Next stop: New Transformerville

Minor setback with the trains. Just when the electrical work was 99% done and my nerves were equally frazzled, one of the transformers is now close to frying. It was blinking its famous red dummy light, which indicates that you're about 5 minutes from burning the place down. I'm running a 275 watt ZW and a 180 watt KW. In english, that essentially means I'm turning on a 455 watt bulb every time I fire up the layout.

As Paris Hilton would say...'that's hot.'

Ahh, now that's a transformer. I'll take two.


The ZW seems to be fine, but the KW is bustin' at the seams. It was my dad's, so I kinda wanted to use it. Then again, all tolled, it's running over 30 buildings comprising more than 100 little interior lightbulbs, four switch motors, two crossing gate motors, three plug-in relays, and let's not forget: two dual-motor locomotives plus a dozen lit passenger/subway cars. That's a lot of juice. I do believe Con Ed has noticed. Next step I guess is to have Louie (my micro-electrician) beef up the KW somehow, or replace it with another ZW. But I'm not a nerd, I swear.

And yet, a pin head's worth of nuclear fuel probably contains enough potential energy to power the layout for 50 years, non stop. But I'd go bald and my skin would melt off.

I may just go with another transformer.

Know why I like Roger? He's just more Feder. He's Feder-er.

I remember watching Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras over the years and thinking to myself that they were the best living tennis players at the time, and possibly the best of all time.

Then Roger Federer came along, and turned it all on its head. I watched him defeat Andy Roddick last night, and I have to say, while he didn't beat him badly, he performed his usual black magic; out smarting, out pacing, and out playing him right down to the end, with little or no energy wasted on emotion. I knew it would happen. Roddick is a great player. Strong, confident, a little cocky. But Federer is the master. Cool, graceful, quiet, and immensely talented. You get the impression that he is practically undefeatable.

The announcers mentioned something obvious and yet interesting; it's too bad both Roddick and Federer are here in the game at the same time, they're both incredible players in their own right, but Federer is really the only thing preventing Roddick from being on top. But then, I guess that holds true for any sport. Think of where Phil Mickelson would be if it weren't for you know who.