Random Access

Saturday : 06 August 05
After getting into bed around 6:00 this morning, I slept like a log until 10-ish. I woke up, answered the phone, sprawled back on the bed and konked out for another forty-five minutes or so. Then I got up and made my way to the HALO Command Center. Hmm, I might need to rename it to something like “The Hero Haven,” now that I’m playing City of Heroes so much… I spent the next half-hour or so being very lazy in front of the PC.

and I had talked about heading up to the 2005 Park City Kimball Arts Festival. We decided to make a “Go” of it and, after a bite to eat at Jitterbug Coffee Hop, we went. There was no parking to be found near the Festival, so we parked a couple of miles away, at Park City High School. And then we watched the shuttle bus drive off as we approached the stop. Fortunately, there was a cab waiting there and we took it to Main Street.

The festival was pretty cool. I remember many of the artists from previous PCKAF and the SLC Art Festival. There was some new blood, too. And there were a lot of cool things to see… and buy, if you had the money to do so. *sigh* We wandered up and down Main Street for a couple of hours before heading back to SLC.

and I had dinner with and his parents at Outback. I bucked the norm and did not get the Prime Minister’s Prime Rib, this time. Instead, I had the Victoria’s “Center Cut” Filet. It was quite good; smaller than the usual cut of prime rib that I get, but good nonetheless.

After dinner, it was back home and on to Paragon City. I ran around righting wrongs, fighting evil and trying not to die. (NOTE: I didn’t die.) I was working off some of the past few nights’ “experience debt” when one of my usual teammates showed up. We put beatdowns on a number of them before I had to log out for breakfast. And… I hit Security Level 10, to boot! (Only four more levels to Flight.)

Stray Toasters

• I have been watching music videos at work. Four new ones that I have put into the rotation are Jim Croce “videos.” Three are taken from a special that he did in 1972 or 1973, before he died. One is a video for Time in a Bottle (a song that I’ve loved for years), which features footage of Jim and his then-young son – for whom the song was written. Bad Bad Leroy Brown and You Don’t Mess Around with Jim have been long-time favorites of mine, too. While they aren’t “happy” songs, they are fun.

  In listening to these – and other – songs with a more sensitive ear for the story that the songs tell, I have gained a newfound appreciation for the late Mr. Croce’s work. As a storyteller, he crafted his words well. That’s also something that I noted on the “video” for Bad Bad Leroy Brown: He tells the story that led to him writing the song… and there’s something in the way that he tells it that just draws you in.

• From c|net.com: Top 10 dot-com flops
• Make fire from water with the Aqueon Fireplace
• Syn – A Magazine for synesthetes
• Frosted Afro-Puffs
• : Click here
• : It was bound to happen… Gorillaz figures
• It seems as though there will be another trilogy of Highlander films, starting with: Highlander: The Source
• Respond. Vibrate. Feedback. Resonate.

Quote of the Day
I was chatting with on Thursday (my “Friday” for the work week) and giving him a recap of some of my adventures in City of Heroes. The following was part of that conversation:

(14:39:12) : ~hover~
(14:39:26) : hover is SO monday.
(14:39:46) : That may be true… but it’s Friday.
(14:39:49) : So, I don’t care.
(14:39:53) : Bwahahaha!
(14:41:00) : Hm.
(14:41:21) : “The Adventures of Bolty – Novice Superhero at Large”
(14:41:23) : *cracks up*
(14:41:40) : YES
(14:41:49) : you’ll have to ditch the bolty part when you can fly though.
(14:41:55) : ooooh.
(14:42:00) : Something to work up to.
(14:42:04) : I like!
(14:42:06) : 😀
(14:42:59) : So, flying would be like graduation from “still wet behind the ears” to full-fledged superhero.
(14:43:07) : Exactly!
(14:43:25) : Move your tassle to the other side, now fly.

And with that…

Namaste.

Friday : 05 August 05
I took the day off from work. That’s not something that I do often, with the exceptions of emergencies, illness or vacations. I don’t think that I have just “taken” a day off like this since I worked for the USPS. And that’s been two-and-a-half years. And even then, I would typically just go in and leave early.

Today, however, I didn’t do much of anything. A good part of the morning was spent taking a nap. The afternoon saw about an hour of world-saving, as I played City of Heroes for a while.

Tonight’s Clitorati gathering was good. A modest-sized group showed up. Once again, there was a musician in the cafè when we got there. His name was Josh Heftel; he played guitar (and harmonica). It wasn’t bad… but he played a little loudly for the room. *shrug* But, again: It wasn’t bad, overall. Perry brought me a new piece of plastic crack: Firestorm (veteran). One of my favorite characters from the 80s. He also found an Edna (from The Incredibles) figure for . I also picked up a copy of this month’s Utne Reader and a new copy of Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. I loaned my hardback copy to someone many moons ago, but I do not remember whom. Oh well.

I came home and played (more) City of Heroes.

Fell asleep at the keyboard.

Calling it good for now.

Namaste.

Thursday : 04 August 05
This afternoon, and I got together with and Alyce. We saw Sky High, from The Cradle to the Grave Empire Disney. It was cute. In a Disney kind of way. It tells the story of the son of the world’s greatest superheros… in his freshman year at high school. It wasn’t nearly as bad (read: “cheesy”) as we thought that it might be. It was fun.

After the movie, we all went to Cafe Med for dinner. And from there, back to Alyce and Dave’s to watch a movie called Primer. Interesting movie. And one that will require multiple viewings to catch some of the implied and overt story lines.

*stretch*

It’s late/early and I’m tapped. It’s time for me to study my inner eyelids.

Namaste.

Wednesday : 03 August 05
Today was an all-around good day, which is never a bad thing for the middle of the week… even though today was my “Thursday.” I’m taking Friday off. I deserve it. And anyone who says differently can take up their argument with the business end of my boot. *nod*

I came home from work to find a message from Chelsea (Adam’s – the youngest of the sibko) girlfriend. Nothing major, it seems. She just called to say “Hi.” He’s visiting her, so I spoke with him for a while, too. They both seem to be doing fairly well.

It was Game Night, so I cruised over to ‘ place. We didn’t play. Instead, we sat around and chatted. One of the things that we discussed was getting together to play with our plastic crack; we haven’t done that in a while, so it should be fun.

Back home… and on to Paragon City. (More on that in a minute.) Now, I’m up much later than I should be. But, I’ll be rectifying that VERY shortly.

Adventures of a Novice Superhero
Last night, I teamed-up with a couple of people and ran around The Hollows bringing electrical justice to those who needed to be reminded of the differences between “good” and “Oh, you wanted me to kick your ass.” And, in teaming up, I was given a nickname, of sorts, by one of my teammates: “Bolty.” When she first said it (yes, she used it more than once), it made me chuckle. It reminded me of a 60s sidekick name.

Tonight, I died twice while attempting to complete a mission. Things went much better, however, when I joined a small team. It’s amazing how that works out! I also worked off enough XP debt to regain the experience that I lost and even level up to Security Level Nine. And that puts me one level closer to Flight. Yessssss!

Stray Toasters
Sorry. None here. Check back tomorrow night.

Namaste.

Tuesday : 02 August 05
Today was infinitely better than yesterday.

I didn’t lollygag too long after the alarm went off this morning.
I had a double shot-laden cup of frozen mocha goodness.
Things at work proceeded apace.
The lunchtime gym hour went well.
The rest of the workday wasn’t maddening.
And… I threshed the jungle into something that resembles a “back yard.” Before it started raining.

All-in-all, it was a good day.

Random Access
No one knows what it’s like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
     -“Behind Blue Eyes” by The Who

I have liked this song (full lyrics) for many years. I have always taken it as an outsider’s moment of painful and angry introspection – that the singer was the person “behind blue eyes.”

I was recently listening to it and had a different thought about it: It would make an awesome “anthem,” of sorts, for or about a minority. When I started looking… “listening,” rather… to the song a little differently, I could easily hear it being sung from the point of view someone whose life and/or accomplishments have been ignored by society… simply by virtue of the color of their skin. And this song is their silent prayer into the night.

No one knows what it’s like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it’s like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

Those “behind blue eyes” are perceived to have a better life. A life without the darkness that permeates the outcast’s world. Without the hurt. Without the anger and bitterness.

No one knows what it’s like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

They may be in an outwardly-seeming “hopeless” situation, but that doesn’t stop them from dreaming.

But my dreams
They aren’t as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That’s never free

And those dreams bring with them hope. Of a better tomorrow. A better life. A better way.

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

And If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
And If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

…if only someone can show them the way out.

I would like to hear how this song would sound if approached from that point of view.

And that’s my 2¢ worth on that.
::: EDIT :::
and I were discussing this and he made a good point: I narrowed my focus on this topic to matters of race, but it could easily be applied to ANY minority – minorities by virtue of belief, lifestyle or other criteria.

Adventures of a Novice Hero
I’m really enjoying City of Heroes. I’ve been regaling and with my Paragon City adventures as the costumed adventurer known as Indigo Bolt (Pictures: 1, 2, 3). A couple of the recent things that I’ve told them about were:

• When I hit “Security Level 6,” how ranks/levels are measured in CoH, I had a new series of powers opened up to me. I chose the ones that would lead me to Flight. *duh* But, you don’t start out with Flight. You start with Hover.
  <sarcasm> Woooo! </sarcasm>That’s right. “Hover.” Watch criminals cower in fear as you float in mid-air. But, it’s a step in the right direction. I was rather… exuberant… the morning after I acquired Hover. Mainly because running from zone to zone is… um… what’s the word… it’s on the tip of my tongue… oh yeah: BORING! And, like I mentioned before: It’s one step closer to Flight. w00t!

• A couple of days ago, Don and I were running (*ZzzzZZzzzz*) through the city and he leapt up a wall. Not quite in the proverbial “tall building in a single bound” way, but close. When I tried to climb/jump up the wall, I was treated to a sound return to the ground. *sigh* After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to scale it, Don messaged me and simply said: “You can hover up the wall…” D’oh!
• I made it to Security Level 7 a couple of nights ago and was given a mission in a part of town called “The Hollows.” To get to The Hollows, one has to pass through a zone. I’ve crossed plenty of zones in the past… however long I’ve been playing. The interface is a little different than it was in EverCrack, but I figured it out. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember this any of the eleventy-billion times that I tried to cross into The Hollows. I’d get to the zone border… and stop. So, I’d back up and run to the border again… and stop. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

  What I was doing wrong didn’t dawn on me until last night around 11:00. At which point, I was about ready to slap myself silly (okay… “sillier than usual”) for not thinking about what I was doing. Yeah… some hero I’m turning out to be.

• And in another “Wow… he’s smart” moment: Last night, I was running (*ZzzzZZzzzz*) through The Hollows, snapping my electrified foot off in whatever criminal ass needed some righteous justice. For one mission, I had to defeat ten (10) members of a certain gang. I got up to nine… and then ran out of targets. So, I went hunting. I decided to check out the scene from the roof of a nearby building. Lo and behold: I found my target! I decided that I’d hover a few yards above him and pick him off from above and avoid getting into a fight with his buddies. Good operational theory, horrible practical application. As soon as a zapped the guy, his friends ALL turned, looked up… and unloaded with their guns. Mother of God….

  On the “plus” side, they weren’t great shots.

  On the “minus” side, there was a tree next to where I was hovering… and the bastards know how to climb trees. I was still far enough up that they couldn’t engage me in melee, but their shooting prowess seemed to get a bit better at closer range. I have to give the programmers credit for adding in the “climb tree” feature. It’s exactly what you would expect would happen if a similar situation occurred in the real world: Someone’s taking potshots at you from the air?! Climb the nearest tree or fire escape and take him out.

  Anyway… I managed to avoid dying (that time) and take out that entire group before I decided to call it a night.

That was kind of fun. I might have to add “Adventures” as a semi-regular section… especially when I have more bone-headed moments to share. Hopefully, it wasn’t boring/dull for the rest of you.

Stray Toasters

• I spoke with not only the middle sibko member today, but also both parental units. Two of the calls bore good tidings. The last, however, not as much so: I have an aunt who has Alzheimer’s. We’ve known it for a while and my folks have taken what steps they can to see to it that she’s receiving care and treatment. The disease is apparently advancing rather… quirkily. It is advancing “somewhat quickly,” but she still has good days: She remembers people and places, etc. My mother and uncle are currently in Ohio to check in on her; don’t EVEN get me started on what-little-I-know about the complete clusterfuck that my mother is going through in trying to get my aunt moved to NC. I should hear from either my mother or uncle tomorrow with an update on how my aunt doing; but from what Kris (middle sib) told me earlier, she’s not doing incredibly well.
• There is an Oreo Blizzard® in the freezer calling to me…
• : I stumbled across and thought that it might be something in which you would be interested.
• Dark Phoenix and Cyclops MiniMate 2-Pack. *covet*
• You know what you gotta do?
  You gotta get on outta here with that alley-cat coat-wearing,
  Hush Puppy shoe-wearin’ crumbcake that I saw you with…
  ‘Cause you dismissed!
  Silly rabbit! Trix are made for kids, don’t you know that!?
  You without me is like Corn Flakes without the milk!
  This is my world; you just a squirrel tryin’ to get a nut!
  Now get on outta here!
  Ahhh!!!! Don’t touch that coat!
       “The Rain” by Oran ‘Juice’ Jones.
  This song used to crack me up when I was younger.
  It still does.

• Hey, Nyx-a-delic: Old Man ZIM Lands in Chicago
• Not that I’ve ever had any problem going there, but now I have a reason to go to one of the local Build-A-Bear Workshops: Build-A-Bear Teams with the NFL. That’s right… say it with me: Ravens Bear.
• “Quick! Pretend to be a rock formation!” –
• : This had your name all over it – Creativhe Cohmmons Cthulhu Comhic
• Because this drives me insane: The correct spelling is “definite,” not “definate.”
• : Click here.
• Interesting. But, I’ll ask you to tell me if this sounds like a fairly accurate match for me.
  

  Gandalf: A wandering spirit caring for a multitude of just concerns, you are an instrumental power in many of the causes around you. And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord.

• I have been fond of A Modest Destiny/The Starship Destiny for the better part of a year. I clicked on it tonight, hoping to find a new comic. Instead, I found a notification that – due to the dark and nasty parts of the Internet – the site is being shut down. It’s sad to see someone basically vilified because he fought for something in which he believed and when he should be experiencing some of the most happy times of his life – the birth of his first child – people instead have taken his absence as an open invitation to backstab and malign him.

  Fare well, Sean Howard and AMD.
  

This incredibly long post has been brought to you by the letters “D” and “W” and the number “9.”

Namaste.

Monday : 01 August 05
I can’t say “I never got the hang of Mondays.” Mostly because it isn’t true. When your mother is a schoolteacher, you get the hang of Mondays pretty early in life. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to like them. Most Mondays aren’t bad. Others… well, let’s just say that I welcome their end.

Today was an “other” Monday.

The day started off well enough: I slept in. When I finally got myself in gear and to work, things proceeded nicely. called and invited me out for lunch; we went to Barbacoa (which I prefer to some of the taquerias in the area).

The day took a bit of a nosedive when someone asked me a question, which I answered freely… and then they effectively looked at me and asked me how could I have been so stupid as to have done what I did. (The old “Walk a mile in my shoes” maxim came to mind…) That, along with the fact that I ran into a couple of work-related problems, sent my mood – and the rest of the afternoon – right to the shitter. It took me hours to get to a point of being tolerably “okay.”

had asked for my help in arranging some things at his place, so I headed there after work. We stopped at Dr. Volt’s. After my day, I felt like seeing if there was anything there that caught my eye. I left with a couple of boxes of plastic crack – I wound up getting a few figures that moved the “Crappy Day-O-Meter” back towards the “Not-so-bad” setting, including: Nightcrawler (experienced) and Juggernaut (experienced). From there, it was on to Nox’.

A little later, showed up and we headed to dinner with Dave and Alyce. We went to Dave’s Kitchen. Once again: If you like Chinese food, you need to try this place. It was good. We ordered four dishes and shared them. After dinner was over, we considered heading across the street to see a movie, but decided to postpone that until later in the week.

And now, I’m home and pondering spending an hour or so in Paragon City…

Stray Toasters

• I watched Glory last night. Watching the entire movie put a lot of things into perspective that I didn’t get from just seeing the last portion. It was amazing – and inspiring – to see a group of misfits, who were little more than a mob, become something much more. They became more than just men in uniforms. They became men with a purpose. And focus. And desire. The transformation was a slow and painful one, but it was awesome to watch.

  It was amazing to see men who had been beaten down and downtrodden find something in which they could find pride… without being prideful. The sense of honor – and, eventually, camaraderie – that drew them together was a powerful thing. And it wasn’t just visible in the freedmen and former slaves. You could see the change as it overtook their commanding officers, especially as they stopped viewing the troops as a clever gambit on President Lincoln’s part and started seeing them as men who had chosen to fight for something in which they believed.

  If you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend it heartily.

• Happy Birthday to August LJers:
• I’ve been listening to Fiona Apple’s debut CD, Tidal, at work. I had forgotten how solid a release it was.
• By way of Slashdot: Original Lightsaber Goes for 3x Expectations
• Experts Warn About Powdered Alcohol
• By way of Backwash: Film Threat’s Frigid 50: The Coldest People in Hollywood
• The SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages – featuring 35 annotated fairy tales
• I’ve listened to Chuck Berry’s My Ding-A-Ling for years upon years. It still makes me chuckle.
• Ten Mistakes Writers Don’t See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do)
• Day by Day (from Chris Muir)

Quote of the Day

[23:56] : i love your sister
[23:56] : So do I.
[23:56] : Most of the time.

Sunday : 31 July 05
Oy.

It’s been a busy past few days. I left home Friday evening to spend a little with the Clitorati before heading down to Cedar City. Even though the time was brief, it was fun. A short while later, Cecilie (the movee), Mike and showed up… and we were on our way.

I haven’t done a road trip in a long time; I had forgotten how much fun they can be. Three hours and change in a car: Amusement. I actually started to nod off a little before we arrived in Cedar City (something to do with only six hours’ sleep in the previous 60 hours…). But we got there and hung out for a bit (translation: “We shot the bull and drank beer for a few hours…”) before calling it a night.

Next morning: Up and get underway. We moved boxes. And boxes. And more boxes. And bins. And furniture. And stuff. LOTS of stuff. The “operational theory” was that we would get up, load and be on the road by noon (or close to it). I’m sure that most of you are aware of my take on “theory vs. practical application.” This move didn’t deviate from that paradigm. It took us, five or six hours to load the truck. We didn’t get on the road until after 4:00. Then we pointed the truck northward and headed for Salt Lake City.

We got back to SLC a little before 9:00. By this time, we were tired and just plain ready for the move to be DONE. All caps “DONE.” We had the truck unloaded in two hours. Yeah, we were that ready for it to be over.

Cecilie and Co. dropped me off at home, I showered (Have I mentioned how much I appreciate love indoor plumbing?! I do. A lot.), and then headed out to breakfast. It wasn’t a large turn-out, but that was fine because one of our former favorite managers, Melody (not to be confused with ) was back… and she’s back for good! At least as “for good” as anyone ever stays in one place in the restaurant business.

This morning, I woke up to the phone ringing… and missed the call. I called back; it was Angie. We made tentative plans to get together. That was followed by a call from Dee; he needed some ideas for “things to do while your brother is in town.” I drew nothing but blanks. He said that he’d come up with something. I then contacted Angela, who had messaged me last week about getting together for coffee. A few minutes later, plans were formalized and I was getting ready to go out.

Angela and I met at Cocoa Caffe. We chatted for a couple of hours, something that we haven’t done in a long time. It was good to hear her talk about the things in her life that have changed and what she’s doing to make – and keep – herself happy. She’s come a long way since we first started talking. That’s a very good thing.

::: intermission :::

I played City of Heroes for a few hours this evening. Don was online so he sidekicked me for a while; then I exemplared (basically I became the “senior” hero and he was the sidekick) with him for a bit. It was good. I picked up a couple more levels… and I’m one step closer to Flight. And that kicks the pants of Hover any day, although, I can’t really bitch about Hover at the moment. It’s helped me out in a couple of places. But, maaaaan, is it slow.

and I watched Glory tonight. She had never seen it; I saw the last third or so while I was sick a month or so back. Excellent movie. I will definitely buy a copy of it. Watching it also has me pondering a longer, more involved post about it… but that will wait until at least tomorrow.

Stray Toasters

• Happy Birthday, !
• I need to pick up some gummy worms or cotton candy. Or both.
• “Blitler”
  You pretty much had to be there for this one.
  Just nod and smile… and know that it makes me laugh. That’s enough.

• In talking with my friend this afternoon, Don, he asked me to remind him about DC Comics’ “Zero Hour” and if I was the reason that he started reading/collecting The Legion of Super-Heroes. Guilty-as-charged. (, you might be interested in checking that LSH link…)
• “Look, Mommy, ninjas!”
  “No, dear, those are geeks. Ninjas wear hats!”
  

• Interesting article from Buzzscope: SDCC Panel – Blacks in Comics
• : Trigun Maximum: Black Vash PVC Figure
• ….
  

  WELL, IT’S A-BAT TIME!!!

  After months, if not years of speculation about the release of special editions of the previous BATMAN films, Warner Bros. officially announced on Tuesday that all four films would be released in two-disc special edition format on October 18th. All four films will be released individually, as well as in a gift set titled “Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology, 1989 to 1997”. In addition to digital transfers of each film, the DVDs will include several bonus features, including director commentaries from Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, behind -the-scenes featurettes, cast and crew interviews, and music videos. One can only wonder if the Batman Forever Special Edition will be the much rumored “good version” of the film.

• : I believe that you will like this.
• From Real Tech News: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Trebuchet
• Hawk: “How can those two flirt at a time like this?”
  Gina: “Because danger makes people horny.”
  Hawk: “Ohhh. Then we all must be really horny.”
  Gina: “Hawk?”
  Hawk: “Yeah?”
  Gina: “Stop talking now.”
  

• Thursday, I mentioned that I got a new Wolverine HeroClix. I’ve been trying to figure out the story behind it. It seemed like it should be from X-Men: The Days of Future Past… but I couldn’t say so with 100% surety. Until tonight. I came across my post from 11 June 05 in which I posted a link to this and this. That cemented it for me. The image of the figure on the WizKids site is at a bad angle, but if you look at the actual figure, the pose is a spot-on take of the model and the comic cover.

It’s late and it’s a school night, so I should hit the rack. More than once, I considered taking Monday off. But, I’ll go in and grin and bear it. It’s Monday, after all. Maybe I’ll take Friday off, though…

Namaste.

Thursday : 28 July 05
Waking up this morning was more of an ordeal than usual. But, I did it. And I don’t think that I have ever been as glad (at least not in the recent past) to have coffee waiting to be brewed in the coffee pot. It was good… but didn’t have quite as much kick as I needed. But it was enough to get me started.

Enter: . On his way into the office, he messaged me to ask if I was sufficiently caffeinated. I told him that I was in dire need of a transfusion – there was far too much blood in my caffeinestream. A short while later, he arrived with a cup of blended mocha goodness. I told him that he was well on his way to sainthood, as this was his second (consecutive) miracle. He just laughed and said, “Or maybe I’m just trying to bribe the GM…” And he walked off. Eric and I hit the gym at lunch. It was a good workout. I’m not really “sore,” but my lats and lower biceps definitely feel it tomorrow.

And, then Adam, youngest member of the sibko, messaged me. (This is not uncommon.)
With a phone picture of the CTS. (Uncommon.)
With a mattress strapped to the roof. (Uh….)
And nothing that even vaguely resembled a “This is…” note.

So, naturally, I called him.

He asked what I thought the picture was; I told him. After all, “car with a mattress on its roof” isn’t really a hard one to figure out, even on a cell phone’s screen. He told me that was in fact what it appeared to be and that he sent it as a way of letting me know that he was moving from his current house to another one. College students… go figure! We talked for a few minutes beyond that and then he was off again.

After work, I made a quick jaunt through Dr.. Volt’s. Along with this week’s four-color print shwag, I picked up a few pieces of plastic crack. Along with Rogue (experienced), Wolverine (unique) and the three (1, 2, 3) remaining members of the Ultimate Fantastic Four (I got a UFF Human Torch a couple of weeks ago), I got an experienced Power Man. “Sweet Christmas!” as Luke Cage, himself, would say. “Sweet Christmas,” indeed.

Stray Toasters

• After a few months of “Life with Gaim,” I’m switching back to Trillian. There are a couple of things that Trillian does that I miss in Gaim, although I do like the “one window, one taskbar button” aspect of Gaim.
• IGN has the trailer for Doom (not to be confused with Dhoom), based on the videogame series of the same name. Starring: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
• I don’t remember what started it, but we got onto the topic of lighting using LEDs today at work. Which made me think of Vos Solutions and some of the interiors that they have designed using LEDs.
• I introduced a couple of the guys on my team to Jamiroquai’s Virtual Insanity video this afternoon. And, to think: It all started because one of them said: “You have a man with fuzzy hat dancing around on your monitor.”
• : I think that you’ll like this picture of one Ms. Barbara Gordon.
• Japanese Female Android Exposed
• From Mobile Magazine: The Mobile Game Hall of Fame
• You know that it was bound to happen: Someone found a crack for Microsoft’s “Genuine Advantage” Windows XP license validation.

Eight more for “The Man” and then it’s the weekend. I’m going down to Cedar City to help a friend load a U-Haul (you know, that whole “load a U-Haul” thing seems to be a recurring theme for my summers…) and get her moved in to a place in the SLC valley. It’s just an overnight trip, but it will be nice to be out of the valley for a while.

Namaste.

Wednesday : 27 July 05
Today was a good mid-week. Work proceeded apace. I had lunch with . And I was able to just relax and hang out this evening. I even took a drive around part of the city. It was nice.

Stray Toasters

• I left my gummy worms at work.
• I’m not sure why, but something… compelled me (that’s the best way I can describe it) to find this post and read it.
• I heard about this story on the radio this morning. That just ain’t right…
• A trip to the office washroom, this afternoon, reminded me of one of my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live skits: I walked in and saw a row of outward-pointed shoes and rumpled trouser legs below the walls of the stalls… and the first thing that I thought of was the “Under the Boardwalk” skit from the mid-80s. It had the same visual – shoes and pulled-down pants – and then someone started singing the bass line from The Drifters’ Under the Boardwalk. Someone else started in on the first verse. Two or three others joined in on the chorus. And the whole time, their feet were tapping. They continued till the end of the song, then there was flushing and zipping…. and everyone walked out of their stalls like nothing had happened.

  It took a lot of restraint not to laugh out loud when I thought of that skit.

• By way of boingboing.net: Logos desafortunatdos
• By a show of hands, how many of you remember Voltron: Defender of the Universe? *looks around* Well… guess who’s coming to the big screen?
• Fourteen ways to die in Shanghai
• ARRRRR! (Thanks to for pointing this out.)
• This ice cream tastes like shit!
• For : There’s a new Shadowcat in town…
• As is a fan of Dr. Henry J. McCoy, I present this.
• Four words: “Galaxy Rangers action figures“

Quote of the Day
Last night, after the game broke up, I jokingly asked to bring me a blended mocha when he came to work. On the way to work, I picked up a 24 ounce cup of double-shot-laden frozen mocha goodness. It was good. Damned good, too! I got to work, I drank most of it. A little while later, walks in… mocha in hand. He placed it on my desk and walked away.

Me: “You’re a saint.”
Eric: “What miracle did he perform?”
Me: He turned water into caffeinated mocha goodness!
: And it’s blended, too!

Namaste.

Tuesday : 26 July 05
I slept in this morning; longer than I had intended, but it felt great.

Work wasn’t too bad. Even for a Tuesday. Not that Tuesdays are usually bad. One of the guys on my team asked me “If you were going to buy a computer, what would you get?” I laughed at him. No, really… I laughed. When I stopped laughing, I explained that I’m of the “build, not buy” crowd. Although, I will make exceptions for a laptop and/or the Mac Mini.

Tonight was Shadowrun night. The group came over and took on tonight’s challenge. Not only did they take it on, but they beat it. And everyone survived… although two of the characters were dangerously close to meeting St. Peter by the end of the run. came over and sat in on the game; she wanted to see the game in action to determine whether or not she wanted to join the group. helped her with character generation while I ran combat scenes for the rest of the party; it looks like will join the team next session.

Stray Toasters
There were a few things that I had considered putting here, but I’m tired… and thus will they keep until tomorrow. And if I’ve forgotten them, I’m Ivory Soap sure that I’ll find something to fill the void.

Namaste.

Monday : 25 July 05
Today was Pioneer Day in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. Or “Mormon Christmas,” as refers to it. I started thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it would be more like “Mormon Thanksgiving,” since they found a place where they could live (relatively) free of the persecution of those who didn’t believe as they did.

I’ll refrain from getting on my “Colony Kid” soapbox and going on a tirade about this being a state holiday… and it getting more fanfare than the Fourth of July (in some places)… and that it isn’t even commemorative of the day that “The Great State of Deseret” became the state in the Union known as “Utah,” that day is in January. And the statehood day hasn’t had much ado about anything (let alone “nothing”) in the six years that I’ve been here.

Other than that, my big highlight of the day was getting a phone call from a friend of mine back home. We usually manage to just miss each other when we call, but today he got me. We talked for nearly 45 minutes. It was really good to hear from him and to catch up.

Stray Toasters

• Not only did I play City of Heroes tonight, but I also have gummy worms!
• Last night, I made the following comment in my post:
  

  Our waiter was attentive, responsive and just all-around, hands-down better than the toe rag who waited on us the last time.

  This morning, I received a comment asking what “toe rag” meant. I was flabbergasted. Not because the person had to ask what it meant – although, that did surprise me; maybe it’s just an East Coast thing – but because (stay with me on this one): In order to see the post and to reply to it, the person had to be online. On. The. Internet. The largest pool of information in the world. Maybe it’s just the way that I’m wired (…maybe it’s Maybelline), but I would have just looked up what it meant. And given the context in which I used the phrase, I thought that it would be painfully obvious that my opinion of the first waiter was less than “good.”

• Japanese condom packaging art (Work safe)
• You snowboard and think you’re the new hotness?
  Step aside.
  This guy is all about the old-school hotness.

• For : Bollywood’s Good Girls Learn to Be Bad
• Monday nights and ABC meant one thing in the 80s. Wait… “one thing other than football“…. MacGuyver. Check out this site and you to can (almost) make a (laser) gun out of some rubber bands, a paper clip and a pencil.
• “I wanna be a zombie when I grow up!”
  

• Troopseses! (Thanks to Nyx for showing me this.)
• Repeat after me: “A new line of Micronauts toys will be out soon…”

I think that there was at least one other thing that I wanted to add to this, but I can’t remember what it was. Oh, well. Either I’ll remember it and use it tomorrow… or I won’t.

Namaste.

EDIT
I just remembered what it was: and posted links to this article – she on LJ, he on IRC. I was just on I-15 in Utah County this past weekend… and I missed it! (Had I not missed it, it would have been plastered all over Saturday night’s post.)

Anywho, I don’t think that quite understood just how… um… expected/common/normal/something it is for young men and women to hitch up, settle down and have kids here behind the Zion Curtain. Couples start their families in their early 20s, often shortly after the young man returns from his mission (going out into the world and spreading the gospel of the LDS Church, for those of you not in Utah). It seems to work for them, so more power to ’em! So, when the article refers to him as an “old maid,” they really weren’t kidding. (And, from what I’ve gathered from some LDS friends of mine, to be a woman and in your thirties and unmarried/childless isn’t exactly a walk in the park, either.) It was one of the (many) things – along with the lack of “chocolate people” – that amazed me when I moved here.

Sunday : 24 July 05
I woke up this morning when the alarm went off at 9:30.

I then went back to sleep.

That’s not the best thing to do when you planned to be on the bike trail by 10:30. And I wasn’t exactly rushing around the house to get ready, either. But, I managed to get myself moving and out the door by 10:45 or thereabout. I rode down to the trail head, rather than try and load the bike into the car. (Mental Note to Self: Get a bicycle rack.) It took about 15 or 20 minutes and was mostly downhill. I hit the trail and decided to go take the southern leg. I rode down to 85th South and doubled back; I went a little north of the trail head and into a nearby neighborhood. The main reason: The last hill that I went down to get to the trail head was one that I didn’t want to deal with on the ride home. I found a street that connected with where I needed to go… and took it. The climb wasn’t too bad. Nor, really was the climb after that. But, I did stop a couple of times to catch my breath and let my quads cool down a little. However, at no time did I push, pull or carry the bike – I rode the entire damned uphill way. And, when all was said and done, I had just shy of 14-and-a-half miles under the wheels. That wasn’t bad at all.

and I had a late lunch/early dinner at Biaggi’s (see this entry for the previous fiasco there). The experience was FAR superior to our previous trip there. Our waiter was attentive, responsive and just all-around, hands-down better than the toe rag who waited on us the last time.

After dinner, it was off to see The Island. It was “one part Logan’s Run, one part Blade Runner, and one part Total Recall.” I think that’s a fairly apt description. It was good; I’m interested in reading the book on which the movie was based.

Then, we were then off to visit . We chatted for a while… and wound up going to a somewhat nearby V.I. for a bite to eat. From there, it was home… to the airport (to pick up the no-longer-vacationing and home again (home again, jiggety jig!).

Stray Toasters

• I spoke to the middle member of the sibko today; I need to call her more often.
• Where in Someone Else’s Pants is Carmen Sandiego?
• The SLC Airport Authority is redoing the roads around the airport. I think that the best way to describe it is “clusterfuck,” just like 99.67% of Utah’s road construction projects.
• If you haven’t seen the trailer for the upcoming V for Vendetta movie, do so now.
• : It sounds like Geoff Johns is going to give Power Girl a concrete origin in the DCU. And it looks like it might have something to do with a certain 30th Century group of kids.
• Yep, Don Henley was right on target with Dirty Laundry –
• We saw trailers for both Flightplan and Red Eye. Two airline-related (disaster) movies. Both coming out this Fall. That reminded me of a conversation that I had with someone about the way that a theme gets started in Hollywood… and then everyone and his or her emu makes a movie about it. At the same time. A prime case in point: Armageddon and Deep Impact. Both were about meteors hitting Earth. Deep Impact was, by far, the superior movie.
• “Well, that’s just stupid.” –

Namaste.

Saturday : 23 July 05
After too little sleep, I got up this morning to bring my car home from ‘ place. It’s been there for a while… which made it a little difficult to pin down just “what” is wrong with it. But, it’s here now and I can diagnose it at my leisure.

After getting back, it was shower and shave time so that I could be ready to go with to watch the Strongest Man Competition at the Gold’s Gym in Orem. The event was held in the parking lot and it was a great day for it: Mostly cloudy and warm, without being too hot. There were two classes of competitors: Heavyweight and lightweight. Some of the guys were buff (and I do mean BUFF), some just looked like average Joes. But they were all strong. Very much so. The events included:

• Tire Flipping (large truck tires)
• Truck pull (using Hummer H2s)
• Log press
• Dead lift
• Farmer’s walk
• Atlas stone

Of all the competitors, there were (only) two injuries that we saw: One guy pulled/tore a hamstring during a dead lift, the other grazed his foot or knee with a falling Atlas stone. We didn’t hear who won, but and I decided whom we thought should win. I took quite a few pictures of the event; I’ll try to get them posted in the next few days.

Returning to the SL Valley, we met and for dinner. Then it was home for some City of Heroes action, followed by breakfast.

All-in all, a good day.

Namaste.

Friday
Another week comes to a close.

All-in-all, it’s been a good day. Despite the sleep-deprivation that came from playing CoH last night. (But, I had fun… so it’s all good.) I probably should have had two shots in the frozen mocha this morning, rather than just one. I’ll keep that in mind for future reference. Nodding off – repeatedly – at one’s desk after lunch is not a good thing.

After work, I took a much-needed 30-minute nap before heading off to Clitorati. Tonight’s gathering was small. Very small, but good. And we even had a special guest star: Land dropped in and stayed through dinner.

Stray Toasters

• I need to replenish my cotton candy supply. Soon.
• By way of IRC: She Blocked Me.
• The second paragraph of this article from the Salt Lake Tribune floored me – not too many journalists would feel comfortable putting the phrase “wacky tabacky” in an article.
• I think that this is one of my – if not THE – favorite strips from Chugworth Academy:
• The bass riff for I Want a New Drug…. I mean Ghostbusters…. I mean I Want a New Drug…
  Oh, Hell…. The bass riff from BOTH songs (since it really is the same riff – Ray Parker, Jr. copped it from the Huey Lewis song) just ran through my head. Fortunately, I had The Ramones’ (I Want To Be) Sedated loaded up in Winamp to purge it.

• “So we’re agreed? We flush Paris’ body out the airlock?”   –   
• C is for Cookie.
  That’s good enough for me.
  And if it’s good enough for Cookie Monster, it’s good enough for me, too.

• I feel his pain…

I think I’ve hit the wall. Yep, that was it. And that means… It’s time to make my way upstairs and into bed.

Namaste.

Thursday : 21 July 05
Yardwork.
*sigh*

I mowed the lawn today. It’s brown in some places. Green in others. I want a vibrant, lush green carpet of grass in the front and back yards… but let’s be realistic: I live in the middle of the desert. And I’m old enough to know that not getting what I want won’t kill me.

That said, I still want a nice lawn. There are still things that can be done to enhance it’s appearance and bring it more in line with what I want. I will have to see about doing those things. Foremost on the list is getting rid of the verdammt dandelions that have appeared in the back yard. All. Over. The. Place. It’s not making for a happy Rob. So, one of these evenings or weekends, I will have to get out there with a weed popper and get rid of the ugly buggers.

Otherwise, it’s been a good day.

And…
And…

I (finally) installed and played City of Heroes. It was fun. I’ve made it part of the way to Level 3 in…. an hour and some change. I will be enjoy this game for some time. I need to hook up with Don and sidekick with him. (Speaking of whom: I think that he’s coming around on teaching the band Hollaback Girl.) And, I’m curious about the upcoming City of Villains. That looks… interesting. When I get a character up to a sufficient level, I’ll have to see if I can find some of the shared zones.

Stray Toasters

• I patched the flat tire on my bike. But, the wheel isn’t aligned properly (It’s Neutral Good, at the moment) – the disc for the front brake is rubbing on the pad. BUT… the tire’s fixed.
• For : Catwoman #48
• , in honor of our recent Outback excursion, I bring you this.
• “Oh, Lord, make me pious. But not yet, not yet.”
     -St. Augustine

• I’m going with to see the Strongman Competition in Orem on Saturday… which means: “No bike ride.” I think I’ll go Sunday, instead. Any takers?
• Top 10 Web Fads of All Time

Namaste.