Random Access

Thursday – 12 July 2007
Last night, after saving the world – or at least a portion of Paragon City – I stretched out on the bed, thinking, “I’ll lie here for a minute and then get a shower and get a little reading before bed.”

Three-hundred-fifteen minutes later, I woke up.
Road to Hell, meet my friends: Good Intentions, Handbasket and Gasoline Drawers.

But, I didn’t wake up with a headache this morning. And it didn’t take long to cut through the “I’m tired” haze, either.

The Scales of Justice
I logged into CoH and looked for a team to join.

Nada. Zip. Zilch. Sorry. No go, Flight.

So, I boarded the train and headed to Brickstown. I had a mission there and if nothing else, I could happily get pummeled to death (again) by Freakshow, Crey or The Council. A minute or two after stepping off the train, I was invited to join a Level 29 Blaster who was hunting Crey and Council. I did. And we beat on them mercilessly. A few more minutes passed and I was messaged by a member from my supergroup who wanted to team; I dropped from the hunt and joined up… and wound up leading the team. We got some decent experience out of the deal and I didn’t die, which is always a bonus.

Stray Toasters

• I want crab cakes. Or salmon cakes. But, I’d happily settle for a Tastykake.
• By way of Dwim: Zombie infestation simulation
• Mortuary novelty gift shop
• …and since we’re on a roll: Dead Man’s Party (video)
• I dream of rain
  I dream of gardens in the desert sand

  It has rained in the valleys. Our temps have dropped by almost 30°F.

• : [link]
  : In the name of the OJ, the eggs and the holy toast
  : Amen.
  : *genuflect*
• Sidewalk stencil choose-your-own-adventure
• 
• The computer virus turns 25
• It seems as though and I will be going to see Robots Blowing Shit Up on Saturday.
• “Reclaime”
• Cotton Candy. Spun sugar goodness… no matter what Tyranist says.

/lunch

Namaste.

I was having a conversation with about Order of the Phoenix. Here are some excerpts:

[16:53]: So… you weren’t pleased with Phoenix last night?
[16:53]: i liked it, but i was just really dissapointed in the the death scene, which was all changed from the book
[16:53]: and then just not explaining things
[16:53]: They’re taking into account – or just “for granted” – that everyone knows.
[16:54]: yeah.. they really are
[16:54]: i hope everyone has
[16:54]: lol
[16:54]: The only difference that I wasn’t “thrilled” with was Umbridge.
[16:54]: lots of little things that just never get explained
[16:54]: i actually loved her
[16:54]: I wanted to see her get zapped silly.
[16:54]: You…
[16:54]: Oh, look at the time.
[16:54]: i did
[16:54]: she was evil
[16:54]: I…. have…. a thing…. with…. someone……. somewhere.
[16:54]: shut up
[16:55]: and not enough snape.. my fav character and never and screen time
[16:55]: enough
[16:55]: It’s not Snape and the Order of the Phoenix
[16:55]: *ducks*
[16:55]: LOL
[16:56]: it was the prettiest of the films
[16:56]: Yes.
[16:56]: It was.
[16:56]: And the Jedi fight at the end was good, too.
[16:56]: and i was so happy the death eaters no longer looked like army of darkness KKK members
[16:56] : hahahahahaha
[16:56] : well they did

…and…

[17:02] : oh and voldy in a suit was hot
[17:02] : heh
[17:02] : just saying
[17:02] : LOL
[17:03] : Actually, this movie made me like Luna
[17:03] : The actress who played her was good.
[17:03] : i know… she was perfect
[17:03] : She didn’t come off as a complete flake.
[17:03] : Just a little… spacy
[17:03] : just a little off

And, that’s about the time that iTunes started playing Rhapsody in Blue. Great piece of music. But, hearing it wasn’t enough. I had to see it. Fortunately, I had The Fantasia Anthology here and could watch it. If you’ve never seen it, you can catch it, in two parts, on YouTube (1, 2). I think that they did an excellent job of tying the animation into the music.

And that’s all I have to say. For now.

Stray Toasters

• I didn’t know that Carmen was a Harry Potter fan. According to , she’s pretty avid/rabid about the book-to-movie adaptations. I’ll be interested to hear how she receives Order of the Phoenix.
• My inner six-year-old thinks that this is neat… and covets it.
• – Vermont town voted Simpsons home
• Chicken-fish! (for )
• SATA. Motherboard. PATA. (You know who you are…)
• “Ensign So-and-So, why don’t you go over there and investigate those strange readings…”

*voop*

Wednesday – 11 July 2007
Last night was Harry Potter night. Many thanks, major kudos and a danke schen to for getting us tickets to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I thought that it was a good adaptation of (what I remember from) the book. Perfect? I don’t know that I’d call it “perfect,” but it was fun… exactly as a summer movie should be. I even referred to it as “…a great Star Wars movie.” No, there were no lightsabers or AT-ATs or Aluminum Falcons Millennium Falcons… but there was a very good wizards’ battle at the movie’s climax, which I thought had the same feel as the ‘saber battle in Empire Strikes Back – this is what I wanted to see. Go check it out.

Post-movie, I had dinner with , Mr. and Mrs. , Vikki and Chris. I found out that the went kayaking this weekend.

This morning, I woke up with a headache the size of… um… well, it hurt a lot. So I ignored the alarm (and the iPod) and rolled over to try and see if a little more sleep would help abate it. It did, to a degree. But, not enough of one.

Stray Toasters

• On the way to the theatre, Queen’s “A Kind of Magic” made its way into the iPod music rotation. It made me laugh.
• : You should touch base with ; he seems to have discovered an affinity for kayaking.
• 
• Transformers may be “More than meets the eye,” but what happens when they meet the Blendtec?
• By way of : Eyes Wide Shut – blindfolded artists draw their famous characters.
• 
• Pixel Mario cake made from cupcake squares
• Steampunk motorcycles

Attack the day like birds of prey…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 10 July 2007
This morning started off well enough, but was made more interesting/amusing by the following tidbit from Tyranist:

More Hasbro products begging for the Michael Bay movie treatment

The first few are… okay, but the last one put a wicked grin on my face.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, for the first time in far too long, I fired up the GameBoy. Advance SP, kids. I played a game of Madden 2003. As the Ravens. And won. If you remember anything about the 2003 season, you know that the Ravens weren’t exactly a… um… well, let’s just say that they weren’t a great team. But, the key point is: I won.
• Pretzel Goldfish.
• 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 S.O.S.
• 
• Librarians pimp their book carts
• 

Namaste.

Monday – 09 July 2007
A new week begins…

Work was good. Relatively painless. Nothing to write home about. After work, I stopped by to pick up a Sentinel ‘Clix from Perry – I need to exorcise a demon and this is a necessary artifact to that end.

Stray Toasters

• I accidently hit <DELETE> and wound up with “Stray Tasters” for a moment. Like “Stray Taoists,” but different… and not as amusing.
• Sculptures inside vacuum tubes
• 
• New 7 Wonders of the World
• William Gibson explains why science fiction is about the present
• I have recently been made aware that there are Legion ‘Clix from previous releases that I do not have. This will have to be rectified.
• : From the DCG – Legion Animated Ultra Boy

That’s it for now.

Namaste.

Sunday – 08 July 2007: coda
Today was good. Lazy. Relaxed. And just… plain… good.
More about today after this break to backfill last night’s experience:

I neglected to mention that I went downtown last night to see Diane Schuur with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra. She put on a nice set. I think that I knew – somewhere in the back of my head – that she played piano, but for some reason spaced it off until seeing her play last night. *duhr* After her set, I stayed to watch Luther Hughes & The Cannonball-Coltrane Project, a five-piece band (upright bass, trumpet, sax, piano and drums) I liked them. Sure, some of the jokes between the songs were a bit stale/corny, but when they were playing… man, they were pretty hot.

I woke up this morning; I considered that a good start to the day. From there, I proceeded to do a whole lot of nothing for the next few hours. And that was fine. After a while, though, it wasn’t fine, so I decided to run a few errands.

And get a mocha.
Naturally.

Mocha was acquired. Errands were run. Then, it was time to find something for lunch… but I didn’t want the same old same. Jitterbug fit the bill, nicely. Post-food, I drove down to hang out with Kate, Perry and the kids for a bit… and came home with a few new pieces of plastic crack.

I did a few things around the apartment – including rehanging some pictures – before heading downtown to catch the final act of the Jazz Festival: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was the second time I’ve seen them in the past… year or so. And the show, though shorter, was every bit as good. They ended their set with Go-Daddy-O… and then filed offstage. People started leaving, but I stood in place – there was no way that they could end a show without doing their signature piece, So Long, Farewell, Goodbye. A minute or two later, they reappeared onstage and went into it. Before ending the song, Scotty broke into a few measures of Sweet Home Alabama and the rest of the band joined in. The crowd… went… nuts. I would love to hear them do a full version of that, I bet that it would rock eight ways from Sunday and in ways that Lynyrd Skynyrd never imagined. It was a great end to the festival. And, I may have to try and catch them in Vegas next month, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Stray Toasters

• I am talking with the lovely Ms. … and you are not.
• I am also enjoying a glass of Merlot. And you are not.
• Diamond Select will be adding a Sue Storm statue (click the image) to their catalog. It reminded me that I still wouldn’t mind tracking down one of their Jean Grey statues (click the image).
• Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
• 
• Steampunk Magazine – available for free download
• Indexed
• “…said the [click] to the [click].”
• Latest Chinese Safety Problem: Exploding Cell Phone Batteries
• , you may want to check this out.
• When I see this, the caption in my head says, “Daaaaaay-O! Day-ay-ay-O!”

Namaste.

By way of comes this.

Reason #29385 of “Why Rob shouldn’t be allowed to play with PhotoShop when he’s tired” is:

Saturday – 07 July 2007
So far today, I…

• ..overslept and missed this morning’s episode of Legion of Super Heroes. (I’d seen it before.)
• Cleaned the apartment.
• Read a good bit of Vision of the Future

just got here. She wants to go to the Garden of Sweden. Who am I to say no to a trip there?!

ZOOM!

Friday – 06 July 2007
And so, another week comes to a close.

I’m trying something a little different with this post: I turned off the PostAvatar plugin because it seems to cause WordPress to eat posts. Which it did to this post a little while ago. Which it has done many times before. Which is annoying. So, I’ll just try embedding the icons by hand, for a bit and see how that works out.

Jason, James and I had off-site training today. It was good. There were interesting applications of technology. There were sections on personnel relations, including inter-office communications. There were exercises in creative thinking. And… and… Oh, Hell. We went to see Transformers. There. I said it. It had action. A little suspense. Lots of shit blowing up – even more that Live Free or Die Hard! And it was fun. Sure, there are old-school purists who will find things to complain about:

“Waaaah, Bumblebee is supposed to be a Volkswagen…”
“Optimus Prime never had ghost flames…!”
“According to episode blah-blah-blah…”

I would just like to remind those people of one tiny, miniscule, almost-insignificant fact: It’s a movie… based on a cartoon… based on a line of toys. Sit down. Shut up. Enjoy the ride. It’s fun. Thank you, move along. *ahem* Where was I? Oh, yeah… It was fun. Definitely worth seeing.

The Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival opens this evening; I might even go to coffee a little late, so that I can hear Diane Reeves perform. And the festival closes down with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Yeah… I’ll be spending a little time downtown this weekend.

Stray Toasters

• I have an idea for my new lyric-to-drawing piece. Now I just need to draw it…
• is trying to kill me. Again. This time, this is her weapon of choice.
• It seems as though my young acolyte/apprentice has started the clock on his fifteen minutes of fame – he’s the one talking about the Wii in the home video clip.
• 
• A few days ago, made a comment about Marvin Gaye’s version of The Star-Spangled Banner being the “best version ever.” I’m not sure that I agree with that, but I did agree with his choice of Ray Charles’ America the Beautiful. For many years, I’ve thought that the late Mr. Charles’ rendition is the definitive version. That led me to consider other songs that have been covered by different artists and which of those versions I consider “The Best.” So far, I’ve come up with the following:
  • Al Jarreau – Since I Fell for You
  • Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U
  • Tina Turner – The Bitch Is Back
  • Bruce Willis (yes, that “Bruce Willis”) – Good Lovin’
  • Was (not Was) – Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
  • Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (ft. Henry Rollins) – War
  • Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Poison Ivy

  I’ll be adding to this list, as I remember/discover other songs that fit the bill. I may even make it an item/feature unto itself

• Microsoft to extend Xbox 360 warranty, take $1 billion hit
• Dwim showed me this video yesterday. It made me laugh. A lot.
• 
• Arf Forum: Unholy Marriage of Art & Comics
• I [heart] my blender.
• Laptop typewriter mod
• Blood ties: Yakuza daughter lifts lid on hidden hell of gangsters’ families

Up out.

Namaste.

Thursday – 05 July 2007
The work week resumes.

Yesterday was good. I spent part of the day hanging out with Kate, Perry and the kids… and part of the day with and family. And stuff. And whatnot. We only half-saw the fireworks last night, due to an obstructed view. Damned dirty trees! (Wow… I just had a horrible “Planet of the Acers” pun run through my head.) Although, we did see, hear and almost get set on fire by the ones that ‘ neighbors.

This morning, there were far more monkeys on the road than I would have ordinarily expected. The only real annoyance with them came near the tail end of the commute, so I shouldn’t complain too much. Speaking of which, had the (mis)fortune of hearing me rail at/against a slew of road monkeys – affectionately referred to as “cock monkeys,” if I recall correctly – Tuesday afternoon.

Stray Toasters

• Sometimes, whether it be Providence, Fate, Karma, cybermancy, technopathy or just lucky happenstance, you wind up hearing a song on your iPod that you haven’t heard in a long time. And it will make you smile. I was the beneficiary of such a circumstance while taking my morning constitutional.
• Speaking of music that makes me smile: The Salt Lake City Jazz Festival is this weekend.
• is trying to kill me. How do I know? She sent me a link to this.
• – Irish children swept out to sea
• – Indian woman strips in dowry row
• 
• First Amendment mob of photogs hit Silver Spring on July 4
• I started with a dream
  But came to a decision
  I started with a dream
  But now I have a mission
  I have a goal
  To see beyond my vision
  With imagination
  I’ll get there
• Cassandra Wilson, Impromtu
• Design story behind memorial for Madrid train bombings
• 

Time to pick up and put down heavy things.

Namaste.

Wednesday: 04 July 2007
Happy July 4th… to those to whom it applies.

Many people fought so that we can have the freedoms that we enjoy today. They proved that with enough people gathered behind a cause, anything can be changed. Take time to remember that the day is about more than cookouts and sales and fireworks.

The Fourth of July reminds me of my paternal grandparents. Growing up, I would often spend a few weeks in the summer with them. Those parts of my vacation usually bridged the Fourth of July weekend. Every Fourth, my grandparents would pack me into their car and drive to Princeton to see the fireworks. I’d sit on the hood of the car, looking up over the shopping center, watching the various pyrotechnics. (To this day, my favorite display remains the chrysanthemum.) After everything was over – with my ears ringing and a slight headache from the explosions – we’d get back into the car and head home. I was usually asleep shortly after we got out of the parking lot.

This morning, despite turning off the alarm and not placing Nomad in the SoundDock, I was awake at 6:20 AM. Six. Twenty. For no discernible reason. *grblsnrkx* After staring at the clock for a few moments, I rolled over and went back to sleep. When I finally decided to get up and out of bed, I made coffee showered… and then proceeded to do a lot of nothing. I called Kris – she’s out of class today for the holiday.

Game night was canceled last night, so I had the opportunity to find something else to entertain myself. My weapon of choice: A movie. Live Free or Die Hard. It was good. Fun. Witty. Good writing. Sure, there were a few scenes that required some suspension of disbelief. But, you know what you’re getting when you walk into the theatre. I wasn’t disappointed. There were a couple of interesting trailers before the movie, as well: War, The Kingdom and… Hitman (which, if I am not mistaken, is based upon the video game series). Also, Timothy Olyphant, the lead antagonist, reminded me of a young Billy Bob Thornton in a few close-up shots.

Stray Toasters

• I fear that two of my interests (addictions/obsessions) are beginning to merge: I have an urge to build a replica of LSH HQ out of LEGO bricks.
• I have finally upgraded to Firefox 2.0 One change that will take some getting used to is the “X” on each tab, rather than the “x” at the end other Tab bar.
• 
• Ursula LeGuin rips into Slate Magazine

And now… time to hang out and have some coffee.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 03 July 2007
I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but this morning’s commute was relatively monkey-free and it had a good soundtrack:

• emmet swimming – Arlington
• Rush – Tom Sawyer
• Duran Duran – Notorious
• Rush – The Spirit of Radio
• The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump
• Michael Jackson – In the Closet (the man may be a whackjob, but some of his music is damned entertaining and good)

I’m not sure whether or not it was the technopathic link with Nomad in action, but I was very pleased with that lineup.

Thanks to those of you who gave comments on last night’s “Irish Creme + Decaf = ???” question. As it turns out, it was rather tasty and made for a nice pre-bed drink while I read more of Vision of the Future. made the suggestion of Butterscotch Schnapps and coffee… I will have to explore this possibility. Do any of you have any other “alternately leaded” coffee recipes/combinations that you enjoy? I’d be interested to see what they are, if so.

Stray Toasters

• I not only have a frozen mocha, I have chocolate espresso beans, as well.
• How and why in the Nine Hells do you “fire” a “living goddess?” Wouldn’t you think she might shove lightning bolts up your ass for something like that?
• I think that I need to take in a Real Salt Lake game…
• Tyranist pointed me in the direction of the trailer for Shoot ‘Em Up (Hey, , it has Clive Owen!)… which then led to a link to the trailer for I Am Legend. I will have to see both of these movies.
• Conform or be cast out…
• 
• 33 Ways to Watch Free TV Online
• I think that I slightly covet this tape dispenser.
• Whenever I read stories about this, I hear Heaven Is a Halfpipe in the back of my head.
• Reason #489537 of “Why amuses me”: She sent a link to this picture.
• Captain America Buried in Arlington National Cemetery… but does anyone care at this point?
• If WizKids did Young Avengers ‘Clix, why didn’t they include one for Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)?

And now to pick up and put down heavy things.

Namaste.

I just made a run to the local purveyor of packaged goods. I exited with:

• A bottle of Merlot
• A bottle of Gewurtztraminer
• A bottle of Irish Creme

I was struck by the thought that an Irish Coffee sounded pretty good as a nightcap. Then I thought about the flip side of that: I don’t know that I want to start drinking coffee at 10:00, if I plan on being in bed sometime around 1:00, especially since I haven’t been sleeping well of late…

Then I remembered: I have some decaf coffee, left over from when Chris would drink it on Shadowrun nights. But then I was stuck with the conundrum:

I know that decaf is pretty much the coffee equivalent of masturbation, but is it blasphemy/heresy (or even prostitution) to put Irish Creme in decaf?

What are your thoughts on the matter?