Hydro Uwh News / workshop diary

The new year dawns, but some things never change....

...Like this guy.  His never-ending wait for scraps from the dinner table that will never come, it will never change.  Bless him.  I guess we shouldn't be surprised.  When we got him, his stomach was his largest bodypart at 7 weeks.

...so cute.

Some interesting snaps from the workshop this week...  interesting if you're an uwh nerd, that is.  Let's not be ashamed guys.  Let's embrace it.

This was a custom glove I made a while back for the legendary NZ referee, Muzza.  He had a pretty serious break in his hand/finger, and this was to try to provide some protection while he was healing up.  It's a piece of heat-mouldable plastic, tough as anything, shaped over the busted finger, and then cunningly covered in a layer of silicone until the thing is a crazed mitten.  You'd hardly even notice anything was different! (holes drilled in the thing connected the silicon through, so it wouldnt get bashed off, hopefully.  I need to find out if this worked or not.  Someone let me know if Murrays family actually let him into the water with this on?

Reminded me of this, that I found in my archives...

This monstrosity was the glove I played 2004 worlds with.  It's latex, and I made it just before the comp, as I had a fractured index knuckle...  THE hockey knuckle, yes.  In the language I currently use as Dad to a 3 year old, this was a really really hurty ouchie.  The white stuff is a piece of Marley drainpipe heated and bent into shape and cunningly buried under a mammoth latex finger.  This shot is from just after the comp, when I cut it open to see the state of it.  Was it legal?  I dunno.

This wasn't taken in the workshop.  But I can really relate.

We now have a size 95.  It really is giant.  I think our 8 month old could crawl in there.  Or use it for a sleeping bag.

We had a fire drill at the workshop today, the business park we are squirreled away in did, at least.  It was ok, but did feel a little like this

The guy told us all to hang our tags on the evacuation board, which numbered all units up to 32.  We are unit 33.  There was no 33.  I think we will chat to the landlord about this.

These fashionably themed samples are headed to Tauranga, to take up the mercenary life in a communal gearbox somewhere.  Go well little buddies.  Make friends out there! 

Because nametags are cool.  Aren't they?

This little fella is a stick in a very french style, requested months ago by a french player I met in SA.  Finally I got to it, on my list of things to develop...  got a prototype made up, tested it in the pool, works great actually.  Got in touch with the player who requested it...  "oh don't worry, she's been using Hydro Rockets for weeks" says her English speaking friend (remember, I am sadly a simple monolingual kiwi).  Funny old world.  It's a nice stick though, we will get it into a nice design, and celebrate the differences.  It's back on the list.

After months of feverishly reworking thousands of complicated algebraic equations, we have finally been able to... stick more names on more stuff. Including cuffs of gloves.  Won't rub off!

And, just cos I've sunken so much time into developing the Ninja gloves, here's a green one.

Camp coming up this weekend... early mornings.  Hooray for coffee!