Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“I am, I am, I am Superman and I can do anything…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Wednesday
The Doctor is in…

The week speeds along.

It was a decent day. I started it with a frozen mocha… but neglected to get an espresso shot or two added to it. Nevertheless, it was a tasty beverage. The rest of the workday was rather quiet.

After work, I looked forward to the beginning of the World of Darkness game that we have been nagging to run for the past few months. I came home, collected my necessary accoutrements and prepared to walk out the door when Nox messaged me. No game. The scheduling was off. Instead, it will begin next week. This should be interesting because I was planning on starting the Shadowrun game next week. Granted, it will be on Tuesday, but still… *shrug*

For dinner, we had a taste for Chinese. We considered Dave’s Kitchen, the restaurant we went to this past weekend. I checked with Nox to see if he and wanted to join us. They did. And we were off. Unfortunately, the restaurant – which CitySearch assured me didn’t close until 9:30 PM – was closed. At a few minutes past 9:00. Disappointing. Instead, we adjourned to Cafè Med. And all was well.

Stray Toasters

  • I can now admit that I actually have a… a… *deep breath*… a favorite Vin Diesel movie. There. I said it. Anyway, I do. It’s The Iron Giant, which I watched earlier. It’s a great movie. If you (and your kids, if you have any) haven’t seen it, do so soon. If you need further incentive, here it is: Brad Bird, the man who brought us The Incredibles, directed the movie.
  • My friend, Don, pointed me in the direction of a new webcomic today:
  • Thanks to Nyx, I have discovered iharthdarth.
  • Here come old flat top
    He come groovin’ up slowly

    I still really enjoy this animation. (Broadband recommended)

  • Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Tetris
  • I am a self-professed Homestar Runner novitiate. I have seen a few of the toons and I find them amusing. One of the guys on my team at work has been slowly introducing me to the world of Homestar Runner and Strong Bad. Today, I was introduced to Trogdor the Burninator. I laughed. A lot. Then, I saw what Strong Bad would be like in a video game. I then played one of the games. And I laughed some more.
  • : I don’t remember if I already sent you this picture of Ms. Kyle.
  • Because the Doctor Who reference makes me laugh:

  • I have bacon and cheese popcorn. No cotton candy yet, but this will do nicely.
  • MoMA – The Museum of Modern Art
  • : If you haven’t seen this yet… you need to add it to your site. She looks like she’s ready to break off more than “a little” somethin’. I’d say that she’s ready to bring the whole whoop-ass stick. And then some. But, it’s still funny.
  • I have only seen two episodes, but I am enjoying Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

As Sheryl Crow sang, Tomorrow Never Dies. And with tomorrow comes work. I should hit the rack.

The Doctor is out.

Namaste.

(Bonus points to anyone who can correctly identify how the subject ties into tonight’s post.)

“Open up your mind and let me step inside…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Tuesday
The Doctor is in…

The Delicate Sound of Thunder rolls across the valley tonight. No, Pink Floyd is not here on a reunion tour. Mother Nature is clearing her voice and it is echoing across Salt Lake City.

Today was a good one. I slept in a little. I worked. I watched Mononoke Hime. I came home to a relaxing evening. We even let the cats prowl around the backyard. And, for the first time in a long while, I had a comics-related conversation with my friend Don.

Stray Toasters

The Doctor is out.

Namaste.

“You know how that rabbit feels, going under your spinning wheels…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Monday
The Doctor is in…

Aside from sleeping in a little longer than I had intended, it was a good day. Work wasn’t bad… even though I didn’t get to work on something that I had planned to work on Friday. *sigh* Oh, well, maybe I’ll get to it tomorrow. I watched Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 while I was working; that helped speed the day along.

Tonight, we met some friends at The Bayou for a not-so-impromptu “Hi/Bye” get-together for Sara, who had dropped into town for a visit. She’s heading back to L.A. tomorning. It was nice to see her and hang out for a bit. And there was Guinness. Dark, lovely Guinness.

News
ACLU to Challenge Utah Porn-Blocking Law

Talk of the Nation: ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ Finally Find a Home
Talk of the Nation: History of Lynchings in America
Day to Day: Building ‘The World’ Off the Coast of Dubai
All Things Considered: This I Believe – Jazz Is the Sound of God Laughing
     …and This I Believe – The Ultimate Victory of Faith, Hope and Love

Stray Toasters

  • I had forgotten how astounding the Fantasia movies were are.
  • Star Wars, M&M’s and LEGO? You bet. –
  • United Surrenders, Trashes $230 Million Computerized Baggage System in Denver
  • I’ve been a comic book fan for many years. I’ve been a Superman fan for longer than that. Go figure. I even liked Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman when it aired; it’s now available on DVD. I looked up “Memorable Quotes” for the show on IMDb earlier.

    Lois: I don’t think I can trust Clark anymore.
    Perry: Would you care to tell me why?
    Lois: He lied to me.
    Perry: Oh. Well, uh, don’t you lie to him?
    Lois: Of course I lie to him. All the time!
    Perry: Ooh, I’m just not going to go near that.

    I remember now why the show always struck me as one part Moonlighting to two parts Superman. I may have to add this to the “DVDs I wouldn’t mind owning” list.

  • In a related note: Lane Smith, who played Daily Planet editor Perry White on Lois & Clark, died today.
  • By way of : Batti’s Placentero Chair – the Placenta chair
    I… wow… I really don’t have anything to add about this one.

  • Chocolate Thunder
  • Where was this when I worked for the USPS: www.iworkwithfools.com

That’s enough for now.

The Doctor is out.

Namaste.

“Use the key, unlock the door. See what your fate might have in store…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Sunday
The Doctor is in.

I slept in today. Way in. In fact, I slept in so far, that I think I would have slept longer had the phone not rung. It was a good call – and well within the guidelines of the 10:00 Rule – so it was no harm, no foul. I got a slow move on and proceeded to do a lot of nothing for the next hour or so.

Following the necessary hygiene rituals, and I headed to Lowe’s to pick up new knobs and lock sets for the garage and front doors. The sales associate in that department even set all of the locks to a master key. This made me quite happy; I didn’t want to have seventy-leven keys for two doors – that wouldn’t even make good crazy peoples’ sense. We walked around the store while he fixed the locks. I found lots (Did I mention “LOTS?!”) of things that made me go “Oooooh.” But, in the end, we left with just the knobs/locks. I installed the hardware with no real problems. This also made me happy. Let’s face it: The thought of having dysfunctional locking mechanisms on two of the three main entry points of the house was not a good one.

I headed to and ‘ place to pick up my new toy: A Milwaukee 10-Amp Sawzall® Reciprocating Saw. We sat around and talked for a bit… and then decided to go out for coffee. I collected and we met Nyx and Nox at Greenhouse Effect. Apparently, we just missed their Sunday night poetry slam. I think of this as something of a mixed blessing: On one hand, it would have been nice/interesting to hear some of the locals do their thing, but Greenhouse is a small shop and it would have been obnoxiously crowded. But, we got there and the inside was nearly empty, so we pressed on for crepes, coffee and chat. When it started to get a bit crowded – and noisy – we adjourned to Nyx and Nox’.

Stray Toasters

  • I love IKEA because they send me email announcements about sales.
    I hate IKEA because there isn’t one near here.

  • I have a lovely new Sawzall®, but I have no idea where my drill has gone. This does not make me happy. In fact, it makes me rather upset.
  • sbrowning.com – This is a neat little site.
  • GPO is working with the library community on a national digitization plan, with the goal of digitizing a complete legacy collection of tangible U.S. Government publications. The objective is to ensure that the digital collection is available, in the public domain, for no-fee permanent public access through the FDLP. More information about this can be found here.
  • I had (almost) forgotten how much I enjoy Ben E. King’s Spanish Harlem. If you’re not familiar with it, call your local oldies station and request it.
  • Museum of Hoaxes – Technology Section
  • From the Association of Children’s Museums: Visit a Children’s Museum
  • Here are more reasons to love Morgan Freeman… as if being Easy Reader on The Electric Company wasn’t enough.
  • From Buzzscope: Sandy Collora’s On the Fly #9 – Remakes
  • I’ve been picking up issues of assorted titles to see if there’s anything that I want to add to my weekly intake of the four-color press. I’m still mixed on a lot of them. One title that I have been enjoying – and will be adding to my list – is Ultimate Fantastic Four. It’s well-written. It has good art. And, it’s just… fun.

That’s a good stopping point for the night. Time to hit the rack so that I can be (nominally) bright-eyed for work tomorning.

The Doctor is out.

Namaste.

“A world of indifference, heads and hearts too full… Careless of the consequence of constant push and pull…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Saturday
On the whole, it’s been a decent day. Parts of it, however, have sucked. How much? Think:

  • Two dollar hooker
  • A golf ball
  • 50 feet of garden hose.

That should give you a decent idea. But, as I said: The day balanced out and things got better as the day came to a close.

I started the day helping set up some software on her computer. That went fairly well, although it seems as though there’s some sort of “disconnect” between the OS and the hardware. I’m not sure what the problem is, but I think that it could be connected to a possible issue with the hard drive not reading properly. Then, we headed to Big Kids’ Toys ‘R’ Us (colloquially referred to as “Home Depot”) to get dryer vent hose for her as-yet-unconnected dryer. Side trip to Dr. Volt’s, to pick up this week’s four-color goodies; this week I got there with more than five minutes to spare before they closed. Back to ‘s to install the vent hose… which – thanks to the inadequate clamps that came with the hose – was an exercise in itself.

Home. I got into an impromptu fight with the garage entry door. The knob refuses to turn more than 2/3 of its full rotation… and thus won’t fully disengage the bolt. In simple terms, this translates into: “The door will not open.” But, the astute reader will also discern the more subtle translation: “A trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s to purchase a new knob/lockset is in my immediate future.” Unfortunately, the timing of this… inconvenience… was ill: We were scheduled to go to dinner and a movie with EveryDave and Alyce. Trying unsuccessfully to at least temporarily fix the door soured my mood.

We had Chinese food at a place called David’s Kitchen. Small, out of the way restaurant. Good food. Very good food. I’ll be going back there. The theatre was across the street, so I offered to try and find a parking space. Kismet, in her fickle way, smiled broadly… and then thumbed her nose at me.

  • Rainy Saturday night in Utah.
  • Crowded parking lot.
  • People driving through said parking lot like they were doing pace laps at Indy.
  • Some of the aforementioned people driving in the near-dark with their lights turned off.
  • People jumping in front of you… because God forbid that you possibly find a parking spot before them.
  • …and an already-irritable me.

As far as “favorable combinations” go, this wasn’t even on the list. I spent nearly fifteen minutes circling the parking lot and the surrounding blocks looking for a spot. And with each passing minute, my ire and blood pressure rose. By the time I found a spot and got into the cineplex, I was rapidly approaching a level of anti-socialness that I rarely ever attain. I was so tense that while we were waiting for our theatre to open for seating, I went to stand outside, away from people.

We saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith. This movie did wonderful things for my mood. By the time it ended, I felt closer to “center” again. There was “something” in the movie that kept saying “This reminds you of another movie…”, but the epiphany didn’t come until the movie was almost over: It reminded me of True Lies. I give the Smiths a thumbs-up with a big okay.

Breakfast was a decent affair. There was a moderate turn-out. The people-watching was good, even though The Singles were absent for the second week in a row.

Stray Toasters

  • tagged me to do the “Six Favorite Songs” meme thingamabob. So, in no particular order, here they are:
    1. Chopin – Opus 66: Fantasie Impromptu
    2. About 98% of the music by Rush
    3. Ludacris – Either Act a Fool (from 2 Fast 2 Furious) or Stand Up
    4. Will Smith – Switch (…and to quote : Damn you, !)
    5. Madonna vs. Atomic Kitten – Don’t Tell Me/The Tide Is High (remix)
    6. Bob Dorough – Schoolhouse Rock! – Conjunction Junction

    The Chopin, Rush and Schoolhouse Rock! options are pretty static, but given the… “eclectic nature” of my musical tastes, the others are apt to change at any time. And, as far as tagging six other people to do this, I’ll pass. But, if someone wants to post their Top Six, feel free.

  • By way of Wired: Boards Get Brains, Chalk Vanishes
    I think that this is a great idea; I’m surprised that it took this long to come into being.

  • send me a link to this. I’m still not sure what to say about it.
  • : Hunter S. Thompson tribute beers with Steadman labels
  • This article is just reinforcing my desire to do this year’s Christmas lights with LEDs…
  • Law & Order‘s S. Epatha Merkerson was a guest on this week’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me.
  • By way of Slashdot: Russian Firm Pays to Infect PCs with Adware
  • Calling 2001’s Planet of the Apes remake “Marky Mark and the Monkey Bunch” still amuses me.
  • Cucumbers and reindeer.

Time now to see if I can find my way to the gates of The Dreaming.

Namaste.

“Back in black…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Friday
In the words of Morris Day:

America, I’m back!
The aristocratic black…
My whip ain’t got no crack…
It’s got a helluva bang!

Mm-hmm. That’s right. The fever’s gone, the sickness is past and I’m feeling human again. (Well, demi-human, but why nitpick?) Turns out that I’d hit at least 102° at the height of the fever. I sweated out as much of it as I could during a two-hour soak (…a two-hour sooooak). When I woke up this morning, I was down to 99.5°. That was a much more acceptable figure.

I made it to work today. And it was a busy day, to boot. It was good to be able to get back into the swing of things on a day when things had to get done. There even came a point where it looked as though I was going to be there late. Very late. Make-me-late-for-Clitorati late. But it didn’t happen. *whew* (And, despite missing yesterday, I am only three hours “short” for the week.)

Tonight’s Clitorati gathering was as good and eclectic as usual. I’m not sure how many people we ran out of the cafe with our talk of (more or less) everyday objects being stuck in not-so-usual places in the human body.

Stray Toasters

  • I called Kris, middle sib of the sibko, to wish her a happy birthday today; she was on her way to Hotlanta for the weekend. She’s grown into quite an incredible young woman…
  • …however, that won’t stop me from posting a link to this:
    (…even though my sibs aren’t pains. Most of the time.)

  • Since did it, I had to follow suit:
    You're a Cappucinno.
    You’re a Cappicinno!

    What Kind of Coffee are You?
    brought to you by Quizilla

  • By way of the BBC: The Beethoven Experience – free Beethoven downloads
  • “Man-thing” (not to be confused with the Marvel Comics character of the same name.)
    “Tetherball”
    “Hammertime”

  • Rule Six: There is NO Rule Six!
  • Add this to the “Covet List” : Days of Future Past Wolverine with Kitty Kate Pryde.
    From one of the best X-Men story arcs of the 1980s: The Days of Future Past
  • When I first saw the thumbnail for this picture, my first thought was “Luke Skywalker… as Gilligan!?”
  • “Personal bubble! Personal bubble!!”

Namaste.

“Get up, come on, get down with the sickness…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Thursday
My weekend got an impromptu, early start today: I was sick. I’m not sure if it was because I ate something that didn’t agree with me or a 24-hour bug. Either way, at various times between 3:30 and… let’s call it 10:00, I developed a rather intimate relationship with the commode. Not fun.

After emailing my team lead and telling him that I would be late coming in – if I came in at all – I spent most of the day, literally, conducting inner eyelid studies, too. I just hope that I’ll be able to sleep tonight.

I haven’t even been to the HCC today. The closest that I got was the couch in the living room. However, on the “plus” side, I got to see the last forty-five minutes or so of Glory. I hadn’t seen it before, but from the portion that I did see, I can tell that I am going to have to purchase it. I also saw Baby, Hit Me 1 More Time, NBC’s version of VH1’s Where Are They Now. Tonight’s bands included: The Knack, Haddaway, The Motels, Tommy Tutone… and Vanilla Ice. Yeah, you read that correctly: “Vanilla Ice.” Most of the bands still sounded good. I’ll just leave it there.

Time to go soak in a hot bath and try to burn this fever out.

Namaste.

“A working class hero is something to be… “

everyday glory No Comments »

Wednesday
As of quittin’ time today, my work week has twelve hours left in it. Twelve. One-two. You know what that means: Cutting out early on Friday. Mm-hmm. That’s right.

The day started off *ehn* but got better. I didn’t feel like breaking things today, but there were a couple of moments when I seriously pondered studying the effects of deceleration trauma on a computer after being launched out of a sixth-story window.

This evening was low-key and quiet. After dinner, I nodded off during the first episode of the Law & Order double-header. *sigh* Now, I’m going to have to track down an episode guide to see how it ended. I made it through the second episode with now problem.

Stray Toasters

  • I caught the last forty-five minutes of La Femme Nikita on TV. The Luc Besson film. Not the USA Network version of the American remake, Point of No Return.
  • : It’s not quite powered armor, but this is a step in the right direction.
  • “In just seven days, I can make you a…” Oh, just read it yourself.
  • This is DC Comics’ Mary Marvel (seen here with Captain Marvel III and Captain Marvel). Next to her, even something as pure and wholesome as Wonder Bread® seems “dirty.” Yeah… she’s that squeaky clean. This is Mary, too. I think that she’s doing something different with her hair… but I’m not sure.
  • Here’s a little trivia from the upcoming Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
  • HALO + tea bag = ???
  • “David, meet Goliath.”
    “Goliath, David.”
    Microsoft loses Excel patent case

  • Leave it to to find site of Clitorati-worthy cattiness: Go Fug Yourself
  • I received an email from LEGO® Shop at Home today. It was entitled: “Give Dad the Ultimate Gift: A LEGO® Collectors Set!” In and of itself, that’s not so bad. But the first thing that they show was Set #10030 – Imperial Star Destroyer, which weighs in at a mere $299.00 (USD). Unless Little Johnny has parlayed his milk money into a 401K-worthy amount of capital (…or maybe he’s just hustling the big kids on the pool tables…), I don’t think that Dad should expect to see one of these on the kitchen table on Sunday morning.
  • : Comic Book Resources has an interview with the cast of Batman Begins.
  • For and , from the “Two Birds with One Stone” file: Catwoman vs. Batgirl

Namaste.

“But even in springtime, it’s a rich slice of life. So send me a letter, I’ll reply with a broken spear…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Tuesday
Today’s been good.

One of my co-workers lost his father last week. I didn’t get a chance to offer my condolences until this morning. I could have done so yesterday, but I didn’t want to be a person in figurative crowd; so I waited. This morning, I stopped by his desk. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the sentiment. He then went on to talk about one of his fond memories of father and how the way that his father carried himself was the example that he tried to live up to. It was a nice tribute.

and contacted me shortly before I left work and invited and me to dinner and a movie. For dinner, we went to Thai Garden. As usual, the food was very good. Then, the movie: Hitch. It was a fun romantic-comedy. I think that we’ll be picking this one up when it comes to DVD.

Stray Toasters

  • Today is – or ” Yesterday was,” I guess, since I’m writing this after midnight – my mother’s birthday.
  • I am (not-quite insanely) jealous that I am not going to be in Australia for this.
  • Thanks to Nyx for the following…
  • National Geographic has interviewed scientists about the feasibility of the science of Star Wars.
  • Newsarama has a preview of Alex Ross’ Justice maxi-series for DC Comics.
  • What in the blue fuck…?! – That’s someone’s actual LJ icon. (Not work-safe.)
  • Geekfight!
  • The Great Grape Ape
  • Something (of the many) that I miss from the east coast: Lightning bugs.
  • More proof that flamethrowers can be your friend –
  • So you’re the quick-stepping hot shit among your Dance Dance Revolution-playing friends. Big deal. When you work up to this, then you’ll be onto something.

Namaste.

“I can see for miles and miles…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Monday
Today was relatively quiet, for the most part. This evening, came over and we did his character generation for the Shadowrun game. One down, four to go… Then, we tried using the NetRunner CCG as a substitute/enhancement for the decking portion of the game. It worked, but we and to get it down to the point where it will go a little faster. We’ll work on that. After we were done, Nox even baptized the HCC with Diet Pepsi. It was pretty funny – it wasn’t intentional, but he turned the “bottle of soda” into a “bottle rocket.”

Stray Toasters

  • I am eating Cheetos.
  • Welcome back, .
  • Back to Skataris: Jones Talks Warlord – I think that I first started reading Warlord in… 1980, thanks to a grade-school friend. I collected it sporadically, but I enjoyed the adventures.
  • Apple said “Bye-bye” to Big Blue today… or, as RealTechNews put it: Apple Crosses to the Dark Side: Intel Gets Inside
  • Brett Ratner, best known for directing Rush Hour and music videos, has been tapped to replace Matthew Vaughn as the director of the third X-Men movie. This should prove interesting…
  • It seems they wanna finger print me and gimmie some years
    They’ll only get one finger while I’m shifting gears
    I got suede on my roof. wood grain on the dash
    Sheep skin on the rug, Golden Grain on the stash
    Hydraulics all around so I shake the ride
    We go FRONT, BACK AND SIDE TO SIDE!

  • and : NECA have released images of their upcoming 18″ Willy Wonka figure based on the Johnny Depp likeness from the upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.
  • …and, as an added bonus: Goldie Pinklesweet, from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Thanks to one of my co-workers – who could recite most of this from memory.)
  • Double Dare (No, not the Marc Summers series.)
  • From today’s Dork Tower

It’s clobberin’ bed time.

Namaste.

“Fool them all, but baby I can tell: You’re no stranger to the street.”

everyday glory No Comments »

Sunday
You know, if there was ever a Pleasant Valley Sunday, today would just about be it. I slept in a bit this morning… which is good, considering the fact that I didn’t get to bed until far later than I had planned. I woke up to sunny skies, a nice breeze… and a phone call. It was Patryck, telling me that he was playing a double-header here in Salt Lake and inviting me to watch. And, the call followed all of the guidelines as stipulated in “The 10:00 Rule,” so everything was cool.

I got showered and dressed, put a few final touches on ‘s computer and I was off to start my day. First stop: Beans & Brews. The woman whose coffee I bought on Friday gave me her punch card buying her drink. Her completed punch card, that is. So, today’s frozen mocha was free. *nod* From there, it was on to ‘s to deliver the now-working computer. Turns out that the driver that I found for its video card (Diamond Viper 550 – the video card from the first computer that I built… *sniff*) wasn’t the one that I needed. So, I’ll drop off a new one tomorrow.

From there, I headed into Salt Lake to watch Patryck’s game. I missed the first game, and he wasn’t playing in the second one, so we got to chat during Game 2. His team lost the first game, but they whaled the tar out of the other team in the second one. And, there was almost a fight on the field: The opposing pitcher hit one of Patryck’s teammates in the head with a pitch. The benches cleared. For a minute, I thought that there were going to be team beatdowns. But, cooler heads prevailed and the rest of the game went on without incident.

Back home and then off to Rodizio Grill for dinner with and . Meeeeeats. And chicken hearts. And lime-ade. And roasted pineapple. And a decadently rich piece of chocolate cake. This place definitely lives up to the saying “you get what you pay for.” And it’s well worth it. After dinner, we headed to Nyx and Nox’ place to hang out for a bit.

Stray Toasters

  • I’m a big fan of Velcro® cable ties. But, I’m not a big fan of how much most retailers want to charge for six (6) strips. Last week, while I was in Lowe’s, I came across a pack of fifty (50)… for less than $5.00. Fifty. 8-inch ties. In black and grey. For less than $5.00.
  • “Boo, dammit! BOO!”
  • From comes: Foiled.
  • : Penn Jillette’s daughter is named “Moxie CrimeFighter”
  • Chibi!
  • Batter… up!
  • This Year’s Model: How Xbox 360 Works
  • : Newsarama has an article that discusses DC’s Batman Panel from Wizard World: Philadephia. There are a few things in it that you might want to check out… including information on the identity of the killer of Bruce Wayne’s parents.
  • …and, speaking of Bat-related properties,while this isn’t the greatest picture in the world, it does raise an interesting point: I think that David Hyde Pierce would make a good Riddler.
  • Don’t wait for answers
    Just take your chances
    Don’t ask me why

  • : Guess who’s coming back in a new mini-series. This guy.
  • I stumbled across Worth1000.com this afternoon. There were many things in there that made me smile.
  • “…   What?”
    “Just wishing that I wasn’t so positive that you being naked and the Apple store blowing up are related. Because I know they are.”

  • …and from the One Night in Bangkok Wikipedia file: Chess

Namaste.

<edit>

I just noticed that the dates on my past three entries were incorrect. I had apparently reset the date/time on my computer without being aware of it. Odd. The problem has been corrected and the entries have been restored to their proper chronological places.

</edit>

“Time stand still…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Saturday
I didn’t do much today. I spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to figure out why the computer I’m working on for is still thumbing its virtual nose at me. I think that I sussed it out. And from this point, I can determine a viable course of action.

I headed to Dr. Volt’s to pick up this week’s allotment of four-color goodness. But, like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, my hold box was empty. I picked up Uncanny X-Men #460 and X-23 #6. Both were decent reads. I may consider adding them to my “titles to add” list. We’ll see.

I came back to work on the computer… and somewhere around 9:30, I made an impromptu visit to The Dreaming. At my desk. I knew that I was tired, but I didn’t think that I was that out of it. *shrug* I think that I dozed for nearly two hours. Hopefully, that won’t have me staring at the ceiling all night when I go to bed.

Breakfast was good. We had a small turn-out – there were only six of us. But we had fun. We didn’t get to poke fun at The Singles. But, there’s always next week… There were plenty of other options for people-watching, anyway.

I just yawned for the eleventy-billionth time. Maybe I should take that as an indication that I should try out this “sleep” thing that I’ve been hearing so much about. Who knows… I might even like it.

Namaste.

“Drive like the wind, straining the limits of machine and man…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Friday
Another week comes to a close.

This morning came far too soon after closing my eyes for a few hours’ sleep. The fact that I was up before the alarm went off didn’t help matters much. I dragged myself into the bathroom and took a shower. A long shower. I think that I was in there for at least fifteen minutes. And it felt great. Then, it was off to face the day.

My caffeinestream was horribly diluted, so I stopped at the local Beans & Brews for a much-needed cup of frozen mocha goodness. It was there that I did my good deed for the day: The woman ahead of me in line had her card declined, so I told the clerk to add her coffee to mine. Both of them looked a little unsure of how to respond. The woman asked how she could repay me; I told her to just make sure that she had a nice day.

The work day was good and productive. But the best part of the work day was post-lunch. Walking back to my team lead’s car, he asked: “So, are you driving back?” It took me a half-beat to respond,”I guess I am.” And with that, I got behind the wheel of his shiny, red Barchetta BMW 325. (Sorry, Nyx.) BMWs are called “the ultimate driving experience.” After the trip back to the office, I understood why: That had to be one of the best-handling and most responsive vehicles I have ever driven. And, it moved. Quickly. I looked down at one point to see that I was cruising along at 80MPH. I tried to nudge it back down to the other side of 75. No, really, I tried. It wasn’t easy. I think that I got it back down to the high 60s by the time I got to the off-ramp to get to the office.

After work, I hung out with and for a bit. I also renewed my distaste/dislike for UDoT (as in “Fuckin’ UDoT”). They are doing construction on a few of the major east-west roads… during rush hour. Yep… there’s a real genius behind their planning. A cross-town trip from Nyx and Nox’ place takes about fifteen minutes, depending on traffic. Today’s trip took almost forty-five. *braincramp*

Tonight’s Clitorati gathering was good and it made even better by ‘s appearance. I talked to about an idea that I had concerning the various James Bond themes; I think that I gave him an idea for a project of his own. I even remembered to break out my pencil and sketchbook. I just did a couple of quick (read: “rough”) sketches, but I felt good about actually doing something rather than regretting not having done it.

Stray Toasters

  • informed me that SprintPCS has Schoolhouse Rock ringtones available. I’ve been looking for something to replace the ringtone that I had on my old phone: The James Bond Theme. This means that I could possibly have Conjunction Junction as (one of) my ringtone(s).
  • As I was leaving the office this afternoon, I saw a woman walking through the lobby, dragging a wheeled bag behind her. As she walked away, I noticed something… “odd” …about her bag: There were purple LEDs set into the wheels.
  • Wow. According to Marvel’s X-Men Panel, at WizardWorld: Philly, Jean Grey is really dead.

    Speaking as to why Marvel seems to continually kill Jean Grey, Quesada joked that she was the Kenny of Marvel’s South Park. On the more serious side, Quesada said that she wasn’t coming back, and that she’s really dead – today. Quesada continued, saying that he still feels that characters should only come back from the dead if the return is part of a great story, and given the poignancy and heart of Greg Pak and Greg Land’s Endsong, it would be a major challenge to tell of her return.

  • In something that sounds like a remake of The Core, scientists are attempting to explore the center of the Earth.
  • “Welcome back” to , after he trip to Japan.
    And thanks for sharing a few pictures from the trip!

  • So, you enjoy playing The Sims or Sim City. Big deal. Think on a larger scale. Much, MUCH larger.
  • I saw way too many fashion “don’ts” today.
  • There was something that was supposed to go here, but I don’t remember what it was.

I’m beat. Time to hit the rack.

Namaste.

“Press this key to see amazing things…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Thursday
I’m up MUCH later than I should be. But, if it comes down to it, I’ll purge the blood my caffeinestream on the way to work.

The day was pretty average. Nothing to write home or “get hung about,” as the boys from Liverpool once put it.

After work, I went to CompUSAirways to pick up a motherboard. Of course, the store that I went to had everything but the one that I wanted/needed. So, I wound up going to their other local location. They had the board, but their price was a little high on memory. After a quick call to to ask him to check prices, I headed to Best Buy to get a stick of memory. They had it. It even has a rebate. I’m happy. After dinner, I set about lobotomizing ‘Nine. Yet again. After all was said and done, she’s ship-shape (or “station-shape,” I guess). Pretty much all that’s left to do is to reinstall some applications.

And with the new core for ‘Nine, I was left with a fully-functional, but not-soon-to-be-used and not-terribly-old motherboard and processor. So, I’m replacing the system that I was building for with that. Which means:

  1. I don’t have to finish troubleshooting the original board that I was giving her and
  2. I’ll have it all wrapped up and ready to go by tomorrow night.

Stray Toasters

  • I’ve been hearing… “something” …off to my left for the past few minutes. When I looked over to see what it was, I was Sissy curled up – and sleeping – in the box that the new motherboard came in. She’s kind of snoring, too. It’s cute.
  • , I finally remembered what it was that I wanted to tell you: After our conversation about “The Artist Formerly Known as Ginger Spice,” I remembered I have at least one (other) Geri Halliwell song that you should hear.
  • An electric car… that’s… as fast as a Ferrari? Check it out.
  • Gamers – and Game History Lovers – of the world, unite! History of the Game Controller
  • : I think that you’ll like this Catwoman picture.
  • Warning: Bad pun ahead! –
  • Looks as though Robert Rodriguez is on a mission to have Sin City 2 ready to start filming in January.
  • , you might be able to cull a Backwash Red column out of this: Forget Friendster, Shagster Lets You Rate and Track Your Sex Partners
  • …and I don’t know if you can use this one, but: 8 JaPorn titles coming to PSP this summer
  • Tonight’s random Wiki page is for (“You’re the best! You’re the best!”): Josh movie

Time to make a mad dash for the gates of The Dreaming.

Namaste.

“We’re only immortal for a limited time.”

everyday glory No Comments »

Wednesday
It was rainy and cool this morning. Those aren’t exactly the most conducive conditions for getting out of bed and going to work. But, I did. Eventually. On the way, I picked up 24 ounces of frozen mocha goodness.

The work day was good. The after-work day wasn’t bad, either. For the most part, it was quiet and relaxing. Just the way to spend a mid-week evening.

Stray Toasters

  • I received a text message from Adam this evening. I called him back and chatted with him for while. All seems to be well in mid-America.
  • Happy birthday to June ‘Journalers:
    • and
  • Why is a Popsicle called a “quiescently frozen confection?”
  • “Goldfish”
  • Wiki Wiki Wiki Wiki
    Check it out: A reference to both Wikipedia and Newcleus!
    Two birds, one stone.
    Booyah!

  • There’s something in the way that Ludacris raps that I like.
  • God save us all… from this
  • The Tower (a local cinema) is showing Pretty in Pink, starring Molly Ringwald for their midnight movie this weekend. Does anyone remember that she was a cast member on the first season of The Facts of Life?
  • The “Have a banana….” line in Copacabana still cracks me up.
  • To call this a “tongue-in-cheek” look at Revenge of the Sith is a gross understatement.

  • “Double, double
    Toil and trouble
    Fire burn and cauldron bubble…”

Namaste.