So the Pen did arrive the other day. It was raining pretty good that day but I managed to get to Hobby Lobby, just to get a feel for what was at my disposal, or at least know what to shop on Amazon for. Surprisingly to me, there aren’t too many YouTube videos on what supplies work best for what. Maybe I’m not putting in the effort.
I’m writing everyday onat least one of three different subjects. I work from home but somehow time seems to be of a premium these days. I’m squeezing more time out of each day. I do all this whining to say I haven’t touched the Pen since day one, or two.
I started in earnest. I was in the Cave, rounding up supplies and materials for the big build. I have large graphic sheets, vinyl, foam, protractor. I’m new to 3D pens but not to building things. Hobby Lobby was just candy shopping. The Cave has seen full engine and transmission swap-outs.
I’m still ecstatic about the idea of finally physically building something even close to my dream. Midways into starting on the tires, it dawned on me that even though I had materials lying around to get started with, I was already back to old habits of using whatever I had around me to build things. It is resourceful but this thing can’t be subpar. It won’t be my best but I need to put serious planning into it. I have to consider this build my last one. I should at least try my best to, even at scale, build the most realistic version I can. I have literally no money for this. At all.
It reminds me of another recent event in one key way. I bought another “toy I’m waiting on”. Another purchase I can’t afford. I’ve wasted a lot of money on a lot of stupid toys over the years whether I could afford them or not. This place is full of “must have”s and “gonna change my life”s gadgets from way before they were cool. Many including these two were actually serious purchases that had real business and recreation benefit. A lot are still flat out cool to this day. What defines these is that it’s the first purchase where I’m betting on myself. I’m betting that I can do it. I already know I have the skills. I just realized I’m no longer scared to use them.
