I Could Build That Out of LEGO

It starts slowly. You see a geometric shape or a house made of brick. A mailbox appears blocky or a Toyota Scion rumbles by and you see how it is basically just a rectangle on wheels. But before you know it, you're looking at everything and thinking "I could build that out of LEGO."

On the walk back from dinner on Saturday night, I looked at the North Shore Westin, where Brickworld 2008 was being held, and I had that thought for the first time- "I could build that out of LEGO."

It was an easy thought, one that snuck in quickly, almost reflexively. It felt like the moment when you begin dreaming in another language- a breakthrough that you're not quite sure you actually had. As my wife and I drove throughout Chicago on Sunday, I continually remarked to her on the squat brick row houses and dilapidated warehouses- repeating my new mantra that "I could built that out of LEGO."

To her credit, she allowed this to go on for nearly two hours before she finally asked me to keep those thoughts to myself. She was annoyed and I didn't blame her. I was starting to get annoyed as well. Annoyed that I couldn't turn off this latent portion of my brain, but even more annoyed that I couldn't drive and build with LEGO bricks at the same time.

Photo Credit: Kevitra