The Maker and his Muse

Image

My background is varied, as is my business experience.  When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. My first year in college proved otherwise -- I was destined to be a computer geek just like in high school.  So, I was a computer consultant the first 20 years after high school, most of which was based out of Southern California.

I have lived in a flea bag apartment, rent controlled apartment in Santa Monica, San Diego and then bought a property in Irvine.  All the while I traveled for gigs through my employer until the after-effects of the Dot-Bomb (2001), 9/11, and extinction of the Jack-of-all-Trades programmer (me)

In 2005, I completed my B.A. in Linguistics and continued for my M.A. in Linguistics.  In 2005, I did a summer study at MIT/Harvard and focused my time on computational linguistics.  After both degrees I considered pursuing a degree in speech pathology but that would require an additional three years of study and the University's department was revamping their program.

It's interesting how life works out - I was reading a newspaper series in the Los Angeles Times about conservatorships (out here they're called a "committee" or in the east, "guardianships"). I explored the field and pursued a second career as a private professional fiduciary.

What do I do? In simplest terms I watch 20 soap operas a day, avoid the dysfunctional family dynamics, find and gather assets, and report my findings to the local court. My roles include serving as probate administrator, (estate) trustee, executor, power of attorney, bill payer, and personal representative but I am not a lawyer.  Funny enough, my attorneys (lawyers) tell me that they could never do what I do and there are times when the billable drama is overwhelming.

Now, I bet you're wondering how I found my way to New Brunswick. Well, I met someone online, married, sold my Irvine property, moved here but kept my business in Southern California.  Strangely enough, the business took off after I sold my property. So, I fly to the office once a month and when I'm in Canada, work remotely.  Then Covid hit and I still had to fly to California -- never got the illness during the shutdowns.  However, I did find that divorce was necessary, but all of my investments were in New Brunswick.  So, I kept a home locally and continue to be a Super Elite with Air Canada.

Oh, and I have shared custody of my husky princess, Juno.  She's a hot mess around other dogs but so sweet with kids.  She's got me trained!

Directions

Recommend driving up Orchard to Islandview and parking at the park.

Exiting the Park

Suggest driving down the asphalt next to the wading pool.

Legal Disclaimer

These recommendations and directions are not being given with any permission or authority to use the park, leave your vehicle therein, or instruct you how to operate your vehicle.
Please use the public space with care and obey all traffic laws.

Q&A

Why 14IV?
Quite simply, 14IV is the shortened address of where a cool Halloween yard exists.  Since Halloween is the only time the home is decorated, the number 14 has a little bat on it.  The ivy around the number is just a play on words IslandView = IV = ivy.

What made you decide to decorate?
I have always loved Halloween.  I love horror flicks and I love magic.  I'm also a member of the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood, California.  However, I haven't done magic in a while.  All of that aside, after the neighborhood thought that fog-gone-wrong was neat-o, I decided to carve out some work time to build a better Halloween scene.

What was your first display?
Smoke not fog, first display 2021In 2021, I tried to use a fog machine.  It was a failure, even though many neighbors thought it was cool. Cool was the problem.  Fog comes out hot and hot dissipates. However, I had the Costco dragon making his rumblings, so maybe the fog was supposed to be smoke.

 

 

I just wanna know if you give out candy?
There's always someone nearby (as in the driveway).  Besides, you don't want to try the front door - this year it's guarded with all sorts of spiders and they will lunge at any ghosts or goblins who tries walking up the steps.

Where do you come up with your ideas?
After my first taste of fog gone wrong, I searched the internet to find out how to fix it.  Well, I found lots of good and bad ideas.  From there I decided I wanted to do more...a lot more.  I mean, how about ghosts floating on the lawn?  Or getting fog on the front lawn -- that has taken a lot of work.  I just started to search and Halloween 2022 became my passion.

Why isn't it scarier?
Most of our ghosts and goblins are more like Casper and Baby Groot, so it's important to shield them from zombies and things that make you scream in the night. But don't be discouraged.  There's a section for the big kids too...it's just not as grandiose.

Why the website?
First, I wanted to document and share how I created my Halloween yard, much like the YouTube makers I have learned from.  Second, I have friends all over the world who would like to see my creations but cannot make the long journey.  And finally, well, I'm trying out some new templates and tools and it allows me to continue to wear that propeller beanie (geek-dom).

We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.