Random Access

Sunday – 21 Sep 2008
Happy Birthday to

A few of us went to The Melting Pot last night to celebrate ‘s birthday. Many of us had never been there before, so it was an interesting – and fun – experience.

After dinner, SaraRules and I headed back to my place to watch The Orphanage. Good movie, but I was tired from having gotten up far too early, so we stopped the movie early so I could call it a night.

Today, nothing much on tap… and there may be a trip to the Garden of Sweden. We’ll see…

Namaste.

Saturday – 20 Sep 2008
Yesterday after work, I stopped by to see Code Monkey BB and shoot the bull for a few minutes.  He is doing well and is enjoying his not-as-new-as-it-used-to-be job.

After that, I headed over to Far West to play a pick-up game of ‘Clix with Matt. We decided on a 400-point game. I went with:

• Deathstroke
• Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
• Marvel Girl and
• Psycho-Pirate

Matt used:

• Bronze Tiger
• The Flash (John Fox)
• Mary Marvel
• The Thing

We played an indoor map – I’m typically a fan of outdoor maps, as I like to use fliers, so I figured that an indoor would add to the challenge for me. Another challenge of the game is not thinking of certain pieces as playing like other pieces. For example, Guy Gardner is a Green Lantern, but he’s not a blaster, he’s a scrapper – he works best when he can get into close quarters and go mano-a-mano with an opponent. I remembered that when playing yesterday and it worked well. For a while. Getting him in close to Mary Marvel and The Thing wasn’t what killed him – it was The Flash. Damned Hypersonic Speed. But he was my only casualty. I managed to eventually mill through Matt’s force. Yes, a good portion of that was due to the Psycho-Pirate’s special Perplex ability (reduce one ability of an opponent by two), but I will gladly admit that I like having him on my teams because of that ability.

After that, I came home for a bit before heading out to meet up with the Clitorati group. Coffee and dinner were both good. I have apparently picked up a head cold in the past few days. By the time dinner was done, I was feeling a bit run down. So, I decided that a hot soak was in order. It fit the bill nicely. And, I called it a fairly early night. That’s not necessarily a “bad” thing…

…but I was awake this morning at 7:40. O,o

I watched Heavy Metal – The F-15 on The History Channel. It discussed the history of the airplane and its effectiveness in modern air warfare. It was very interesting. SaraRules woke up a little later. She fixed breakfast; I fixed coffee and then we watched Rocky, which happens to be SaraRules’ favorite movie.

• Pop Quiz: How many of you knew that Rocky won the Best Picture Oscar for 1977?
• Daily Double: How many other Oscars did it win?
• Triple-Play: How many Oscar nominations did it have?

I haven’t seen Rocky in many, many years. It’s been long enough that I didn’t remember some of the details of the movie. But, I have to say that it remains a good film. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s “an enduring film.”

After the movie, we dived into some… cleaning. Yep, cleaning. I have a living room again… and about 75% of my dining room, too. A few weeks ago, I knocked over some of the ‘Clix lots that I’ve been wanting to put on eBay. And I haven’t had the motivation to resort them. Until today. I daresay that we were productive today and there’s still a good portion of the day left.

Speaking of which, it’s about time to get on with the rest of the day.

Namaste.

There’s been lots to do this morning. Still a good bit to attend to. And, to be honest, there’s a part of me that’s kind of apathetic about getting them done before I leave today.

I think that a good portion of that could be put under the heading of *grblsnrkx*

But, it’s Friday.
And the work portion of it is almost over.
Selah.

Stray Toasters

• This is a design available on a new t-shirt from Despair.com:



• And now, today’s episode of “Could You Be a Superhero?”
  • If you could have one power – just ONE – what would it be?
  • Who would you tell?
  • Would you wear some form of costume/uniform or not?
• 
• Prophet 6-0-0-9-1…

Namaste.

Friday – 19 Sep 2008
I woke up with this song running through my head:

It stayed there for a while, too. Good thing I like the song.

I slept poorly again last night; I kept waking up. Oddly, it made getting out of bed this morning much easier – I think that by the time the alarm went I was annoyed at having been awake so much during the night and just decided to get on with the day.

Stray Toasters

• Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day and, with that in mind: Free Pirate Fic.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Wank your way to nasal clarity
• Barack Obama bumper stickers… for every state
  
  • … for the Free State
  • …for the Beehive State
• New York’s top restaurants plagued by tip trouble
• Wall Street havoc deals blow to mobile phone makers
  
• 
• Guitar Hero lines up new acts

Zoom.

Thursday – 18 Sep 2008
Three down.
One in the chamber.
One to go.

Yesterday, after work, I went home and enjoyed a tasty dinner prepared by Ms. SaraRules – baked chicken with rice and a salad. Yes, I said “salad.” As in “food that food eats.” Move along. After dinner I stretched out on the couch… which lead to intermittent bouts of non-consciousness. I did the only appropriate thing to do in that situation: I took a nap. An apparently much-needed nap.

After the recharge, I played a City of Heroes, for the first time in a couple of weeks. I was invited to a group shortly after logging in – we had a nice balance of damage-dealers and a good healer, not to mention a non-tank Warshade who did a good job of tanking. I was a couple of bubbles from 29 when I started; by the time I finished, I was almost halfway to 30. Not bad for less than two hours’ worth of play time.

The alarm went off early again this morning. I opted to stay in bed for a little while longer, but I still managed to get here a few minutes after 7:00.

Stray Toasters

• I got to chat with for a while this morning. It was a fun way to kick off the morning.
• Giant Rocketeer Mosaic by Dave Ware (done in LEGO bricks, natch!)
  Check this site to get a better sense of the scale.
• The Omega Concern
• Pickens says Wal-Mart to study switch from diesel
• By way of come the following…
  • Goon City
  • Paging Leonidas to the Front Desk
    
• 
• : I don’t know if you’ve checked out HeroClix, but you might want to take a gander at this.
• How SEC rule exemptions led to Wall Street Collapse
• 
• Hitchhikers’ Guide series to ride again
• The mysterious Racer D…

He gets right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 17 Sep 2008
Middle of the week and all’s well.

Yesterday, at lunch, Wes and I headed to… *drumroll*… the gym. First time back for me in longer than I’d care to admit. As such, I didn’t try to dive back into heavy lifting right off the bat. I’ll save that for next time, I guess. Yesterday’s workout:

• Recumbent Bike (short warm-up)
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps – 1 set @ 205 lbs, 2 sets @ 185 lbs
• Tricep Press (t-bar): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/10 rep, 45 lbs
• Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs (with 10 second hold on 10th rep)
• Side Bends: 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs

It was a good reintroduction to getting back into shape.

Last night was supposed to be our Scion night… but half of the group was unable to make it. So, and I just hung out with and and Josh.

I got home from non-gaming early and SaraRules was there. Bonus. We hung out and watched Project Runway and Without a Trace. She called it an early night – she had an out-of-town conference this morning – so, I called it an early night as well. And, while there’s something -not necessarily “good” – to be said about an alarm going off before 6:00 AM, I have to say that being in the office a few minutes past 7:00 AM has a few advantages:

• Early start to the day
• Princess parking
• The ability to crank the music on iTunes without disturbing anyone too many people
• Early end to the day

Thank God (and Juan Valdez) for hot bean squeezin’s with cream and sugar.

Stray Toasters

• Somewhere, under all of the assorted HeroClix that I am slowly putting on eBay for auction, I have a dining room table. I might try to find it tonight.
• From NPR Music: Alisa Weilerstein: The Art of Chopin’s Cello
• 
• NFL Insider: Gutsiest Call? Panthers banning best player.
• Sloppy Joes. Guess who had ’em for dinner last night.
• Brett Ratner apparently wants a shot at Superman. Again. He was one of the directors that Warner Brothers had considered before going with Bryan Singer. Having seen what he did with X-Men 3: The Last Stand, I’m not really sure that I want him behind the wheel on a Superman feature. But that’s just me.
• 
• My Sinestro ‘Clix hasn’t shipped yet. *sigh* But, it should be on the way later today.
• Six Sloppy Speech Habits

Back to it.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 16 Sep 2008
I just had the old NBC tagline: “Tuesday is Blues day” run through my head. For those of you not old enough to remember, that was how NBC used to promote its series Hill Street Blues.

Last night, SaraRules, Logan and I watched the Philly-Dallas shootout. The first half of that game was just a romp. I’m not a big Dallas or Philadelphia fan, so I didn’t really care who won, but some of the plays – or lack thereof – were just… sad. The second half looked more like an NFL game.

Stray Toasters

• Reginald Hudlin leaves BET Networks
• “I’ll be all the props!”

• posted a link to The Terrible Crossover Fanfiction Idea Generator. I had to give it a whirl. Here’s what it came up with:
  Your challenge is to write crossover fanfiction combining Slaughterhouse 5 and Invader Zim. The story should use getting sucked into the “real world” as a plot device!

  Generated by the Terrible Crossover Fanfiction Idea Generator

• Just Past the Horizon: Wonders Never Cease
  • What’s What with… Lynda Carter
• By way of Wired: New Aluminum MacBook Shipping Already?
• A Girl’s Guide to Dating a Geek
• By way of :
  • 
  • 

Quote of the Day
From World of Warcraft to Prince… gotta love IRC:

(08:46:40) Ahpuc_: You know the worst part about having so many damned alts? Having to read the class-specific patch notes for EVERY CLASS.
(08:47:21) : heh
(08:47:28) : Gotta play ’em all!
(08:47:31) : Gotta play ’em all!
(08:49:04) Ahpuc_: Well…basically, yeah. 🙂
(08:49:08) Xeen entered the room.
(08:49:31) : PokeWoW
(08:50:05) Ahpuc_: I may be fooling myself, but I think I play my rogue better because I also have tanks and healers, and I understand what they are focused on better as a result.
(08:50:12) : “Level 58 Troll Shadowknight, I choose you!” *throws ball*
(08:50:36) Ahpuc_: Deathknight, you mean? Not til the next expansion is out. 🙁
(08:50:42) : Death.
(08:50:45) : Shadow.
(08:50:47) : *shrug*
(08:50:48) : 🙂
(08:51:12) Ahpuc_: If you don’t know the difference between death and shadows, I don’t want to be near you on a sunny day. 🙂
(08:51:30) Ahpuc_: Like the old joke about the difference between a man and a shower. 🙂
(08:51:42) : There are shadows in the rain, according to Sting, too…
(08:51:55) Ahpuc_: And death in the rain.
(08:52:14) : Death of a Salesman… in the Rain.
(08:52:18) : Wait.
(08:52:20) Ahpuc_: Hmmm…But doesn’t Death cast no shadow?
(08:52:55) : Death of a Salesman in the Purple Rain, a new heart-touching movie… coming soon from Oxygen
(08:52:59) Ahpuc_: And shadows never die, they just move, or expand to envelop the entire hemisphere at night.
(08:53:15) Ahpuc_: Don’t touch my heart!
(08:53:19) Ahpuc_: BAD TOUCH! DO NOT WANT!
(08:53:31) ***Ahpuc_ goes into cardiac arrest.

Attack the day…

Namaste.

Have you seen the new Microsoft Windows commercials with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld?

, for example, has seen the first one and finds it amusing.
I, on the other hand, am not overly enthused or amused by them.
(Maybe it has something to do with my apathy towards Jerry Seinfeld – I just don’t find him funny.)

In fairness, I’m something of a Mac convert (or is that really “re-vert,” as I used Macs MANY moons past…), but I still find some merits in pre-Vista Windows, including (and mostly limited to) the fact that it runs all of my favorite games.

If you have seen either or both commercial(s), what do you think of them?

Monday – 15 Sep 2008
Another day at the grindstone. It’s been fairly painless for a Monday… so far.

Stray Toasters

• It seems as though the NFL, in its infinite wisdom, has given Baltimore and Texas a “bye” this week, rather than have them play the game that was Ike-delayed from yesterday until today. The game has been rescheduled for 09 Nov 08.
• United Airlines doubles second-bag fee to $50
• 
• By way of BBC News: Haven’t we seen this election before?
• Russian prosecutors in bid to ban South Park
• sent me links to a couple of shirts on Threadless that we both find amusing:
  • Amazon Addiction
  • A city built on rock and roll would be…
• Star Trek‘s Takei marries partner
• Bank of America is set to take over Merrill Lynch. Wow.
• Microsoft says IE8 phoning home is “pretty innocuous”

Attack the day…

Namaste.

Sunday – 14 Sep 2008
I had a ‘Clix tourney yesterday afternoon. I tied (2-1) with another player, but he KO’ed more figures – higher total points – so he won the day. I took the Fellowship prize, so I got a Sue Storm Limited Edition figure. Not bad.

After the game, I had dinner with SaraRules before heading off to Chris’ for the first Dark Heresy game I’ve been to in… probably a month to a month-and-a-half. Back home… to find that SaraRules wasn’t feeling well. We decided not to go to breakfast and called it an early night.

This morning, we got up and watched football. SaraRules fixed breakfast while we flipped back and forth between the early games. After the first group of games, we headed to the Garden of Sweden – she wanted something for her office and I wanted to look at some new desk and bookcase options. After that (and lunch), we went to the Utah State Fair – Attractions. Exhibits. Food. Livestock. People on parade. Rides. The usual. And cotton candy. Sweet, sweet cotton candy.

Back home for the late game and then over to SaraRules’ parents’ for a bit.

All-in-all, it’s been a good weekend. Can’t really ask for more than that.

Stray Toasters

• I saw this shortly after waking up this morning; I think that this is my new favorite Sinfest cartoon.



• We watched The Running Man tonight. I haven’t seen that in many, many rains. And it’s so ripe for being MST3K’ed, too. And we did.
• DIsk Inventory X
• I showed Logan, SaraRules’ younger brother, a picture of the Burger King mascot from when I was a kid. I do believe that he found it just about as creepy as the current mascot, if not more so.
• By way of BoingBoing.net: Sarah Palin: Spammer and Digital Secrecy Scofflaw
• , did you find a copy of Watchmen?
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Mom accused of stealing daughter’s identity to attend highschool and become a cheerleader
• The new Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ads are… something.
  (And “good” isn’t the word I’m looking for.)

Namaste.

When: Saturday – 13 Sept 2008
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Where: Cultural Celebration Center
1355 West 3100 South
West Valley City
801-965-5100

What: Help support Primary Children’s Medical Center by participating in a day of fun and tons of games! There will also be a LEGO Master Builder to help assemble a giant creation of LEGO bricks.

Friday – 12 Sep 2008
Last night, SaraRules came over and fixed dinner (fajitas!) and we watched The West Wing and 21. Nice, quiet evening in. After SaraRules left, I hopped on the nerd and surfed for a while. Then – in a stroke of genius – I decided to stretch out on the couch “for a few minutes.”

That turned into 3 hours.

I woke up and dragged myself to bed. That’s when the odd, 21-inspired dreams set in. Thugs, money and lots of running. Whoop-de-damn-doo.

So far, the work day hasn’t been too bad.
And, it’s Friday. A short Friday, to boot.
Win-Win.

Stray Toasters

• As 2008 Multicultural Week draws to a close, I am reminded of this post that sent me back in July.
• Folks were talking about WoW‘s Harvest Festival in a chat forum this morning; that reminded me that it’s almost time for the 2008 CoH Hallowe’en Event.
• Speaking of Hallowe’en: Dress up your PS3
• 
• The CrüxShadows 2008 US tour brings them to SLC on the 28th. Hm.
• Sunday’s Ravens game has been moved to Monday night, thanks to Hurricane Ike. I’m not sure if there will be coverage outside the Baltimore and Texas areas.
• Your Mama Don’t Dance and Your Daddy Don’t Rock and Roll
• Vintage Monkey Cartoons
  
• 
• LEGO Album Covers on Flickr

Soon: Hometime
Next: Lunch with SaraRules
Later: Errands… and maybe a pickup game of ‘Clix

Namaste.

It’s been a bit of a busy day.
That’s not a bad thing.
It’s job security.

For some reason, despite being busy, the day seems to be creeping past. Oh, well.

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules:
• By way of : Olbermann Slams Republicans for Exploiting 9/11 (video)
• Putting Lipstick on a Pig
• For Meliko and Tyranist: Fear And Hatred: Van Lente & Calero on X Men Noir
• Op/Ed: Forget the Rumors, Will Smith Should Be Captain America
• Coming soon from ITV4: No Heroics

• The Kid’s Comic Book Reviews – Comic book reviews… by a seven-year-old
• From NPR: Early-Onset Schizophrenia Has Never Been More Adorable

Namaste.

Thursday – 11 September 2008

Today marks the seventh anniversary (1, 2) of the day when innocent people lost their lives due to the actions of radical factions of an otherwise peaceful faith.

Before someone decides to take umbrage at that last statement, consider that many religions, including Christianity, have their fair share of bloodshed – in the name of their god – on its hands, too. So, let’s not jump to “holier than thou” statements.

That said, today we remember the lives lost to a tragic event.

In the words of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing:

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

There are lessons to be learned from the past.
There are things to be on our guard against in the present.
But one day – through diligence, vigilance and Providence – we will once again see the hope and promise of a better place for ourselves and future generations.

Until that day, do not give into fear.
Do not give into hate.
Do not give into ignorance.

And do not forget the loss and sacrifice of those who died on this day seven years ago.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 10 September 2008
Two down.
One in the chamber.
Two to go.

So far, it’s been a quiet morning. I’m not complaining about that. I have a few tasks on my “to do” list that should keep me occupied – if not “busy” – for the better part of the morning.

Last night, I headed to Far West for a HeroClix tourney… but the judge didn’t show. So.. um.. yeah. Chris, Ma’afu, Nano and I just decided on a two-on-two game. 1000 points per team. We played on the Castle Doom map that came with the Fantastic Four Starter Set. I am not a fan of that map. In fact, I’d say that it’s in my top three least-favorites. Ma’afu and Nano brought some bruisers to the dance; Chris and I brought Perplex and Outwit users. Chris lost a couple of figures in the fight, but we wound up winning.

After the game, I headed up to visit SaraRules for a bit before heading home. And, in the course of talking about quilting, I think that I’ve been drafted to help her with at least one upcoming project. That should prove interesting.

Stray Toasters

• Diversity Milk. That still cracks me up.
• Thanks to , I have a new icon:



• How to Dress Like a Rich Man in a Recession
• From NPR Music:
  • Make Peace, Make Jazz
  • Radiohead: Live in Concert (downloadable podcast)
• Mommy, Why Is There a Server in the House?
• 
  …and…
  
• From BBC News: The white priestess of ‘black magic’
• To Odin, Thanks For Everything! – Loki

Namaste.