Brick attends a New Year's Eve 'Party'.

Brick was traveling on business when he saw an ad for a New Year’s Eve party near his hotel in New Canaan. It was a short distance from his Days Inn, and a group in the hotel bar convinced him to attend the festivities.

 

Long evening short, it was a total joke of a party. The ‘live orchestra’ was a quartet of high school band members in tuxedo t-shirts, the drinks ran out by 9:30, most of the balloons were deflated by midnight, and the ‘Ball Drop’ was a giant yard Christmas ornament with ‘2026’ painted on it slowly lowered by one of the orchestra members via a black rope. 

The overall opinion by attendees was the party was cringe to the nth degree. People wanted their money back, but there was no one in charge to ask.  Oh, dear. What can you expect from a Craigslist ad?

Brick didn’t notice as he had finished a bottle of his own and was feeling pretty good. And he kept his cool custom sunglasses as a souvenir.

 

 Cool, man.

Halloween 2024--but where is Brick?

No one knew who the mysterious, red visitor was that stopped at the neighborhood’s collective doors that night, accompanied with a treat bag. He looked familiar, but the name tag revealed nothing. 

Not Guy Fawkes

Solar Eclipse, April 8, 2024

Don't let the sun go down on me.

 

Brick didn't want to miss the solar eclipse that was happening this year, so he went down close to Carbondale, Illinois, to catch a glimpse of this rare phenomenon. He was so keen on getting the best angle for totality--he couldn't find his special glasses! Oh, Brick! 

There he was on someone's deck, various inappropriate glasses strewn around, unable to see the eclipse without damaging his eyes.  He quickly accessed a search engine for alternate filters and came upon a video about using floppy disks to view an eclipse. Surely a guy on YouTube with a tutorial from 2017 would have the applicable info! 

Unfortunately, Brick was in a hurry and didn't exactly follow instructions.

Four minutes of free access!

Brick didn't see a thing, but his efforts worked--he did not damage his eyes.

St. Patrick's Day, today!

Brick went out to watch the local St. Patrick’s Day parade today.  He stood safely against a wall so no one would trip on him, a bottle of Green River on hand by his side.  Despite wearing a smile, an Irish cap and a pin inviting a kiss upon the Irish, no one took Brick up on his offer.  He is merely an average brick, not the Blarney Stone.

Happy New Year!

Brick is not much of a party block, but even he is happy to wish 2020 goodbye and welcome in 2021! Woo hoo! Let's pop the Champaign and get busy!

Surf's up—way up!

Wow, what a weekend! Brick hit the beach before the end of summer and almost became another statistic for Shark Attacks 2020!

Brick was happily floating with his towel on an inner tube that had been caught in a rip current. Brick waited until his flotation device got free and then just let the tide bring him back to shore. He was just within sight of the beach umbrellas when there was a sudden eruption of water, screams of people, frantic splashing, upended boogie boards, lost floaties, and--pure panic!

A shark was doing its own Up Periscope imitation and nearly got brick! Who might have not been its true target as a very small, yappy comfort dog and her owner were nearby in a swan floaty. 

They call me Bruce?

The shark rose up so fast its wake shoved brick (and the swan and its terrified riders) onto the beach. Brick got salt water in his eye and lost his inner tube, but not his towel—and at the end of the day that’s what is important.

 

And not getting swallowed by a shark. That too.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of Brick’s favorite holidays. The costumes, the decorations, the rock candy—it’s all so festive. Brick wanted to make a memorable costume this year—something that would stand out.

With time running short and the help of a few household items, Brick was transformed.

 

This time, it's personal.

Brick stopped at his first house and knocked. 

Guess what I am!

The owners sure were scared!  Amid yells and kicks, Brick ended up in the driveway.

He was quickly investigated by local authorities. Brick stayed calm, didn't move, and smiled the whole time to show he is mostly harmless.

Finally, he passed the smell test and was free to go.

 

Brick decided to go home before he caused any more excitement. He tried to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, but everyone that came to the door quickly backed away. 

So he ate a whole bag of fun-sized Kit-Kat’s® by himself.

.

Brick Go Bragh!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Brick and friends spent most of the day hanging out at a local bar. He had some green root beer and wore a green button so he wouldn't get pinched.
A few inebriated patrons tried to use their souvenir chips on Brick as if he was a video game. They were disappointed there was no payout. Brick took it all in stride.

Brick isn't big on drinking, anyway. He was voted to be the designated driver for his group. Then they remembered...Brick has a total lead foot. So they all took the bus home instead.

Just to be safe.

via GIPHY

Happy Towel Day!

May 25th celebrates Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It is celebrated around the world as Towel Day. "On that day, fans around the universe carry a towel in his honour."

Brick didn't want to be left out, so he plunged right into an omnibus edition--determined not to miss a thing...or an obscure reference. He was at the library a long time. It took him 42 straight days! When the lights went out at night he just waited until opening time the next day. The library staff didn't seem to notice him at all. He just sat there reading like a bump on a log with a book.

What a hoopy frood!

He had his towel by his side the whole time. One might ask, why did he stay and read the edition in one, unending session? Couldn't he go home at night and come back later?

  

Almost done? Ready to throw in the towel?

He didn't have a bookmark and wanted to keep his place. That's Brick, practical to the end.

School Staples at Target

Brick took the little bricks to Target to get brand, spanking-new supplies for the upcoming school year.  One has to wonder...how do kids who supposedly hate doing homework end up using two dozen pencils in nine months?  A box of 24 for five dollars? And they don't have any left for next year?? Math problem: if little Ivan was only given 12 pencils out of 24 for one school year, and the other 12 were locked up until next year, what is the cost of those saved pencils? Be sure to show your work. And stop losing your pencils! You only get cool new ones on your birthday and at Halloween.

These don't grow on trees, you know!

Do some pencils go the way of socks, mysteriously leaving their mates, never to be seen again when one knows darn well they all went to their destination together? 

Brick didn't mind the long shopping trip with the kids. He smiled the whole time! When he saw the fiberglass Bullseye in the children's shoe section he insisted he get his photo taken with the terrier! Poor Brick. He doesn't have a Twitter account so he couldn't post to #TargetDog if he wanted to. The kids think he's so out of touch.

Smile you two!

What's a hashtag?

Afterwards they all went home. Only to find...they forget to get the pencils!

Oh sweet irony, it's back to the store!

Memorial Day

Remember, today is a holiday to recall the work and sacrifice of our nation's veterans--not just a day to get the best deal on a mattress!
Brick stopped at the Veteran's Memorial Park to watch the remembrance ceremony, and held his flag with pride.
 

Happy Memorial Day!

Maybe Brick should have worn some sunglasses, the sun was pretty bright in his eyes.

Baby, it's cold outside!

As a polar vortex brings below-freezing temperatures to the East Coast and the Midwest,
Brick wants to remind everyone to bundle up--it's cold outside!

Always be prepared for bad weather!

Happy Halloween!

Yarrrrgh, it's Brick!

It was a lovely autumn day for trick-or-treating this year, sunny, but with a brisk wind. That didn't stop the Brick family! Mrs. Brick took the children out for the annual candy search haul that netted them a full bag each. Brick stayed at home to answer the door--and boy howdy, did he get into the spirit of the day!
Mrs. Brick took a picture of him before she left while it was still light out. One has to love how much thought Brick put into his costume.

The Red Pirate Brick!

Supposedly, adults that came to the door asked if that was an ex-parrot on his shoulder, while the children wondered why it was wearing a crown. The parrot was NOT an ex-parrot, gone to meet its maker, because it was never alive in the first place. Some people!

As far as the crown...well, maybe the parrot was the birthday bird at a pizza party palace.

And if heavy is the head that wears a crown, obviously it keeps the bird from flying away, kids.

But now what will Brick wear for Talk Like a Pirate Day??

Brick is back!

Brick and family have returned to the Chicago area after visiting relatives in Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  They made sure to stop and see the Yard of bricks, (historic pride and all that), and came away with some souvenirs for the kids. They also stopped at the Brickyard Mall in Chicago, not so much for the Pier 1 Imports which isn't around their hometown, but for the memories of the mall's heyday in the late 80's-early 90's. Brick and friends used to meet at a hot-dog place and sit in booths made out of solid yellow fiberglass, eating fries and hot dogs and downing soda for hours among the faux-brick walls until they were encouraged out. Then on to the record store or the still-here-today Spencer Gifts.

Why did it take Brick and company almost two months to return to the state next door? Do you know how long it takes bricks to walk? As his admin, I can attest he regrets it after seeing the state of his inbox. Perhaps the out-of-office message needs to be tweaked. But Brick came in with his characteristic smile and got right down to work.