Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“Consider me gone…”

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Thursday – 12 November 2009
It’s another grey, overcast day here. There are rumours of snow in the forecast.

Last night, we had Kenneth, Akiba and their kids over for dinner. SaraRules fixed some very tasty enchiladas (with rice and salad); dessert was ice cream and ginger snaps. We had a good time eating and chatting the evening away.

After our company left, it was “chill out on the couch” time. We watched… something… on TV, but I don’t really remember what it was. Eventually, SaraRules decided to put on 2001 (Go, go, Godzilla! Netflix Instant Queue!) I realized that I have never seen this movie all the way from start to finish…

…and last night kept the streak alive. I started getting sleepy about 20 minutes into the movie. I started nodding off about 15 to 20 minutes later. And, thus, decided to call it an early evening. And I did. And it was good.

Stray Toasters

  • First thing out of the gate, I want to point people to my friend Apryl’s blog: 365 Day Girl -  “A real girl’s grand experiment to master social media… in 365 days!”

    I started this project after being inspired by Flickr’s 365 Days Project. But I in my grand ambition decided to take it up a couple notches by tackling the whole spectrum of content: text, photo AND video! Perhaps I’m crazy, but it’s crazy fun and super interesting! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to expand my sphere of realness by connecting with REAL people both near and far while sharing my story and expertise in the process.

  • Intel to Pay AMD $1.25 Billion to Settle Disputes
  • Host Lou Dobbs to Leave CNN
  • How to avoid falling victim to a hospital mistake
  • Just a reminder of upcoming concerts by Utah Symphony:

    Click the images for more information about the respective concerts.

  • From the “Holy overkill, Batman!” file: 8-way video card
  • made a good and amusing point in a post this morning:

    I just read that some paparazzo got in Mike Tyson’s face at LAX and now is filing battery charges. Have people forgotten that Mike made a living beating people up? That was his job – beating other guys’ asses. What would make you intentionally piss this guy off?

  • From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: MPAA shuts down entire town’s muni WiFi over a single download
  • The Last Day on Earth, by Stefano Bonazzi

Namaste.

“Over there, over there… Send the word, send the word over there. That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming…”

comics and animation, dining and cuisine, everyday glory, family and friends, food for thought, games, geekery, movies and TV, news and info, science and technology, workout No Comments »

Wednesday – 11 November 2009
Happy Veterans Day.

vetsday09

“Thank you” to military personnel, past and present, for your duty and sacrifice in maintaining the peace and freedoms that we enjoy.

Last night, SaraRules had Book Club… so I hung out with , , and Eugene (a friend of ‘s). We met at The Bayou. I’d already eaten dinner with SaraRules, so I only had an appetizer – Paprika Shrimp.  It was delicious; I highly recommend it. And, hanging out with friends was definitely a nice way to spend the evening.

After “dinner”/book club, SaraRules and I met back at home and watched last night’s NCIS and The Late Show.

Workout
I made it to the gym for a lunchtime workout yesterday:

  • Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/12 reps, with additional 25lb weight
  • Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
  • Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps
    • 1 set @ 215 lbs
    • 1 set @ 205 lbs
    • 1 set @ 195 lbs
  • Shoulder Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
  • Reverse Punches: 3 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
  • Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs

Pre-workout weight (morning): 183.0 lbs.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”

books, everyday glory, football, games, LEGO and Rokenbok, movies and TV, news and info, science and technology, sports, style, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...?! No Comments »

Tuesday – 10 November 2009
It’s grey and a little hazy outside. The sun tried to put in an appearance as I was driving in to work, but the clouds don’t seem to want to give way. Makes for a kind of “blah” morning.

Last night was a lazy evening in. We had dinner (Sloppy Joes!) and watched Monday Night Football. After the game, I spent a little time trying to wrangle the office into shape. I managed to actually make a bit of headway… while also realizing just how much detritus I’ve allowed to accumulate in the “To be shredded..” pile. Oh, well.  One cool notable item: I was trying to figure out what to do with my TerrainLinX WWG tiles, when I remembered why I thought they were so cool: The whole thing breaks down into component pieces! I grabbed a shoebox and put the bits – both finished and in-progress pieces – in the box.  Neat, discreet, and (best of all) out of the way!  Little by little, the office is getting back to “good” shape.

Instant Replay: Football
It was Monday night. There was football. Amen.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
28 – 10
The Steelers went to Mile High Stadium to take on the Broncos and try to stay tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the lead in the AFC North.

Can you say “Take it to the house,” boys and girls?
The Steelers could.
And they did.
Repeatedly.

Pittsburgh dominated the field on both sides of the ball, at least they did after the first half. Their offense was consistently able to move the chains. The “Steel Curtain” completely shut down the Bronco’s run game.

Boilermaker Watch: Broncos’ QB Kyle Orton had a “less than stellar” game: He threw for 221 yards (which is good), but with no TDs and three interceptions. It was not a good night for him – he never really went for deep routes and he missed picking up the blitzes on run plays.

Stray Toasters

It looks as though the sun has finally won the battle.

Namaste.

“When the walls come tumbling down…”

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Monday – 09 November 2009
Welcome to a new week.

Yesterday saw a nice balance of laziness and productivity. After watching the early game – and watching the stats of the Ravens game – I started working in the office. It needs to be brought out of chaos and into order.  In a big way. Next came some errand-running. Then we headed to dinner at SaraRules’ parents’ house.

Waking up this morning was a tedious process. Of course, not going to bed until nearly 0230 could have had something to do with that. Maybe.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday was a day of across-the-board upsets, good and bad:

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
7 – 17
The Ravens (4-3) headed to Cincinnati to take on the 5 – 2Bengals… and maybe get a little closer to the top of the division.Quoth the Ravens: “Never score.

I don’t know what happened, but I’m willing to wager that it was one of two things:

  1. Someone suited up Owings Mills’ JV team in Ravens’ uniforms
  2. The Bengals were seriously out for blood

Whatever it was, the Ravens apparently didn’t perform like the team that ended Denver’s perfect season last week.  And, according to , they couldn’t buy a decent call, either. *sigh* It makes me glad that the game wasn’t broadcast here.

Congratulations to and on both the win and sole possession of the lead in the AFC North.  (And, yes, I’ll be a Broncos fan tonight, when Pitt takes on Denver.)

Coach Harbaugh, you just got chumped by the Bengals. Big time.  How does that make you feel?

Yeah, I understand.  I wouldn’t want to talk about it, either.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
17 – 27
The Dolphins, continuing their road series, headed to New England for a rematch against the Patriots!

Everyone in Foxboro apparently got the  “One if by land, two if by sea” memo, because they went to town on the Dolphins. Where’s Greenpeace when you need them…?

.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
20 – 30
I didn’t get to see this one, but I was a little torn on it. On one hand, it’s Carolina, my NFC team. On the other hand, it’s the 7-0 Saints, led by former Boilermaker Drew Brees.

Loyalties… torn….

In the end, the Saints went marching in with a win and an 8-0 record.  And I was just fine with that.

Bye Week: Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns.

Stray Toasters

Quote of the Day
A while back, I asked to write a recommendation for me on LinkedIn. He sent me the first draft last week:

Rob was a great hire. He has the skills to fit into which ever technical role we happened to throw at him at the time. However his true talent came forward whenever we needed to put a little pressure on an employee or make someone disappear. We still don’t know what happened to some of the bodies.

I thought that it was fine, as-is. He wound up changing it a little, to make it a bit more… palatable to the masses.

Namaste.

“Who are you…?”

arts and leisure, comics and animation, dining and cuisine, everyday glory, family and friends, food for thought, football, games, music, news and info, style, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...?! No Comments »

Sunday – 08 November 2009
This has been a good weekend.

Friday was SaraRules’ birthday. After work, we went out for dinner. SaraRules’ first choice was Red Iguana… unfortunately, there was an hour-plus-long wait to get in. No go, Flight. Her second choice was Sawadee, a Thai restaurant near downtown. I didn’t know that it was even there; in my defense, I don’t get to that part of the city very often. The food was very good (and very spicy!). After dinner, we met up with some of the usual suspects at Clitorati, including a special guest appearance from and .

Yesterday was a good day. It had a good mix of laziness and productivity. SaraRules went to her quilt club in the morning; I hung out with Chris and Perry. After we got home, we headed back out to run a few errands. Back home again. SaraRules took a nap, I assembled a bookcase. Later, we headed to Abravanel Hall to watch Utah Symphony perform a pair of works by Brahms:

  • Concerto No. 1 for Piano in D Minor, op 15
  • Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, op. 98

Pinchas Zuckerman conducted and Jonathan Biss was the guest pianist. The performance was good. I was particularly impressed/pleasantly surprised by Mr. Zuckerman’s attire – he wore a slightly oversized black silk (I think) shirt with a pair of black slacks, rather than the traditional tuxedo that most conductors wear. Our seats were in the first tier, about five rows from the stage. This afforded an excellent view of the orchestra and of the conductor… as well as being close enough to hear Mr. Biss breathe. Seriously. When playing particularly intense passages, he breathed heavily. Very heavily. So heavily, in fact, that SaraRules said that it was like watching and listening to Darth Vader play.

This morning has been quiet. Breakfast.  Football. (If only the Ravens could act like they remember how to play the game. *sigh* I’ve been spoiled by being able to watch them play for the past three weeks, but I think I’m glad that I can’t watch this one.)  This evening, we’re heading over to the in-laws’ for SaraRules’ birthday dinner (with the family) and football.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“L.A. Woman…”

arts and leisure, dining and cuisine, everyday glory, family and friends, food for thought, geekery, LEGO and Rokenbok, movies and TV, science and technology, toys No Comments »

06 November 2009
Happy Birthday to SaraRules!

Happy Sweet Sixteen or multiple thereof

Also, Happy Birthday to :

Today is bright and sunny. Unfortunately, it will only be “moderately warm,” as temperatures are only expected to reach the low 60s. I guess that comes with the whole “Autumn” thing. This morning, after waking up and getting ready for the day – and card-/gift-giving – I had breakfast at Paradise Bakery and Cafe with The Birthday Girl, who has the day off. Great way to kick off the day.

Speaking of the day, it feels like today’s going to be a great big “Mulligan.” As far as “things to look forward to” go, there’s  have dinner with SaraRules this evening and Clitorati tonight. I know that it’s early and that I might actually find some motivation to do something that qualifies as “productive” along the way, but at this point…. bupkis. Good thing that I have my DreamCast here to help me get through the day.

Stray Toasters

  • posted a link to The Geek’s Guide to Being Interesting
  • By way of SaraRules: A Common Nomenclature for LEGO Families
  • …and from xkcd:

  • Technology and Your Local School: What to Donate and What NOT to Donate
  • Sweet monkey-squeezin’ Jesus…

    J.J. Abrams, who created the TV show “Lost” and directed this summer’s “Star Trek” film, is in discussions to produce a movie about Japanese toy line Micronauts, which Hasbro just acquired.

    I used to have a ton of Micronauts toys when I was a kid. This could either be an awesome movie… or it could be Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Suckage. (I’m hoping for the former, though.)

  • Speaking of toy-to-movie transitions, SaraRules found out that a Jem movie may be in the works.
  • Have Yourself a Merry LEGO Christmas
  • Doom Patrol #4 came out yesterday. I have pretty much decided to drop this title, but yesterday’s release was not only a “Blackest Night” tie-in issue, but it also had something packaged with it that made it Simply Irresistable, to quote the late Robert Palmer:

    A yellow, Sinestro Corps ring… which now rests comfortably in my display case. On the shelf with my other non-Green Lantern corps figures/accessories.  Two rings down, six to go…

  • High Octane, High Art from Mini

Namaste.

“One ping only.”

everyday glory No Comments »

Live+Press borked itself yesterday.

This is just a test to see if it’s conducted a rectal craniotomy and corrected itself… or if I need to try and suss out what happened.

Nothing to see here.
Move along, Citizen.

“Save me from these evil deeds, before I get them done…”

arts and leisure, dining and cuisine, everyday glory, games, geekery, monkeys!, movies and TV, office antics, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...?! No Comments »

Thursday – 05 November 2009
It’s a lovely day outside. The Weather Channel even says that we might brush up against 70°F  today. That’s a good thing in my book.

Today is also NBN Thursday… or at least, it’s supposed to be. The day is trying to turn into “Too many monkeys, not enough sticks to beat them with,” however. But, I’m trying to take  advice from U2: “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” On the plus side, Paul just gave me a smiley-face sticker for the way I handled a couple of things. Yay for stickers!

Last night, I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up a couple of stuffed chicken breasts for dinner. I cooked them… or thought I did.  Mine was pretty much cooked through; SaraRules’ wasn’t quite as done. So, back in the oven they went. When we did “Dinner Redux,” they turned out very well. Post-dinner, we watched G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; SaraRules picked it up at a Redbox location. Silly, yes. Cheesy, a bit. But, it was fun. Stephen Sommers did a good job of turning a toy/cartoon property into a popcorn movie. (FAR better than Michael Bay did earlier this year with another Hasbro property…) Would I buy it?  Sure. Like I said, it was fun.  Also, it would be good to have for “turn your brain off” fare or something to have in the background while I’m gaming.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

One month later.

engagement/wedding/marriage, everyday glory, news and info, quote of the day, science and technology, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...?!, workout No Comments »

Wednesday – 04 November 2009
Yesterday was our… whatever you want to call it, yesterday marked one month since SaraRules and I got married. (Yep, I totally lucked out.) We spent a quiet evening in, eating dinner, watching TV and drinking wine. It was a nice way to spend our… um… one-twelfth-iversary?  One-month anniversary?

I woke up this morning with a couple of Wham! songs running through my head. I haven’t decided if it’s a “good” thing or a “bad” thing. Granted, they were upbeat and bouncy – which isn’t a necessarily bad way to kick of the morning – but it was 80s pop, after all. First thing in the morning…?  *shrug* I suppressed the idea of subjecting people on Facebook to videos of the songs this morning, at least, and I went with this, instead.

I’m not sure if any of the usual suspects will be going to sushi today. I might just have to make another excursion without them, after all… there are comics to get!

Workout
Wes and I made it to the gym yesterday afternoon:

  • Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
  • Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
  • Lateral Raises (with Flys, dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
  • Reverse Punches: 3 sets/15 reps, 10 lbs
  • Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
  • Tricep Extensions (dumbbell, overhead, standing): 3 sets/15 reps, 40 lbs

Post-workout weight: 185.3 lbs (gym clothes, shoes)

I think I might – voluntarily – do some side bends next time. Ugh. I’m also thinking of dropping my bench press reps down to eight, per set, and seeing if I can start increasing the weight a little more.

Stray Toasters

Quote of the Day

“That’s so big, it’s not a jet… it’s a Seabus!”
“Airbus…?”
“Dammit!”

Namaste.

“There’s always something else…”

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Tuesday – 03 November 2009
I can see clearly now
The rain is gone…

Not that it’s rained here recently, but the haze that usually hovers over the valley is gone… or at least it has thinned a bit.

Happy Birthday to !

You don't look a day over whatever age you were a few years ago

Last night, we headed over to the in-laws for dinner and football. Both were very good – we had lamb and fresh vegetables…. and an eggplant dish whose name I can never remember.

Instant Replay: Football

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
27 – 35
The 6-0 Saints hosted the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons.

I wasn’t expecting too much from this, but it was a very good game. Both teams scored on their opening drives.  Not only that, both teams played well – all game long, on both sides of the ball.

Boilermaker Watch: Saints QB Drew Brees had yet another game with big passing yards. He threw for 308 yards, with two TDs and one interception.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Monday morning melange

arts and leisure, comics and animation, everyday glory, games, news and info, science and technology, style 1 Comment »

Monday – 02 November 2009
Another lovely workin’ day in the valley. It’s clear and sunny… and supposed to get into the low-to-mid 60s today. That’s not a bad thing at all.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Chinatown, a movie that I got from Netflix weeks ago. It started off slowly, but told an interesting story of deception, murder and greed in 1930s Los Angeles. I wasn’t aware that it was a Roman Polanski film, until the pre-movie credits began. We both thought that it was a very good movie and I would  recommend it.

After Chinatown, we both set about our respective hobbies: SaraRules did some quilting, I glued and assembled some of the WWG pieces I had cut out earlier in the day. SaraRules put on X-Men Origins: Wolverine while we worked. I tried not to pick out “too many” continuity gaffs. “Tried” being the operative word. All things considered, it’s still a decent movie.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Super Sunday

comics and animation, dining and cuisine, engagement/wedding/marriage, everyday glory, football, games, geekery, IKEA, movies and TV, news and info, science and technology, zombies 4 Comments »

01 November 2009
Welcome to November.

Is it a “bad” thing that I wish that more people and places remembered that the next American holiday after Hallowe’en is not Christmas? *sigh*

Alas, poor Yorick Thanksgiving! I knew it, Horatio.

At least we are keeping the holiday spirit alive here at home: SaraRules changed the fabric in the picture frames in the bathroom to the Thanksgiving-themed fabrics we found last week:

thanksgiving_decor

Last night, SaraRules and I opted to stay in and hand out candy to kids here in our complex. We were partially successful – we had two sets of Trick or Treaters. We even got into costume for it. Oh, well. We also wound up Hallowe’en with a couple of horrible… I mean “horror”… movies. (Actually, they were both pretty bad.) We watched a pair of Uwe Boll movies:

House of the Dead

and

Bloodrayne

SaraRules actually owns House (on VHS, no less!) and she found Bloodrayne on Netflix’ Instant Queue.  I’m not sure that there’s ever been a movie based on a videogame that’s been “good,” but I do know that neither of these movies qualifies. We MST3K-ed both movies… and had fun doing it.

This morning, SaraRules fixed a coffee cake, which we ate while watching football. Also during the game, I set my digital cutter to work on some WWG pieces – I got a lot cut out, I just need to glue and assemble now. After the early game, we went to the store to pick up some things for dinner tonight – we’re having jambalaya. Tonight will be another low-key night around the homestead.

Instant Replay: Football Update
Today has been a good football day. A good day, indeed.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
7 – 30
The Ravens (3-3), after a three game losing streak and a bye week, we looking to make up some lost ground in the AFC North.Coming into today’s game, the Broncos hadn’t only allowed more than 10 points in the second halves of their games; with their 6-0 record, they headed to Baltimore to notch another win.

Quoth the Ravens: “Nevermore.”

This was a helluva game, especially if you are a Ravens fan. On the first play of the opening drive, Raven’s LB Jarret Johnson introduced Broncos QB Kyle Orton to the turf, on an for a sack with an 8-yard loss. And the hits just kept coming. Orton was hurried, rushed and sacked twice.

And it wasn’t just the Ravens’ defense doing some work today, the offense and special teams helped out, including a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown, by CB Ladarius Webb.

The Ravens looked – and played – like a team on a mission. And it was good. Amen.

Ray, how does a big win against a previously undefeated football team make you feel?

Yeah, I’d be feeling like that, too.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
30 – 25
The Dolphins took a trip to New York to take on the Jets in Giants Stadium…

…and were able to hold on for a win. Go, fish!

.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
16 – 24
The Chargers hosted the Raiders and were able to keep them at bay long enough to eke out a win.

Sorry, SaraRules.

.

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals
34 – 21
The Cats traveled across the country to take on the Arizona Cardinals…

…and came away looking like the cat that ate the canary.

.

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears
6 – 30
Um… sorry, .

…and the Game of the Day:

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
38 – 26
Brett Favre took the Vikings to Green Bay to take on his former team. How would it be to go back to Lambeau Field after playing there for sixteen years… and being gone for two?

Let’s just say that Favre had a solid game: 244 passing yards. Four touchdowns. No interceptions. No sacks.

It was every bit as good a game as I was expecting.

Congratulations, .

Stray Toasters

  • SaraRules and I picked up our wedding bands from the jewelers yesterday. We had to have them resized, because they were both (at least) a half-size too small.  For those of you who haven’t seen them before, here’s a look:

    wedding_bands_sm
    (click picture for larger image)

    The bands were custom-designed for us by . She asked us what we wanted on them… and we both drew a blank. After some discussion, asked us what our interests were and that she would adapt something from that. That made it easier for both of us: SaraRules is a quilter and I’m a collector/gamer. We wanted something that represented both of us, and that’s what we went with:

    The pattern, quilt square/lantern, is repeated around the ring.

  • I realized something this morning. After sleeping in my wedding band, I had a negative imprint of the ring’s pattern on my skin. It took me a moment or two to realize why it looked so familiar.  It looked like this (the symbol on Kyle’s uniform). I had always wondered how/where they came up with the symbol; now I have a better idea.
  • If you get a chance, vote for SaraRules and me!
  • Computer Activities for Those with Speech and Language Difficulties?
  • I don’t mind the extra hour of “fall back” when we go from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time… but I do miss the late-in-the-day sunlight.
  • No word yet on when S.F. Bay Bridge will reopen
  • SaraRules and I made a pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden yesterday. We bought stuff, too.
  • Zombies as American Zeitgeist Proxies
    Oh, yeah… we watched the original Night of the Living Dead last night, too.

  • This makes me chuckle:

  • The iPhone Now Officially Runs Doom
  • I believe I’m craving a Slurpee… but I don’t think I’ll be getting one tonight.