Random Access

Namaste.

Saturday – 11 September 2010
Today is the ninth anniversary of the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

For my thoughts on the matter, I again refer to these posts.

Take a few moments today to think about those whose lives were lost and to thank those who’ve put their lives on the line to keep the rest of us out of harm’s way.

Namaste.

Friday – 10 September 2010
Good morning, Baltimore… um… “Salt Lake City!”

It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday.

Today is also the first day of Eid.
And… it is also Purple Friday.

Here’s a little DJ Kool to get your day moving (thanks to my man, Beckley, for the idea):

Last night marked the opening of the 2010 NFL Season. *genuflect*
The opening game featured the Minnesota Vikings taking on the New Orleans Saints:

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
9 – 14
This was a game for which I had great expectations… …and was ultimately let down. It wasn’t the game I expected, nor was it a really memorable game. And that’s kind of sad, given that this game was, effectively, a rematch of last season’s NFC title game. The Saints, after a great opening drive, sputtered their way through the next couple of quarters, but managed to get more things “right” than the Vikings. Drew Brees threw for over 230 yards, but there wasn’t really much of a run game until Pierre Thomas found some holes in the defense in the second quarter. Speaking of the Vikings, they just couldn’t seem to pull it together. The offense’s timing was off. WAY off in some cases. QB Brett Favre couldn’t synch up with his receivers in the way you’d expect. The running game, while not completely stopped, was definitely stunted. This wasn’t the team that I expected to see taking the field. And the refs didn’t seem to help the Vikings’ cause at all; Minnesota couldn’t buy a good call. My boss messaged me after the game: How did you like the four-hour long NFL tribute to the Saints? Refs and all. And I can’t really say that his assessment was off. It will be interesting to see how both teams fare as the season progresses.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: IKEA UK Releases 100 Cats Inside Wembley Store
  (This should possibly be added to the “Whisker Tango Foxtrot…?!” file.)
• New questions on state of U.S.-Muslim relations
• The Council for Better Driving finds this interesting: Child-in-the-road illusion to deter speeding
• I know I’m late to the party with this one, but… this video is the epitome of schadenfreude:

• Video Game Honor Student Bumper Stickers
• Judges Rule That Military Policy Violates Rights of Gays
• Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Coulton comedy interviews at PAX

Namaste.

Thursday – 09 September 2010
Another NBN Thursday kicks off in the valley… with somewhat overcast skies.  It’s been interesting to watch the sunlight peeking through holes in the cloud cover.

Happy New Year (5771) to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah today.

Today is also “Comics Thursday,” which gives the day a little Win-Win cachet.

Last night was the HeroClix “Web of Spider-Man” release night event at Dr. Volt’s.

It was a sealed box tournament — 300 points. Jeremiah ran the event, which meant that I got to play.  (I still fielded a couple of rulings questions, though.)  This set is a little different in that it’s much more… street-level. After the “grander scale” of “The Brave and the Bold” and “Hammer of Thor,” it makes for an interesting change of pace.

Stray Toasters

• Od tir’eh, od tir’eh
  Kama tov yihiyeh
  Bashana, bashana haba’ah.
• Working Tractor Beam Can Move Objects 5 Feet with Just Light
• I believe that we’ve settled on a color for the guest room. Now, we just have to paint the room…
• New York Fashion Week:
  • The Next Wave
  • Fashion Week’s new home: Pizazz at Lincoln Center
• By way of Nyx:

  

  There’s a rap joke in there somewhere…

• Can Science Teach Us How to Dance Sexier?
• The Guardians of America’s Front Lawn
• Conservative Activists Infect Digg Using Massive Bury Brigade
• I’ve been a fan of this song for many years:
• Bracing for Cuts, Military Firms Shed Workers
• Sawhorses and plywood.  Amen.
• Lustful Court and other fun or unfortunate street names

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 08 September 2010
Midweek.
This would ordinarily mean “Comics and Sushi Wednesday.”  However, as there was a holiday at the beginning of the week, comics aren’t hitting stores until tomorrow… and I’m not sure who, if anyone, is available for sushi today.

BUT…

The new HeroClix Web of Spider-Man set hits stores today. Even if there’s no sushi, this will be plenty to get me through the day/night.  Dr. Volt’s is holding a release day tourney this evening; Jeremiah is running it, so I actually get to play.  (Although this means that I’ll miss tonight’s D&D game with Melody and Jack.)

Today is also the birthday of a couple people I’m pretty fond of: Sib-4 ( also known as ) and Jenny P.:

Today also marks the 44th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek.
(How many of you knew that the theme from the original series had lyrics?)

Last night, SaraRules and I tackled a few home projects: She tore out a few rose bushes, I replaced a couple more sprinkler nozzles and… we put primer on the walls and ceiling of the guest room. Busy night. And we were done with it all by a few minutes after 10:00.  As a reward, I took a nice, hot shower, fixed a bowl of ice cream (Rocky Road and Cookies & Cream) and played a little CoH: Going Rogue. I installed it on my Win7 laptop and it ran like a charm… which I had hoped/expected, since that laptop isn’t really used for anything but gaming.

Stray Toasters

• Female Pilot Reflects on War and Evolving Army
• modHero – Very cool artistic takes on comic characters
• What do these two videos have in common?  (Answer at end of post.)
  Video 1: Rush – Time Stand Still

  Video 2: Til Tuesday - Voices Carry

  
  Legacy Recordings | MySpace Music Videos

• Asteroid buzzes Earth; another one coming
• Yet another cooling unit pump has gone out in our server room. The tech is going to take a water sample with him to see if Something in the Water Does Not Compute. (Apologies to Prince, but it was fitting.)
• Fro Design Co Store
• I think that I’ve come up with an idea for where to put my new train set, at least temporarily
• Snap Judgment
• I wasn’t going to put in a web comic today… until I saw two of them that had a common theme. At that point, I was helpless to resist:

  

  …and…

  

• WTF? Moments Collecting Comic Books
• These are pretty cool: ’60s Style Comic Book Cover Wedding Invites Saved the Date in Style
• Eerie Ukranian Salt Mines House Convalescing Asthmatics

Live long and prosper.

Namaste.

…and the answer to the music trivia question: Til Tuesday’s Aimee Mann was the female voice on Rush’s Time Stand Still (and the “camera operator” in the video).

Tuesday – 07 September 2010
The abbreviated work week begins.

The morning commute was accompanied by the radio, which had this in the mix:

Last night, SaraRules and I headed to the local Home Depot – my third trip for the day – to pick up paint supplies to start work on the guest room. As soon as we finish with it, we’ll be done with the upstairs interior. For now.  We’re considering replacing the railing at the stairs to the basement with a half-wall.  We’ll see how that pans out.

I also managed to get in a little time in Nova Praetoria, the “other” setting for CoH: Going Rogue. I like the fact that you get to choose between being a Loyalist (supporting the emperor) or a Resistance member (fighting against the oppressive regime)… or even straddle the line between them. My character is currently a member of the Resistance. Whether or not he remains one will depend on how the story plays out.

Stray Toasters

• It would be nice if the weather could figure out whether it wants to be hot or cool.
• Petraeus Wanrs Against Planned Koran-Burning
  I find it sad that people can’t figure out that this is invective and offensive.  It seems a far way from the “Do unto others…” that I was taught in the churches of my youth.
• 8 Incredible LEGO Mods
• And here’s a little classic Ms. Jackson for your day, too:
• North Van dad-to-be’s final act saves family
  And if the name “Brian Wood” sounds familiar to gamers, it’s because he was the lead designer for Relic Entertainment’s Company of Heroes.
• By way of : Conventions: Another day at the office for celebs
• 
• 8 Weight Loss Secrets from Around the World
• 1930 Art Deco Henderson
• The Ravens (finally) released QB Troy Smith over the weekend; he was picked up by the 49ers.
• Researchers Say Happiness Costs $75k
• xkcd Comic Wedding Cake

Namaste.

Monday – 06 September 2010
Today is Labor Day.
I hope that everyone has a safe – and very enjoyable – end-of-summer whatever it is you choose to do.

In honor of the day, I woke up early… well, “early-ish”… and, with the help of , worked on my sprinkler system. I had a few heads that needed to be replaced, one that needed help and just some general maintenance all around. This involved two (that’s right: TWO) trips to the local Home Depot. But, two-and-a-half hours and some elbow sweat grease later, it was done and things were working the way they were supposed to.

Yesterday was another lazy long-weekend day. We slept in. I played a little CoH: Going Rogue — I created a new character; SaraRules did some quilting. Later in the day, we headed over to SaraRules’ parents for dinner and a movie.  Last night’s fare was Clash of the Titans, the new one. Again, it was a decent action flick. And the in-laws liked it. Win-Win.

Stray Toasters

• The 4th Annual Utah Symphony|Utah Opera Web Sale is under way!  Get big discounts on this season’s upcoming events.
• Hey! That’s My Cape — Too Many Batmen Could Spoil the Cowl
• Speaking of comics, I’m enjoying getting back into Fables.
• How to open a new book
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: 8-Foot Shark Caught in Potomac River
• TRAIN!

Shortly, SaraRules and I will be heading out for lunch with some of the usual suspects and then seeing The Expendables again.

I should probably finish getting ready.

Namaste.

Sunday – 05 September 2010
So far, it’s been a nice and quiet day.

I slept in.
I decided to take a relaxing hot bath.
I finished Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days), which has been languishing on the bookshelf.
All the way around, I think that qualifies as a good way to kick off a Sunday.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I went for a walk along the Jordan River Parkway. We started at the 6400 South entrance and walked up to the 5400 South pavilions. We figured that the round-trip was somewhere between 2.75 and 3.00 miles.

Later in the evening, we met up with OnlyAly, and Jana and went to see the Real Salt Lake match against the New York Red Bulls. (Pictures here) I even ran into Tyranist and his wife, as well as my former coworker, Carilyn, at the stadium. RSL pulled out the win, which tied them for MLS’ longest consecutive home game win streak — 22 games. Added bonus: It looks as though we’ve converted a few more people into soccer fans.

Back at home, SaraRules and I watched Renovation Realities and Family Renovation before calling it a night. Schadenfreude at its finest.

Stray Toasters

• I need to look into replacing a couple of sprinkler heads.
• Mad Men’s glamourous gift to the world
• The Ultimate Casual Shopping Guide for Fall
• During my latest bout with geekiness, I put a couple of WorldWorksGames buildings in the middle of my train layout.
• Demon children want you to eat
• From the “It’s Probably Me…” file: What’s “wrong” with this picture?

  

  (Hint: Compared to the other items displayed, is it really “news” that someone’s not going to be a judge on American Idol next season?  How about if it’s someone that we’d barely heard of before she became an AI judge?!)

• Flying Cars? Conveyor Belts? The Future of I-95
• How to Wear White after Labor Day
• The NFL 2010 season starts on Thursday!

If I’m up early enough, should I go to the driving range tomorrow morning…?

Namaste.

Saturday – 04 September 2010
Day 2 of the 4-day weekend is upon us.
It started out rather lazily – sleeping in and then stretching out on the sitting room sofa and reading comics. I’d pretty much call that a “win-win” start to the day.

Yesterday was a fairly lazy day. The morning was uneventful. A little before lunchtime, I headed down to visit Kate and Perry and the kids (or at least the kids who weren’t in school…). From there, I headed downtown to shoot a spot for an upcoming USUO video for new Thierry Fischer, the symphony’s new Music Director. It was fun. We’ll see if I make it into the final video or wind up on the cutting room floor. Then, I headed over to the USUO offices to say “Hi” to SaraRules.

Then, I did something that I haven’t done in over 25 years: I bought a new train set. (Yes, I do have a LEGO train set, but that was purchased for me.) My new acquisition was the Lionel Chessie System Merger Special Freight Set. Growing up in Maryland, Chessie System was the ‘road that I grew up around. (That and Norfolk and Western, to some degree.) Pictures of the unboxed set can be seen here.

To say that it’s “a little difficult” to find Chessie locomotives and rolling stock around here (Union Pacific territory) would be a minor understatement. Something that I didn’t realize before getting the itch to get back into model railroading – but makes perfect sense – is that hobby shops carry ‘roads that are appropriate to their geographic location. Therefore, I can find UP and BNSF stock with no problem, but finding things that are more common east of the Mississippi is a little more scarce… unless you special order them, in most cases.

Leaving The Train Shoppe, I gave a call to see if he wanted to come over and watch a few episodes of I Love Toy Trains that I’d recorded. He did. And, thus, we did. One of the episodes featured a layout owned by Tony Lash, that takes up over 2,800 square feet.  (Transcript of the show can be read here. You should read the first few paragraphs, at least.)

Two-thousand eight-hundred square feet.

I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

Just to put it into a little better perspective: His layout is larger than our house. Yeah, it’s that big. And it was AMAZING. Seriously.

After watching ILTT, it was time to head out for evening entertainment — SaraRules and her dad went off for a “daddy-daughter date” to see Machete (which she said was pretty awesome), while and I headed off to Clitorati. We had a good turnout; by the time we went to get dinner, there were 15 of us.

When we got back home, I unpacked the track, transformer and locomotive from the Chessie set and assembled it in the family room. And I was immediately transformed into an eight-year-old kid again. Yep, just watching the locomotive going around the oval elicited that much nostalgia… and was that much fun.

Stray Toasters

• Death in Space
• Invoice cake sent to People.com
• TRENDING: How Christians spoil sex
• Seven Famous Movie Flaws That Were Explained in Deleted Scenes
• 
• The physics of breaking stuff with your fists
• What are the perils of being a lefty?
• No, Facebook Places Is Not Tracking You
• Best Exploitation Flicks: Machete‘s Over-the-Top Ancestors
• Zombies get “red light camera” tickets, too
• “East Meets West”: flying carpet sofa

And with that, time to find some trouble to get into!

Namaste.

Friday – 03 September 2010
It’s my 9/80 “off” Friday.
I consider that a good way to kick off a long weekend.

Last night was rather quiet and low-key. The highlights included: Mowing the yard and watching more of Mad Men, season 2. I’ve been trying to follow a tip I saw on DIY Network (I really watch that channel FAR too much…) and have been cutting the grass in different directions each time I mow. The landscaping in the front yard makes it… difficult… but I persevere. The back yard isn’t nearly as annoying to mow, fortunately. And, I also got the mower back behind the gazebo — there was a LOT of ivy/ground cover growth — to see what I was dealing with back there.  Uneven ground. A couple of stumps. A raised planter box.   Yeah, it needs a little attention.  We’ll see what we can do about that.

Stray Toasters

• I just finished chatting with my mother… on Facebook. She seems to be enjoying retirement… for the most part.
• USUO 2010 Fourth Annual Web Sale
• Cinnamon Chip Bread for breakfast!  WIN!
• The crap we put up with getting on and off an airplane
• 
• Preschoolers being radio-tagged
• The Ravens played the Rams last night… and lost. I didn’t see the game, as it wasn’t televised, but ESPN’s Game Center told the tale of the tape.  And these reporters’ comments clarified any further questions. Oh, well… at least the regular season starts soon.
• 
• August jobs report: Signs of life for employment
• Homeroom Security: book about the insanity of zero-tolerance classroom policies
• From the “WAY Too Much Free Time” file comes: Keith Goldman builds Logan’s Run

Time to see what kind(s) of trouble I can get into today…

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 September 2010
Another NBN Thursday kicks off.
And it also kicks off a four-day weekend, as today is my “Technical Friday.”
Maybe I’ll leave a little early to get a jump on the long weekend…

Today also marks the anniversary of the first use of an ATM in the United States.

Last night was Game Night with and Jack and company. It was fun, but our party got our collective recta handed to us, for the most part. Not zesty. We survived, but it was touch-and-go for a while.

After the game – and a stop at Home Depot, to pick up a hacksaw – I headed home and read the day’s four-color haul. It was a good way to wrap up the day.

Stray Toasters

• The art of James Hance
• Leaders Call for Peace as Mideast Talks Begin
• I just found out that a coworker of mine – one whom I like – is… a Steelers fan.
  I’m not sure if we can be friends anymore.
• I Lost 100 Pounds (And Found Out What the World Thinks of Fat People)
• Tony Blair on Clinton, Bush and the American Character
  

  Americans can be all that the rest of the world sometimes accuses them of: brash, loud, insular, obsessive and heavy-handed. But America is great for a reason. It is looked up to, despite all the criticism, for a reason. There is a nobility in the American character that has been developed over the centuries, derived in part, no doubt, from the frontier spirit, from the waves of migration that form the stock, from the circumstances of independence, from the Civil War, from a myriad of historical facts and coincidences. But it is there.

• New River Gorge Bridge attraction not for the faint of heart
• 35 New Hidden Logos of 2010 – Messages Revealed!
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Trapped Chilean Miners Denied Pay While Underground
• 
• Young, Single & Childless: Women Who Earn More Than Men
• Fall Clothing for Men: 21 of Your Most Pressing Fall Style Problems, Solved
• F.C.C. Seeks More Input on Wireless Internet Rules
• Annihilating the Ivories: A Solo Piano Workout Mix

Meetings! Yay!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 01 September 2010
A new month begins.

Today is Comics (and maybe Sushi) Wednesday.

Today also marks the 36th anniversary of the The SR-71 Blackbird setting the record for flying from New York to London in the time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds… a record it still holds.

Last night, most of the Clitorati crew met at Desert Edge Brewery for dinner with , Michael and Hannah. It was a nice to see her – and meet Michael and Hannah – even if only for a couple hours. I had the Paella-style Chicken and Sausage Pasta, which was very good.

This morning finds me in the south office. I had a meeting with the landlord and the sbuilding manager about some changes that we’d like to make in our server room. I mentioned two ideas that we had considered; they countered with a variation on one of those plans… that might be somewhat less expensive than we had originally thought. We’ll see how their quote looks when it comes in.

Stray Toasters

• I broke out my grey glen-plaid suit this morning. White shirt. Blue/black/white tie. White pocket square. I’ve been getting the usual “Are you bucking for a raise/promotion” questions. I’ve been countering with “No, I have a meeting with my bishop.” The quizzical looks – since pretty much everyone down here knows that I’m not LDS – have been totally worth it.
• knew that I’ll probably never be a Browns or Indians fan… but I can give their home city a warm nod, if for no other reason than this: Cleveland, the True Birthplace of Superman
• Lovecraft is missing, and all R’lyeh breaks loose
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: NFL player Troy Polamalu gets $1m hair insurance
• Chewbacca, Han Solo and R2D2 drawn as if part of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh
• In New York Ballet Companies, Corps Is a Thrill
• I like how this garage-to-office conversion turned out.
• 
• Wesley Snipes Was Almost Geordi LaForge
• After Years of War, Few Iraqis Have a Clear View of the Future
• The Wilderness Downtown – this comes by way of . It is a very cool blending of technologies. Put in the real address that it asks for – it’s totally worth it. And don’t close any of the windows that pop up!
• 8 Surprising Household Deodorizers
• Method to Grade Teachers Provokes Battles

Namaste.