sports. I really wish people would STOP BLOWING THIER HORNS in celebration.

I’m back home again. Why does Ohio have to be so far away?
Thanks again to Bob.

P.S. Shakey eggy thing.

At: N 40′7.2312 W 88′10.5626

A shakey eggy thing. A what? A shakey eggy thing. A what? A shakey eggy thing. A what? A shakey eggy thing.