Random Access

Friday
It was another cold and grey day here in the Salt Lake Fishbowl Valley…

…but the day ended nicely, with company, coffee and a bite to eat.

I chatted with the Mother-Unit this morning. She was on her way to Baltimore to visit some friends of the family, but all was well. I also got to chat with the middle member of the sibko; she’s doing well, too. And, as an added bonus, there was a message from the foreign-dwelling sib waiting for me when I got up this morning. She and are on holiday in Bangkok. I should check in on the remaining sib tomorrow.

After coffee tonight, we went to Cheers: North. And we saw Vivi, for the first time in many rains. And, living in SLC, rains are few and far between… It was good to see her. It’s becoming obvious that we’re regulars there: Karen, the bartender and our usual server, doesn’t have to ask what it is we’d like to drink.

News
Morning Edition: Playwright Arthur Miller Dies
Talk of the Nation – Science Friday: Social Constraints on Science
Talk of the Nation – Science Friday: Treating Depression
Day to Day: Audio Portrait: Teaching with Diabetes
Day to Day: Malcolm X Comes to DVD
(This article’s title is bit of a misnomer, as this movie has been on DVD for years.)

Stray Toasters

• I tend to eat roasted peanuts… still in the shell. It’s a… habit (?)… I picked up when I was young. It tends to freak people out. Probably more so than when I eat lemon slices, including the rind.
• By way of RealTechNews.com: All About Click Fraud
• : LSH 2005 Microheroes
• A few of the t-shirt designs from diesel sweeties that amuse me:

  

  

  

  

• “Single Awareness Day” is coming up on Monday. In light of that, G4TechTV has offered up the following:
  • Movies for the Anti-Valentine
  • Nasty Habits to Drop Now for Valentine’s Day and
  • Gamer’s Guide to Girls: Valentine’s Day Click Your Own Adventure
• The Pacers are playing the Jazz, in SLC, in a little under a month. I think that would be fun to see.
• The octopus holds the key to optimal robot design
• Oh, what the Hell. Here’s another meme:
  You are water. You’re not really organic; you’re
  neither acidic nor basic, yet you’re an acid
  and a base at the same time. You’re strong
  willed and opinionated, but relaxed and ready
  to flow. So while you often seem worthless,
  without you, everything would just not work.
  People should definitely drink more of you
  every day.

  Which Biological Molecule Are You?
  brought to you by Quizilla
  

• I know that I had a “How Tipping Works” entry a few weeks ago, but I still don’t get what is it about “tipping” that people just don’t understand? Is it so hard to leave a little extra for the person who just busted their ass to see to it that you had a pleasurable dining experience? Especially when said wait-person only makes $2.13 an hour? *shrug* Maybe it’s just me and the way I’m wired.

Quote of the Day

[00:31] : Did Melissa show you that gayest tattoo ever that I found?
[00:32] : Nuh-uh.
[00:33] : nsfw. not that you’re at work haha. http://members.iinet.net.au/~tiki/temp/backpiece4nz.jpg
[00:33] : Yeah… that’s pretty gay.
[00:42] : HOW did you find that?
[00:42] : Somebody else sent it to me.
[00:42] : Believe me, I wasn’t looking. 🙂
[00:45] : Suuuure you weren’t, Mr. Smith.
[00:46] : OK, you caught me, I was searching google for “gay penis mermaid”.

Namaste.

Thursday
Today was, for the most part, “Spent in the company of…” day.

After a visit to the downtown library, I went to lunch with , Dave and Steve. Lunch was good, but the four-hour conversation was better. The topics were as varied as the opinions.

I spent the evening with and . We went to dinner at Tres Hombres and then went back to Nox’ place and chatted a few hours away.

News
Morning Edition: In Search of American Remoteness
Morning Edition: Senate Ponders Bill on Class-Action Lawsuits
Morning Edition: Antiquated ‘Slander-of-a-Woman’ Rule Reconsidered
Morning Edition: Son Honors Father’s Service as Code Talker
Morning Edition: Montana Inmates Get Retro Look
Day to Day: Defining Domestic Propaganda
All Things Considered: Body Donors: A Final Gift of Teaching

Stray Toasters

• By exhibiting a near-Herculean amount of willpower, I will not eat a bag of cotton candy tonight.
• I may get to see a preview screening of Constantine next week. That would be cool. On the flip side of that, I got to see an advanced screening of FearDotCom a few years ago. That was most definitely not cool. Fortunately, most of the press I’ve seen about Keanu Reeve’s portrayal of everyone’s favorite Hellblazer protagonist has been favorable… so I might avoid having another FDC-like debacle. I can also take heart from the fact that Mr. Reeves turned down the lead role in the new Superman film.
• : Classic Millennium Falcon toy reissue
• From the art world: Exhibition features inventive art created from the mundane
• Umm… I really don’t know what to say about this, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
• The Skeptic’s Dictionary
• While chatting with and Nox this evening, we touched on the subject of the British monarchy. From there, we veered onto MI-5, the UK Security Service. That made me curious, so I looked up their website. There was a lot of interesting information on their and even a rather healthy “Myths and FAQs” section.
• The Ghost who walks…
• Darlin’ it’s hotter under the water, under the sea…!
• Are portable nuclear generators in our future? Possibly. (1, 2)
• For and : Jane Russel as Catwoman
• Toxic Teddies
• : A couple of things in which you might be interested: Batman: Black & White series original mini-statue …and… Bruce Campbell Moves to Comics at Dark Horse
• SOTA Toys is introducing a 20″ Lord of Darkness figure, from the movie Legend.
• : I know that we’ve talked about this before, but here’s the latest iron that has been thrown into the fire: Spielberg Eyes Indy IV Soon

And, that’s a wrap!

Namaste.

Wednesday
I started off the day by trying to send a copy of my resume to a recruiter. In theory, this should have been an easy process:

1. Write a brief introductory email.
2. Attach a copy of my resume.
3. Send the email.

Piece of cake. Except for one tiny problem: I got stuck on Step 2.

When I put the new HD in DS9, I copied all of the files that I deemed “important” onto the new drive. That was pretty much a “no-brainer.” Five of those files were: My resume (3 variations), a cover letter and a salary history – documents to which I would want/need fast and easy access.

Like today.

So, I make it through the email-writing step and go looking for the resume. It wasn’t on the first partition that I checked. I checked another partition. “No go, Flight.” Hm. This wasn’t necessarily earth-shattering, but it was a tad inconvenient, as it was nearly to leave to take Jess to work. But, I had enough time for another quick check. Nothing. So, I left without sending the email.

*braincramp*
This meant that I had to come back home, power down ‘Nine, reconnect the old drive, power ‘Nine back up, find and transfer the files, and power down/up again. Not something that I was looking forward to doing…but, we do those things which we must in order to achieve the results we desire.

On a lark, I decided to check “all local drives,” including the C: drive. (Sidebar: When I format a hard drive, I usually make at least two partitions: One for the OS and at least one for everything else. That way, if the OS decides to take a dirt nap, I don’t lose my data.) Lo and behold, there were the files. On the C: drive. In “My Documents.” Which is a rather logical place to put them, as they are “my documents.” But, as I don’t usually use the C:\My Documents folder, generally speaking, I wound up hiding them from myself. How very clever of me. Myself. I. One of us. All of us. Oh, Hell… you know what I mean.

In the end, the file was found, the email was sent, and the world didn’t explode. Amen.

And the files were also moved from “My Documents,” too.

>> fast forward >>

I headed to Ogden to visit a few hours with Dee, the rarely-seen , and his family. They are well. We also determined that we are going to make a concerted effort to get together more often than once every six months. Dee and I headed to The Bookshelf, where I picked up a couple of new pieces of plastic crack, including: Bane (experienced), Harley Quinn (rookie), Huntress (veteran), and Hawk (veteran). I also picked up a few of the cheap ‘clix, including 8 S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for the pawns on the “good” side of my chess set. And, with that…

My chess set is done.
For now.

As it stands, the set is as follows:

• Good
  King: Professor X
  Queen: Jean Grey
  Bishop: Sasquatch
  Knight: Green Arrow
  Rook: Starman
  Pawns: S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, troopers, snipers and a medic.

• Evil
  King: Magneto
  Queen: Circe
  Bishop: Poison Ivy
  Knight: Kobra Fanatic
  Rook: Parademon Scout
  Pawns: Skrull Commandos

This lineup will most likely change as I acquire other figures, but I’m pretty happy with it as it is.

>> fast forward >>

and I stopped by one of the local Home Despot stores this evening. I think that I am going to take ‘s idea for doing a LEGO®-colored border around the ceiling of the HCC. I went in to get a few paint cards and to get a rough idea of how much we’d be paying for paint. I started looking at the Behr matte paint, but the sales associate suggested that I take a look at the semi-gloss from Glidden. And it was slightly less expensive per canister, too. And so, the madness planning begins…

News
Morning Edition: Risque Super Bowl Spoof of Censorship… Censored
Morning Edition: Police: Justice Tried to Sneak Swiss Army Knife on Plane
Morning Edition: Overcoming E-Mail Overload at Work
Talk of the Nation: Call Centers and the Time We Spend on Hold
Talk of the Nation: Hammett’s Maltese Falcon, 75 Years Later
Day to Day: Lawyer Jokes Still Legal in New York
All Things Considered: Judge Rules Lost Fertilized Egg Was a Human Being
All Things Considered: Jazz Organist Jimmy Smith Dies
All Things Considered: In Cuba, Everyone Has a Nickname

Science Blog: Solar Cell Implant May Restore Some Sight for the Blind

Stray Toasters

• “Yes, ma’am!
  Yes, ma’am!
  Two bags full!”
     – for

• Here’s a little change of pace: I’m going to post a link to A Modest Destiny, but it’s not for the webcomic. It’s for the blog entry entitled “The Eye of the Beholder,” written by the late Johnny Carson.
• Beginners Guides: Most Common Ways to Kill a PC
• Thanks to for this addition to the “Way too much time on their hands” file.
• Just in case you missed it this weekend, see this post for a link to a live-action version of the Kenya Flash toon.
• There are a few new pictures of the twins here.
• Hm… this looks like something I might want to keep an eye on.
• Tales for the L33T: Romeo + Juliet
  It starts slowly, but the “soundtrack” makes it worth waiting for.

• Umm… this. Add your own punchline.
• It’s 1:30… and the twins are playing “Tag.” This bodes ill.
• From the “Things that should never see the light of day” file: Love at Second Bite. I remember seeing Love at First Bite as a kid (and catching snippets of it on TV); it was okay. Nothing great. Although, Arte Johnson as Renfield was amusing. But to come out with a sequel almost 30 years after the fact? *sigh*

That’s it.

Namaste.

Tuesday
Aside from looking at the snow piled on peoples’ lawns and the sides of the road, you’d wouldn’t know that it snowed yesterday. The sky was clear and blue. And, thankfully, the snow and wind got rid of the inversion… at least for today.

I got to hang out with and Perry for a bit this afternoon. Twas fun. I finally got Legion of Super-Heroes #2. It will be my bedtime reading. Yes, life is good.

I also had the opportunity to watch the new Battlestar Galactica. I can understand why some purists don’t care for it. *shrug* I liked it. I may have to add it to my weekly watch list.

News
Morning Edition: Low Power FM Movement Makes Waves
Morning Edition: The Mardi Gras Parade, from a Child’s Ladder
Morning Edition: A Year of the Rooster Warning for Young Couples
Talk of the Nation: The Effects of Smoking Bans
Day to Day: Interviews: Exploring Tibet’s Lost Cities
All Things Considered: Male-Female Wage Gap in Cowboy Country
All Things Considered: Professor Attempts to Repair Macbeth’s Image
All Things Considered: Youth Radio: Adjusting to Life After Deportation
Fresh Air: Political Humorist Bill Maher: Four More Years

BBC News: Army pilot rap over pizza flight

Stray Toasters

• I have cotton candy. And ginger snaps. I’m having a minor dilemma as to what I want to snack on.
• sent a link to this, based on Hieronymus Bosch’ work.
• “It’s up to you,” found while perusing a \friends\friends list.
• I was listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac and I realized something: The bass line reminds me (a LOT) of the 60s Batman theme.
• According to this review, Constantine isn’t a total wash.
  I just hope that they’re right.

• By way of boingboing.net: Burning Man may delay San Fran school year and Tonya Harding is boxing. Yes, that Tonya Harding.
• Comics like this one remind me why I like .
• : Exploring Your Dark Side: Jenkins talks Batman: Jekyll & Hyde and Shadow Walker
• Here there be Mirrormask things! An Interview with Dave McKean
• I like anime. Well-established fact, that is. I’m watching Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi on G4TechTV’s “Anime Unleashed”. This is weird. Almost FLCL weird. It definitely rates at least an 8.7 on the Weird Shit-o-Meter. There were even Captain Harlock and Star Blazers references. That has to make it a full-fledged 9.0.
• Hey, : The DCG had a new Babs pic. And she’s even in Batgirl garb, kind of.
• “If you gotta go, go naked…”
  

Namaste.

Monday
It snowed.

Actually, it started last night. But there seems to be a little flurry activity going on. On the up side, it seems as though someone swept/shoveled our driveway and sidewalk this morning. And, it had to be a “by design” act because the part of the drive in front of the RV pad had not been cleared. Of course, it snowed throughout the day, so I got to clear the driveway and sidewalk this evening. I also helped our neighbor to the north with her drive/walk.

and I had lunch with this afternoon. Olive Garden. We also made an excursion to Jo-Ann Fabric. And a quick pass through Toys ‘R’ Us. While at Jo-Ann Fabric, I saw Justice League Valentines cards. Naturally, I could not pass them up. And soon… they shall be scanned!

There was no poker tonight, so evening was wrapped up with this past Saturday’s JLUepisode, “The Cat and the Canary,” and the new episode of 24.

News
Morning Edition: The Barrons: Forgotten Pioneers of Electronic Music
Talk of the Nation: (Un-)Happiness in the Modern World
Fresh Air: Tommy Chong: Free and Back on the Road

USA Today: Office memo: Blogging can get you bounced

Stray Toasters

• I had one of last night’s leftover bratwurst for dinner tonight. Damn but it was tasty. If you’re in the SLC metro area and like sausage (get your minds out of the gutters), you should check out Colosimo’s on 7th East, near 85th South.
• Captain Murphy must have had Jack Bauer in mind when he came up with his famous ‘law’: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
• I saw the What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have? meme in ‘s post and decided to try it out.
  

  Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

  You shine in your ability to relate to and understand others. Good at seeing others’ points of view, you get how people think and feel. You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations. A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict. You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

  What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

• Building the iAtariMac – a Mac mod for the Atari 2600.
• , something tells me that this is something in which you might be interested: Maryland Education Looks to Comics to Help Boost Reading
• From Broken Frontier: Komikwerks Looks at Black Roots
• forwarded the link for Worster Album Covers Ever II. It’s definitely not a misnomer.
• “Women will get sterile just looking at you.” – Charles De Mar
• , there’s another something else you might want to take a look at: Journey into Comics: Legion Now.
• PopCultureShock has a seven-page preview of Phoenix: Endsong #3. I have the first two issues; they are beautifully drawn and written. This issue seems to be no exception.
• As if the Magnetic Poetry on our fridge wasn’t enough crack: Just Letters. All I can say is “Holy Soul Train Scramble Board, Batman!” Thanks to for the heads-up on this.
• I was a big fan of the DeMatteis/Giffen era of Justice League (International). They have brought back members of the team a few months ago in a mini-series called Formerly Known as the Justice League. Well…. they’re back again in a story arc JLA Classified called “I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League” You can check it out here.

Quote of the Day
gave us both of today’s quotes:

I’m Mary Poppins, with the “fuck” word inserted.

…and…

It’s like a bunny on a stick!

Namaste.

Sunday
And, lo, it came to pass… and rush… and play-action fake…

Today was “Super Bowl Shindig 2005.” We got up this morning and put the finishing clean-up touches on the house, in preparation for the event. We had, if we counted correctly, twenty-one people show up for the festivities. Surprisingly, everyone watched the game, more or less. Everyone watched the commercials. Natch. And, was it just me or should this have been ‘The Ford-Pepsi Super Bowl?’ After all, we saw the ‘Mustang Convertible at the Intersection’ commercial and the ‘P. Diddy in the Pepsi Truck’ commercial at least three times each. *shrug* The trailer for Batman Begins, however, looked good. Very good.

There was also plenty of food. I cooked out. We had loads of snacks. Lots of beverages, including ‘ very tasty Pirate’s Tea. We still have a lot of the snacks left. And soft drinks. And stuff.

Thanks to everyone who came over and spent the afternoon. We had a great time and hope that you did, as well.

Stray Toasters

• Many rains past, I had the idea of making a chess set using RPG miniatures for the pieces. It never got past the “theory” stage.

  I have started a Heroclix® chess set. So far, I’m two pieces away from having the “evil” side of the board completed. It’s not “perfect,” but it’s that close. The “good” side, however, still needs a little bolstering. But, I’m getting there.

• New quotes from the fridge:
  • Believe in my cleavage.
  • I farted.
  • Marry an angel, go home, smile, die happy.
  • Stupid people wearing astronaut pants are being insignificant in public, but I bet your thoughts are a message of a happy and rude personality disorder.
  • All people look great the first time, your problem is: You look like a dwarf inflatable girlfriend.
  • Didn’t I see you humiliate yourself?
• I just watched the trailer for Battlehymn. Haven’t heard of it? I’m not surprised. It’s not a movie. It’s a comic book. That’s right: “A comic book with a trailer.” And, it’s an impressive trailer, at that. You can download the trailer (35MB .zip file) here. If the trailer is any indication, Image could have a hit on their hands.
• “Is it better than the peanut butter plan of Hill Town?”
  

• Custom Star Wars Blinds
• I don’t understand peoples’ gripes against widescreen/letterbox format.
• “With Macs, violently obsessive robots are a thing of the past!”
  

• HALO Heading Towards Big Screen

Namaste.

Saturday
It was a semi-lazy day.

For a while this morning, I thought that one of our neighbors dumped garbage in our can this week. Apparently, the garbage collection was early and it seems as though a lot of people in our circle didn’t get their cans out in time. It was almost enough to make me want to stick a couple of X10 cameras on the front of the house. Almost. The real answer turned out to be something much more simple and less insidious. And that made me happy.

Getting to watch two episodes of JLU also made me happy.
Knowing that I set the VCR – correctly, this time – to tape a third episode adds to the happiness factor.

Stray Toasters

• I bowled 10 games tonight, with a high of 183 and a low of 98.
• : I saw this and immediately thought that you might appreciate it: Power Rangers: Why it was the best 80s cartoon ever!
• Many of you will remember the Kenya Flashtoon from last year. Well… someone did a live-action Kenya. (A semi-sarcastic) “Thanks” to pointing this out. Of course, she also pointed me in the direction of Choccy. I will never look at Cadbury Creme Eggs the same way again. Oh, I’ll still eat them… I’ll just never look at them the same.
• From Comics2Film: This is a rather well done animated gif of Jennifer Walters transforming into She-Hulk. There’s also a larger, less-grainy version here.
• “Late at night, while you’re sleepin’, Poison Ivy will be creepin’ around…”

Tomorrow: Super Bowl Shindig 2005! We’re throwing a little bash. I should get some sleep so that I can wake up and take care of some of the last-minute pre-party stuff.

Namaste.

Friday
I was a good little consumer today. The day started with a trip to Mecca… I mean:”The Bookshelf”… with Kate, Perry and Max. I had originally loaded up with stuff, but trimmed it back a bit before checking out. I think that the cashier undercharged me for a few things, but didn’t realize it until we were back on the road to SLC. We also made stops at End Zone (in Trolley Square) and Dr. Volt’s. I returned home with a Mechwarrior Cougar (so I can start scaling the dimensions for my Yard’Tech mech) and many new Heroclix, including three Legionnaires: Live Wire (w00t!), Brainiac 5 and Chameleon. This makes for a happy Rob. Now, I just need to find Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy. That will make for an even more happy Rob.

I stopped at and ‘ place to help Nox with a networking problem. After tweaking a few settings here and playing with a few things there, we got it resolved.

Tonight, we met for the traditional Friday Night Coffee with a few of the usual suspects. It was the typical good time with good company that always adds to the enjoyment of the end of the week. I got some reading in. There were good – and twisted – conversations, caffeinated beverages and snacks.

News
Reuters: Actor Ossie Davis Dies at Age 87

Stray Toasters

• I didn’t get cotton candy today. But, that’s okay. There’s always tomorrow.
• Spider-Man 3. Featuring…. Venom? This could be interesting. Especially since they will have to adapt the origin. Maybe they will go with the Ultimate Spider-Man origin and make it the creation of Peter’s deceased father. Because I don’t think that they have the budget to even attempt the original Secret Wars origin.
• While at Dr. Volt’s Perry pointed out the new Handbook to the Marvel Universe 2005 books. I took a look at the Handbook to the Women of the Marvel Universe 2005 issue. Flipping through it, I came to the entry for Hepzibah (1, 2). She’s the mate of Corsair (1, 2), father of the X-Men’s Cyclops and Havok. I looked at Perry and asked: “Do you remember the movie: My Stepmother Is an Alien?” And I pointed to Hepzibah’s bio. He laughed.
• “Repro-ducks-tion.”
• Life-sized Candy Land. Right.
• For the North Carolinians: noda.org
• I saw an ad for crossword puzzle contact paper in this month’s issue of Budget Living magazine. I thought that it was rather neat, but I can’t find any information on it. I’ll have to check the issue and verify the URL that it listed. I did, however, find this. Wow.
• For (and all of the other gamers out there…)
  

I planned on being in bed about an hour ago.
Time to take that plan from “theory” to “practical application.”

Namaste.

Thursday
We’re ba-a-a-a-ack.

It was a good trip. On the way down, we saw an elk, deer and… a fox. I don’t think that I have ever seen a fox on the hoof, outside of a zoo. This one was running through the desert along I-70. We also had an Italian lesson on the way. Yep, an Italian lesson. Rich and family are going to Europe this spring; everybody’s learning a language – Rich is tackling Italian. So, now, I know un po Italiano.

We did both an underground and above-ground installation. I didn’t get to use the Milwaukee saw this time, but I did get to use the Hilti nail gun. Oh. My. That is a “power tool.” It uses a load of 22-caliber blanks to drive nails. We punched 1″ nails into the concrete foundation; they went in very easily. And we weren’t even using the strongest load.

Rich said that I’m getting a little faster at finishing some of the work. I took this as a good thing. He also showed me a few things to help speed the process along. Naturally, these helped, too. Something that he said got me thinking: I tend to be a bit… cautious/meticulous when working on/with certain things. I think that is attributable to my training with an architectural firm as a high school and college student. This isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing, but it gave me food for thought. Introspection. It can be a good thing and a useful tool.

Random Access

February is Black History Month (1, 2).

As usual, I suggest that everyone take some time to learn a little something about a part of American history and culture of which you may not be familiar. I suggest your visiting your local libraries, bookstores and perusing the Internet. If possible, see if there is a Black History lecture series in your area. And, there is always the “low tech,” old-fashioned method: Talk with people in your community. Sometimes, the best way to learn about something is listening to someone else’s experience.

With that out of the way, let’s get straight on to tonight’s diatribe.

I’m not so concerned with the fact that Black History Month is relegated to the shortest month of the year. I think the fact that it gets recognition is good… even if it’s only 28/29 days’ recognition. My issue comes with the fact that it’s only celebrated for one month. Is it not considered “worthwhile enough” to be celebrated alongside the rest of American history during the other eight to ten months of the school year? Before someone comes in and asks, let me add that I feel the same way about any minority-American history. (For more information on other “Heritage Months,” see the Smithsonian Institution’s Heritage Month Home Page.)

Why should the contributions that they made only be recognized for one month?
Why should any group’s contribution be so denigrated?

The simple answer: They shouldn’t.

We are all Americans. Native-born or naturalized. We have a rich, diverse culture. We should celebrate it as a whole. Although we don’t always act like it, we are “…more than the sum of our parts.” Every culture in the American population has brought something unique to the table: African. Asian. European. Native American. We have all borrowed from each other yet we often fail to recognize our similarities, focusing instead on what it is that makes Group A different from Group B.

Isn’t it about time that we stopped treating each other with kid gloves or thinking of one another as “fill-in-the-ethnic-blank”-Americans and started acting like the “…one nation, indivisible” of which the Pledge of Allegiance¹ speaks?

I think so.

But, until then, please take the opportunity to learn more about cultures and ethnicities other than your own. I am confident that you’ll learn something interesting. And you may even find that we all have more in common than you may have thought.

</diatribe>

Stray Toasters

• I have no cotton candy. This will be corrected tomorrow.
• By way of : Stop…!
• From : Sylvia Pichler Airbrush Makeup and Quest for the Crown
• From emedicine.com: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
• “I knew those air holes would be trouble…”
  

• Top 10 Apple Flops
• : Tellus and Chameleon
• : The Man Who Laughs
• The Institute of Official Cheer
• : Kinky Friedman for Texas Governor
• Sony’s PSP handheld game system will launch in the U.S. on 24 March. Details.

That’s enough for now.

Namaste.

¹ – In it’s original draft, the Pledge of Allegiance was worded: “I pledge allegiance to [the] flag [of the United States of America,] and [to] the Republic for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The phrase “…under God…” was not added until 1954. (source: Pledge of Allegiance and its “under God” phrase)

Tuesday
Quick hit from southern Utah.
(Thinking about it, Moab is like an embassy of the real world behind the Zion Curtain. An small-town, outdoorsy embassy, but it’s more of a slice of “normal” than upstate Utah.)

It’s barely 8:30 and I’m tired; it’s been a long – and productive – day. Last night, I was in bed before 10:00 PM. Which almost never happens, unless I’m sick. I actually nodded off during the 9:00 news. One minute, I was watching the news, the next minute, the news was watching me. I looked at the clock; it was only 9:37. I almost laughed. But, I got up and dragged myself to bed. And slept pretty much like a rock.

It looks like we will button things up tomorrow and be SLC-bound on Thursday morning. There’s an off chance that we’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon, but that’s pretty unlikely. I’m good with leaving Thursday morning; I should even be home around noon or 1:00. Ain’t nothin’ wrong wit’ that!

Let’s see… there was something else…
Oh, yeah:

1. Adam: I wasn’t ignoring your call last night. (See above.)
2. , check your email.
3. : No killing anyone. Unless I get to pick a couple of choice targets.

That’s it for now. It’s time to go veg on the couch for a bit.

Namaste.