Random Access

Saturday
We slept in.
And it was good.

Now, we’re off to do… something.

More later.

Namaste.

Friday
“Black Friday.”
The day to avoid malls at almost any cost. Kind of ironic that today is Mallday. However, we are not going to the mall. Instead, we’re going to Asian Star; this way we get to have good food and maintain our sanity. Although, it might be fun to watch the holiday shoppers try to out-muscle others to reach the best bargains. Nah. It’s not worth the headache of trying to find parking and then hiking into the mall.

Song of the Day
Madam Butterfly by Malcolm McLaren from the CD “Fans.”

Stray Toasters

• Everyone seems to have made it through the night without exhibiting any signs of food poisoning, so I am taking that as a good sign. A very good sign.
• In post-dinner cleanup, we wound up doing three (3) loads of dishes. Holy dishpan hands, Batman!

And now… off to Mallday!

Namaste.

Thursday (part II)
It’s over… and it went well. The final menu:

• Cornish hens (4)
• Green beans with sliced potatoes, cooked in chicken broth
• Macaroni and cheese (made with milk and grated cheese)
• Potatoes, mashed (prepared just prior to eating)
• Rice pilaf
• Stuffing
• Gravy (prepared from scratch)
• Pies (chocolate; pumpkin) and cheesecake, all homemade.

It was my first time preparing hens; everyone said that they turned out nicely. *WHEW* It was also the first time that I tried making gravy.

I also discovered something else: It was fun. No, really! It was. I was surprised by that. I was finishing preparing the hens for the oven and realized that I was actually enjoying the process. “It’s so bizarre…”

During dinner, we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Neither Angie nor Adam had seen it before. After dinner, we were channel surfing and wound up stopping to watch The Santa Clause. Cute movie. I had wanted to see it before, but had never gotten around to it. After that, we surfed some more and Jess stopped on Bring It On. Interesting. Curiously interesting. Not really a movie that I got into. *shrug* Yes, there were amusing parts, but I wound up leaving the room about 2/3 of the way through it to play Madden 2003.

Stray Toasters

• Adam has gotten better (leaps and bounds) at Halo.
• Adrian stopped by and hung out with us for a bit.
• MTV2 is airing “Most Controversial Videos.” They are all unedited. So far, I’ve seen videos for Justify My Love (Madonna), Smack My Bitch Up (Prodigy), My Favorite Game (The Cardigans) and Pagan Poetry (Bjork). Interesting. Very interesting.
• I think that I am having another nostalgic television moment: Simon & Simon is on A&E. About the only thing that would top this, in my book, would be if they aired Spenser: for Hire episodes.
• I found out that Herbie Hancock will be coming to SLC in January. I think that I will have to pencil that in on the “To Do” calender.

That’s all for now. On tomorrow’s agenda: Mallday! For the first time in… in… oh, Hell… it’s been a long time since I’ve made an appearance at Mallday.

Namaste.

Thursday
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

Song of the Day
Thank You by Boyz II Men, from the CD “II”… and, since it’s Triple Play Thursday, we’ll add Water Runs Dry (also from “II”) and Motownphilly (from “Cooleyhighharmony”).

Stray Toasters

• Adam got in last night. Took him to Redrock Brewing Company for dinner and then a mini-tour of downtown. Then, I introduced him to Halo. He liked it. A lot. (In fact, when he woke up this morning, the first thing that I heard was the XBox turning on.)
• Rana called (via a relay from Dad) this morning around 10. All of us were still asleep. So, she called back a little later to talk to Adam and Jess.
• Talked to Mom and Kris. They made it to Baltimore without any problems.
• Dinner is cooking now. The pies are done, the hens are in the oven and we’re about to start on the last few dishes (green beans, macaroni, and potatoes). I was just informed that we will not be having potstickers, after all. *sigh* Oh well.

That’s more or less it, for now. Be safe, eat lots and enjoy.

Wednesday
I went to bed far later than I should have. I also woke up a few times during the night. Thus, when the alarm went off this morning, I played a few rounds of “How Many Times Can I Press the Snooze Button Before I Turn the Damned Thing Off?” When I woke up, I had a headache and was a bit unfocused; that’s not a good combination for the gym, so today’s workout will be skipped.

Song of the Day
City Sleeps by MC 900 Ft Jesus, from the CD “Welcome to My Dream.”

Stray Toasters

• The NPR site seems to be having “technical difficulties,” so I can’t see what is coming up on today’s programming.
• Short work week GOOOD!!! ::: gesture :::
• I’m hungry. Not ravenously so, but eating something relatively soon would probably be a good idea.
• Looks like Mom and company are heading to Baltimore for the holiday/weekend. From what I recall of past Thanksgiving NC-MD drives, they are welcome to it. I remember one year, there was an ice storm that stretched from Washington, D.C. through most of Virginia; it took about 8 hours to make what is normally a 5 to 5½ hour drive.

  Mom just gave me her recipe for fixing the hens. She even threw in some ideas for side dishes. I [heart] my mother.

I should probably get ready for work.
Namaste.

Tuesday (coda)
It was a pretty damn good day at work. No worries. No fuss. Just 8 hours and out.

NPR and PRI Stories

• Talk of the Nation: Identity Theft and Holiday Cooking
• The World: Homeland Security… and Agricultural Terrorism
• All Things Considered:
  • Illegal Street Races
  • WWII Japanese-Americans
  • Okinawans’ Diet and Longevity
  • ‘All My Life for Sale’
  • Hate Crimes

Stray Toasters

• I had to go to the Air Mail Center to drop something off after work. There was only one window clerk (Alan) working; the rest of the night crew had apparently requested the evening (or maybe the week) off. Yes, it took some time to get through the line (about 00:20) and some people weren’t willing to wait, but he did an exemplary job, in the face of the number of customers and the number of letters/packages that they had.
• My brother, Adam, will fly in tomorrow night. He’s spending Thanksgiving here rather than: Fly home this weekend… Fly back to school for three weeks… Fly BACK home for winter break.
• We did (most of) our Thanksgiving dinner shopping tonight. Cornish hens are not nearly as expensive as I had thought (or feared) that they would be.
• Excerpted from an IRC conversation:
  

  [23:31] KorUpted: where’s a good park to chase trees? I was thinking Remember the Maine park, lots of trees there
  [23:34] : Chase trees?
  [23:35] : Chase…. trees?
  [23:35] : Aren’t they pretty easy to catch?
  [23:35] : They don’t move a lot.
  [23:35] KorUpted: that’s what amateurs think
  [23:36] KorUpted: trees are very sneaky
  [23:36] KorUpted: they have all those branch things
  [23:37] KorUpted: they use various team tactics and maneuvers to trick you
  [23:37] KorUpted: it can be a dealy sport
  [23:39] KorUpted: that’s what safety gear is for though

And another thing….
When I saw the LiveJournal Trading Cards appearing in peoples’ journals, I thought that they were… cute, for lack of a better word. I thought about making one. Almost did. Then I decided that I wanted something “a little different.” Or, in the words of The Artist Formerly Known as ‘The Fresh Prince:’ Here it is, a [card], slightly transformed… Just a bit of a break from the norm…. Just a little something to break the monotony of all [those LJ cards] that have gotten to be a little bit out of control…

Uh… yeah.

So, anyway… I set out to create a card of my own. The background wasn’t too hard to come up with. The picture, however… That proved to be a little more difficult. I didn’t like any of the ones that I had (and kept neglecting to take a new one). And then, I discovered the various “Micro-Hero” sites. Hallelujah!!! My problem was solved! I used a template to make this, added it to the card that I had created, and thus, I came up with this:

That’s it for now.

Namaste.

Tuesday
Up a little later than I had planned.
Off to the gym
Back and now getting ready to face the day.

Song of the Day
No More I Love Yous (from “Medusa”) and Little Bird (from “Diva”) by Annie Lennox.

Stray Toasters
Nothing so far. Check back later.

Off to work!

Namaste.

Monday
Quiet morning. I slept in (I needed it, apparently), so I shall go to Ye Olde Gym tonight.

Song of the Day
Since it’s the start of the work week, we’ll start off with a song about… working. Sixteen Tons, by Tennessee Ernie Ford… although, the Rockapella cover is quite good, too.

Stray Toasters

• The Star Trek geek in me finds it more than slightly amusing that the name of the CNN reporter covering the space shuttle Endeavour’s mission to the International Space Station is Miles O’Brien. And, for the non-Trekkies/Trekkers out there: Miles O’Brien was a member of the Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: DS9 crews.
• The Miss World pageant has been moved to London. There still seems to be quite a bit of controversy as to whether or not the show should be staged; intentions are to still make a go of it.
• This site has garnered quite a bit of attention over the past couple of weeks. I won’t tell you how many people have quoted it to me because they thought that it was funny. While I am usually a fan of most satirical things, I failed to find the humor in it. There is a poll on the ABC News site that asks:
  

  What Do You Think?
  Nov. 25 – Now that you’ve heard about blackpeopleloveus.com, we would like to know what you think. Is it promoting racism, or is creating a healthy dialogue about touchy race issues?

  Chelsea and Jonah Peretti (siblings) sat that they created the site as a means to address racism in a funny, non-offensive way. I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this. They may have wanted to find a way to open a dialogue about racism… but I think that their theory could have found a better practical application.

• The more that I hear the song Die Another Die, the more that I like it. And the Anthony Newley version of Goldfinger, while not the brassy opus that is the Shirley Bassey version, is gaining popularity with me, as well.
• While on a movie note, I think that I want to see Treasure Planet.
• Jess and I played XBox last night. I introduced her to Halo and MechAssault. She took to MA pretty quickly; Halo, however… Let’s just say that she made a good showing for someone who had never played before. Especially since we were playing “deathmatch.” She fell victim to a few well-placed sniper rifle shots, too. All’s fair in love and wargames!

Time for the final work-prep stages.

Namaste.

Sunday
Nice lazy football watching day.

::: Football Update :::
The Ravens won a defensive game over the Titans.
The Dolphins took it to the house over the Sandy Eggo Chargers.
The Panthers. *sigh* The lost BIG TIME to the Falcons.

I think that it is fairly common knowledge that I enjoy football. I like a good football game, too. There’s nothing like a good back-and-forth game. Of course, there are exceptions:

• If one of my teams is playing (I want them to crush their opposition);
• If one of my teams is playing a close game, but completely dominates the second half.

The Dolphins game wasn’t remotely close. Neither was the Panthers game… but they wound up on the business end of an ass-whoopin’. The Ravens game, however, was a close game. In fact, towards the end of the game, I’d even say that it was a little “too close.” But, there wasn’t much bad that I can say about the Baltimore Kids’ game. And, it did end up in the “W” column, so I am happy.
::: End Update :::

Stray Toasters

• It snowed. Joy. (That was meant to be taken with a heavy dose of sarcasm.) Although, I’m sure that the ski/snowboard buffs are happy.
• I talked (actual vox conversation, no Internet involvement) to my mother. I needed to get her input on preparing Cornish game hens. Why? Because I don’t want anyone contracting ptomaine poisoning or anything of that sort.
• Joe called me from the world’s largest Toys ‘R’ Us (Times Square, NY). Bastard-ass.
• A few of us are going to see Die Another Day tonight.

  I finally heard the theme for DAD this morning. Madonna. Interesting. It’s a definite departure from what I would consider “a quintessential Bond theme,” but I like it. In fact, Duran Duran’s A View to a Kill was a departure from the norm, as well. I guess that I have just gotten used to hearing something with an orchestrated sound and feel, but this new theme is more techno/electronica and it made me think that a little change (and shaking up of what is considered to make a good theme) is not a bad thing. Not bad at all.

  ::: time delay :::

  We saw the movie. The general concensus: We liked it. I must say that I think that the theme song and the opening credits were amazingly integrated – the song and the visuals tied in seamlessly. (I won’t tell you how… you’ll have to see the movie to find out.) Typical Bond flick: Guns, gadgets, girls (Halle. *sigh*)…. Over-the-top action… one-liners. And it was just plain fun.

• Kristen and Chelsea came over for a while and hung out.
• We ate at California Pizza Kitchen. Tasty.

That’s more or less it… I think that I shall play a little MechAssault and end the evening with a proverbial bang.

Namaste.

Saturday
It was foggy, VERY foggy, this morning. Jess was trying to figure out something to put in the “Weather” section of the Operations Journal (at work). I told her she should try “What the FOG!?!?” and see if anyone noticed. I’ll have to ask her if she did.

Friday’s NPR Stories
Yesterday’s theme for Fresh Air was not just music. It was the music of Bond. James Bond. John Barry talked about writing themes for different Bond films, especially Goldfinger and Thunderball. They played one of the demo versions of Goldfinger as done by Anthony Newley, who wrote the lyrics for the song. This version (around the 14:00 mark of the interview) sounds… more sinister. Verra cool. (In fact, I’m d/l’ing it now…) And, before I forget: They did play excerpts of the Shirley Bassey version of Goldfinger and Tom Jones’ Thunderball.

Jazz trumpeter Steven Bernstein was the second-half interview. His quartet, Sex Mob, has a CD called Sex Mob Does Bond, where they play interpretations of Bond themes.

All Things Considered had a few good stories yesterday, as well:

• Riots in Nigeria (which explained the situation very well)
• A VERY funny commentary about the G.W. Bush – Gerhard Schroeder “tiff.”
• Walter Cronkite on the day that JFK was assassinated (1, 2)
• Ephedra
• Counter-Tenors (for you music majors/buffs)

Stray Toasters

• I have been quite lazy today. I think that the highlight of the day (so far) was a trip to the craft store to get some new leads, a blue non-photo pencil, and a new lead holder. I watched XME, and then the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and half-watched Transformers: Armada. T:A has yet to grow on me, but it makes for good background noise while I’m busy doing… um… well, nothing.
• I’m watching Purdue whoop up on Indiana U. The way it should be. They are playing for “The Old Oaken Bucket,” in the traditional rivalry game. These guys are working today. It’s early in the 4th quarter and Purdue has dominated this game; the score is 24 – 3. Go Boilers!
• Angie just copied this link to me. There are any number of jokes that can be made here, but I’ll refrain from making any. For now.
• I got to chat with my mother for a bit.

::: Postgame Update :::
Purdue won. 34 – 10.
The Old Oaken Bucket will spend the next year in West Lafayette!
::: End Update :::

That’s about it. I need to head to the comic shop and then get something to eat. And get ready for bowling.

Namaste.

Friday (part II): Response to my previous entry

[10:05] ShadoRunr: You
[10:05] : me.
[10:05] ShadoRunr: …are up early.
[10:05] ShadoRunr: (damn )
[10:06] : nah it’s noon
[10:06] : gotta work at 2
[10:06] ShadoRunr: Ah.
[10:17] ShadoRunr: Video Killed the Radio Star
[10:55] : yes indeed he did
[10:55] : in my mind and in my heart (or is it soul?)
[10:55] : damn buggles
[10:56] ShadoRunr: See this morning’s post. 🙂
[10:56] : awww yea
[10:57] : the worlds most catchy song
[10:58] ShadoRunr: No, THAT is “The Safety Dance.” Which also is one of the most ANNOYING songs, too.
[10:58] : i like safety dance 🙂
[10:59] : ‘course there is a completely separate category called “the most infectious songs”
[10:59] ShadoRunr: So do I…. in moderation.
[10:59] : of which i think the national geographic theme song is #1

Namaste.

Friday
Waking up this morning wasn’t too bad. Only one press of Ye Olde Button of Snoozing. I made it to the gym, had a decent workout and now… now, I am killing time before finishing the pre-work prep.

Song of the Day
You can blame (or thank) my gym for this one; once it came on the P.A. system, I had to make it the SotD. What is it? Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles, from the CD “The Ace of Plastic.” Alternately, you could listen to the cover, as done by The Presidents of the United States of America. The song is poppy and verra cheesy, but its video launched the MTV age of music videos… even though MTV only shows videos for about forty-five minutes a day now.

BrainyQuote Quote of the Day
It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper.
Rod Serling

How true. I wonder what he would say today, in a world where the rabbits would probably have an infomercial about toilet paper…?

Stray Toasters

• I’ve discovered a new “cat thing.” I have always heard that cats are… averse to water, at least when it comes to getting it on themselves. Sissy, the Wonder Kitty, now jumps into the shower, after I have just taken one, and proceeds to drink the water from the soap dish. (I don’t keep soap in the dish, so she isn’t drinking soapy water. AND, before starts spreading rumours that I don’t use soap: I use shower gel.) I guess that the “cats don’t like to get wet” theory has a “walking in water” exemption.
• Riots in Nigeria. At least 105 people have been killed (as of 1030 MST). They are attributing the riots to “Muslim fury over the country’s staging of the Miss World pageant next month.” This is another indication that there are some things that I just don’t “get.” If they don’t want the pageant held there, that’s one thing. Protest all you want. When it comes to killing or inciting others to violence over it… that’s a concept that I don’t grok.
• m3l posted a link to this picture; it’s NASA’s “Astronomy Picture of the Day.” It is from this past week’s Leonid meteor shower.
• One of today’s Talk of the Nation: Science Friday topics is the experimental vaccine against a virus that is linked to some forms of cervical cancer.

  Looks like music is the theme of the day (no pun intended…. or maybe it was) on Fresh Air. Today’s guests are composer John Barry and jazz trumpeter Steven Bernstein.

• From this morning’s conversation with :
  

  [10:20] THE niliyo: Ill survive
  [10:20] ShadoRunr: You go, Gloria Gaynor!
  [10:21] THE niliyo: lol
  [10:21] THE niliyo: whos that?
  [10:21] ShadoRunr: She’s the first person to record “I Will Survive.”
  [10:21] ShadoRunr: Cake just did a kick-ass version.
  [10:21] THE niliyo: oh
  [10:21] THE niliyo: never heard it
  [10:22] ShadoRunr: *jawdrop*
  [10:22] ShadoRunr: ::: feels old :::
  [10:22] THE niliyo: :\
  [10:22] THE niliyo: I heard the 1st version
  [10:22] THE niliyo: just not the new one
  [10:22] ShadoRunr: You’ve never heard Cake’s version of it?
  [10:23] ShadoRunr: Hmm…..
  [10:23] THE niliyo: nope
  [10:23] ShadoRunr: I thought that I had ripped it. No go.
  [10:23] THE niliyo: Ill dl it tonight
  [10:23] THE niliyo: sounds good
  [10:24] THE niliyo: I lie cake
  [10:24] THE niliyo: k
  [10:24] ShadoRunr: I thought that you meant that you lie in cake.
  [10:24] ShadoRunr: I was going to ask “Doesn’t that get messy?
  [10:24] ShadoRunr: ”
  [10:24] THE niliyo: lol

• I shall have to see Die Another Day sometime this weekend.

Off to gird myself for the battle against the legions of Hell.

Namaste.

Thursday
A restless night’s sleep, congestion, and a slight headache do not make for an auspicious awakening. Yes, it feels like a cold has set in. Joy. This has the potential of being a long day.

Song of the Day
Three from Tin Machine today: Working Class Hero (from “Tin Machine), One Shot and Baby Universal (from “Tin Machine II).

Stray Toasters
As yet, I don’t have anything for here. If anyone has something that they would like to share with the rest of the class, please feel free to do so.

And now, back to playing the “Let’s Get Ready for Work” game.

Namaste.

Wednesday (part II)
I left work early today. That’s right, in the words of : “I slacked out.” Yup. If I were a member of an updated Fantastic Four, I’d be Mr. Slacktastic.

NPR Stories
Terry Gross interviewed performance poet Sekou Sundiata (and his manager and friend , Katea Stitt). He read a few pieces, but his work wasn’t the focus of the interview. Here’s how the Fresh Air site introduces the interview:

He is one of New York’s most notable spoken-word artists. He blends lyrics of urban dwelling with music. Born in Harlem, Sundiata is a professor of English literature at The New School for Social Research. He’s released CDs of spoken word including The Blue Oneness of Dreams and Urban Music. This week, Sundiata premieres his new one-man show blessing the boats. It’s about the year his kidney failed, he went into dialysis and then had a kidney transplant. That year ended with him breaking his neck after he crashed his car in a snowstorm on the way to his “comeback” concert. He is fully recovered now.

Although they didn’t do much poetry, this was a really good interview. Give it a listen.

Stray Toasters

• Okay, now that it’s all over, I can finally say the following: Land resigned today. He had finally had enough of… well… “everything.” We talked at the gym last night and he said that he was considering it. He had it up to “here” with the disarray that is not uncommon at our… his former workplace.
  Congratulations and good luck!
  I know that saying “congratulations” to someone resigning might sound a little odd, but follow me on this one: He made a decision based on his ethics, morals and conscience. And, he acted on it. That deserves a “congratulations.”

• Why am I so drawn to this damned G.I. Joe cartoon? If anyone knows (or would simply like to hazard a guess), please fill me in.
• On the news tonight, I finally saw the video of Michael Jackson holding one of his kids over the fourth-story balcony of his Berlin hotel room… Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!? I have long thought that he was a bit… “out there.” I have re-assessed that opinion: I don’t think that he has ANY clue. “Out there?” That doesn’t even begin to cover it.
• Jess and I saw Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets tonight. It was a good adaptation. Very good. We both liked it. I might even listen to the books again.

  In a semi-related note: Today’s “IMDb Movie of the Day” is The Iron Giant. This is one of my favorite movies. Warner Brothers did a very poor job of marketing this movie…. BOTH times that they released it at the theatres. And, that’s a shame: It had a good story; it had interesting characters; it was fun, pure, plain and simple. If you have not seen it, do so. You won’t regret it. Hung up about the fact that it’s “a cartoon?” Get over it. Sure, the fact that it’s animated lets them get away with a few things but it does not detract from the story. If anything, it adds to it. Rent this movie!

• Someone posted this link on IRC earlier. WHAT?!?!? I’m not sure if this is another drain-circling indicator, but if it isn’t, it damn well ought to be!
• Sissy is curled up and sleeping on the futon. Every so often, she will hear something, wake up, look around and then conk back out. It’s cute.
• The construction that UDOT is doing on Redwood Road, right outside the apartment complex, hit the braincramp stage today. I can see it very easily moving into clusterfuck territory over the next few days… or weeks.

Okay, that’s about enough for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday
Midweek. Three more days of working and then it will be the weekend once more.

Song of the Day
I Go to Work by Kool Moe Dee, from the CD “Knowledge Is King.”

Stray Toasters

• Got to chat with Kris again this morning.
• Talked to Jonni for the first time in a long while. He’s been on tour; he said that they (Air Supply, he’s the bassist) just got back from a ten-day run in Mexico.
• I have been craving Cracker Jack, of all things, for the past couple of days. I may have to get some on the way home tonight.

Worktime!

Namaste.