Expecto Patronum!

I've got all sorts of cool imaginative props around here. One of my favorites is my magic wand— not exactly like Harry Potter's, though I think it's even cooler. Look at this thing close up, it's simply beautiful, turned from a single piece of hard maple with a black walnut finish— redolent of fine 18th-century European furniture. I can almost imagine Mozart wielding this wand in a magical duel with Salieri...

This particular style of magic wand is called the Poetrell. You can find it, and many other amazing styles, at Whirlwood Magic Wands, where Mr. Gary Hall handcrafts these wands one at a time. Some of them are not cheap, but they're worth it, top quality. I see the latest new line is wands with magic cores— you know, phoenix feather, dragon heartstring, or whatever.


I've also got a wizard staff, picked it up at an antique shop down in Marquette, Iowa. I suspect it was originally intended there as a cane. But it is simply too cool to be anything other than a wizard staff, with those antique brass knobs on top, and the swirly grooves running down the body of the staff.

So far I've resisted the temptation to buy me a light saber from Parks Sabers. Mr. Jeffrey Parks hand machines these from aluminum— to me it's a toss-up between the Arc-Wave and the Shadow. Alas, I can't bring myself to part with the $275 or so that it would cost to get one of these.

I've heard of people somehow landing a genuine communicator from the original Star Trek series... <drool> But forget it, it'll never happen to me. Much less what I'd really like to have, which is a genuine original tricorder.

Yesterday afternoon I started Googling around to see if there are any lenses for sale. You know, a lens, as worn by the galaxy-patrolling lensmen in Doc Smith's classic old Lensman series, which I read and loved back in my high school days. Unfortunately I found only one for sale, for some reason made in Japan, and it was not too impressive. Give me a magnifying lens, a bund leather watch strap, and a metal mount to hold the lens, and I could probably cobble together something more impressive myself.

Ah, but over on Slashdot the other day, they were discussing an online article on how to make a Green Lantern ring! Now that would be cool...