Wednesday – 23 April 2008
It’s grey-ish with a good chance of rain today. But, considering that I heard the words “chance of snow” earlier in the week, I’ll gladly take rain.
I received a late-afternoon call from Bret. A bit of a surprise, but a very pleasant one. It’s a uncertain whether or not we’ll be seeing him next week, but we made tentative plans for October… if not sooner.
Last night’s Scion game was… abbreviated, but we managed to get the new storyline moving. Globe-trotting. Saving the world. All in a day’s work. I also took dessert to the game.
Not pie…
Not s’mores brownies…
S’mores Brownie Pie
Oh, no he didn’t!
Did he just say…?
He couldn’t have!
Oh, but I did….
That’s right, kids: The next step in dessert evolution.
And it was good.
Double-plus good.
Squared.
Thanks to for sending me this:
(Click image to see the entire photo set)
Songs to get the day started:
ABC – The Jackson Five
Superstition – Stevie Wonder
Boom! Shake the Room – The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff
I believe that I will introduce a few coworkers to Munchkin today.
It’s not often that The Council for Better Driving has praise for UDoT. A more truthful statement would be: “The Council for Better Driving has had few good things to say about UDoT.” However, the adage “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is not always true, because UDoT has done something rather praiseworthy:
Click image to be taken to the “Know Where, Know Why” site.
They have created a guide documenting the upcoming and ongoing construction along the major roads of Utah. There are twenty-two (22) projects listed in this guide; the detailed information about each project includes:
Location of the construction;
When the construction will take place – and, in the case of lengthy projects, estimated completion dates;
Impact of the project while the construction is taking place; and
Result of the new construction.
It should be noted that the guide does not offer suggestions for alternate routes around the construction zones.
This guide is also available as a tri-fold pamphlet.
Tuesday – 22 April 2008
Last night, I had big brother/little sister time with . We decided to have dinner; Jitterbug sounded perfect to both of us. Unfortunately, when we got there the place was closed. And dark. Darker than usual. Darker than a thousand midnights. Okay, maybe not quite that dark, but you get the gist. We went to Fiddler’s Elbow instead.
Too bad neither of us had considered that there was an NBA playoff game last night.
A Jazz game.
Do the math.
We still had a fun time. People-watching is always fun, after all.
When I got home, I decided to take a trip to Paragon City. I arrived just in time for a Rikti invasion. After the aliens were repelled, I was invited to join a couple of my SG-mates for a couple of missions. Level 52+ missions. Knives of Artemis and Carnival of Shadows. Yay. We died a few times. As it stands, you don’t earn any experience after you hit Level 50 (the CoX level cap), but you can still earn XP debt from dying. But, it was still fun.
This morning, I was actually up shortly after the alarm went off. Of late, I’ve had… issues… with pulling that off.
Stray Toasters
I’ve been taking a look at some of the costumes from this year’s New York Comic Convention on Flickr. (There are “a few” tags to choose from…) Some of ’em are pretty good. Pretty good, indeed.
SaraRules linked to Mercy, by Duffy. Good stuff. Put it in your ear:
Me: Nine Hells…
Does this guy not get “suspension of disbelief?”
It’s a &%(%*&#( COMIC BOOK MOVIE!
People AREN’T going to them for the science; they are going to be *GASP* entertained!
/soapbox
Markin’ Time: i believe he is saying that the things we are willing to suspend for our comic entertaining is dumbing down good science fiction
Me: L.C.D.
Let’s face it: Not a lot of the comic book/summer blockbuster readers/viewers are rocket scientists.
Markin’ Time: ?
true dat
Me: Lowest Common Denominator
Markin’ Time: ah
Me: They aren’t going for the science.
Sure, they might pick at the more glaring plot holes and “That couldn’t happen” points, but the bottom line is: They are going for escapism.
Markin’ Time: but what even comes close to Blade Runner for believable extrapolation of current science. What even tries?
I happened to LOVE Primer….but i realize thats not for everyone
Me: Hm. Primer was going to be an example. Sunshine was good.
Markin’ Time: he cites that in the article also sunshine, which i haven’t seen
loonybin88 linked to an article that goes in the “People suck” file: Vandals hit in Placedo
From a point on the compass
To magnetic north
The point of the needle moving back and forth
I posted a link to this image a few months ago, not only because it shows John Stewart breakin’ of a little somethin’, but also because it contains part of an old Black boast of defiance:
I don’t have to do anything but stay Black and die.
I’ve been trying to convince SaraRules that she needs to work it into a conversation at some point; she’s considering it. But, I’m digressing from my original point: Andrew, a coworker, brought a dysfunctional monitor to me and asked if I could have it returned/replaced.
I told him that wouldn’t be a problem. Then, I read the note that he had attached to it:
That’s right, the monitor stayed black and died.
Quote of the Day
Last night, while looking at NYCC costumes, I found a couple and shared them with SaraRules:
Monday – 21 April 2008
I am back in the northlands once more. Today’s commute was uneventful. There was one odd/amusing thing, though: Driving through Meadow, you pass a cattle ranch on the east side of the interstate. This morning, there was a calf outside the cattle pens, grazing along the outside of the fence. It seemed rather nonplussed about the fact that the other cattle were “over there” and just kept chewing at the grass near one of the fence posts.
I had dinner with SaraRules and Rachel last night; we invited Lish, but he punked out on us. (I’m trying to attribute his reluctance to join us to the fact that he was working on a project and not to the fact that I kind of, sort of… threw him through a door Saturday night.) Dinner was nice. After that, SaraRules and I stopped at the local Hollywood Video to pick up a copy of The Magnificent Seven, a movie which I have (somehow) managed to never see before. I liked it. Quite a bit. I will have to add it to the collection at some point.
Workout
Today saw a subtle shift in the workout: Eric wanted to give a little more focus to biceps, so we alternated bicep exercises with other exercises:
As I had that thought, I had another one: Aside from the fact that they are water-breathers (and, in some cases, magic-users), Atlanteans (see Aquaman, Namor and Patrick Duffy) are basically normal humanoids. The water-breathing thing is the key here, because… well… Where do they go to the bathroom?!
Sunday – 19 April 2008
Turns out that the Interwebs at SaraRules’ was okay… for the most part. The complex had changed a few settings and the wireless router didn’t “know” about them. So, it pretty much ignored them. A quick reset and the series of tubes were carrying information once more.
<< Rewind <<
We wound up not going to SOAPFest last night. Instead, SaraRules made dinner, Lish came over and we hung out. About the time that dinner was wrapping up, Rachel and Tyler showed up… followed shortly by Josh. We hung out and shot the bull for a while. And then a couple rounds of flip cup started. Post-flip cup, we sat around and talked until about 2:30 this morning. I gave Lish control of the camera. I take (almost) no responsibility for what he shot (pictures here).
> Play >
Today was a lax and lazy day. I believe that everyone in the apartment availed themselves of the opportunity to sleep in. After coffee and breakfast, SaraRules suggested a trip to Park Discovery where we could fly my kite. With an offer like that, I couldn’t refuse. It was sunny and windy… and a little brisk. Neither of us took jackets with us. After a couple of fair attempts at getting the kite aloft, I “untangled” (not really the right word, but it fits) the lines. Sure enough, the kite flew much better. After we flew the kite for thirty or so minutes, we headed over to the tot lot. We climbed, slid, swung and had an all-around fun time.
Once we’d had our fill of fun – and the chillier-than-expected outdoors – we headed back to the apartment. I have been watching an item on eBay for the past couple of days. I wanted to be back in time to get a bid in on it. We did. What was I so hell-bent on bidding on?
That’s right: A Green Lantern John Stewart Minimates figure (1, 2). These were given out as convention promotions at the 2006 San Diego Comic Convention. With the release of other DC Minimates figures, including various GL figures, I had wondered why there wasn’t a John Stewart figure in the mix. A little digging showed why. So, I was bound and determined to see if I could get this one. And I won it.
Not sure what’s on tap for the rest of the day/evening.
Stray Toasters
I chatted with for a bit this afternoon. All is well in his, Bot and Bit’s corner of the world. He also posted new pics of Bit:
BET has landed the upcoming Black Panther animated series.
(I wonder if the fact that Reggie Hudlin is BET’s President and writing Black Panther for Marvel had anything to do with it…?)
I watched a few trailers on Apple’s site today, including Wanted, Boarding Gate, Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Chaos Theory… and Zombie Strippers.
Quotes of the Day
As heard during and after last night’s Flip Cup Challenge
Darillyn: “I just need to fill my pockets full of vibrators”
(to SaraRules, about a bellydance move that SaraRules was trying to teach her)
Rachel: “I’ll drink just about anything.”
Me: “Not in a Two Girls, One Cup kind of way, but almost anything.”
(about Rach’s choices of beverage for flip cup)
Steve: “You could totally do me”
(to me, about being able to bench press him)
Saturday – 19 September 2008
I got to Cedar City last night without any problems. That’s always a good thing. Shortly after I got in, we made a run to the local Wal-Mart – I wanted to verify that I could actually find Steak-Umm sandwich steaks. Back in the day, Steak-Ums were a staple of my summertime diet. Now that I know where to find them, they may have to go back into the lunch/dinner rotations.
Today has been lax. And that’s not a bad thing. The only bad thing is that, once again: SaraRules’ complex has bollocks-ed up their ISP again. So, there’s NO access there. No matter, I knew that SaraRules had a meeting at the MFA grad house and that I could use the Interwebs there! (And I’ve been using it like a fiend!) I played a bit of City. *taps vein* I teamed up with Perry and a few others and we ran an AV mission against Requiem. There was a lot of dying on our parts – as we didn’t have a healer on the team – but we muddled our way through it. Selah.
Tonight, we’re going to another round of SOAPFest plays.
Stray Toaster
I got a call from earlier today. She let me know that she ran into one of her neighbors this morning. At a rather unexpected place. The neighbor even asked about me, saying that she hadn’t seen me around in a while; explained that we broke up a couple of years ago, but that we’re still good friends.
I found the call amusing, since I ran into a different neighbor a couple of weeks ago… but he didn’t seem to remember me.
What Would Tyler Durden Do? had (they were “asked” to take them down by Paramount) cast photos from the upcoming G.I. Joe movie. The last three lines of the lead-in were classic:
You may note that almost every one of these sets has a shot from the back. This entire movie is asses. It’s like a two hour Hot Buns contest.
18: Men Are From Mars, Women are from Venus, a book which instructs men and women on how best to conform to gender stereotypes, appears on the NY Times best-seller list (1993)
What does this mean for the Ravens QB position? I don’t know. I do know that we have two pretty solid QBs in Troy Smith and Kyle Boller, but I am curious to see who they’ll tap for the #3 slot.
Thursday – 17 April 2008
NBN Thursday in the valley. Sunny, trying to be warm.
Today has been pretty good. I have been trying to figure out a (better) way to build a list with checkboxes, pulling data from my database. Slow-going, but it’s coming along. It is also “Sushi Wednesday.” I had a Seattle roll along with Ika and Ebi (shrimp) Nigiri.
There is construction on 33rd South. There’s a deep trench running down the middle of the street. On the way to the restaurant, Joe asked what they were doing. I responded: “Laying pipe… and in this case, it’s not a euphemism.” A little later Mike showed up and asked,”What are they doing out there,” to which Joe quickly retorted: “Laying pipe,” at which we just ran with the joke:
“Laying pipe.”
“Yep, lots of men… laying pipe.”
“Pipe so big they need heavy equipment to lay it right.”
Hilarity ensued. Stray Toasters
I hung out with last night. She was having an issue with pools of water collecting on the carpet outside her bathroom. (Hm, that sounds vaguely familiar.) She called maintenance to look at it; the guy did what he could, but noted that he would have to check the apartments above hers for signs of leakage. (That sounds familiar, too…) After he left, we went out for dinner. Aside from the plumbing issue, it was a nice way to spend the evening.
I just received the following email from my mother:
Slap Your Co-Worker Day Is Coming!
Do you have a co-worker who talks nonstop about nothing, working your last nerve with tedious and boring details that you don’t care about?
Do you have a co-worker who ALWAYS screws up stuff creating MORE work for you?
Do you have a co-worker who kisses so much booty, you can look in their mouth and see what your boss had for lunch?
Do you have a co-worker who is SOOO obnoxious, when he/she enters a room, everyone else clears it?
Well, on behalf of Ike Turner, I am so very very glad to officially announce tomorrow as SLAP YOUR IRRITATING CO-WORKER DAY!
There are the rules you must follow:
You can only slap one person per hour – no more.
You can slap the same person again if they irritate you again in the same day.
You are allowed to hold someone down as other co-workers take their turns slapping the irritant.
No weapons are allowed…other than going upside somebody’s head with a stapler or a hole-puncher.
If questioned by a supervisor [or police, if the supervisor is the irritant], you are allowed to LIE, LIE, LIE!
Now, study the rules, break out your list of folks that you want to slap the living day lights out of and get to slapping…..and have a great day!
Wednesday – 16 April 2008
Another midweek day in the valley. After yesterday’s snow (yes, SNOW), there are blue skies and scattered high clouds today. Go figure. Most of the snow in the valley has melted, but there are still remnants on the benches (def. 5) and mountains.
I managed to get out of bed – and out of the apartment – at a decent hour today. I even stopped for a cup of frozen mocha goodness and a copy of The Gray Lady on the way into the office. I thought of a couple of ways to modify my database UI this morning… and I’m trying them out. So far, I’m making decent headway in getting them established; turning the page into a self-referencing form shouldn’t be (too much of) a problem. And, I have to say that I’m pretty happy with the progress I’m making.
And, it’s new comics day.
Can’t beat that with a stick at twice the price.
I have been a Darkseid… fan, I guess… ever since The Great Darkness Saga (a Legion story, go figure). I have a few ‘Clix figures and a Superman: The Animated Series production sericel fromfeaturing him. I just wish that I had been able to get one of the 1999 Darkseid statues, though.
Quote of the Day
Today’s quote is an “Ole and Lena” joke, that Coworker Jan told me. He usually tells me a couple of these a week and they’re made even better because Jan affects a great Scandinavian accent. The version of the joke that I found online was written phonetically, so you will get the idea of how it sounds.
Ole was out working in the field when his mule squares off and kicks him right in his wedding tackle. Writhing in agony, he falls to the ground. As soon as he could manage, he took himself to the doctor.
“How bad is it doc? I’m getting married next veek and my fiance, Lena, is still a wirgin – in every
vay. I vant her to know that I’m right there with her.”
The doctor told him, “Everything looks okay, but I’ll have to put your Willie in a splint. It should be okay next week.” He took some tongue depressors and formed a neat little splint, and taped it all together quite an impressive work of art.
Ole mentions none of this to Lena. They get married and go on their honeymoon. That night in the motel room, Lena rips open her blouse to reveal her beautiful untouched breasts. She said,”No vun has EVER seen deez. You’re the first vun.”
Ole immediately drops his pants and replies,”Look at dis… still in da crate!”
Tonight was Scion night at and ‘s place. We wrapped up another adventure. No one (on our team) died. And… it seems as though will be joining our group next week! Before next session, I need to do some character leveling, too.
Part way through gaming, Josh, ‘s little boy, came bounding into the living room to extol the fact that he had successfully gone to the bathroom! (He’s getting the hang of potty training, so a bit of exuberance is to be expected.) Nox gave him a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker as a reward for a job well done.
As we wound down, I had to go to the bathroom. Taking a cue from Josh, I came out and noted that I, too, had successfully braved the challenge of The Great Porcelain Water Demon. Nox gave me a “Number 1” sticker!
