BenSpark Family Adventures

  I received a free digital copy of Pixels of You, a Graphic novel out now from Amulet Books so that I could read and review. Pixels of You was an interesting read. It explores the ideas of AI and personality, belonging and struggle. The story is of two characters, Indira and Fawn. Indira is a photographer and she is interning for a woman named Paloma who owns an art gallery called Decade. Indira has an art installation going on when she meets the new intern, Fawn. There is tension instantly between the two as Fawn expresses how much she dislikes the photos all the while not realizing that it is Indira who took them. Those awkward moments lead to the two girls being forced to work together on a new photography show. Along the way we learn why Indira dislikes Fawn and we also learn the difficulties that Fawn has as well. This was certainly a complex and moving work. I liked all of the interesting themes throughout and discovering along with the characters the secrets that each one w...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01154 One of my favorite Transformers figures was a Blue Corvette named Tracks. He showed up in the later episodes and was very concerned about his paint job. Tracks could also fly. Not many Autobots could fly but he had these fold out wings and he could fly. The one thing that I had not noticed nor remembered from my childhood was that his face was red. This is very apparent with the Funko Pop figure that I ordered from Toy Tokyo. I was surprised that I could get it and for a decent price. There is one Transformers Funko Pop out there that I was not lucky enough to get my hands on. It is of Jetfire and was an exclusive that ran up to a crazy high price. Maybe someday I’ll get my hands on it.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01153 Eva had her friend Bailey come over for the afternoon. They spent the day doing some rather creative projects. One of those was Cosplay where they did makeup and costumes of their favorite Minecraft Youtubers personas. Then they did a collaborative Painting. they made two paintings and what they did was each paint for a set amount of time and then switch canvases. They did this a few times until the paintings were finished. This is the painting that Eva kept and Bailey has the other one. When we picked up Bailey her mom and dad came out and gave us a flower arrangement and the makings of a charcuterie board. That was very thoughtful of them.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01152 We came home from the Cape today and because it was still school vacation week and we didn’t go on a vacation we decided to have dinner at Mac and Walt’s. We started off with our family favorite of Fried Pickles and then Andy had Mac and Cheese while Eva and I had Bacon Cheeseburger and Allison had a burger called The Walt. That one has fried pickles on it and is very good. It was a nice meal for the second to last day of vacation. Everyone enjoyed it very much. When we got home Andy wanted to play some games so we placed Klask together and then Allison went out and Andy and I played some Super Smash Brothers.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01151 These are some of the roses that were on the flower arrangement on Grandpa Rick’s Casket. We had the burial ceremony today at the National Cometary in Bourne. Grandpa Rick was buried with military honors. There was an honor guard there who folded up the flag that was on the casket and gave it to my Mom, Uncle and Aunt. It was snowing and sleeting all over the place but luckily the outdoor shelter kept us dry. My mother spoke at the burial and read some scripture. Uncle Jim placed his phone out with Grandpa Singing My Way. Grandpa Rick was a singer in his later years. He ran a karaoke business and sang so many songs. My Way was one of his favorites and that was used many times over the past few days. because of the snow and sleet we stayed overnight. This gave us some time to visit with Mom and Dad and Uncle Jim. We watched a movie together and had Paul’s Pizza for dinner. It was nice to stay and relax.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01150 Today was Grandpa Rick’s Funeral. We drove down to the Cape in the morning, got changed at the house and then headed over to the church. the ceremony was a very nice wone. My mother and my uncle spoke about Grandpa’s life. The priest was excellent and it was a nice tribute to Grandpa Rick. After the funeral we went to the Coonamessett for a reception. The kids were quite well behaved there. Eva joked that she as dressed as one of the wait staff and should be filling everyone’s waters. We enjoyed a nice meal and shared stories about Grandpa Rick.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01149 I took Andy to get his hair cut today. We had to get him presentable for Grandpa Rick’s wake and funeral. While we were at the barber shop they showed us this razor that was my Great-Uncle’s and it may have actually been older than that. This barber shop displays a bunch of antique barber shop related items and it is a perfect place for this to live. They did not open it up so that we could see what the actual razor looked like but it is very cool and shiny. I just noticed that there was a little brush in with it as well. I’ll have to ask to see it closer the next time Andy has a haircut.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01148 During Catholic Schools Week the kids were given the assignment of writing what they think SMSH is all about. SMSH or rather, Saint Mary-Sacred Heart School, is where the kids go and where Allison works. Both kids wrote their thoughts on what makes the school special. They both had some great answers and I wanted to keep a record of that. Andy wrote: “SMSH is important to me because the students and staff are kind and respectful. We have specials which are very fun. SMSH provides help to those in need. Here at SMSH we have tag days where the money goes to those in need , as well as food drives, and fund raisers. These are the reasons why SMSH is important to me.” Eva wrote: “Everyone at SMSH is very welcoming and kind. Students and faculty always make new students welcome and appreciated. At SMSH everyone is equal and teachers are always ready to give students the assistance they need to be successful. All of the students find ways to be kind and inclusive ...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01147 On one of our trips to New York we stopped at the Pez visitor’s center in Connecticut. We’ve made trips to this visitor’s center before and it is always a fun time. This special edition Pez dispenser is one that you can only get at the visitor’s center. It is the same size as the Pop Pez ones and I’ll be adding it to my wall of Pez and Pop figures.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01146 Took a bunch of things home from work the other day. One of them is my Grumpy Bear Care Bear. I got that at Toy Fair several years ago. This would be the week of Toy Fair had it happened this year. Toy Fair 2020 was the last event I ever went to for my blog. That is, not counting virtual events. When I see my photos in memories I get a little sad that I haven’t been to one of these events in a few years. They were always so fun.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01145 Over the weekend while I am sleeping Andy takes over my office as his hangout zone. He commandeers the TV and watches his favorite YouTubers. Today he decided to get back into playing BLOXELS. That is a came that is used to create more games. He is creating some sort of game where you make burgers. He was designing ketchup and mustard containers and more items. He’s certainly a creative kid.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01144 I’m clearing off my desk at work again. Seeing as I’m only going to be here once a week it makes sense to strip it down to the bare bones. There are some things here that I’d like to take back home and so I’m taking them. I picked up a container but I guess I’m going to need a second one because I still have a bunch of stuff left. I need to stop buying so much stuff.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01143 Last week I went do Larry Joe’s New England Firepit. WBZ was there to do a segment on Larry Joe and while I was there they interviewed me. The first thing they had me do was spell my name. Apparently I didn’t spell it out well. They actually got it right in the written article. I didn’t even notice. It was Allison who saw it and she started laughing. It was pretty funny overall. I was actually in the segment for a good bit of time. I’ve added the full segment below.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01142 Andy took another cake decorating class at the Creative Sewing Studio. This class was for decorating cupcakes like zoo animals. He decided to make all three of his cupcakes into pandas. He really made them better and better with each one. The one that he is holding now has a bamboo shoot in his hands. Andy had extra frosting that he had colored to be green so he could add this detail. He loves having the freedom to create and he is so good at it. Speaking of being creative I was in charge of dinner tonight and I made a bacon wrapped meatloaf. It took longer than expected because I did not look at the weight of the meat and so it took a while to get up to the full temperature. However, when it did it was really tasty.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01141 I was at Target today and I found this new Star Wars Hot Wheels Character car. I had stopped collecting them but I am a big an of Bo Katan. She is an awesome character and I am glad that she has appeared in the live action shows. The car is a very cool looking one. I may have to figure out how the best way to display these cars would be. I’m going to keep them on the cards.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01140 Andy has been busy at his clay-making again. He made me a Decepticon symbol out of clay and then painted it to give me for Valentine’s Day. I made the kids some cards and got them some candies. I made a card for Allison, too and got her some candies also. They picked me up some candies and a nice card.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01139 With no team to really root for in the Big Game this year was all about the food. Allison made some White Chicken Chili and we got a take out order from Bonillas with Pretzels, Fried Pickles and Wings plus a few other appetizer options. It was all about the food and the commercials for us. There were some good ones with Rocket Mortgage and the E-Trade Baby ones as the funniest.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01139 Funko sent me one of their latest exclusive Pop! figures. Opinions are my own. We are big fans of The Legend of Korra in this house. We’ve gotten the boxed sets of the show a couple of times and I’ve picked up a few of the Funko Pop! figures for Eva because she is the big fan. When Funko offered me this new Metallic Korra figure. This is a Box Warehouse Exclusive figure that also Glows in the Dark. So, not only does it have a metallic finish it also Glows-in-the-Dark. The figure is #761. I love the look of the figure and the awesome pose where she is not only water but fire bending at the same time and the figure is also rock and air bending. The pose is a very dynamic and fun one that captures the character as she uses her Avatar powers.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01138 Tonight was the Valentine’s Dance for Eva. She has been looking forward to this outfit of hers for a while now. Last night I helped her learn how to tie a tie. She even wore makeup for the dance and not makeup that she usually wears. She works on cosplay makeup most of the time. She’s learned how to make great scars and other things but it is nice that she is learning some more subtle makeup as well. Her outfit is all her own style. She’s going to love all the great comments the photo got on Facebook. People are enjoying her look.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01137 Today I went to visit Larry Joe’s New England Firepit for lunch. I had heard on Facebook that WBZ was going to make a visit to the truck and Larry Joe put out a call for people to come for the filming. I was there along with The Unlikely Strummers, a ukulele troupe. I was even interviewed by WBZ for their segment called “It Happens Here”. It will run this coming Thursday in their morning show. I’m looking forward to it. The hot dog was incredible as always. It had been a very long while since I’ve had one. I got mine with chili, mustard, onions and hot peppers. It was amazing.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01136 I received a free mailer of promotional items for the movie American Underdog. Opinions are my own. Anyone who knows me knows that sports are not really my thing. Sports movies, however, are. I am a sucker for an underdog story centered around sports and Out on digital right now is the movie American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. I was asked if I would like a special football themed mailer to help promote the movie. I had wanted to see it so I said sure and we received a really fun bunch of items. With The Big Game coming up on Sunday what better time to watch an amazing movie about a player who never gave up and went on to be an MVP. Here is the trailer and then the synopsis of the movie. American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges a...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01135 For Christmas we were big on the Axolotl puns around here. I found a bunch of great things on Redbubble to get for Andy because this is his favorite animal. We got him a great notebook that has an artistic Axolotl on the front but Andy also added this special Snaxolotl sticker to the back. He had started doing some watercolors of Axolotls on the first page but dropped it in a puddle yesterday and the colors ran. It dried out and he can still use it but he was pretty bummed out for dropping it.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01134 I received a free Funko Pop! of Spider-Girl for review. Opinions are my own. The Pop In a Box exclusive Spider-Girl is very well done! Spider-Girl is Mayday Parker and she was first introduced in 1998. She has had her own comic book series has been a part of various teams and is the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Spider-Girl is part of the MC2 universe which is different then the Earth-616 or the canon timeline. She is from Earth-982 and had a good run in the comics. the figure is quite dynamic with Mayday in a leaping pose with webs spinning around her coming off her right hand. She has the larger spider-eyes from classic Spider-Man costumes and old school blue and red colors. However, there is a limited chase version that is blue in color. I personally did not find that as appealing as the standard edition figure. I really like the look of this figure and am excited to add it to my collection.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01133 On Friday we had some very icy weather. I was supposed to go back to the office on Friday night but because of the weather I stayed home and went to the office last night. I slept all day yesterday and did not clear my car until I left for work. It was a complete sheet of ice. I cleared off everything I could but there was still plenty on the hood. It was still there this morning when I got to church with the family. I was taking this photo when my neighbor came over and she gave me a thank you card and some gift cards for taking care of her when the Blizzard happened last week. She gave me gift cards to Cumberland Farms and Honey Dew. She definitely did not have to do that but ?I certainly appreciated it. Last night I got a couple more of my Funko Pops that were in boxes from my office so that I could add them to my wall of Funko Pops in my home office. The ones I added were Eeyore and Venom. Today Eva had a new friend over and they made cookies, painted a...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01132 This weekend we have returned to the office. We have not been here since last Summer. My desk is still covered in a bunch of toys including some Fortnite mini figures. I had received these from Moose toys a few years ago and at that time I was just starting to make Fortnite videos. Now I make a few each week and I play the game often. I had been playing much of it during my downtime from work. However, I’m back in the office and not doing much playing right now. I do have my Nintendo Switch with me so that I can play during my scheduled break. I can get my daily challenges completed at least.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01131 I received this Ghostbusters: Afterlife themed promotional box for free from Sony. Opinions are my own. Last Friday night I participated in an live twitter party for Ghostbusters: Afterlife and this box from Sony was supposed to go along with it. However, it arrived late because of all the storms. Inside the box there were a couple of Ghostbusters jumpsuits and items with which to customize those jumpsuits. I let me kids have them because I could not fit into them and because they are much better at customizing them than I am. Eva customized one of the jumpsuits on her own and we still haven’t had a chance to watch the movie together. I know that she’s going to like the characters. You can see the unboxing of the promo ghost trap that Sony sent to me.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01130 About a week or so ago I got a new phone. It is a slick Pixel 6 Pro and not just slick because it is brand new. It is physically slick and I got very nervous that it would slip out of my hands and I would end up dropping this one, too. I got a great new case for it and a screen protector that goes over the cameras but the one for the screen ended up not working out. I returned it to Best Buy and got refunded for it. I then ordered the one in this box from Amazon.com and it works great. Normally I do not like plastic screen protectors because they don’t feel that great. They end up sort of sticky. I love that this one feels as smooth as glass. Plus, for half the price of the glass one I get three of these ones and I can easily replace them myself if anything happens to the one that is on. I do not know if they do any other phones but the installation for this was nearly perfect. I say nearly because I slightly covered the front facing camera. I tested out a ...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01129 I received this Playmobil set for free from Playmobil so that I could unbox it and review. Opinions are my own. The name’s Bond. James Bond – the world’s most famous secret agent. For nearly sixty years, the adventures of 007 have thrilled fans all over the world. Each new assignment is an action-packed adventure fueled with amazing stunts, breathtaking car chases, and all of the latest gadgets. In his third on-screen appearance in Goldfinger (1964), James Bond drives the iconic Aston Martin DB5 for the first time. This silver Aston Martin comes with authentic gadgets including revolving number plates, a passenger ejector seat, and much more. In this timeless vehicle, 007 out runs all of his pursuers in a spectacular chase and then thwarts the plans of villain Auric Goldfinger. This PLAYMOBIL set is a must have for all Bond fans! The set includes James Bond, Goldfinger, Oddjob, and Henchman, and the iconic car that seats two figures. With removable roof. Re...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01128 This week during Catholic School’s week they are having a Tourist Tuesday and Andy has got himself into a fun tourist costume. He learned moments after this photo that sunscreen and a mask do not go together, though.