Random Access

Monday: Coda / Tuesday – 04 September 2007
And so, the day (and the holiday AND the long weekend) comes to a close.

I found a few things to do that, while not “labor,” per se, were nevertheless good and fun:

• I had a craving for sushi for lunch, so I met at Tsunami. Today’s fare included: a Steak and Chicken Teriyaki lunch combination, with Ika nigiri and a Bonsai roll. All of it was quite tasty.
• From there, I visited Kate, Perry and the kids. (Who needs a workout when you have adopted nieces and nephews?!)
• Perry and I snuck out to check out a few stores. Okay, we didn’t “sneak,” but saying “…and we heading to a few stores” doesn’t have the same ring to it.
• I went to Murray Parkway Golf Course, to swat a bucket o’ balls on the driving range. They had closed a little before I got there…
• …so, I headed to Golf in the Round. They were still open! I got a large bucket and was on my way. I mixed my use of the irons, rather than just the 2, 4, 5 and 7. I need some work with the 9-iron, but on the whole, I think things went well. The 2- and 5-irons did well. And, I had a few really decent drives with the 5-wood and my driver. I tried to incorporate the things that told me (which helped quite a bit) and I tried to be more aware of how I was positioning myself relative to the tee and how I was swinging the clubs. Still not perfect, but getting better.

Now, I’m about to put in a little time on (what will hopefully be) the actual lyric-to-drawing piece for Ed’s Song, as opposed to the dry runs and fly-bys that I’ve been practicing on.

Stray Toasters

• I may make a decaf and Irish cream nightcap, to cap off the long weekend with a (minor) flourish.
• leucism vs. albinism
• I’ve added everydave.com to the blogroll on Random Access; I don’t know why I hadn’t done it before.
• laughter is infectious
  excitement goes to my head
  winds are stirred by planets in rotation
  sparks ignite and spread new information
• Nepal’s gadget-loving, 10-year-old Living Goddess: Interview
• I need to find a copy of The Prophet of Akhran, the third book in The Rose of the Prophet series. A trip to Mecca might be in order.
• Huh. Mentioning a possible trip to Mecca made me consider the following:
  • I refer to Utah as “The Land Behind the Zion Curtain.”
  • I refer to The Bookshelf as “Mecca”
  • IKEA (*genuflect*) is affectionately referred to as “The Garden of Sweden.” (Maybe I’ll start writing that as “SwEden.”)

  The only thing missing is Totem (click “Totem” for lyrics) playing in the background.

• From NPR: Dad Finds Answers to Kids’ Darndest Questions
• For some reason, The Who’s The Seeker just popped into my head. It was immediately followed by a random Harry Potter thought (as Harry was a Seeker on his Quidditch team). Then the two, like some horrible Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup accident, combined to form the following question: I wonder if any aspect of the song played a part in the outline that became the story of Harry Potter?

And, that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 03 September 2007
Happy/Good/Merry/Whatever Labor Day to those of you in the U.S.

Labor Day.
Summer’s last hoorah.
The last day to wear white, in some fashion circles.
Or the day spend it at the mall/shopping center, hunting down the latest bargains.
The day we sit at home, on our collective recta, not working… unless you happen to work in the service industry.

Labor Day Related Songs
This is by no means an exhaustive or comprehensive list; these are just the first few songs that popped into my head:

• Working Man – Rush
• Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
• A Job Ain’t Nuthin’ but Work – Big Daddy Kane
• I Get the Job Done – Big Daddy Kane
• I Go to Work – Kool Moe Dee
• She Works Hard for the Money – Donna Summer
• Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
• Opportunities – Pet Shop Boys

It reminds me of Memorial Day, in the way that many people oxymoronically don’t – or possibly choose not to – remember the reason for the day… other than, once again, great sales.

Playing ‘Clix last night was fun. Chris handily handed me my plastic crack-playing ass. But, it was fun. I got to try out some new figures and get a better feel for some of the game’s dynamics.

Stray Toasters

• This morning, around 3:30 AM, the word “pericardium” popped into my head for no apparent reason.
• Papers, Please: Arrested at Circuit City for refusing to show ID, receipt
• 
• Spirit and Opportunity Are Back Online
• After a week away, tomorrow’s workout should be… fun (read: “painful”).
• When I First Kissed You, by Extreme, just came up on iTunes.  I haven’t heard this in many months of Sundays.  I guess that this is yet another reminder/reason that I’m going to finally have to integrate my home and work iTunes libraries.

Time to find some trouble to get into.  And lunch, too!

Namaste.

Sunday – 02 September 2007
I don’t know what it means, but I had a dream with the following people in it:

• Rick James
• Eddie Murphy
• Bob Barker – in a blue-and-white seersucker suit… telling jokes (Whiskey Tango…?!)
• Will Smith

There were a other people in the dream, but I can’t remember whom nor can I remember the details of the dream beyond the fact that it was some kind of party. Bizarre.

, Chris and Perry are coming over in a bit to play dolls HeroClix. I’m finally getting a chance to test out my new Legionnaires. Or maybe I’ll just use Phoenix and call it a day. I do, however, need to figure out who I want to use, given the number of points we’re playing with.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to get Rana’s opinion on something for Dad’s birthday. I didnt’ realize it until close to midnight. *sigh*
• “Did you just say ‘nut rolling?’ “
• Last night, Shelley, Kris, Jon (all former VI workers) and Gary (Shelley’s husband) popped in to VI while we were having breakfast. It took me a few moments to recognize who was who until I saw Jon – he reminds us of Tom Welling; in fact we nicknamed him “Clark,” due to the resemblance.
• By way of Tyranist: Why superheroes always win
• I have Nomad on Shuffle. Ezekiel 25:17 just played. It’s Sunday and it is derived from a couple of actual scriptures, but for some reason that verse, as done in Pulp Fiction, just seems a little… “not right”… especially with the punctuating gunfire at the end. But it did put a smile on my face. Yeah, yeah… I know: Hell. Handbasket. Gasoline drawers.
• I want to go to the Garden of Sweden. I don’t really need anything. But, I still want to go.
• Top 100 Undiscovered Sites

Errand-running, a frozen mocha and some cleaning are in my not-too-distant future. I should probably get a move on… or something that approximates it.

Namaste.

Back.

And, because of some delay, I even beat the family-unit home.

It was a good trip. Though short, it was well worth it on all accounts.

Stray Toasters

• Thanks to Rana, I am now (once again) in possession of one of the last items I wanted from my grandmother’s house; I believe that there is only one more thing that I want.
• I found out a couple of things that are going to require some deliberation.
• “Not a star,” along the same lines as a “not-sheep.”
• I caught a couple of commercials/previews for the upcoming seasons of Legion of Super-Heroes and The Batman. They both look interesting.
• I had sushi last night. Naturally, I ordered Ika. This recipe was a bit different than others: It had a bit of lettuce between the squid and the rice… and a bit of wasabi.
• Great. As soon as I typed “wasabi”, this popped into my head:
  

  Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymes
  Big like LeAnn Rimes
  Because I’m all about value

• I decided to hang with the sibko rather than see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy last night. It’s a lot easier – and generally far less expensive – to see BBVD on tour than it is to fly to Nepal. And I had fun.
• Heading out of St. George, I passed a Highway Patrol officer who had stopped to assist a motorist. As he was waiting for traffic to pass, so that he could get out of his vehicle, he rolled down his window and flicked ashes off his cigarette. Seeing that, a line popped into my head:
  

  He reached out the window and flicked ashes off the end of his cigarette. The motion looked almost angry or disdainful, as if the mere presence of the ashes somehow offended him.

• Last year, Rana developed an… affinity… for I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, by Shirley Temple. If I remember correctly, and I derived a bit of amusement from that.

  A week or so ago, I found a small toy hippo.

  2 + 2 = evil

  I gave it to Rana, before they left this afternoon. , when he saw what it was and as I explained why I was giving it to her, turned away to grin/laugh without being seen and possibly hit for it. Fortunately (for both of us), Rana laughed, too. Although, it may have been more of a smirk. But, I’ll take what I can get.

• People-watching is fun, as borne out by this image from Indexed:
  
  People-watching at the MGM and pretty much anywhere in Vegas probably falls somewhere between “airport” and “shopping mall” AND it adds new dimensions and twists to things.
  People-watching with Rana and : Priceless.
• By way of : Who watches wears the Watchmen?
• The Knight Shift. This is in the same system in which my mother and ‘s husband work. I have to ask one of them if they’ve heard any of the hullaballoo about it and/or the outcome of the election.

And I believe that’s that.

Namaste.

Saturday – 01 September 2007
Wake up.  Check.
Hygiene rituals.  Check.
Dressed and ready to go. Check.

Time to check out, find the sibko and family unit and figure out what we’re doing before they leave.

And then, back on the road.

Zoom.