Building with Bricks

Posted on April 15, 2020 by vanbraman

Tonight was the finale of Lego Masters. I have really enjoyed watching this show.

It is amazing what people can build with Lego.

The three teams tonight had some really cool builds, but to me there was a clear winner.

Peacock in full displayAs the team that ended up in third started their build it made me think of this beautiful peacock that I took a picture of at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. They built an interesting peacock and monkey scene.

OK, now on to the bricks.

Building with AnkersteinI don’t build with Lego, but do build with Ankerstein. I was introduced to Ankerstein during a trip to Germany long ago.

The buildings are not as colorful as when built with Lego, but are the colors of the building material from the area in Germany where they are made.

The stones/bricks also do not interlock, and are simply stacked. This can make building a challenge.

The second place team had a build which featured a large building.

Lookout Tower - Ankerstein - NF10 - Anchor Blocks - Building with stonesHere is a tower that I built with Ankerstein. The winners of Lego Masters built a tower tonight that was much more complex and featured figures made out of Legos. One of the figures even had moving wings. It was an epic build and worthy of the win.

The Wartburg - Built with Ankerstein - Richtersche Villa - Rudolstadt, GermanyPeople who build with Ankerstein have also made some large builds. This model of Wartburg is a good example.

They may not be as large as some of the Lego builds, but they are intricate. I get a newsletter four times a year that features buildings that different people build with Ankerstein and it is always interesting to see the techniques they use.Ankerstein Convent with GardenI have thought about building something large with Ankerstein while sheltering in place, but I am using my dining room table for my home office. Starter Box Number 6

However, I may have to get out the first box and build something small. My fingers are itching to build something after watching Lego Masters.

Hmm, what should I build?

Steven

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Tax Day

Posted on April 14, 2020 by vanbraman

Tomorrow is April 15 which is normally the deadline for filing taxes.

Of course this year the deadline for filing taxes has been extended because of Covid 19.

I still have not done my taxes, but did at least round up some of the things I need for them over the weekend. I also found the tax software sent to me earlier this year.

Since I am thinking of taxes I decided to share some of what I have written previously here on Braman’s Wanderings.

Thinking about the upcoming tax deadline I thought of this old editorial cartoon by Frank Andrea Miller.

Frank Andrea Miller - Easier Taxes - Editorial Cartoon - Cartoonist - Frank Miller - Des Moines RegisterPerhaps the Old Way was Unfair – But it Certainly was Simpler

Miller went medieval for this cartoon. I really like the image at the top with the Knight asking for half of  the peasants turnips. They were probably lucky if they only had to give half.

In the bottom half of the cartoon we see the familiar 1040 Form. Of course many changes have been made since 1960. But, the headaches and complicated forms are still there.

The first 1040 Form was introduced for the 1913 tax year, and was due on March 15, 1914. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1040 Form.

I remember as a kid watching and later helping my Dad fill out the tax forms. I learned about depreciation, interest and other tax matters as I helped him.

This was long before computers and tax software. I can remember calculating mortgage and interest payments on property that my Dad was selling to others on contract. I would use a calculator and run through the same formula over and over. Today a simple formula in Excel could be set up in less than the time it takes to type this paragraph.

My taxes are not too complicated. Getting motivated to find all the tax forms is the hard part.

My taxes are a bit more complicated this year due to some credits for buying my new car. However, I am sure that my tax software will walk me right through it.

I still have three months, so no motivation yet 🙂 But, I should get them done while I am sheltering in place.

It is a good thing it is not 1914, as the deadline would have already passed.

When do you do your taxes? Are you an early bird or do you wait for the last day?

Steven

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