Random Access

Wednesday – 18 March 2009
Yesterday, SaraRules and I had dinner with her folks – corned beef and cabbage for Saint Patrick’s Day. During dinner, we watched Animal Crackers. The only word I can really think of to use to describe it is “zany.” Yes, it was quite dated, but it was still entertaining.

When we got home, I messed around with the cable receiver which had been acting flaky, according to SaraRules. Nothing I tried seemed to help, so I called the cable company. After a few minutes on the phone, the CSR offered a final suggestion: Return the box for an exchange. *sigh* I had a couple of shows on the DVR that I still wanted to see.  Oh, well.

This morning, we were up at 0530… which roughly translates to “stupid o’clock.” SaraRules, her parents and Logan are heading down to Arizona to visit her grandmother for a few days. (And all I got was this lousy t-shirt. Or will get. Or got a few years ago. Time travel makes things a little confusing…) On the “plus” side, I was in the office before 0700 this morning. That’s a good thing, especially since I’ll probably spend “a few minutes” at lunch trying to exchange my cable box.

Stray Toasters

• I talked with for a few minutes last night.
• Young Mad Scientist Alphabet Blocks



• Had yesterday been a Thursday, it would have failed. Miserably.
• , and a few others have mentioned Erfworld enough times that I decided to check it out. It’s pretty amusing… in a punny and geeky kind of way.
• Passion for opera compared to love at first sight: study
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” and “monkeys!” files: Kid walks to soccer, neighbors call the cops
• 
• Forbidden Knowledge: 101 Things NOT Everyone Should Know How to Do
• Josef Fritzl admits all charges
• IRS to allow Ponzi victims to claim theft losses
• NFL Shop.com is extending their 30% off sale through today.
  

  

• Artists buying cheap houses in Detroit

He gets right on to
The friction of the day…

Namaste.

Saturday – 14 March 2009
Happy Pi Day.

Today has kicked off with a quiet morning, the only sounds (so far) are the refrigerator, the clock and sound of my typing. It looks like it’s going to be a sunny day and possibly warmer than it has been for the past few days.

Last night’s Clitorati was fun. While out, I finally picked up a box set of the Star Wars trilogy. The original one. The good one. I had a coupon that made the deal lucrative. I was a bit torn, though – I almost opted to get The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But, I was tempted by the Dark Side swayed by the fact that the Star Wars set contained not only the “new and improved” versions of the movies, but the original theatrical releases.

Stray Toasters

• New way to misspell the title: “Stray Toaters”
• Dora the Explorer Grows Up and Gets a Makeover
• I think I’m done with my Sodam Yat figure. I gave him a head last night before heading to coffee. The head I used was perfect for the look I need… but not exactly the perfect size – the neck is a little too big. I’m okay with that. And, I think that I can smooth out the “rough edges” with a little clay. Or… maybe I’ll just let it be. *shrug* We’ll see how it goes.
• For Better or Worse, Resident Evil 5 Exposes Racism
• From the TED 2009: Aimee Mullins: How my legs give me super-powers

• High Noon on the Set – Jim Cramer vs. Jon Stewart
• 
• You Spent *HOW* Much on That? or “What Does a $16,000+ PC Look Like, Anyway?”
• Racing the Beam: How Atari 2600’s Crazy Hardware Changed Game Design
• Thanks to for pointing out The Most Amazing Mashup Music Video You’re Going to See This Month. I’d seen a link to it yesterday, but skipped over it. Good thing that he brought it to my attention as something worth watching, it really is pretty amazing.

• Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry

This afternoon: Race to Witch Mountain
Tonight: The Marriage of Figaro

Namaste.

Friday – 06 March 2009
It’s a little after 8:00. (Or, rather, it was when I wrote that…)
On my Friday off.
Why am I already awake?

Could it have something to do with the fact that I slept poorly?
Or the weird dreams I was having?

I wish I knew.  But, there it is. The coffee pot is going, so I should have some liquid motivation in a few minutes. Or, as Dolly Parton put it:

Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life

This morning agenda has a couple of items on it:

1. SaraRules and I are heading back to Heritage Gardens. As it’s on “The Even-Shorter List,” we want to confirm a few things about the venue.
2. We’re off to see the Wizard Watchmen in a few hours.

This afternoon… who knows? And there’s Clitorati this evening.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
This I Believe: Finding Freedom in Forgiveness

Stray Toasters

• While I’m avoiding most reviews of Watchmen, I did read ‘s – she saw it last night. She reviewed it favorably, but she did say that someone in her group had not read the graphic novel and was a bit disappointed. She also noted that she didn’t mind the changes that had been made. I’ll take those as good things.
  
• By way of MarknTyme: Saturday Morning Watchmen

• Last night, I read JLA: Earth-2. Again. (I owned a copy years ago…) It was a good read. Again. The book tells the tale of a parallel Earth whose version of the Justice League is the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and whose Alexander Luthor is the world’s only hero. It’s an refreshing take on the classic “good vs. evil” story.
• In a related note, I ordered the last three (3) ‘Clix I needed to complete my plastic CSA.
• The Gospel Truth: Sometimes a Little Hazy
• For :
  
• Despair, Inc. is having their annual Retirement Sale.
• Unemployment Rate Jumps to 8.1 Percent
• Have any other long-time NPR listeners noticed that Joe Palca and Ira Flatow’s voices sound eerily similar?  Ira’s voice is “just a tad” higher-pitched than Joe’s.
• Zombie brains hoodie
• If the weather makes up its mind whether it wants to be hot or cold, it soon might be time to start thinking about getting over to the driving range…

Time to get this day moving along.

Namaste.

Monday – 02 March 2009
And March, at least for Utah, comes in more or less like a lamb. That’s apparently not the case back home, where the east coast has been hit with a winter storm.

This weekend’s highlights included:

• Heading to Red Butte Garden to take a look at the Fragrence Garden and The Orangerie as a possible ceremony and reception event. I like it… more than I had expected, actually. It’s on my (very) short list of sites.
• Chris, who had an unexpected opening in his schedule, came over Saturday night and played HeroClix – the Justice League (Chris) vs. the Injustice League. We played on the masterboard  and used the multi-building cluster. Chris cleaned my clock, but it was fun.
• I dragged SaraRules to a few places in a fruitless search for vellum rub-on letters – I need them for my Shado ‘Clix figure.  If I had been thinking about it, I would have taken pictures of her last night. But I wasn’t. So, I didn’t.
• I also started on a new figure mod: James “Bucky” Barnes/Winter Soldier as Captain America.
• Last night, we had dinner with SaraRules’ family and watched The Golden Compass. I’ve owned the movie for a few months, but this was the first time we’ve watched it. I liked it. I found a number of parallels to many archtypical hero myths, as well as a couple of direct comparisions to the Star Wars mythos.

All-in-all, it was a good weekend… and I’m already looking forward to next weekend. Fortunately, it’s a short work week.

Stray Toasters

• My affinity (obsession/man-crush/whatever) for Avery Brooks began long before his tenure as Captain Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It started in the mid-80s when he played Hawk on Spenser: for Hire. SaraRules knows of this and, while channel surfing yesterday, stopped on a network called TV One, which was airing a marathon of A Man Called Hawk, a short-lived spin-off of the Spenser series. Yes, it was “a bit” dated, but it still made me smile.
• Born to Kvetch: Yiddish as She Is Spoke
• Who needs a utility belt when you have a Bat-hoodie?  (By way of )
• One More Story, also by way of Nyx
• From USAToday: Fine arts in survival mode as funds dry up
• From the “Math is hard… Let’s go shopping!” file:

  

• Cake Wrecks, as always, is good for a laugh.
• I could think up people for whom I could use a few dozen stickers from this site…
• Unusual custom guitars

Namaste.

Saturday – 28 February 2009
The end of the month comes with a lazy, sunny morning.

Last night’s Clitorati was good. We had a small turnout, but it was still fun.  Added bonus: Marci (one of my coworkers) showed up and hung out with us. I also picked up a copy of John Hodgman’s The Areas of My Expertise (1, 2, 3) … along with my fifty-something^th copy of Watchmen.

At some point today, we’re heading up to Red Butte Gardens so that we can render a decision about its viability as a ceremony/reception venue.

Stray Toasters

• In a new twist in mistyping, I almost entered this header as “Starry Toasters.”
• Viagra orgy leads to man’s death
• pointed out The Art of Manliness: How to Dress for a Wedding, First Date or Religious Ceremony. Good information to have. (And, yes, , the ceremony is still going to be semi-formal.)
• What were arcades like, Grandpa?
• Treasure trove of God-awful comic covers

On to the rest of the day… and breakfast!

Namaste.

Friday – 27 February 2009
The last workday of the month starts with snow… well, flurries, at least. But, it’s still Friday. And it’s the “90% of the staff is out of the office” Friday, to boot. (We’ll see what that does for the motivation to get some of the ‘low priority’ items in my queue accomplished.) On the other hand, it does mean that I get to crank up 2112 to get the day started.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to the USPA Fundraiser at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, held at The Point Restaurant. The fundraiser was in support of the Pharmacy School (where SaraRules’ brother, Logan, is a student). It was a nice affair – and the catering was good – and the people watching wasn’t bad, either. A secondary purpose for going was to scout it out as a potential place for our reception – there were a couple of good points, but I don’t think it will make the short list.

Stray Toasters

• I made a couple of changes to my Shado ‘Clix mod last night… which mostly included cutting off the torso and putting it on another figure’s legs. On the whole it seems to be a more “relaxed” look and the pants are closer to what I wanted/needed for the figure.
• Ray Lewis is a free agent, as of 12:01 AM. I really hope that he and the Ravens can come to accord on a salary agreement, because it would be a little too strange to think of Ray wearing another team’s colors.
• Top 5 forgotten video game consoles
  I’m not sure that I agree with all of their choices (Commodore 64?!), but oh well…
• First Solar Eclipse Recorded from Moon
• 
• Um… human-sized human candles
• The world’s shortest escalator
• From the “V for Vendetta” file: Philip Pullman on the collapse of personal liberty in the UK
• It seems as though the Ravens have already lost Bart Scott. *sigh*
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
• And another from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jedi Workout on Today Show
• Steampunk Catwalk

That’ll do for now.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 24 February 2009
Happy Birthday to .  Congratulations on successfully avoiding the clutches of the Dark Lady for another year.

And, Happy Birthday to Coworker Tom:

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Spenser: The Judas Goat. It was good… for a 90’s TV movie. And it was a fun return to a series that I enjoy(ed). There was a “new” Susan in this movie, played by Wendy Crewson. Even though she had limited screen time, I liked her portrayal better than that of Barbara Williams.

Stray Toasters

• We have waffles – being freshly made – in the office today.
• I was “somewhat” mistaken yesterday when I said that the Chocolate Coworker Count went up by 100%. It actually went up by 200%, but the second guy will be based out of our Virginia office after he’s done with training.
• , those links I mentioned last night are:

1. This one and
2. This other one

• 16 Foot Tall LEGO Pharoah Floats Down the River Thames
• Mac Mini inside an Apple Disk II Case
• SaraRules and Tyranist, I want your take on this one: The Top 20 Greatest Horror Writers of All Time
• 10 Essential Facts about X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking

  

• The Nine Weirdest PSAs Ever Made
• Green Lantern is the next DCU Animated feature… due later this year! It will feature Hal Jordan, as voiced by Law & Order: SVU‘s Christopher Meloni.

Namaste.

Friday – 20 February 2009
Helloooooo, 9/80 Friday.

Last night, after CSI:… and watching Batman sing… SaraRules and I took a stroll over to Red Mango for yogurt; she had a pomegranate/green tea twist; I had green tea. While we ate, we finally watched an episode of Burn Notice that’s been on the DVR for a couple of weeks. Later, when SaraRules headed to bed, I started in on a new corner for my ‘Clix map: Building Cluster. (Pictures to come later)

This morning, I slept in a bit. I still haven’t figured out what I’m doing with the rest of my morning and early afternoon, but later this afternoon will be spent checking out a couple of possible wedding venues.

Stray Toasters

• posted an interesting/amusing meme in his journal this morning:
  

  Tell me your favorite bad/silly/punny/groan inducing joke, then ask the same on your blog/journal/diary/whatever…

  My joke is at the bottom of the post.

• Happily married? – a look at a rise in polygamy in the UK among the Muslim community
• Cave house for sale in Festus, MO
• Someone on HCRealms questioned: What ‘Clix should be used in an Alice in Wonderland-themed game?
• NY Post sorry for ‘Obama’ cartoon
• 
• Tesla coils sing the Doctor Who theme
• pointed out this article: Utah state senator to lose his committee chairmanship after homophobic diatribe
• Terry Pratchett gets a knighthood
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Skinless skin-tight cycling outfit
• Playlist of great movie themes

Time to do… something.

Namaste.

Oh yeah, the joke:

A snail goes to a local Nissan dealership and looks at the inventory. A salesman walks up to him and asks “May I help you?”

The snail looks at him and says, “I’m here to buy a car. I’d like to test drive…. that one,” as he points to a brand new Z.

The salesman looks a little surprised. “Oooh-kay.” He walks inside, comes back outside and returns to the snail. He hands him the keys. “Here you go.”

“Thanks!” The snail gets into the car and turns the key. The engine purrs. The snail presses the accelerator and the roars. He drops it into gear and races out of the parking lot.

Ten minutes later, the car whips back into the lot. The snail gets out with a huge grin. “That was great! I’ll take it! But there’s just one thing…”

The salesman shifts a little. “Yes, sir…?”

The snail turns to look at the car and turns back to the salesman: “I want you to take off the “Z”.”

“But, sir… that’s… that’s….”

“That’s my condition. I’ll pay for it right now and drive the car off the lot, but the “Z” has to go. I want you to put an “S” on it, instead.”

The salesman looks a little uneasy. “Let me… see what I can do.” He heads inside of the dealership. He returns a few minutes later. “Okay, it looks like we can take care of that for you. It will take about twenty minutes.”

The snail smiles widely and says,”That’s no problem.”

The two go inside as a mechanic exits the building and drives the car into the auto shop. They fill out the paperwork and shortly afterwards, the snail and his new car are tearing out of the parking lot.

Another salesman comes over to the first one and asks,”So… what was that all about? The deal with taking the car into the shop and whatnot?”

“Oh, he wanted the “Z” removed from the car… and an “S” put on in its place.”

“Huh?! That’s weird.”

“Yeah, but look at that little “S” car go!”

Thursday – 19 February 2009
Another Thursday/Friday begins. I’ve already been informed that if I would like to day to remain an NBN Thursday, that I should avoid the boss two rungs up the ladder – his day was already shot… two hours ago. On the plus side, I figured out “Hurdle One” with a PHP/SQL program I’m working on, now I get to add features onto it.

Last night was a lazy night in: NCIS (from Tuesday night) and reading of yesterday’s comics haul. Of the books that I read, the standouts were:

• Action Comics #874
• Batman #686: “What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”
• Black Lightning: Year One #4
• Green Lantern Corps #33
• Supergirl #38
• Tiny Titans #13

Additionally, my copy of Teenagers from the Future: Essays on the Legion of Super-Heroes came in yesterday.  I’m looking forward to reading it.

Other than that, it’s another fun-filled, action-packed day in paradise…

Stray Toasters

• The new issue of RAILBRICKS is out.
• …in a related note, Emerald Night (which is not Green Lantern-related) is coming soon.
• ‘Racist’ US cartoon causes stir
• Iraqi shoe thrower: Bush’s ‘soulless smile’ set me off
• Guess what’s coming to the SLC metro area…

  
  (click image for news)

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Obama sushi
• Half-Life: Escape from City-17

• Steampunk Frankenstein casemod
• By way of and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: The Grilled Cheese Invitational

Namaste.

Monday – 16 February 2009
Another work week begins… but at least it’s a short week.

The Splendid Heritage exhibit was amazing.  It displayed pieces of Native American art while detailing the pieces’ artistic and cultural significance. On display were such things as clothing, weaponry, a winter count, and even childrens’ toys. There were also a number of “touch stations,” where visitors could actually handle samples of items. The exhibit runs from 09 February 2009 through 03 January 2010; I think that it would make an excellent family – or even date – outing.

Last night, Chris and I got together to play a (or “yet another”) game of HeroClix. We’d settled on the Avengers vs. JLA for our teams. I played the JLA:

• Batman
• Black Lightning
• Flash
• Green Arrow
• Green Lantern
• Martian Manhunter
• Superman
• Wonder Woman and
• Zatanna

Chris fielded the Avengers:

• Box
• Captain America
• Dr. Strange
• Hercules
• Iron Man
• Ms. Marvel
• Spider-Man (Iron Spider/Civil War costume)
• Wolverine

We played on the masterboard I took to the tournament a couple of weeks ago, with one modification: I finished the new corner – gas station/garage, single room apartment and armory. I didn’t put roofs on the new buildings, so that we could have some indoor space in which to play and we took the shelter off of the gas pumps, so that we could play in the space under it. We played a two-hour game and at the end of it, I won on points, 412 – 213. Pictures of the game and actual board can be seen here.

Stray Toasters

• Disney adds African-American princess Tiana to royal family
• From today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jacksons star in Nigerian resort row
• Esquire’s 75 Books Every Man Should Read – I need to get cracking on this…
• I saw this cartoon on Applegeeks last night:

  

  I wondered how true it was, so I did a little poking around for news items… until I found this article: Dead rodents, excrement in peanut processor lead to recall

• British, French submarines collide
• The NBA All-Star Weekend was this past weekend. Events included the three-point shootout, dunk competition and the All-Star Game. Dwight Howard had an impressive – and amusing – dunk in the first round:

  but in the end, Lex Luthor Defeating Superman, NBA-style

• Top 10 Comic Book Romances
• Hey kids (and nostalgic adults), it’s Runway Barbie!

And that’s a wrap… for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 12 February 2009
Another NBN Thursday kicks off… with the added bonus of snow! Fortunately, the road monkeys seem to be dealing with it fairly well.

Last night was (yet another) lazy night in. After watching a few shows, including an amazing Food Network Challenge. The episode was “Chocolate Masterpieces,” in which the competitors had to “recreate” their visions/versions of classical works of art… in chocolate. The pieces they chose were:

• Degas’ Ballerina
• Neptune, at Trevi Fountain
• Lion, near Piazzale degli Uffizi and
• Rodin’s Thinker

As usual, the chefs had eight (8) hours to complete their work. The interpretations were incredible. And BIG.  The lion piece was nearly 1,200 pounds and took twelve (12) people to move to the judging table. If you get a chance to see this episode, it’s worth it.

After that, I started working on another corner for my ‘Clix street map. This corner will include a gas station, garage, store and a small apartment. I’ll see about getting some pictures of it in the next few days.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: IN-N-OUT Burger pursuing Draper site
• Art in Two Germanys Often Spoke the Same Tongue
• Jet searching for new pilot after Favre’s bailout
• 
• By way of : Power Hog – Piggybank Power Meter Keeps the Change
• The Musical Illusionist, Now Appearing at Hotel St. George
• Pope condemns denial of Holocaust
  His Chocolate Holiness, Pope Groovalicious, concurs with this applauds Pope Benedict on taking this stand.
• 
• Up could elevate animated movies with its serious story
• Sat collision highlights growing threat

Zoom!

A month or so ago, SaraRules and I were at Borders and I found a book that amused me so much that I had to purchase it:

As the book’s synopsis states:

Product Description
For decades, bookstore childcare sections were dominated by books for women that is, until Quirk’s Baby Owner’s Manual offered a fun and refreshing alternative for male readers. Now we’re crashing the wedding section with The Groom’s Instruction Manual, an irreverent guide to everything guys need to know about:

• Getting Engaged (popping the question, finding a ring)
• Wedding Planning (choosing a location, drafting a guest list)
• The Big Day (rehearsal dinners, toasts, what to do if you start crying)
• Post-Wedding (honeymooning, thank-you notes, newlywedding)

And much more

Illustrated in the award-winning visual style that has made our Owner’s Manual series a smash success, The Groom’s Instruction Manual is the perfect shower gift for (engaged) men of all ages.

About the Author
Shandon Fowler had five hundred guests at his wedding–and if he can survive that, you’ve got nothing to worry about. He and his wife are happily married and live in Charleston, South Carolina.

This book is great, a rather tongue-in-cheek, but informative, look at things to consider as a groom-to-be.A lot of the book features common sense items, but there are a number of “Hey, don’t forget to consider this…” items in there, as well.

I started reading the book during our trip to Cedar City a few weeks ago. Many of the chapters made me laugh, but I think that my favorite (read: “the most amusing”) section of the book has been: “Distinguishing the Woman You Love from Your Fiancée”

Before you delve even further into planning a wedding, take the time to familiarize yourself with the psychological transformation a woman may undergo and how that transformation will impact the tasks at hand.

The Woman You Love is easily recognized by several key traits:

• She means everything to you.
• She is beauty incarnate.
• She makes you smile, comforts you, even makes Journey songs sound not quite so awful.
• She gets along with your friends and family (mostly).
• Should you choose to have children, she will be the perfect mother.
• Most important, she is so indescribably special that you have asked her to be your wife

Unfortunately, the Woman You Love often goes into hibernation for an indeterminate period between your proposal and the wedding, wherein your Fiancée takes over. You will recognize the coming of your Fiancée’s blossoming through several telltale signs:

• Increased agitation, bordering on or spilling over into aggression.
• Decreased and/or sardonic shift in humor. It is not uncommon for humor to be displaced entirely by agitation or aggression.
• The onset of a form of competitiveness that can be as fierce and inexplicable as the Cola Wars. Her singular drive is to outdo any wedding she’s ever attended, watched on television, or read about.
• Any mistake you make, regardless of severity, will be a black mark on your relationship-long record of ineptitude.
• Simple and seemingly joyful tasks, such as taste-testing wedding cakes, can bring her to tears or, possibly, blows.

What Has My Fiancée Done with the Woman I Love?

All this may appear to you as if the Woman You Love is speaking in tongues. But a reason does lie behind the transformation. Your Fiancée, with her unquenchable thirst for perfection and cutthroat tactics, will plan a much better wedding than the Woman You Love because, as the say, great art comes from great hardship. Just don’t forget that the Woman You Love is still in there somewhere, and that the more you help your Fiancée — by reassuring her when she needs reassurance and correcting her when she needs correction – the sooner you’ll get back the Woman You Love.

See? Good information to know.

This is technically engagement/wedding-related post #2 from me and SaraRules has written… *does the math* …none.

I win! (…at least until she reads this post.)

Friday – 23 January 2009
The week draws to a close… with fog and haze in the valley. It’s dense enough that I can barely see the freeway. Then it rolls out. And back in. Even Otis Redding didn’t see this much action.

Last night, OnlyAly and came over for dinner.  SaraRules cooked a maple chicken, with carrots and roasted potatoes, which was delicious. During and after dinner, the four of us discussed wedding-related items: Things that SaraRules and I have talked/thought about and things to consider, reminiscences of their wedding and the lead-up to it, and the like. It was a great way to spend the evening.

Later in the night, I watched an NCIS rerun and the new episode of CSI:. I am liking Laurence Fishburne’s character, Dr. Ray Langston. He portrays him with an interesting sense of curiosity and wonder… balanced with a desire to prove that he can hold his own on the established team. I didn’t get to watch the season premiere of Burn Notice, but it’s on the DVR.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: 10 Stories behind Dr. Seuss stories
• Apple’s first Macintosh turns 25
• My feelings about Hover, as a superpower, are pretty well-known. It seems as though there is now a site dedicated to Super-useless Superpowers.
• The Art of Phil Noto
• From Newsarama’s Blog: Craig McCracken – PPG, Foster’s and Comics?
• President Obama Still Has His Blackberry in White House
• Obama’s Outfits: ‘A real departure for first ladies’
• Lawsuit may stop impeachment trial
• Green light for US stem cell work
• By way of and Best of Craigslist: This bitter little pill.
• Zombie Fluxx Card Game

Namaste.

Sunday – 28 December 2008
Yesterday, after a somewhat lazy morning – although, after little sleep – the family got up and rummaged around the house. We exchanged gifts with my uncle.

SaraRules and I headed into GSO in the early afternoon to do a little shopping – we stopped at a quilt shop for her and went to Acme Comics for me. Next, we went to Edwark McKay Used Books… I came out with all three seasons of Superman: The Animated Series, Hellblazer: Original Sins (TPB) and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (TPB) for a rather reasonable price.

Theo met up with us, and the three of us headed to Harper’s for dinner. I had a blackened salmon entree with garlic mashed potatoes and iced tea (sweet tea!); it was very good. We ate, hung out and talked the next couple of hours away. It was a lot of fun.

I went to see if an old game store I used to go to was still there. It wasn’t. Oh, well. It’s not like I really needed MORE stuff to carry back to SLC.

Around that time, I got a message from Robin – she wanted to get together for a bit, so SaraRules and I headed over to New York Pizza (near UNC-G) to meet Robin and Chad, both of whom I used to work with at the USPS.

Then, back to Mom’s.

This morning, we got up and got ready for church. There’s a new pastor at Mom’s church; he’s very charismatic and dynamic, I rather like him. Back home for a bit – for some rest and football – and we’re heading out to dinner at Fleming’s in a little while. All that, and we’re still trying to get together with MarknTyme and (and their kids) for a bit this evening. *whew*

Monday – 01 December 2008
And so, another work week – and another month – begin.

I was lucky enough to get to spend a portion of my morning on the phone with HP Tech Support explaining why they needed to ship me a replacement for a replacement part they sent last week. Short answer: They sent the wrong part. *sigh* This time, I sent to an email to the rep, so that he could see the differences bewteen Part A (the part I need to have replaced) and Part B (the part they sent). I should have the new – and hopefully correct – replacement part tomorrow.

Stray Toasters

• As I mentioned last week, there’s a new member of the family – now complete with pictures.
• By way of SaraRules:
  • As Taboos Ease, Saudi Girl Group Dares to Rock
  • Atlantic Records Says Digital Sales Surpass CDs
  • Kanab Orchestra Thrives Under Long-Time Maestro
    
• By way of comes an interesting read about comic book cancellations and why the Big Two keep churning out mega-crossovers: “Why you feelin’ sorry for him? He asked for it…”
• How Dan Kaminsky broke and fixed DNS
• I just discovered that a coworker used to play Star Fleet Battles, many moons ago.
• I read a news article title from Wired.com – Genetically Modified Peanuts Could Save Lives – and my first thought was of Charles Schulz’ comic strip… new and improved! Finally, Charlie Brown can kick that football! lj user=”everydave” pointed out the following:
  

  “sure..but the mutation would be across the board…so while CB might be able to finally kick the ball..the ball, now sentient, is going to come back and reign down hell on ol’ chuck in retaliation…”

• Best Book Covers of 2008
• Yiddish in Jazz
• Meetings. YAY!

Namaste.