Realm of the Wombat

There probably won’t be much action here for a couple weeks as I get my thesis together and head out to Chicago, but just to show you that I’m still alive, here are some things that have happened over the past couple months:

The group went to Vegas to celebrate the boss officially earning tenure. After a fancy meal, we got the VIP treatment at the Palms.

Zephyr came out for a long weekend, and we drove down to SoCal for an amusement park tour. After days at Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm, we saw a slug-fest between the Rockies and Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Despite being an older ballpark (opened in 1962), it’s a very nice place to watch a game. The fans are pretty knowledgeable and into the game, unlike their rivals at ATT Park. I will say that Dodger Dogs are overrated though.

Finally, Melissa and I made our triumphant return to Notre Dame Stadium to watch the Irish bludgeon the Stanford Cardinal. Mel played in the alumni band, and it was awesome to see her march across campus.

On the way to lunch, there’s this sign:

Ok, I’ll bite.

This was one of the first art cars I ever saw in Berkeley, and it would pop up on occasion during the pre-collection days. But once I started snapping pictures of Berkeley cars, it disappeared. After two years, I spotted it at the Albany Library one evening, and thankfully it didn’t escape while I went home to grab my camera. Unfortunately, however, the artist removed all markings of the make and model, which are required info for any posting on the Realm of the Wombat. It looks like a Dodge Aries, but Google images of Aries K’s from the 1980’s didn’t seem to match up. With the help of Wikipedia, I think I have it pinned as a Nissan Stanza.

The car is also listed with ArtCarAgency.com as the “Mondrian Mobile.” Piet Mondrian was a Dutch artist in the De Stijl movement, whose style was typified by blocks of primary colors (and black and white) separated by thick, black lines.

See another pic of the Nissan Stanza…

What’s a cupola?

Find out the answer…

Is this the producer of Toy Story 2 or just a big fan? I don’t know, but they did spring for the vanity plates. Classy.

Stache has been telling me about this car for more than a year. The car has Alaska plates and seems to appear in Oakland sporatically, so I’m glad I was able to catch it. The detail in the beading is quite remarkable (third picture is more closeup). I didn’t get a very good picture of the interior, but it’s covered in butterflies as well.

See more pictures of the butterfly Civic…

Last weekend, I “graduated.” That’s “graduated” because I haven’t filed my thesis, so I still have to show up at work. Nevertheless, it was a fun time wearing the regalia and basking in the pride of friends and family, even though it’s a bit premature. Thanks to Mom and Jen for recording the event on film.

See more pics from graduation…

I’ve seen this van a few times, always on near the Berkeley marina or Albany waterfront, appropriately enough. It’s not as vibrant as this sea-scape van, but I’m happy to bring it into the fold.

See more pictures of the Ford Econoline…

As a side benefit of seeing the Life Sized Mouse Trap show, I scoped out this minivan accross the street. This is one of the most intricate and detailed vehicles I’ve seen. It seems to be a model of the SF Bay Area sprawled over the surface of the van. I couldn’t find my house, but an impressive display nonetheless.

See more pictures of the Dodge Caravan…

As soon as I found out about this show, I knew we were going. Who could resist seeing a life sized version of the board game Mouse Trap? The show started with a performance by the Oakland based gothic jazz act Knees and Elbows, which Melissa thoroughly enjoyed, and I thought was a lounge act from hell. Then it was time for the main event. One member of the Mouse Trap team was running around in a pink bunny suit with an army hat on telling everyone, “It will never work!” in a German accent. There was some worry that he would be right, but the contraption worked like a charm, definitely better than the small version. This goes down with the Mystery Spot as $5 well spent.

More pictures can be found at Laughing Squid’s flickr page and there’s a video from a previous performance at the official site. This most certainly belongs on Roadside America, but sadly it seems like there may not be any more shows.

See more pictures from the Life Size Mouse Trap show…

I need your help, o fans of Berkeley cars! I scoped this econo-box parked on campus, and in my haste to get to work, I neglected to determine its make and model. The label above the grill says “Spitfire,” but its clearly not a Triumph Spitfire. Further Google image searches were unsuccessful as well, so I’m enlisting the power of the internets. In the spirit of Jim Dandy, the first person to identify this car will receive a big big (sur)prize!