Random Access

Something that made this a good day was the ability to do some major sleeping in. Verra good, indeed. For some reason, during moment of semi-lucidity, I woke up and thought that I had overslept for work. After some mental gymnastics, I deduced that it was “Sunday” and not “Monday,” I rolled over, curled up in the blankets and zoned out again.

Football!
Today was opening day for the season. Baltimore played Carolina and lost. Although, I can’t be too upset about that: The Ravens may be my #1 team, but Panthers are #2… besides, after the past few seasons that Carolina has had, I am just glad to see them with a game in the “W” column. Miami (my #3 team) seems to have whooped-up on Detroit. So, my teams are 2 – 1 on the day. I can live with that.

While watching the end of the Minnesota-Chicago game, I managed to get an AIM client working under Linux. Simple pleasure, but an accomplishment nonetheless.

What’s on tap for the rest of the day? Not sure yet. But, after a good night’s morning’s sleep and some gridiron action, I think that I’m ready for pretty much anything.

Peace.

Saturday
Good day. Very good day.

The discussion went well. Quite well, in fact. It lasted about 3 hours (give or take). There were seven of us and, once again, everyone participated. That’s a good thing. We went from the restaurant (inside, where we ate, to their patio) to Borders. I might go into more detail about it tomorrow. Suffice if to say: I was pleased with the way it turned out and those who attended said that they enjoyed the opportunity to express their opinions and to hear others’ thoughts, as well. Hoo-AH!

Bowling was good, too. Larry, Matt, Scott and I bowled while Jess formed our cheering section. We had the traditional post-bowling feast at V.I.

After I came home, I figured out (with some online assistance from Larry) how to add mountpoints and mount another hard drive to my Linux system! Now, I have access to all of the files that I use under Windows. Basically, this just means that I can get to my mp3s from Linux now!

It’s been a long day and I need sleep. Lots of it. In fact, I think that I shall get some sleep now.

Peace.

Friday
Not too bad. After all, it was the end of the work week… and that’s never a bad thing.

NPR/PRI Stories
The World: North Korean Refugees
TotN – Science Friday: Psychological Effects of 9-11 (No audio available)
TotN – Science Friday: Technology and Engineering (No audio available)
All Things Considered: Central Park Jogger Case
All Things Considered: Photography (Commentary)
All Things Considered: C.P.E. Bach Sonatas and Rondos
All Things Considered: Jobless Report
All Things Considered: Louisiana Wetlands

Enough lollygagging…
I should finish getting my notes ready for tomorrow’s… well, I guess that should be “today’s”… lunch discussion. If it goes half as well as the last one, then it will be good. Some of the same people will be there, but there will also be a few new faces; the viewpoints should be similarly diverse.

Peace.

Because news sources just can’t get enough of that pesky Northern Snakehead, this is for and .

Thursday
Another day in Paradise.

NPR/PRI Stories
Talk of the Nation: Update on Al-Qaeda
Talk of the Nation: Iraq
Talk of the Nation: Crawfish: A Noun and a Verb?
All Things Considered: ‘Element 118’ Fraud

Last year, physicists at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California announced they had manufactured an entirely new chemical element. It was the fattest atom yet to be added to the periodic table. Only, it turns out that the evidence for Element 118 was completely fabricated. At least that is the conclusion of an internal report by the lab. The scientist fingered in the investigation insists he did nothing wrong. NPR’s David Kestenbaum has the strange story of the atom that wasn’t

All Things Considered: “No Parole” Policy Challenged
All Things Considered: Health Insurance Costs
All Things Considered: Mortgage Rates

Hmmm…
I don’t think that I have anything to rant about tonight. I think that I got it all out of my system this morning.

I do, however, need to put some notes together for the lunch discussion that I am hosting on Saturday; this time, our topic is “September 11: One Year Later” We’re going to discuss how our lives, as individuals and as a country, have changed over the past year. We’re also going to expand the discussion to cover stereotypes and misconceptions about peoples’ differences (race, religion, and other categories).

Peace.

On Tuesday, I heard a story on the local NPR station that seemed to defy all logic and reason. The mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson, is attempting to get a bill passed that will make permit trains to pass through an area in/near downtown SLC without having to sound their horns! The line in question hasn’t been used in roughly three (3) years, but with the renovations to downtown SLC, Union Pacific Railroad has been running “test trains” to determine whether or not to reopen the line. Some of the issues that this raises are:

• It crosses a fairly major street;
• Part of the area is zoned as residential;
• Federal laws mandate that trains must sound their horns when approaching ALL rail/road crossings. (Sidebar: They blow the letter “Q” in the Morse Code – the Doppler Effect allows one to determine how far the engine is from the intersection.)

So far, I haven’t been able to find any articles that reference the “no-horn” proposal, but here are some related links to the issue:

• Salt Lake City News & Issues
• Minutes of City Council of Salt Lake City Meeting (02 July 02)
• Salt Lake Tribune Article (07 July 02)
• Altamont Press – Railroad Newsline

::: boggle :::
This is something that I’m going to keep an eye on. It will be interesting to see how it develops as a resident of the greater SLC metro area and as a train buff. Also, it bears watching to see if Union Pacific is willing to make any accomodations or concessions for the residents of the area who were told that the line was not going to be reactivated.

Meanwhile…
From : “…would anyone be interested in a genuine compliment? Im feeling nice today. ”

[09:52] ShadoRunr: What’s the catch….?
[09:52] ShadoRunr: 😉
[09:52] THE niliyo: lol
[09:52] THE niliyo: hmm
[09:52] THE niliyo: nothing
[09:53] THE niliyo: maybe a lil sarcasm here n there but that’s normal
[09:53] ShadoRunr: Wow.
[09:53] ShadoRunr: Sign me up, then!
[09:53] THE niliyo: cant be sure if youll get a real one or a sarcastic one tho
[09:53] THE niliyo: u sure?
[09:54] ShadoRunr: Are you kidding?!!? If I can drive to Vegas to take my chances on roulette in Caesar’s Palace, what have I got to lose by asking for a comment?
[09:57] ShadoRunr: ….besides, I trust you.
[09:57] ShadoRunr: ::: genuflect :::
[09:57] THE niliyo: ok then
[09:58] THE niliyo: you have nice hair

Wednesday
I spent most of the day in flats processing. Good thing. It was Salt Lake flats, so it was something of a mixed blessing. Not-as-good thing, but easily dealt with. It was yet another uneventful day.

After work, I headed to the B&N at The Gateway (again). Tonight, I found an ornithology book that had exactly what I was looking for last night: Pictures of wing and feather structure/placement. Perfect. I made a quick drawing of an extended wing and a few figure poses from the new Sports Illustrated “Best of the Century” (or something like that) photo-mag. And enjoyed a tasty Mocha Frappuchino.

NPR/PRI Stories
The World: Muslims in Denmark
The World: Ice Cream Flavors
The World: Global Hit: Seiko Matsuda
Talk of the Nation: Relationship Disorders
Talk of the Nation: Thomas Mudd
Talk of the Nation: Vocational Education
All Things Considered: Infertility Ads
All Things Considered: The Hank Dogs
All Things Considered: Vegas Bookies and the UNLV/Wisconsin Football Game
All Things Considered: ‘Snitchers’

Fresh Air had a 40-minute interview with David Bowie today! I would have posted a link to the conversation, but “The audio for this segment is unavailable due to Internet rights issues,” according to the Fresh Air website. I even checked BowieNet, but the only thing that they had listed was a post stating that he would be on the show.

::: shakes fist :::
And with that…. goodnight.

Peace.

Tuesday
Average day – aside from the fact that we had to wait for mail to process. Oh, the joys of working the day after a holiday… So, we waited. For about an hour. Then the mail came. Sporadically.

After work, I headed to the downtown B&N and did some drawing. I wanted to do a little more work on something that I started yesterday afternoon, but I needed reference material.

NPR/PRI Stories
The World: Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations
The World: Macbeth in Hanoi
Talk of the Nation: Schools’ Roles in Dealing with Obesity in Children
Talk of the Nation: 2002 Election Predictions
All Things Considered: A Year in Pakistan
All Things Considered: Survivor

This is a story about a young sailor from the Deep South, and the experience that changed his life. Lanier Philips was on a U.S. Navy ship wrecked during a vicious storm off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada during World War II. More than 200 of Philips’ shipmates died, but he was rescued. The kind treatment Philips received as he recuperated forever altered his life, opening his eyes to the possibility of a world without racism. Producer Chris Brookes has the extraordinary story of Lanier Philips. (22:00)

(Note: This was an amazing story. I highly recommend that everyone listen to it.)

Peace.

Monday
It was a relaxing day off. I slept in. Went to Borders to get a little drawrin’ done. And headed to Jess’ parents’ for a little while. Even got to roughhouse with her nephews (7,6, and 4 years old).

On the way home, we saw four missionaries walking through our complex. How do I know that they were missionaries? Trust me: after living here, you pick up on a few things. Of course, the black pants, white shirts, black ties and name tags didn’t hurt. This is the first thing that came to mind:

Coming soon…. to a neighborhood near you…

Young Men in Black (and White).
Coming to make your homes safe from sin.
Spreading the Gospel and kicking some unholy… butt.

They are… Elder Force: Men on Bikes.

It reminded me of this, which I wrote a couple of years ago. Silly? Maybe. Irreverent? Hmm. Hopefully not too much. Fun to write… rewrite… re-rewrite? You betcha!

Anywho, now that I’ve had time to watch the Sisko and the Janeway/Barbie Borg Shows, along with a bowl of tasty iced creams, I think I’ll get a few things ready for work tomorning.

And, finally…
For and : More Northern Snakehead goodness!

Peace.

Sunday
I was awakened by the phone this morning… at 09:13. And, by the time I answered, the caller had hung up. It was my father… so I called him back.

Dad: Good morning, what can I do for you?
Me: You called me.
Dad: (pause) I did?
Me: Yup.
Dad: I was trying to call Mr. Brooks (an associate of Dad’s). I thought that I looked at the number that came up… I guess I goofed.

It wasn’t a critical error, and these things do happen. So, after I talked to him, I went back to sleep. I called my mom and my uncle, later in the day, to catch up on the N.C. and N.Y. news fronts.

Baseball is good.
Jess and I had fun at the game. We had seats on the lower level, down the 3rd base line. We had hot dogs and lemonade. We watched baseball. It was cool. Just what a lazy summer Sunday afternoon should be like. The Stingers lost to the (Memphis) Redbirds, but it didn’t matter – the Stingers had already clinched a spot in the playoffs.

On the way to the game, I stopped at the comic shop to see if they had a copy of Fantastic Four (3rd series), #9. Since Talk of the Nation’s Neal Conan was in town and calling the game, I figured that I’d try to get the issue signed by him. Why would I want a talk radio host/reporter to sign my comic?

1. “Just because…”
2. He, or rather his 2-D counterpart, appears in the book. (He is a friend of Chris Claremont, who was writing the book at the time.)
3. He suggested that issue to me in an email a couple of months ago. (I also have a couple of issues of Uncanny X-Men that he appeared in, when Claremont wrote that series.)
4. He was in town and it seemed like a good opportunity.

But, the store was sold out. So… I will have to go through my collection at Dad’s and dig out my copy and send it to NPR.

After the game, we came home and basically did nothing. And it was good. I got my doses of Old Trek (Enterprise) and the Sisko Show. I even watched Stargate SG-1 to bat the cycle on getting my geek fix. Well, I did accomplish something: I uploaded the pictures from my camera to the PC, retouched them… and even managed to post the pics of Courtney, as intended.

Peace.

A day off.
Nice weather.
And… BASEBALL!!!

Saturday
Nothing like a nice, relaxing day off.

I had intended to go to Borders and do some drawing… but those plans got waylaid. Instead, I spent the afternoon going to Harbor Freight (hardware store), Best Buy, and Home Depot. Oh, yeah… Adrian and I spent a bit of time coming up with ideas for a robot that we have decided to build. Nothing fancy. Yet. We’re not expecting this to go on BattleBots, Robot Wars or Robotica… but one of its children or grandchildren may be up to the task.

Went bowling and to V.I. with Jess, Jen and Larry; Angie met us at V.I. I was a *little* torqued at bowling tonight. I normally bowl with two balls, a 14-pound ball (dark blue) that I’ve had for roughly 10 years and a 16-pound ball (red with the N.C. State ‘Wolfpack’ mascot on it – it was given to me) that I’ve had for about 8 years. During our second game, the blue ball got stuck somewhere in the ball return. When it came back, a few minutes later, it had been so marred by the machine that I didn’t recognize it! Hello?!? I’ve had this ball for 10 years… I’d almost know it in the dark! And I didn’t even know that the ball in the return was mine?!?

I was not a happy camper. Nor was I a happy bowler. Jen tried to cheer me up. Here’s a little bit o’ trivia, just in case we should meet: If I am in a “bad mood” (and you generally won’t have to ask whether I am or not), DO NOT try “cute” things to attempt to make me feel better. They do not work. In fact, they typically serve to irritate me even further. Let me ride out the mood and I will be all right.

Fortunately, having bowled at this alley for a couple of years, I know many of the staff members. After I explained what happened, they told me that they would have someone take care of it for me. They were very nice about the whole situation. And, as I’ve mentioned at least once or twice: I appreciate good customer service and relations.

The night wound up all right, in the end. On the “Things to Look Forward To” front, I am going to the Stingers game tomorrow… so I’ll get a little Minor League baseball goodness to sweeten my weekend. And that ain’t a bad thing. Not at all.

Peace.