Random Access

Fait accompli.
The office and the bedroom have been exchanged. A big “thank you” to for helping me with the process.

I have already started referring to the new, larger office as “HALO Command Center” and “HALO Control Post.” It’s more “media center” or “den” than “office” now, so I don’t feel bad about the new sobriquet. I still need to rewire a couple of things and get some more cable ties, but we have Internet access and satellite reception, so I’m rather happy. Now, I just need to finish clearing the miscellaneous “stuff” (magazines and books and what have you) from the floor…

Bowling last night was good. I got a 180 on my last game. It should have been higher, but I had a few frames in the middle of the game that were less than stunning. There’s always next weekend. Breakfast was good, as well. I made my third shake; it turned out well. This time, I even remembered to add milk! And I remembered to blend it all the way through, not just the top 2/3 of it. Pat, one of the Sandy City Police officers whom we usually see at the bowling alley, and some friends of his came to V.I. and ate with us. He told us a few interesting on-the-job stories.

I awoke in pain this morning: My left hamstring and my lower back were in disgruntled mode. Apparently, the furniture moving (literal, not figurative) and bowling took their toll. I will be seeking a bottle of Aleve in fairly short order.

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Football Update
I was 0 for 3 today, despite some rather impressive showings.

Baltimore at Cincinnati
Final Score: 26 – 34
This was a grudge match, of sorts – the Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis, was the former defensive coordinator for the Ravens. The Ravens got on the board early and then let the Bengals completely own the rest of the first half – the Bengals scored 24 unanswered points. It was not pretty. The second half, however was more to my liking. The Ravens looked more like the team that I have been watching for the past couple of weeks. But, it was too little, too late – they lost the game. I think that I’ll send Bret and my uncle an email saying “Look how badly my team played today…” Just because.

New England at Miami
Final Score: 19 – 13
The dolphins lost this one in overtime. *sigh*

Tennessee at Carolina
Final Score: 37 – 17
The Panthers lost.

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And now… off to find some mischief to get into…

Namaste.

I’ve mentioned that I like it when a television program can surprise me. This morning, I had a couple of those surprises:

• X-Men: Evolution – “Ascension (part I)”: The first of the two-part season finale. Professor X confronted Apocalypse. And the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse were introduced. And they were not whom I was expecting. Wow. They put a rather interesting spin on the comics’ story line.
• Justice League – “Twilight (part II)”: I didn’t get to watch this entire episode, but I did record it. Of what I did see, I was impressed. As always, the quality of the writing on this show is high. For example, Batman. The writers have maintained the all of the edge that he had in Batman: The Animated Series:
  

  Superman: You don’t know Darkseid like I do!
  Batman: We know he used you, brainwashed you, humiliated you, and turned you loose against the earth…..cry me a river.

  …and, during Superman and Darkseid’s climactic confrontation:

  Superman: You have to go through me.
  Darkseid: You really are a glutton for punishment. Time and again I’ve beaten you, humbled you. What makes you think this outcome will be any different?
  Superman: This time I won’t stop until you’re a greasy smear on my fist. Let’s go.

  This is definitely different, more mature, Superman than was seen in Superman: The Animated Series.

In other toon-related items, Cartoon Network aired the chupacabra episode of Dexter’s Laboratory. It reminded me of . They also aired the “Techno Turtle” episode, in which DeeDee rescued an injure baby turtle (which she thought was a partially-hatched bird) and Dexter performed bionic surgery on it. It reminded me of The Six Million Dollar Man shows that I watched when I was younger.

Friday
Work. It included a meeting this afternoon; that went well. On the whole, it was a decent day that stretched farther into the evening than planned.

After work, , and I headed to Borders for Friday night coffee and hanging out. , and were there. We sat. We chatted. We (minus and ) went to Applebee’s for a late-ish bite to eat. And, I thank God (and any other higher powers who had a hand in it) that I didn’t see what and saw as we were leaving.

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NPR and PRI Stories
Talk of the Nation
All Things Considered
The World
MarketPlace
The Connection

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Stray Toasters

• Apparently, it’s still not out of my system… Tada!!!
• The meeting that I mentioned above was held outside – it was a nice day out and we took advantage of that fact. I sat in the sun, as it wasn’t too warm. Apparently, I got a little bit of a tan… one that is most obvious where the arm of my sunglasses shaded the side of my face (from eye to ear). commented on my tan line while we were at Borders. My retort:
  

  “It’s not a tan line, it’s a racing stripe!”

• Of all the things that came in the mail today, the one that literally made me smile: The Lego “Shop at Home – Holiday 2003” Catalog!
• The lady in the red dress, the pitcher of water, friction and gravity.
• “Mooks” and “midriffs.”
• Bowling pin tattoos.
• The Theme from The Rockford Files.

Namaste.

Thursday
It was a decent day on the work front.
I returned home for a relaxing evening of CSI and anime.

Apparently, I didn’t get this out of my system last night. Thus, I give you: these!
(It’s become rather addictive…)

Star Wars and all affiliated properties are trademark of LucasArts.

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NPR and PRI Stories
Talk of the Nation
All Things Considered
The World
MarketPlace
The Connection

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Stray Toasters

• Sissy the Wonder Kitty is apparently fascinated by the “Pipes” screen saver on Windows. She’s been sitting on the chair in front of the other computer, completely rapt, for the past three to five minutes. (update: The monitor just went blank under “Power Saver” mode. She’s trying to figure out where the pipes went. It’s rather cute.)
• Utah Drivers. I’ll just leave it at that.
• Utah road construction. There. NOW, I’ll leave it at that.
• While doing some research for work, I came across this site. I showed it to ; some of the articles on the site really seemed to floor her. I haven’t finished formulating my thoughts on the site, but I think that she said quite a bit about a couple of items (behind the cut tag).
• Linux. My understanding of it is growing. And that’s a good thing.
• A cherry Slurpee® would be good right now.
• I’ve switched from IE6 to Mozilla Firebird for my default browser. I like it, but I’m not sure if I’m going to switch to Thunderbird (the mail client) as I am rather happy with Eudora.
• No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Off to wander the lands beyond the gates of The Dreaming.

Namaste.

Last night, I was looking at the site for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and… well…

This is what happens when I’m bored and have access to the Internet and Photoshop.

Star Wars and all affiliated properties are trademark of LucasArts.

First off: Happy Birthday to !

Stray Toasters

• I think that we might have a solution to the rambunctious neighbor problem. The funny thing is that it was a fringe benefit of another, unrelated idea!

  One of the joys of having a two-bedroom apartment is the “two bedroom” part. As it stands, the master bedroom is being used as… the master bedroom (Go figure) and the second bedroom is used as my office/playspace. We’re about to change that. Since we have been horribly underutilizing the space in the bedroom and the office is very cramped, it makes more sense to move the furniture into the current office and turn the second bedroom into an effective (and much larger) office/playspace/den. It also will serve as a much more comfortable guest room with this configuration.

  The added benefit: When the neighbors are moving furniture, I will have the sound system on my computer to add my own sound effects to the mix. I never really needed the 900+ .wav files that a friend gave me a few years ago. But, as I recall, there are many of them that will be useful. Not to mention that the volume for HALO tends to get a little… loud. And I am also rather boisterous when watching football. Now all I need is Bolero… ::: evil grin :::

• I managed to suss out a Linux command more-or-less on my own last night. There might be hope for me getting the hang of it after all…
• retroCRUSH: The 20 Worst Movie Titles in Hollywood History
• retroCRUSH: The Worst Superhero Costumes of All Time
  

  Black Goliath: You know, when you’re an 80 foot tall black man, isn’t a costume to hide your secret identity a bit useless?

  You have NO idea….

• I-resign: Funny Resignation Letters
• As if the Utah Baby Namer wasn’t bad enough… I came across Bad Baby Names.
  

Tuesday
After staying up later than I should have last night, morning came too soon. I got up and got prepped for work in fairly short order. We were supposed to go to a presentation this morning, but wound up not going. *shrug* That allowed me to get a few things done at the office.

After work, I got to deal with the clusterfuck that is rush hour driving in the southwestern part of the Greater Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. I figured that I would avoid the bottlenecks that are the result of the three construction zones between I-215 and home by looping around and coming home from the south. Good theory, but the execution can stand a little refining. I’ll have to investigate alternate routes.

Jess and I headed to The Gateway (hereafter referred to as “Larryland: North”) to see an advanced screening of the Ed Harris / Cuba Gooding, Jr. movie Radio. We got there to discover that they had overbooked the theatre. *shakes fist* So, we decided to get something to eat. On the way to get dinner, we stopped to say “hi” to , whom we hadn’t seen in far too long.

We ate at V.I. Jon and John were there; they hung out with us while we ate. I made my own milkshake tonight. Yes, I made it; Kris taught me where to find the ingredients and how to make them last weekend. I usually have a Cookies and Cream shake; tonight I added chopped nuts to the mix. It was a little thicker than I like (though not quite as thick as a Blizzard from Dairy Queen), but I figured that it was only the second time that I’d done it, so that was okay.

We came home and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

And now, I am off to seek the gates of The Dreaming.

Namaste.

I just got off the phone with him. He’s driving to from Baltimore to Ohio to visit members of my grandmother’s side of the family. He made it to Frederick and saw a sign that said that part of I-70/I-76 is closed.

The reason for the call: He wanted me to give him an alternate route.

Thanks to Ye Olde Streets & Trips, I was able to do so quickly and easily. After I told him what roads to take and where they connected, he was on his way.

The reason that I find this amusing: He’s driving the new car… with the On*Star system in it.

I’m not sure if they ever subscribed to On*Star, but I find it funny that he called me – on the other side of the country – for directions.

I love my dad.

It is.

Slept in a little because I was up later than usual. came over to help me set up Samba on my Linux rig. As I was moving files, I was a little taken aback by the reported size of the hard drive in it – I had forgotten that I had put a 40 GB drive in there. *boing* Guess where all of our mp3s and videos will be going. He also gave me a 21″ monitor that he was getting rid of. 21″ monitor… I can’t wait to see HALO on this.

Work wasn’t too bad.

I spoke with my dad for a bit – I called him to let him know that the birthday card he sent arrived.

Post-work, I set up the new monitor and watched a little football.

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So far, St. Louis is on top.

And now, off to and ‘ place for some gaming.

Namaste.

What makes for a great day off?

Relaxing.
Drawing.
FOOTBALL!!!

• at
  The Ravens took the win. It was a mostly defensive battle, but the entire team played well. And, they need to give the rest of the team whatever they fed to Ed Reed: He blocked a punt and ran it in for a TD and picked off a potential Cardinals TD pass for a great run back. And… Baltimore is on top of the division at 3 – 2.

• at
  Miami gets another one in the “W” column.

• at
  The big cats rolled over the Colts… and remain undefeated.

• at
  Pitt dropped this one to the Broncos, but they played well. It came down to a field goal in the last few seconds. I think that I’ll have to send another email to Bret and my uncle…

• And, special note to :
  at
  Congratulations to the Browns for their home win over the Raiders.

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Simpsons Amusement of the Day
Lisa was on a quest for a more satisfying spiritual path. They did a scene with her walking against a black background and had signs for different churches floating around her. The two most amusing:

• Bed Bath and Baha’i
• Church of the Latter Day Druids

She discovered a Buddhist temple where she met Richard Gere, who gave her a tract explaining some of the tenets of the Buddhist faith. The ideas seemed to fall in line with her quest, so she ran to her window and:

Lisa Simpson: I am a Buddhist! I… am… a… Buddhist!!!
Ned Flanders: My Satan-Sense is tingling…

And now, off to figure out our pre-movie doings and then see Kill Bill.

Namaste.

I was in a bit of an off mood last night, so I turned in a little early. It took me a while to nod off, but when I did, it was a decent night’s sleep. I had an odd dream, but I don’t remember details. *shrug*

I woke up at 7:52. Exactly.

I remember this because I looked at the clock when I woke up.

Why did I wake up? The neighbors were moving furniture. Figuratively speaking. “Moving furniture” has become our colloquialism for them having sex because their headboard is against our common wall. And they are apparently… active. VERY active. The board thumps against the wall. A lot. And I can only speculate what their downstairs neighbors (and OUR downstairs neighbors, for that matter) can hear.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard them:

• 3 AM *thump thump thump*
• 5-something PM (I came home early) *thump thump thump*
• Other early weekend mornings *thump thump thump*

It’s nice to know that they like each other. But I don’t really need the level of information/detail that they have provided. Especially when I am trying to sleep. Knocking/pounding on the walls doesn’t seem to dissuade them, either. I am sorely tempted to go over and ring their doorbell the next time I am roused from a deep and happy sleep. Or leave them a note suggesting pillows between the bed and the wall. Or something. (And I am open to suggestions.)

In case it wasn’t readily apparent, I was more than a little irritated. Not just because I had been awakened, but also because they woke up Jess… who had to work a different shift (tonight) due to the Columbus Day holiday. I managed to get back to sleep a little later. And no one (nor feline) was harmed.

I woke up in time to watch XME and part of Justice League (which was on that the same time). They introduced another former New Mutant from the comics – Danielle Moonstar, also known as Mirage. And they explained her power in an interesting way. Very well done.

After that, came over to help me suss out the ongoing clusterfuck that has been my SuSE Linux installation. After fighting with it for a bit, he convinced me to switch to a Gentoo distro. I can always build another computer to play with SuSE after I get more than just my feet wet with Linux… While the kernel has been compiling, I have introduced him to the joy that is HALO. I think he’s hooked. Yet another convert…

Tonight is bowling and breakfast. I can take out my pent-up frustration from this morning on inanimate objects other than Covenant forces. Although, that is also a good venting mechanism.

Speaking of which: Back to Covenant extermination.

Namaste.

Sammy said so.
And that’s good enough for me.

I’ve mentioned that and I have rather random conversations. Part of those conversations include sharing what we are listening to. To my knowledge, today was the first day that the following has happened:

[12:54] is listening to Seether – Veruca Salt
[12:54] : NO.
[12:54] * ShadorunrWORK is listening to Veruca Salt – Seether
[12:54] : BWAHAHAHAHAH
[12:54] : OMG
[12:54] : That’s hysterical
[12:54] : serendipity at it’s best
[12:54] : Indeed.
[12:55] : I must say what good taste you have. 😉
[12:55] : And you as well, milady. 🙂

Thursday
Work.
Home.
Relax.

NPR/PRI Stories
All Things Considered: Navajos in Tibet
All Things Considered: Racy ‘Avenue Q’ Draws a Crowd
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAvenue Q
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspMore behind-the-scenes info
Talk of the Nation: Justice in the Media Glare
Talk of the Nation: Philadelphia Mayor’s Office Bugged
Talk of the Nation: TSA’s Collection of Confiscated Items

Many a traveler has made it to the front of the security line at the airport only to have some small, pointy object taken away by Transportation Safety Agency personnel. What becomes of all those nail clippers, tweezers and pocket knives? The TSA’s Chris Rahatigan joins guest host Korva Coleman to talk about their collection of confiscated goods.

NOTE: Friday on Fresh Air: Crime novelist Denis Lehane (Mystic River)

Stray Toasters

• I decided to check my blood pressure using one of the machines at ShopKo while picking up a few things there tonight. The results:
  

  Systolic: 138
  Diastolic: 86
  Pulse: 78

  All in the “normal” ranges.

• shared this eBay gem with me this afternoon.
• The face of the new $20 bill.
  

• Engrish!
• Wonderful musical goodness on Usenet…

Rant of the Day
I was shown a person’s post where that person was, and I quote, “throwing a temper tantrum” because he couldn’t go see the opening night Lord of the Rings trilogy viewing due to:

1. The ticket ordering website wasn’t working
2. “Only” a half-hour intermission between films, which means that he can’t go get something to eat
3. No midnight showing on opening night and he would have to be there from 1PM until 2AM which, along with the above reason, is bad because he is diabetic and “and popcorn and candy isn’t going to cut it…”

I count the third item as the only semi-valid argument. I will explain why it’s only “semi-valid” in a moment. My counterpoints are as follows:

1. The box office is open. Get your ticket the old-fashioned way: Go there and get it. (I think a lack of vehicle was mentioned… but, from what I understand, the city has a very good mass transit system.)
2. Half-hour intermission. The priority here should be using the restroom. With theatres full of LotR fans, it may take that long. As far as getting something to eat…
3. No midnight showing? Screws up the “opening night tradition?” Suck it up and go at the time that they are showing it. As far as food goes: Take a backpack and put a lunch bag/cooler in it. Don’t want something to get too warm? Most lunch bags come with reusable ice gel packs. Take all the food/snacks/necessities you need in the backpack. Plan out what to take and what you would need to make sure that your blood sugar levels stay within acceptable limits. AND, taking your own food and snacks would probably wind up costing far less than buying snacks at the concession stands.

I grant that I might have overlooked something, but these arguments/answers were blatantly obvious. (Actually, the first thought that came to mind was: You’re an adult. Act like it and think!!!) Thank you. Move along.

And now, The Dreaming awaits…

Namaste.

Wednesday
Three down, two in the chamber.

Post-work was coffee night. Tonight, we returned to the Jitterbug… it’s been a while since we’d been there. When and I walked in, Bruce (the owner) looked up and said: “Uh-oh… here comes trouble.” And laughed. Have I mentioned that I like this place? I do. Robert, , Beth, Steve and Larry showed up over the next few minutes. We sat, ate, drank, talked… and did crossword puzzles.

While I was getting something at the counter, Fly By Night came on the radio. I started to sing/hum/whistle along with it. shared something with the group at this point – something that I wasn’t even aware of:

There are mornings when a Rush song will be on the radio when the alarm goes off. These are mornings that I will lay there and listen to the song before getting up and staring my pre-work preparations. I often drum on the mattress to the beat of the song. This I knew…

There are some mornings when I start to nod off and lightly doze while listening to the song. And on these mornings, I apparently play air guitar in my semi-conscious state. This I did not know.

We got a laugh out of this.

NPR/PRI Stories
Bill O’Reilly, of the Fox News Channel show The O’Reilly Factor, was the guest on today’s Fresh Air. Terry Gross was talking with him about his new book, Who’s Looking Out for You? The interview was going well… until roughly forty-five minutes into the show. O’Reilly then accused Ms. Gross of “…a hatchet job…” and trying to defame him because she wanted to read comments of a review from People Magazine and because she was biased (“too lenient”) in an interview that she gave to Al Franken. He then walked out of the studio.

“Curiouser and curiouser,” said little Alice…

Stray Toasters

• Hallowe’en dilemma: Jonni is performing at the SLC Hard Rock Cafe for their annual Freaker’s Ball. is having a party that night, too. I want to go to m3l’s party; but I haven’t seen Jonni play in a long time. I need to do figure out how to attend both shindigs. Or clone myself. Or find a DeLorean with a Flux Capacitor…
• MORE construction on Redwood Road. *twitch*
• Blue Skies Over Dundalk Salt Lake City
• I discovered some interesting mixed songs last night on Usenet. Among them:
  • Girls Aloud and Madonna
  • Pink and Elvis Presley
  • Shaggy and Odyssey (a 70s band)
  • Black Eyed Peas and Natalie Imbruglia

  Quite interesting, indeed.

• I actually picked up – and played – my bass for a little bit tonight.

Poll of the Day

Namaste.