Weekend Wind-Down #53 - Dark Side Edition

Yesterday we headed out to THE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM to check out the VADER PROJECT. We got there early so that we could play LEGO STAR WARS on a Nintendo Wii that they had hooked up in their theater. Little did we know that it was actually a video game competition! Each participant had 5 minutes to accumulate as many points as possible. The top three winners were promised prizes. Me, Missy, and her brother Joe signed up to play and we called Missy's other brother, Greg, to hurry up and get to the Warhol. Greg is a bit of a video game wiz, and if anyone could win this competition, it would be Greg:





VADER 3444 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.





Greg arrived at the very last minute and we yelled at him to hurry up and sign up for the competition. Sure enough, Greg beat out everyone with his high score and won the first prize: a set of YODA CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!





Afterwards, we walked around the museum a bit, checking out the other exhibits before winding our way down to the Vader Project. Photography was "strictly prohibited", so I was not able to take too many interesting photos:


VADER 3454 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.









We finally made it down to the Vader Project...I hid in corners and behind columns, from the docent patrolling the exhibit, and was able to click off a few images:





Missy slyly poses with her favorite piece - a DARTH VADER HELMET re-upholstered in white pleather by PAUL FRANK:



My favorite helmet was repurposed by street artist SUCKADELIC as a TATOOINE playset for STAR WARS ACTION FIGURES. It featured a silver BOBA FETT carrying a GHETTO BLASTER...how could I NOT love this? Unfortunately, I was only able to photograph the back of the piece:





Afterwards, we took pictures in the vintage PHOTO BOOTH that they had in the bottom level of the museum:








FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY- Getting to come home for a little...
RAOUL - Vader Project at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
JOHN - Seeing you guys again...it was the high spot.
RITA - You guys coming!
JOE - When Greg won his “major award”
GREG - Winning at Lego Star Wars!
CRISTINA- I had fun going to the Warhol and looking at the exhibit.

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Getting my hours in and the shootings.
RAOUL - The shootings in Athens, definitely.
JOHN - My colonoscopy!
RITA - Going to work, ha ha ha
JOE - When I didn’t win the “major award”
GREG - My co-worker Corey moved away.
CRISTINA - Doing yardwork today.

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Greg winning the prize at the Warhol.
RAOUL - Greg beating out all the little kids in the Wii Lego Star Wars challenge.
JOHN - Waking up after the procedure and asking if the doctor found my penny!
RITA - John, when he woke up from his procedure.
JOE - When Greg won his “major award”
GREG - Watching “Step Brothers”.
CRISTINA - Watching “Electric Apricot”

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - “MEAT!”
RAOUL - “Bulp”
JOHN - “Tri-Lite”
RITA - “Who tied my shoes?”
JOE - “Trabagoostos”
GREG - “huh-HUUUUUUUUUUUUUURH”
CRISTINA - “If you see any spiders that look like trantulas, don’t be alarmed. They’re just wood spiders”

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - I liked the pizza. And the fries. And the burger.
RAOUL - BBQ pulled seitan sandwich at Double Wide Grill, Southside, Pittsburgh.
JOHN - That last pickled egg from Easter.
RITA - The pizza from A-Z-Z-something...
JOE - I lilked the potato tacos at the Double Wide Grill.
GREG - Double Wide, shrimp burrito.
CRISTINA - Azzeria Pizza.

FAVORITE STAR WARS CHARACTER?
MISSY - Yoda...cuz he’s a puppet.
RAOUL - Hands down, Admiral Ackbar.
JOHN - Jabba The Hutt.
RITA - Yoda.
JOE - I guess Darth Vader this week...
GREG - Han Solo.
CRISTINA - Chewbacca.

LEAST FAVORITE STAR WARS CHARACTER?
MISSY - That one guy that I got as kid with an egg-shaped helmet. I didn’t want him as a figure and I got him.
RAOUL - Young Anakin Skywalker...”ANNIE”
JOHN - Princess Leia.
RITA - The Emperor.
JOE - Jar Jar.
GREG - Young Anakin.
CRISTINA - Jar Jar Binks.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - This American Life podcast, Tiger Trap, Go Sailor.
RAOUL - K Records mixtapes, Tiger Trap, Go Sailor, Lois, Flying Tigers, Sarah Dougher.
JOHN - Electric Apricot.
JOE - “today music”
GREG - Rentals.
CRISTINA - The Smiths.