Random Access

Sunday
Downtime is a good thing. Yes, indeed.

Of course, today was “Football Watching Day.” And so, I watched football. The Ravens played in the second set of games (4:05 PM EST), so the fact that I napped for a bit during the first series of games was not a problem. Here’s the way the games wound up:

Lost. Actually, they GAVE the game to the Saints. They started to comeback in the second half, but the monkey on their collective backs was not the rally monkey.


Won. Won BIG. They kicked the collective recta (or rectums, either is correct) of the Cincinnati Bengals.


They play Da Bears tomorrow night.

Comics stuff:

• They were out of JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, so I will have to get that when the re-orders come in this week.
• Green Arrow #19 – This title has been pretty consistently good. There was an interesting meeting between Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and Kyle Rayner, the current Green Lantern. There’s tension between them. Kyle is the replacement for Hal Jordan (Oliver’s best friend and the GL who went nuts and after a few other “bad turns,” eventually died, but, we’ll save that discussion for another time). Writer Brad Metzler, through Oliver, sums up the reason for the tension beautifully:
  

  Oliver: So… uh… nice to see you.
  Kyle: Yeah…um… nice to see you, too.

  ::: text-free panel of both characters :::

  Kyle: Can I ask you a question? Why do you give me such a hard time?
  Oliver: What’re you talking about?
  Kyle: The way you look at me — the way you stare me down…
  Oliver: Kid, I got no problem with you.
  Kyle: You do, Mister Queen. I know you do. It’s like you’re shaking your head, amazed they gave me the job.

  ::: text-free panel of Oliver :::

  Kyle: Am I wrong?
  Oliver: You wouldn’t understand.
  Kyle: Are you sure about that? You sure you know everything about me?
  Oliver: Listen, I didn’t mean–
  Kyle: They stuffed my girlfriend in a refrigerator. Snapped her neck, crumpled her up, and stuffed her dead body in my fridge. That was my first month.
  Oliver: I– I’m sorry.
  KyleI don’t want your pity, Mister Queen. It’s just a point. I haven’t walked in your shoes; you haven’t walked in mine.

  ::: text-free panel of Kyle :::

  Oliver: I’m not asking you to be Hal.
  Kyle: Everyone keeps saying that. No one means it.
  Oliver: I’m not sure you heard what I said. Kyle, it’s like someone showing up at your house on Halloween dressed as your dead best friend. And that’s it.
  Kyle: That’s it?
  Oliver: That’s it.

  I like good writing. Brad Metzler has been on this title for about 7 issues, but I like his style.

• Superman #189 – Clark has to go undercover to find Lana Lang. This is not a job for Superman. And he even has a run-in with Gotham City’s Dark Knight… and it doesn’t go well. The storyline, “Lost Hearts,” is a four-parter; I get the feeling that we will be seeing more of Mr. Wayne before the story ends.
• TechJacket #1 – This is a new title from Image Comics (a division of DC Comics). Imaging that an alien “gives” you one of the most powerful weapons in the known galaxy… and you can’t take it off. And other aliens want it… at any and all costs. That’s what the young protagonist, a junior-high student Zack, is dealing with.
• Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra #2 – A retelling of the early adventures of a young Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios before they became costumed adventurers. This is set in Marvel’s “Ultimate” universe, where they have taken characters whose origins were decades-old and have updated them. The entire “Ultimate” line – Spider-Man, X-Men and The Ultimates (the MUU version of The Avengers) have been well-done.
• Uncanny X-Men #416 – A story that focuses on Juggernaut. Very interesting. It seems as though there may be some changes in store for Mr. Marko.

My friend (and one-time roommate) Theo called. He’s been working on writing and drawing a comic book for the past few months. It looks like he’s finished the first issue and is not only working on more issues, but has a couple of other titles that he wants to flesh out. And, he wants me to work with him as a writer/consultant. I think that I could get into that. And, this would give us a good opportunity to get further along with a book that I have been working on and want him to illustrate. Yes… that would be a verra good thing.

After Jess got out of work, we went to Olive Garden for dinner. I tried a new dish (Chicken Vino Bianco) and it was quite good. I enjoyed a nice glass of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay with the meal.

After dinner, we went to the Ft. Union B&N for a couple of hours. We ran into Jaclyn F. (a former co-worker of mine from the REC); we talked for a little bit. Jess read and I did some drawing. And, what extended trip to B&N would be complete without tasty coffee beverages and/or cheesecake? While we were there, Adam called. He asked if I could change his ticket for going home. “Uh… no.”

And then…. hometime.

That covers the day. Methinks that I shall finish watching this ep of Stargate SG-1 and then ponder the possibilities of calling it a night. After all, I have to work tomorning.

Namaste.

Saturday
Had to go in to new work today. Not bad. We had to unload the conveyor system. It was HEAVY! Okay… enough of that. It wasn’t a bad “first day.” And that is a “good” thing.

After work, Jess and I went out to dinner with Teresa and Shane. We ate at McGrath’s Fish House (at The Gateway). I had crab cakes. They were good… not “Maryland-Style Crab Cakes” good, but they were tasty.

After that, we headed to the bowling alley for a little pin-killing. Only Mary, Larry and I bowled. But, it was all right. (Except for the fact that I left my phone there and wound up having to go BACK to the alley at 0200 to get it.) And, of course, there were traditional post-bowling eats at the Inn of the Village.

Quotes of the Day
Today’s quotes come from :

• Quote #1 (from a conversation between some women with whom she works): “But… I pee out of that!”
• Quote #2: “What the fuck?! I’m cool to hang out with. Someone do me!!!”

Stray Toasters
With Christmas music in the air, I want to go on the record as saying that I am not fond of whatever version of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year it was that Jess and I heard today. Nor am I a fan of any version of Jingle Bell Rock or Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. I do like The Heatmiser and Snowmiser songs from “A Year Without Santa Claus” and (Have a) Holly Jolly Christmas. Of course, the top song for me is still Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie.

And that’s all for tonight, kids!

Namaste.

Friday (coda)
Fait accompli. “It is done.”

I am no longer a USPS employee. And, I have to say that this was one of the fastest workdays that I can remember. There were people who were still coming up to me today asking,”Is it true that you’re leaving?” But, the news did seem to travel pretty fast for only 48 hours of lead time.

The funniest thing about the day is something that I remembered from my friend Bret’s graduation from Marine boot camp: After the graduation exercises were over, all (and I do mean all) of the privates/corporals were shouting things like “I am going to…” or “I can do…” or “My….” Bret explained it to us: For the thirteen weeks of boot camp, the recruits could not use the pronouns “I,” “me” or “my.” When graduation was over, those words were fair game again.

Today, I understood what they were experiencing. In talking with people, I caught myself saying things like: “I don’t have to come back here after today,” and “I am no longer a member of ‘The Collective,'” and “My time is no longer controlled by mail volumes.” It was great. Liberating, even. And above all that, it was fun.

There are people that I’ll miss… but I won’t miss the place. Someone asked me if I was going to trash my former place of employment, employers or co-workers. The simple answer: “No.” I have neither the need nor the desire to do so. That would sound like I’m bitter about my experiences there… and I’m not. Sure, there were things that I didn’t like (most of which I mentioned in my Summer 2001 posts) and there were some people that I didn’t care for, but that is something that you find in just about ANY work environment. Therefore, if you were expecting some post-resignation dirt, sorry to disappoint you.

Stray Toasters

• I just finished playing “travel agent” for Adam again. This time was for his ticket home for Winter Break.
• kept me company while I dealt with the Orbitz site. THANKS!!!
• I’m hungry… but I have no idea what I want to eat.
• Paul and I were talking about the now-cancelled Birds of Prey (among other shows and movies) for a while this evening. He had an interesting idea: Make it an animated series. If done in the style of Justice League, it could work. And work well, at that.

Time to turn the page and see what the next chapter has in store…

Namaste.

Friday
Eight more work hours and then I am free of federal service. “Federal service. Hmm, that sounds like I copped it from Starship Troopers. *shrug* It’s amusing to me, at least. I finally got what feels like a decent night’s sleep.

Song of the Day
Limelight by Rush, from the CD “Moving Pictures.” This is a good “get up and get your day started” song (The Spirit of Radio are One Little Victory among Rush’s others.¹) This is the song that was playing on the radio when the alarm went off this morning; it came on at this point:

Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation,
Get on with the fascination,
The real relation,
The underlying theme.

I take that as a good omen.

Link of the Day
Someone posted the link to the self-professed “Best Page in the Universe”. I’m not sure that it is “the best,” but I did find it damned entertaining.

Stray Toasters

• : Parts of this afternoon’s Talk of the Nation – Science Friday looks like it might be right up your alley.
• I got to chat with my mother and two of my sibs this morning. I talked to the other sib last night… but, we won’t go into that here.
• I am experiencing a minor craving for a Goldrush® ice cream sundae from Swensen’s. If only there was a Swensen’s in Salt Lake City…
• Gameboy Advance users of the world unite! Or something like that. My friend Mycah just posted the URL for the Flash2Advance GBA Backup System. Looks verra interesting…

And that’s it for now. Time to finish my final day of work-prep as a postal employee. (It still seems a little “odd” to say/write that, but it also feels REALLY good to be able to say it.)

Namaste.

¹ – When a word’s singular form ends in “-s” or “-x” or “-sh” (and possibly “-ch”), it is acceptable to denote the possessive form using only an apostrophe. That is to say that you don’t have to write it as “…’s.”

Thursday
Where to start? Where to start?

Well, let’s get this of the way right off the bat: As of 20:30 MST on Friday, 06 December 2002, I will no longer be employed by the United States Postal Service. After 8-and-a-half years, I’m calling it quits. (Well, actually, I called it quits last night before I left, but Friday is my last day.)

The new job opportunity has been looming for a few weeks, but it came into full view and got very in-my-face on Tuesday night. So, I made the obligatory calls to parental units for input; both of them were supportive. And, so…. I’m taking the plunge. I’m a little scared, but really looking forward to this.

Okay, that’s it for the “big news.” Back to your regularly scheduled LJ entry.

NPR/PRI Stories
Yes, after a brief hiatus, the public radio story links are back! They MAY be on hiatus for a while, as I transition into the new job next week, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, however, on with the show!
Talk of the Nation had a few interesting topics today: Profile of Saddam Hussein, “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (they also go into the history of the term, which is FAR older than I had thought), Charities and Charitable Donations, and

Fresh Air had interviews with Ayesha Imam (a Nigerian human rights activist), Steve Buscemi and a piece about the band The Lovin’ Spoonful.

All Things Considered had stories about: East Coast Blizzard Aftermath, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond at 100 Years Old, New Information in the Boston Archdiocese Sex Scandal, and Exiled Afghan Art Exhibit in Houston

Song of the Day
Today’s songs come courtesy of the Fresh Air segment on The Lovin’ Spoonful (different link). They are: Daydream, Do You Believe in Magic? and Summer in the City.

Stray Toasters

• Apparently, Jess just found out that there the U.S.S. Enterprise crashes (again) in the new movie. I just heard this from the living room: “Aw, man! They’re crashing the Enterpise again… *sigh*”
• : Take a look at this.
• A part of me wants to see the movie Drumline. It’s about the marching band at a fictitious southern university. Geeky? Maybe. But if you have ever seen the halftime show of a southern school (especially historically African-American institutions), then you know that they are something to see. And besides, Orlando Jones is in it, too. But, it opens next Friday… against Star Trek: Nemesis, which I also want to see.
• A friend on IRC just posted this link. I’m not sure what to make of it. Part of me wants to laugh hysterically; part of me thinks, “I can kind’a see where this is coming from…”

Quotes of the Day
Quote #1 is an “encore presentation” of an old QotD from Dee that I used in an AIM conversation earlier tonight:

[22:21] : aaaaaaaand now it’s my turn
[22:21] ShadoRunr: Ouch.
[22:21] : yay
[22:22] ShadoRunr: In the words of my friend Dee: “Bend. Wince.”

Quote #2 (from the same conversation):

[22:48] : lol I HAVE POWERS BEYOND YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION!!
[22:48] ShadoRunr: Wow.
[22:48] : i can leap tall sofas in a single bound!
[22:48] : i’m faster than a speeding yorkshire terrier!
[22:48] : well…not really…
[22:49] : i’m faster than a speeding electric wheelchair!
[22:49] : look! up in the sky! it’s a bird! it’s a plane! it’s another bird!

Quote #3 (still the same conversation):

[23:14] : ya know
[23:14] : i usually don’t curse much
[23:15] : but when i talk to *name withheld* i turn into a pulp fiction character

I think that’s about enough for now.

Namaste.

Didn’t post earlier… no time.
I’ll have to take care of that after I eat.

Namaste

Wednesday
Midweek. This is a good thing.

Song of the Day
Headlong by Queen, from the CD “Innuendo.”

Stray Toasters

• I slept a little fitfully last night. I had a very weird dream, as well: A helicopter flew over the apartment complex… and then did a nosedive into the parking lot of the shopping center across the street.
• Sissy is fascinated by the printer. Whenever I print something, she runs into the room, stands in front of the printer and stares at it… trying to figure something out.

Namaste.

Tuesday
I am not a happy camper.

The seller of the Superman cel that I won has still not received payment for it, even though USPS “Delivery Confirmation” says that it should have arrived by this past Saturday.

::: braincramp :::As such, he has relisted the cel. Meaning: I would have to rebid on the item. And go to the local USPS station and fill out a form for a refund for the original money order. AND, assuming that I rebid on the cel and win it, go through the whole resend the money order process again. Although, this time I would send it Express Mail (thus, I would be able to track the damned thing EVERY step of the way).
::: braincramp :::
And, did I mention that it will take sixty (60) days from the date of issue of the money order to get the refund? No? Well, consider it mentioned.
::: grumble ::: Damned Postal Service ::: grumble :::

Otherwise, things are just ducky. Peachy keen. Fine and dandy.

Song of the Day
In light of the joy that I am feeling over this whole eBay eBidet debacle, today’s songs are: Hard Luck Story and It’s a Mistake by Men at Work, from the “Contraband: Best of Men at Work” CD.

Stray Toasters
The toaster is currently unplugged.

Namaste.

I just noted that this post did not actually post here this morning, but posted to instead. So… here it is.

Monday
Another work week begins and the holiday season is now upon us.

Song of the Day
Our House by Madness from the CD “Madness.”

Stray Toasters

• I didn’t sleep very well. I need coffee. Soon. I don’t feel the urge to run out and get frozen mocha goodness, so I shall brew some.
• Adam made it back to Oklahoma with no problems. His luggage, however, decided to take an extended tour of the Denver airport. It arrived a few hours later. The airline delivered it to him on campus.
• It is officially “the Christmas season” in my book. How do I define that? Whenever I hear Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. We heard it Saturday afternoon, I think. (Maybe it was Friday…) For me, that song makes it “the season.” Of course, last year, I didn’t hear it until Christmas Eve. Go figure. And I won’t mention the fact that I have a CD with the song (and video) and could have heard it at any time that I so desired.

Off to make coffee and then on to work!

Namaste.

Sunday (coda)

• As I mentioned earlier, the Ravens, Dolphins and Panthers all played during the early games today. I started watching the Ravens game. Good thing. I watched it while lying on the futon. NOT a good thing. I wound up sleeping though most of the games. It’s amazing what lack of sleep will do to your Sunday afternoon TV watching. The Ravens and the Panthers pulled off wins; The Dolphins… no go.
• After Jess left work, we went to The Gateway. We met Mary, Angie and Jon at European Connection. We had coffee and crepes. Rather tasty.
• Then we went to Larryland North (commonly referred to as “Megaplex 12 at the Gateway) and saw Treasure Planet. It was good. I have never read Treasure Island, the Robert Louis Stevenson novel on which the movie was based, but I think that I will have to put it on the “To Do” list. The movie reminded me of Titan A.E. in some ways. It might be more apt to say that Titan A.E., in retrospect, reminded me of Treasure Planet.
• A friend of mine told me about a hare-brained thing that his brother did. He was asked if he would mind being interviewed about software piracy. He said ‘no problem.’ He was also asked if he had any pirated software/media on his system. Again, he said ‘no problem.’ They asked if they could use (i.e.: PRINT) his name in the article. He said… that’s right…. ‘no problem.’ Hello?! McFly?!
• The Dick Van Dyke Show is on. “True Confession” time: I like Dick Van Dyke as an actor. I wasn’t a big fan of Diagnosis Murder, but I have been a longtime fan of the 1960s show… not to mention his various Disney movies. However, there is something a little surreal about seeing this tonight: Mary Tyler Moore. No, MTM is not surreal in and of herself. Let me backtrack a little: Last week, at the Virgin Megastore, I came across a copy of Change of Habit. This movie stars Elvis Presley as a doctor (?!?) and Mary Tyler Moore as a nun. (For some reason, after seeing Sally Field as The Flying Nun, thinking of MTM as a nun isn’t too much of a stretch.) The surreal thing is that Change of Habit is playing on AMC at the moment. “Curiouser and curiouser,” said Little Alice…

  Synchronicity. Who knew?!

That’s about it for now.

Namaste.

Sunday
And so…

I took Adam to the airport this morning. His flight left at 0800; I had thought that getting him a flight this early might avoid some of the problems of long lines and waiting. Wrong. Fortunately, we were able to check his bags at the sky cap station outside. (Translation: “No waiting in line.”)

He said that he had a good time and enjoyed himself. He survived not only coming to the Land Behind the Zion Curtain, but also staying with Jess, the cats and me and meeting my friends. Not only did he survive them… he liked them. Not too shabby, if I do say so. It was nice to have him here. In fact, it was almost like going home for a few days. Almost.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to mention that we went to the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University (BYU) on Friday. Larry told us at Mallday that he and a few others were heading down there to see the Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection exhibit. It was the first time in a very long time that I have been to an art museum. The exhibit was very impressive. There was a 00:10 video that they showed that explained a little of the history of the empire and the artwork, then you walked through the exhibit. At the entrance, you were given a wireless headset which could be used to listen to additional information about the pieces of art and some historical data.

  Larry’s parents went to the exhibit, too. They left before the rest of us. When they came up to me, I looked at his father in mock-astonishment and said, “You can’t leave yet! We haven’t gone for dessert and coffee!” He looked at me with mock-surprise, put a finger to his lips and mouthed, “You can’t say ‘coffee’ here!” I gave him my patented “I don’t think that it’s humanly possible for me to care less” look. He laughed.

• Saturday
  • We went on a mini-tour of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We drove past the Solitude and Brighton ski resorts.
  • Then we drove up Wasatch Drive to show Adam the view of the valley… which wasn’t nearly as impressive as it could have been due to the inversion and haze.
  • From there, we headed downtown to The Gateway. We ate dinner and walked around the shops.
  • Land and Catherine met us and we went to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. It. Was. Crowded. It was cool to have Land there to explain/discuss some of the history of the buildings and the LDS Church. We also went to the LDS Church Conference Center. To describe it in one word: Wow. That place is a marvel of modern architecture. That’s really about the only way to describe it. We went into the assembly hall area and we (those of us who had not been there before) stared in slackjawed amazement. The room seats 21,000 people. Twenty-one thousand. And there is another, smaller ‘theatre’ that seats an additional 1000. Land told us that one of the local newspapers had a comparative graphic of the auditorium, after the building had been completed: You could fit (not “squeeze in”… fit) a 747 on the floor of the hall. Unglaublich! We walked up to the balconies on the Center’s exterior and looked out over Temple Square and Main Street Plaza (which is the hotbed of a current local debate).
  • We walked through Main Street Plaza and ran into Julia, her sister Brenda, and her nieces and nephews. Totally unexpected, but very cool.
  • Bowling. Last night’s lineup: Jess, Lisa, Mary, Adam, Larry, Matt and me. Angie was there, but didn’t bowl. Land and Catherine showed up for a bit, as well.
  • Traditional post-bowling Village Inn breakfast. It was… “interesting,” to say the least. Yes, that’s a good way to put it. Jen and Keith showed up here… but they got there about 00:20 before we were getting ready to leave.

::: Football Update :::
All three of my teams are playing at the same time today. This means that there will either be a great flipping of channels or (if we get a feed that shows either the Panthers or Dolphins game) I will watch one game on the TV and one on the computer.
::: End Update :::

I think that I need something to eat. No… I’m pretty sure of it. There is a bowl of Honeycomb® calling my name. I’m going to answer that call.

Namaste.