Random Access

Tuesday – 07 August 2007
First off: The Rush concert was fun. My one gripe would lie in the hands of their sound engineer: He couldn’t seem to find the right balance of treble and bass… and wound up cranking the treble WAY up. Vapor Trails up. But, other than that, I had a blast! I was surprised at the range of ages present, but they were (more or less) all into it. The set list featured a nice mix of the old and the new, including a few surprises. They were surprises to me, as I had avoided seeing/hearing about the set list. I was also surprised to discover that the Maytag dryers were no longer part of the stage equipment. But, what they were replaced with made me laugh, especially when I finally sussed out exactly what they were. AND, they were a recurring gag throughout the show. But, one of the best surprises of the night was this. All-in-all, it was a great way to kick off the week.

Today has been… not bad. The workout was decent, but I had problems on the flat bench – I couldn’t get my 3rd set at 205 pounds. So, I did six reps of 205 and five reps of 185. But, after the rest of the workout was done, I went back and banged out three more reps at 205… and a slightly less-impressive fourth rep. But, I got all ten reps in. And that made me feel better.

Tonight is D&D night. I will finally get a chance to play after… a month away, I think. Holidays and other things and whatnot. We’re still at a bit of a crossroads as to what to do. And I think that at least one of us may/will die. But, as the song says:

Why are we here?
Because we’re here.
Roll the bones.

And that’s just what we’re gonna do.

Stray Toasters

• Turtle cheesecake. I had some. It was tasty.
• Isn’t she just terminally cute? I must have her.
• Civil War mail art: envelope illustrations from mid-1800s
• It’s been 10 years since Lady Lara Croft first graced videogame screens. Gametap is celebrating this with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – Gametap Collection. Check out the Re\Visioned animated shorts. The first three episode arc, “Keys to the Kingdom,” by Peter Chung, is good. The fourth episode, “Revenge of the Aztec Mummy,” by Brian Pulido, is weak – both in writing and animation. The fifth and sixth episodes, “Angel Spit (Parts I & II)” were written by Warren Ellis… and are good. The seventh episode, “Legacy,” also written by Brian Pulido had a pulp feel… and was not only MUCH better than “Revenge,” but might have even made up for it.
• How to make Windows XP work for the next seven years.
• reminded me of this comic from VG Cats. It makes us laugh.
• I’m still chugging along through Deathly Hallows.
• Penny Arcade + Empire Earth II = this.
• I know it’s not quite time for them, but I am craving pomegranates.
• Pencil removed from woman’s head 55 years after accident

This post was brought to you by the letter “E,” the number “4” and the Omega Concern.
(c) 2007 – National Midnight Star

Namaste.

Monday – 06 August 2007
Calls have been made.
Numbers have been bandied about… and they weren’t quite as hellish as I had feared.

I found out that one of my coworkers was diagnosed as having a brain tumor over the weekend. He is one of the non-monkeys and a genuinely all-around nice guy; this was about the last thing that I think anyone would have expected. It’s amazing how Life can put things into perspective. He’s in the hospital and will undergo surgery tomorrow to (hopefully) remove it. They expect things to go well, but – as with any major surgical procedure – there is a modicum of risk involved. So, if you have a prayer or good thought that you can spare, I’d ask you to send it in his and his family’s direction.

Rush is but mere hours away…

The Best: Kiss
Prince vs. Tom Jones and The Art of Noise

His Royal Badness vs. The Voice.

While the Jones/AoN cover of the song is good, it just doesn’t stand up to the original, falsetto-toned version.

Stray Toasters

• Until today, I didn’t know that Morris Day was Prince’s cousin. Learn somethin’ new everyday, I guess.
• I like Tom Jones’ cover of Baby, It’s Cold Outside, performed with Cerys Matthews of Catatonia.
• No, his mind is not for rent…
• Bad cops to wear Hello Kitty armbands
• Goldfish.  Tasty Pretzel Goldfish…

*stares out the window*

Namaste.

Sunday – 05 August 2007
Another weekend comes to a close and this one has been something of a mixed bag:

The Good

• Rita Coolidge concert
• Kimball Arts Festival

The Bad

• The sunroof in the car imploding… while I was driving on 215. I don’t know what caused it, so I’m not going to speculate about “what if…?” scenarios. I’m blessed/fortunate that I didn’t get hurt in the process and that no one else on the road was affected.

The Ugly

• Nothing yet, although I’m not looking forward to getting estimates on replacing the sunroof.

Last night’s concert was a nice distraction from the angst induced by the sunroof issue. Not only did Kate do me a good turn by getting me a ticket… but that ticket was seventh row, center. I was, maybe, thirty feet from the stage… if that far. Ms. Coolidge performed with a four-piece band (keyboard, guitar, bass and percussion) and they sounded good. Very good. “We don’t have to do a lot of overdubbing and tweaking in the studio” good. The band members were all very capable, if not downright talented. I realized part of the way through the show that I was comparing her band either to people I know or to other instrumentalists. Not exactly “fair” comparisons, but what’re ya gonna do? Near the end of her show, Ms. Coolidge gave a brief history lesson about the Trail of Tears and how there was a song, written by a Scotsman, that was/is the most often sung in both White and Native American churches in the south and the Bible Belt: Amazing Grace. She performed it in Cherokee. It was a very nice – and moving – rendition.

Since I was already out, I headed directly to Cheers. I was early, so I took my sketchbook inside and did some more work on She Talks to Angels at the table. I got a couple of nice compliments from passers-by.

Today was the annual Park City Arts Festival excursion. There were seventeen of us, I believe, in all. Unfortunately, Cisero’s was not doing their brunch, so we ate from the lunch menu. And they had coffee. Sweet, sweet nectar of the gods. The exhibits were, as usual, good. And, for the first time in… three years, I think… I didn’t run into anyone that I knew. We ate, strolled around the artists’ booths… and then stopped in Zona Rosa for a late lunch/early dinner and drinks.

Then, home again, home again. Jiggety-jig.

Stray Toasters

• I should do some cleaning around here. I’ll probably wind up on the Xbox. Or in Paragon City. Or reading more of Deathly Hallows. Or some such thing
• , you might enjoy clicking here. And here.
• blickum blickum blickum
• this was supposed to be the future
• Oracle vs. The Calculator: “Nerds of Prey.” Coming soon to a comics purveyor near you.
• …and, speaking of (the former) Batgirl and of Catwoman: and should click here.
• …and, should click here.
• Tyranist: Infinite Identity Crisis on Multiple Earths part Three… or is it Four?
• A Gentlemen’s Duel – steampunk animated entertainment
• My host’s SMTP server is being a right piece. This does not make me happy.

Off to storm a castle or something…

Namaste.

Saturday – 04 August 2007
Despite oversleeping this morning, it’s been a good – and nominally productive day. I don’t know what it was, but after Clitorati, I came home and was ready to hit the rack within an hour. Which put quite a damper on any thoughts I may have had about visiting Paragon City. I was up shortly before 7:00, but saw the error of my ways and returned to The Dreaming.

Once I got up and dealt with the necessary hygiene rituals, I met Perry and the boys for coffee. When they left, I did some more work on She Talks to Angels. I’m rather pleased with the way the angel has turned out, but a little less enthusiastic about the figure that’s supposed to look like my grandmother. Which means that I need to do more portrait work. My other big concern with this piece is/was: Fabric. It folds and twists and billows. Depicting that isn’t exactly my strong suit, but I am happy with the way it looks.

dropped by for a bit, to say “Hello,” so I chatted with her for a while until I got a message from Chris (we’re going to have to start numbering Chrises now, too) asking if I was still interested in going to the gym. I was. We did. I got there before him, so I spent 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. I haven’t done that in a long time; it was good. Chris showed up and it was game time. I wasn’t paying attention when I set up the weights for my bench press and wound up doing 225 pounds on my first set. Brilliant, I am. Not easy, but I did it. I dropped it back down to 205 pounds for the second and third sets, although I had to do the last 5 reps of the third set at 185. Today also saw a lot more presses than I have done (in one workout) in a long time: Flat bench, incline and decline.

Back home for a much-needed and very refreshing shower and a late lunch. And to kill some time. Tonight, I’m going to the Rita Coolidge concert at the Sandy Amphitheatre, thanks to Kate. I asked her to find out about tickets and a couple of days later, she presented me with one. I should send her a fruit basket. (Bonus points for knowing where that came from.) I think that I would really like to take a nap, but I have a few things that I should take care of before heading to the concert. *sigh* No rest for the wicked, I guess.

…and I still need to make (another) trip to the Garden of Sweden, which I most definitely will not get around to tonight.

Stray Toasters

• I have been craving chocolate milk like a madman, lately.
• From Real Tech News: MP3-Eating Worm on the Loose
• Blood, Sweat and Cheers! – Five little-known facts about 300.
• “Are you Lutheran vegansexual?”
  
• And I must have missed a memo about last week being “Bag on Vegans Week,” because I just saw this in Crtl+Alt+Del:
  
• The Best Super-Pregnancies (No, I didn’t make that title up.)
• WizKids will be adding a “Heroes” line – based on the television series – to HeroClix.
• When Amber met Amber
• – Play Infocom Hitchhiker’s text adventure by IM
• The Weird Things People Eat Around the World
• , I saw these and thought of you when I got to the pair in the lower-left corner.

I should finish getting ready and get out of here…

Namaste.

Stray Toasters

• I had just finished a task in the server room and was exiting as and the company president were walking past:
  

  President: Have you been working out?
  Me: A little…
  President: *nods and smiles* We’re may have to test you for steroids. *walks away*
  I return to my desk.
  : *walks over to my desk and drops a few things on it* I was going to bring you a cup. For the test.

• Cthulhu Family Circus
• By way of one of the Coworker Daves: Star Trek: TNG – “Justice” as recapped by Wil Wheaton
  

Up next: Home… and a possible nap!

Namaste.

Cab Calloway vs. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

This one is pretty much a no-brainer: Cab Calloway.

Don’t get me wrong… I like the BBVD version, but up against the original? The Man? Sorry, the new kids just need to sit down and recognize the heat. They came up with a very worthy cover – and it does swing – but this is definitely one of those “Second-best just isn’t good enough” cases.

Friday – 03 August 2007
I watched Casino Royale and finished Dark City last night.

• Casino Royale: Bond. James Bond is back. I haven’t watched this movie since its theatrical release. It was every bit as enjoyable on the small screen as it was on the silver screen. Daniel Craig makes an excellent rough-around-the-edges, newly-minted 007. It will be interesting to watch as this “blunt instrument” develops into the refined spy who defined cool for many a movie goer over the past 40-odd years. If, in fact, they are using this movie to “reboot” the James Bond franchise, I will be quite interested to see how they portray Bond as going from cold and detached, to falling for Vesper Lynd, to once again setting aside his emotions… only to later fall for – and marry – Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo.
   
  As the opening – and closing – credits rolled, I listened to You Don’t Know Me, the theme for this movie. Performed by Soundgarden and Audioslave front man, Chris Cornell, it stylistically harkens back to older Bond themes. It was also interesting to note how it was worked, very subtly, into the score… even in places where one would expect to hear the classic “007 Theme.”
• Dark City: As I watched this movie, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between it and The Big O:
  • Both take place in cities where people have lost their memories.
  • Both take place in isolated cities: Dark City is a… petri dish, for lack of a better term; Paradigm City has been sealed off from the rest of the world, inside a giant dome.
  • The protagonist lives a little outside the norm – both John Murdoch and Roger Smith know that “something isn’t right” with themselves and in their respective cities – and question the norms.
  • Both protagonists have, in supporting roles, a prominent female figure and a police officer as a somewhat reluctant ally.
  • Both features are done, to borrow a phrase from Warner Brothers Animation Studios, in a “dark deco” (and in some instances, gothic) style.

  I’m not entirely sure what I expected to get from the movie. It borrowed from many different concepts and blended them into a dark oleo. I’m not saying that it was bad – or that it was done poorly – but it was definitely… different. One thing that I did note was Jennifer Connelly’s presence. No, not for that reason (but, yes, she is nice to look at). I saw her and thought about her role in Ang Lee’s Hulk, in which she played the romantic lead opposite another man who not only had metahuman abilities, but also had… issues. I enjoyed the movie, but it would probably take another viewing for me to sort everything out about the movie.

Stray Toasters

• I was sent a link to this video from Loading.Ready.Run. by . It amused me… and reminded me of a (non-monkey) coworker.
• HALO ActionClix. Check out the size of that Scarab!
• Limited Edition ‘Diamond Variant’ Emma Frost Bust
• By way of boingboing.net: Freaky roadsign photoshopping contest
• While I generally find the LOLcats phenomenon (do DO do-do-do) only mildly amusing, this and this made me chuckle.
• WHAT?! And how did I miss this gem!?
• I just got an ego-boost-in-an-email from Mom. Not only is that a nice way to start the day, it’s even better than finding homemade chocolate chip cookies in your lunch. What was the last thing your mom sent you?

And now, off to save the world! to work.

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 August 2007
The back half of yesterday was good. Jason and I went to lunch at La Puente; Perry met us there. After lunch, we paid a visit to the good Doctor’s, where I fed my four-color fever. Then it was back to the workday grind for a few more hours.

I started to watch Dark City last night. For the first time. Interesting movie. Unfortunately, I started it far too late in the evening and wound up nodding off about 30 minutes into it. I will finish it tonight or tomorrow.

This morning, I slept in. A bit unintentional, but it was nice, all the same. And, once I finally got in gear, I was able to have a brief conversation with , which is never a bad way to start the day.

Unfortunately, one of the code monkeys didn’t get the memo about today being NBN Thursday. I walked into the office to find that this person decided to do something stupid. Actually, it was a couple of things, but we can lump them all together into one homogeneous item for this case. (A coworker pointed out that the issue in question happened on Wednesday, so it’s not really a Thursday problem and I can still enjoy the rest of NBN Thursday.) And, apparently, the person-in-question had asked other people about the same issue before deciding to take matters into his own hands. And, I just found out that the person was told where to look to resolve the problem… which means that he either ignored the person who told him that and/or is a complete idiotstick. After talking with a few others about this person, I’m going with Option 2.

Today’s workout went well: Three sets of 205 pounds on the bench press (10 reps/set) followed by 2½ reps of 250 pounds. Apparently, Tuesday’s warm-up set – and the extra weight on the first set – just took any extra UMPH I may have had… and let it dribble out of my ears.

Four-Color Coverage

• Action Comics #853 – Countdown tie-in issue. This issue was another Jimmy Olsen issue, showing him – as Mister Action – going up against The Kryptonite Man. And, Superman does put in an appearance or two in this issue.
• Astro City: The Dark Age – Book 2 #3 – This issue continues the story of Charlie and Royal Williams, two men whose parents were killed during a superhero/villain battle. Charlie became a police officer; Royal a criminal. The series looks at Astro City through their eyes… and their estranged relationship.
• Avengers: The Initiative #4 – “World War Hulk” tie-in issue. Justice and Cloud 9 go on a field trip. Hardball is… moonlighting? And, what happens when you throw heroes-in-training up against Ol’ Jade-jaws and his extraplanetary band of rebels? Um… hello?! You did catch the “World War HULK,” up there, right? Do the math. I also have to give Marvel credit for something: They have brought back a few teen characters that had fallen off the map in recent years. In fact, one of the characters, Ultragirl (1, 2), had her own mini-series about… ten years ago… only to completely disappear until Civil Bore War.
• Countdown: 39 – Karate Kid and Una (the former Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel) want an audience with Oracle. Oracle is a bit busy and doesn’t want visitors. The Legionnaires don’t think that “Come back later” is an acceptable response. Throw in a few pages of the new Suicide Squad, Batwoman and The (new) Question and you have a full issue.
• Justice Society of America #8 – “Bells & Whistles” This issue fleshes out the backstory of Jesse Chambers,the new Liberty Belle. Most of the issue is done in flashbacks, showing her as a young girl and a fledgling heroine. But that’s not where the issue shines. It shines when we see a modern ‘Belle acting as negotiator to Damage, who has Hutner Zolomon – better known as Zoom, the Reverse Flash – hostage… and is looking for a little payback.
• The New Avengers: Illuminati #3 and #4 – The behind-the-scenes powers-that-be shaping the Marvel Universe for a better tomorrow. First, they go up against The Beyonder – think Star Trek: TNG‘s Q, but without the impish qualities – who is apparently undergoing a retcon. *sigh* And then, they take on Kree hothead, Noh-Varr, would-be world conqueror… and Namor whoops his ass a time or three… and, then they make Noh-Varr a proposition.
• Supergirl #20 – We have finally moved past “Finding My Way” Kara and on to “Taking a Stand” Kara in this “Amazons Attack” tie-in issue. And we get to see “Getting My Butt Kicked” Kara, as an added bonus! While I enjoyed the writing – and it’s notably darker-than-usual tone – I wasn’t terribly enamored with Renato Guedes’ interior artwork when I first read through this… but I went back and looked at it again, later. Some of it may seem… simplistic… but there is a lot that is conveyed in the body language. And, some of the close-up shots convey emotion very well: Anger. Pain – physical and emotional. Anguish. Determination. All-in-all, a very solid issue.
• Uncanny X-Men #489 – What happens when the news gets out that a band of mutants is attacking and disfiguring people in the general populace? Oh, and while they may live in the tunnels and sewers beneath New York, they aren’t technophobes – they harness the power of the Internet and “We2UBE” to spread their message of hatred. Yep, the flames of mistrust and hatred just got fanned. And, let me just say that Salvador Larroca can draw Storm any day of the week – and twice on Sunday – as far as I’m concerned.
• World War III #1 – #4 – I finally got around to reading “Black Adam vs. the DCU.” After reading it, I’m not sure that I really needed to spend the money on it, but the deed’s done.
• X-Men: First Class #8 of 8 (limited) – The X-kids go on safari! Their quarry: Professor X. Their guide: Ken Hale, Gorilla Man. Hilarity ensues. (No, really… it does, at times.)
• X-Men: First Class #2 (ongoing) – The X-Kids go up against the rather carnivorous flora and fauna of… Island X.
• X-Men: First Class Special #1 – This book contained three short stories, featuring the fledgling X-Men. The best of the stories was “A Girl and Her Dragon,” a story told by Scott Summers to Kitty Pryde and Lockheed. It started with Kitty chasing Lockheed through the mansion and running into Scott. He then tells her that she is not “the first mutant girl with dragon” and recounts a story about Jean Grey and (the retconned history of) Dragon Man.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I not only enjoyed a Samuel Adams Summer Ale (Thanks, !), but I drank it from my Samuel Adams pint glass that I acquired from J. Butler’s many moons past.
• pointed me in the direction of this site. Cool stuff.
• “trans-orbital trailer home”
• Brain-injured man speaks after 6 years
• Ass-hats and ignoramuses.
• Wow… Firefox didn’t try to correct my spelling on any of the above words.
• 
• For the Whovians – not to be confused with Whoville-ians – Doctor Who Action Figure with R/C K9
• Are people more polite in virtual worlds?
• Dwim: In light of your “Magneto goes where he will!” post, I offer up this: “Magneto goes when he will!”
• Pope Stumpy
• Apple iPhone getting pwn3d in Wired’s Greatest Gadget Tourney
• “You’re naked all of the time. Aren’t you?”
  
• Need something new and different for your walls? Try Tonky Wall Stickers.

/lunch

Namaste.

Wednesday – 01 August 2007
Two down, three to go and a new month begins.

I don’t know what the deal is/was, but last night’s sleep was phenomenally craptacular. I think that I was awakened – for no apparent reason – at least three times between 2:00AM and 5:00AM. And, I woke up again at 5:56… 29 minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off. *grblsnrkx*

Last night was a game night: All Flesh Must Be Eaten. We didn’t die, but a Plague Marine did its damnedest to try and change that. We aren’t out of the scenario – or the proverbial woods – yet. But, we did manage to show the Marine who had superiority through numbers/firepower. Barely.

The Best: Come Together
The Beatles vs. Aerosmith: I like the Aerosmith cover, quite a bit… but, for me, the boys from Liverpool’s version has the edge.

Stray Toasters

• I am now the owner of a pair of fencing foils. Just because.
• By way of ThinkGeek: The Government Manual for New Pirates and Pirates for Hire hat
• I received the same email (body, not headers) from my mother and a coworker today. asked if I have ever seen them both in the same place at the same time. I haven’t. He suggested that I drive a stake through the coworker’s heart… just to be sure.
• Transform and roll out eat up!
• I (still) think that this is a great video: All I Want Is You, by U2
• Vincent: Want some bacon?
  Jules: No man, I don’t eat pork.
  Vincent: Are you Jewish?
  Jules: Nah, I ain’t Jewish, I just don’t dig on swine, that’s all.
  Vincent: Why not?
  Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don’t eat filthy animals.
  Vincent: Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.
  Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I’d never know ’cause I wouldn’t eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That’s a filthy animal. I ain’t eat nothin’ that ain’t got enough sense enough to disregard its own faeces.
  Vincent: How about a dog? Dogs eats its own feces.
  Jules: I don’t eat dog either.
  Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
  Jules: I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
  Vincent: Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
  Jules: Well we’d have to be talkin’ about one charmin’ motherfuckin’ pig. I mean he’d have to be ten times more charmin’ than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I’m sayin’?
• Apparently, ordering diagnostic equipment is very similar to using a Wish spell in D&D: You have to be VERY specific in what you ask for, or else you get… what you ask for as opposed to what you wanted.
• The photography of Kat Bret
• Because sometimes you just need yet another geeky tech site: Gizmos for Geeks
• Sometimes Salvation, by the Black Crowes – a song I haven’t listened to in a while… and a video I haven’t seen in an even longer time.

That’s good for now.

Namaste.