Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?”

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Monday – 20 April 2009
Another work week begins.  Today, they are putting new cooling units for our server room on the roof. There’s a crane out in the parking lot and they are getting it set to move the coolers and their frame. Pictures to follow at some point today.

Last night, SaraRules and I had Logan over for dinner. SaraRules fixed a tasty chicken mole. We watched Infernal Affairs as we ate. It was the movie upon which Martin Scorsese’s The Departed was based. This version left a few more things “open for interpretation” than The Departed. I’m not sure which version I prefer; both of them stand on their own merits.

I also started assembling the chapel from Wildwood Grove. I decided to put it on a foamcore board, which meant that I had to figure out where I wanted it to go on its base before I could begin the main assembly job. I left a little space behind the chapel for figures to walk around (or, more to the point: “hide behind”). Next up is to finish the roof and steeple. I should be done with it later tonight. Then, I’ll work on the rail station.

Stray Toasters

Now: Back to work.
Tonight: Dinner with SaraRules and .

Namaste.

Lazy Sunday afternoon in the valley…

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Sunday – 19 April 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went to Abravanel Hall to hear Utah Symphony and Jon Kimura Parker perform. The guest conductor was Thomas Wilkins. The performance consisted of:

  • James Beckel ~ Toccata
  • Ludwig van Beethoven ~ Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, op. 60
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff ~ Concerto No. 2 for Piano in C minor, op. 18

The performance was very good. I was especially surprised to enjoy the Beckel piece as much as I did – I’m not usually a fan of modern classical pieces. I’m not sure if Mr. Wilkins is one of the candidates for taking over as conductor of Utah Symphony after Gilderoy Keith Lockhart leaves, but if he is, I’d be more than happy to see him take over that role. After Mr. Parker finished the Concerto, he had two encores, in which he performed:

  1. Rachmaninoff ~ Prelude in G
  2. Billy Joel ~ Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Today has been a lazy day. I’m good with that.  SaraRules fixed sauteed spaghetti for breakfast. We’ve been watching Doom (yes, that Doom) and Inside the Actor’s Studio, in which Dave Chappelle was interviewing James Lipton. I had forgotten that Karl Urban, soon to be seen as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the upcoming Star Trek movie, was in Doom.

Four-Color Coverage
This week’s haul had a few good items:

  • Action Comics #876 – This was a good Kryptonian vs. Kryptonian issue: Ursa, General Zod’s second-in-command and wife, vs. Lor-Zod (her son/Clark and Lois’ foster son, Christopher) and Thara Ak-Var. This issue showed just how ruthless and cold Ursa could be. And the last panel…? Didn’t see that one coming.
  • Captain America #49 – This was a solid character issue, in which Sharon Carter faces ghosts of the past and the present.
  • Green Lantern Corps #35 – This issue brings us one step closer to the War of Light. Sodam Yat has a… less-than-heartwarming return to Daxam, while Soranik Natu takes a meeting on Korugar with the last person you’d suspect.
  • Haunted Tank #2-5 – How is it that a Confederate General (or his ghost) come to the aid of a Black soldier – whos happens to be his descendant – in Iraq? That question is answered in this series.  And while, it’s not exactly a hugs-and-kisses family reunion, it makes for a good read.
  • Tiny Titans #15 – Pet Club at Wayne Manor redux. Hilarity – and mayhem – ensues. Also, Ravager has to babysit the Tiny Terror Titans. What could possibly go wrong?

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Tiptoe through the tulips…”

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Saturday – 18 April 2009
This morning, SaraRules, Bonne and I went to…

The “Bloom-o-meter” said that roughly 40% of the bulbs were in bloom today. That was more than ample. As usual, I took a lot of pictures – over 160 of them made it into the gallery (pictures).

After we dropped Bonne off, SaraRules and I had lunch at Pawit’s Royal Thai. I accidentally ordered the Chicken Satay appetizer – I was intending on getting their curry puffed pastries, but ordered the wrong number. It was one of the best and most tasty mistakes I’ve ever made.

Next, we headed over to Far West Comics. I’m still looking for pieces that will be donors to/for my custom John Stewart figure. I found a few prime candidates. On the way home, we stopped at the local Joseph A. Bank store. They are having a “Buy 1, Get 2 Free” sale. I tried out a few suits and a tuxedo, but didn’t pick anything up. Yet. We’re heading back there on the way to the symphony tonight. I’m definitely getting a tuxedo, but I have to decide which suits I’m going to get.

Stray Toasters

  • The LCARS for the Mac Desktop (geeky, but I like it)
  • Miniature Market is having a couple of sales. I’m tempted by the fruit of another to pick up a few things…
  • This makes me laugh, mostly because of the logo in the close-up shot.
  • …speaking of which: asked me “How much playing area do you have now,” in reference to my WWG masterboards. I did the quick math: 18 square feet.
  • Nothing says “Spring” or “Summer” like the sound of the ice cream van coming down the street… followed by the sound of a screaming child.

That’s if for now.

Namaste.

9/80 Friday… new and improved, now with workout action!

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Friday – 17 April 2009
Another 9/80 “off” Friday has begun. I managed to sleep in until a little after 9:00 this morning. That was nice. After a quick bite to eat, SaraRules and I headed to the gym to get in a workout. Today’s routine included:

  • Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 140 lbs
  • Kick-backs: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
  • Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
  • Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps
    • 2½ sets @ 205 lbs
    • ½ set @ 185 lbs
  • Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs
  • Curl w/ Shoulder Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
  • Bent-over Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
  • Tricep Extension (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs

Post-workout weight: 182.5 lbs.

We also ran into Josh, a former coworker, while in the free weight room. That was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Stray Toasters

Next up: Errand-running and miscellaneous stuff.
Later: Clitorati

Namaste.

“You belong to the city, you belong to the night…”

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Thursday: Coda
Tonight was Date Night. As it was a cold evening, we wound up staying in and watching CSI: and a Redbox movie.

The CSI: episode was a tongue-in-cheek take-off on Star Trek. (Well, it was “murder at a sci-fi convention, with a Star Trek bent.”) It took me about 20 minutes to put a couple of things together. Not about the episode itself, but rather about “how” and “why” CBS was airing it:

  1. The Star Trek series (all of them) were Paramount Studios/Paramount Pictures productions
  2. Paramount is owned by Viacom
  3. Viacom is the parent company of CBS.
  4. CBS airs CSI:

It was cheesy and dorky, but kind of fun.

For our movie, we opted for The Spirit. Despite many a bad review, I still wanted to see it and SaraRules, God bless ‘er, was kind enough to indulge me.

Wow.

It was… something. I believe that loonybin88 would refer to it as “a flaming pile of poo.”

It had a couple of moments  – and in a feature-length film, that’s not a lot – where it could have been decent, but on the whole, it has earned a spot on the Cool World-Long Kiss Goodnight Scale. The low end. Maybe around the “four” range. Maybe.

We also learned a very valuable lesson: Frank Miller, while he’s a well-known and respected comic book author, should not be allowed to write and/or direct. I’m sure that Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit (comic), must have been rolling in his grave over this.

Hopefully, The Late Show and The Late Late Show can redeem the entertainment portion of the night.

Namaste.

“He’s a radio receiver, tuned to factories and farms…”

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Thursday – 16 April 2009
After the rain and snow that we received yesterday, it’s sunny (with high clouds) today. There’s a rumor that it’s actually supposed to be “nice” this weekend. We shall see…

Last night was a relatively lazy, low-key night. I started cutting a second masterboard for a new ‘Clix city block. Mmm, 6’x3′ playing area… I think that this one will include a railroad. Just because. I should also figure out what else I want on the block, building-wise. I have… 6 corners available; I am considering picking up the Mayhem Rail and either Wildwood Grove or the Mayhem Police Department sets.

Stray Toasters

Madden… retiring…
Wow.

Namaste.

“For the love of money…”

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Wednesday – 15 April 2009
It’s Tax Day in America once again. Appropriately, it’s a grey and rainy day in Salt Lake City.

Last night, Chris came over and we played ‘Clix. The matchup: The X-Men (Chris) vs. The Brotherhood of Mutants/Hellfire Club (pictures). It was a very good fight; it was probably the most balanced match we’ve had. We had to call the game before things got cooking, but at that point, Chris had a 24 point lead. He said that he didn’t really call it a “win” because we didn’t really get too far into the game. *shrug* It was fun, either way.  I’m looking forward to the flip-side rematch.

Stray Toasters

And that’s a wrap.

Oh, look… it’s snowing now.

Namaste.

“A Horse with No Name”

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Tuesday – 14 April 2009
It’s 51F and raining. Tomorrow, there’s a high percentage chance of snow. Welcome to Spring in Utah.

Last night, at SaraRules’ request, I cooked dinner. She wanted spaghetti. And that’s what she got. After dinner we headed to “the land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size.” While we didn’t find anything that completely wowed us, I did remember to pick up a few light bulbs for the display cases. On the way home, we stopped in Pier 1 Imports. Occasionally, I can find something in there that I find interesting, but for the most part…. *shrug* Last night, however, I noticed that they (finally) are carrying the double papasan chairs again. Of course, it’s long after I stopped looking for one. Oh, well. Before heading in, we stopped at Red Mango and picked up a couple of frozen yogurts for dessert.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Wanna live underground… Wanna live underground…”

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A few late-afternoon distractions have been discovered:

  • By way of and Not Always Right: May Contain Scenes of Gratuitous Bowie
  • Erfworld
  • From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Woman rubs chili pepper seeds in her eyes after setting new world record
    I can’t just make her “Human of the Day.” It would be… too much of an understatement.  So, we’ll make her “Hardcore Human of the Day.”  Yeah, that’ll work.
  • Obama eases curbs on Cuba travel
  • Ariana Page Russell: The Human Etch-A-Sketch
  • We are in the midst of a server room upgrade. Along with this, we’re getting some new cabinets for servers. Julie fielded a call this morning from the shipping company to schedule delivery of the cabinets. She set us up for Thursday delivery.  Ten minutes ago, a driver from the company showed up… with the racks in his truck. We couldn’t take delivery for a couple of reasons
    1. The truck had no liftgate.
    2. We have no forklift.
    3. Our building has no loading dock.  (FAIL!)
    4. We weren’t expecting them until… um… Thursday maybe?!

    So, Julie sent the driver packing. The cabinets will be delivered… on Thursday, as agreed upon… in a truck with a liftgate.

Namaste.

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

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Monday – 13 April 2009
Casablanca was good; I enjoyed it quite a bit. The movie holds up quite well, especially when one considers that it was released over 65 years ago. One thing that I kept coming back to was how Rick Blaine reminded me of Han Solo. Actually, it would be more proper to say that Solo reminded me of Blaine, but you get the idea. There were a couple of other Star Wars, also, but they were a bit more fleeting.

The 6:35 alarm came early this morning, or so it seemed. I barely remember waking up long enough to turn it off… and turn over and go back to sleep.

When I got into the office, I was informed that email wasn’t working. *sigh* I’d barely stepped in the door; it’s definitely a Monday, it seems. A few searches, a test or two and a phone call later, it was being worked on.

Stray Toasters

And so it goes…

Namaste.

Easter Recap

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Today has been a great day.

SaraRules and I got up this morning and went to Mass at St. Vincent De Paul’s Church.

easter2009
In our Easter Sunday finery.

It was a nice service with a nice homily – Change and the cross as a transformative figure. There was a little boy, about 18 months or so, in the pew in front of us who was quite entertaining (to us) and a bit of a handful (to his parents). The kid was well-behaved, but when his parents weren’t looking, he would take the opportunity to scoot up and down the pew. Comedy. Straight-up comedy.

We came back home for breakfast and coffee. I changed clothes and got ready to head to Chris’ for a few hours of playing HeroClix; he was teaching the game and we started up a three-way game on the Arena map. I had a team in mind to play – Young Superman, Gamora, Wasp (from The Ultimates) and Marvel Girl – but swapped Storm, Winter Soldier and Hawkeye in for Young Superman, Gamora and Wasp. I had a great opening couple of rounds (including a great opening shot on three targets with Hawkeye), but wound up getting caught between Chris and ‘zephyr and getting worn down. Quickly. It was still fun.  Chris and I are getting together Tuesday night for an X-Men vs. The Brotherhood/Hellfire Club game.  That should be good.

I met SaraRules’ at her parents’ house for dinner and a late celebration of Logan’s birthday. Both dinner and the homemade birthday cake were delicious.

Stray Toasters

And now, we’re going to watch Casablanca.

Namaste.

Happy Easter

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Sunday – 12 April 2009

The squeaky wheel gets the grease… or something like that.

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Saturday – 11 April 2009
It’s a lazy Saturday in the valley.

So far, we’ve had breakfast, watched a little TV and addressed some of our “Save the Date” announcements. We’re off to do some errand-running and we’re going to see Fast & Furious in a couple hours.

Stray Toasters

Off to see the wizard…

Namaste.

Tick-tock…. Tick-tock….

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Shortly after this morning’s post, our phone system decided to go belly-up. Not really sure “why,” but it did. It took a long while to get things back under control; it took the better part of the morning, in fact.  Now, it seems as though “Crisis on Infinite Phones” has come to an end. Thankfully. (Call Geoff Johns and George Perez.)

Stray Toasters

YYZ

Namaste.

“1.21 Gigawatts!”

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Friday – 10 April 2009
Another 9/80 “on” Friday. There are rumors that it’s supposed to be in the 60s today.  We’ll see how that pans out.

Last night was a lazy Date Night: We had pizza and watched this week’s NCIS (Thanks, On Demand!), CSI: and then Aladdin, which is still one of my favorite modern (pre-Pixar) Disney movies.

Stray Toasters

Time to see what kind of trouble I can get into today…

Namaste.