Random Access

Monday – 03 January 2011
Today is the last day of my vacation; our robot overlords gave us the day off. (Did I say “overlords?” I meant “protectors.”) Tomorrow, the new work year begins. Fortunately, this is the week with my 9/80 “off” Friday, allowing me to ease into this whole “working” thing again.

So far, 2011 has been alright. After playing ‘Clix with Chris on Saturday morning, SaraRules! and I headed up to her parents’ place for a New Years’ food and football. ‘Twas good. After that, we headed to the theatre and caught Tron: Legacy. I enjoyed it; SaraRules! didn’t. And, that’s not to say that I didn’t have a couple of issues with the movie, but it was entertaining.

Sunday started with and me hitting the local Lowe’s and Home Depot. He was kind enough to offer his time – and Jeep – to allow me to pick up and transport more sawhorses, plywood and foam for my growing railroad. I still need to set up the saw horses and paint the foam. All in due time. I also need to start thinking about more permanent railroad structures — SaraRules!’ father is going to help me frame and finish the basement in the not-too-distant future. He also gave me a couple of ideas about extending my layout… vertically. I was intrigued with his idea and haven’t ruled anything out yet.

We headed back up to the in-laws’ for New Years’ leftovers. (Every bit as good the day after as they were the day of…) We watched a little football and then headed home to watch The Godfather: Part II, which I don’t believe I’d ever seen before. It was good… quite good, but I had a little bit of a rough time following the corollaries between the flashbacks and the “present day,” until the end of the movie.

Today, I met Perry and a couple of his kids for coffee. I also worked a little on a drawing that has been stagnating in my sketchbook for the better part of 10 months. It felt good to get something – anything – done on it.

Instant Replay: Football

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
7 – 13
The boys from Cincy came Baltimore to wrap up the final week of regular season play. Bonnie and Clyde… I mean, Batman and Robin… I mean “T.O. and Ocho” didn’t play, though. That’s fine, because the Ravens seemed to have a tough enough time dealing with Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer, despite FS Ed Reed’s two interceptions.But, nevertheless, the Ravens wound up coming away with  “W,” and that’s always a good thing in my book. Sorry, and .

Ray! Hey, Ray!  Hey… yeah, so you guys just beat a division rival, are going to the Playoffs for the third straight year – a team record – and you don’t have to face Indy in the first round!  How does that make you feel?

Yeah, I bet it does feel pretty sweet!

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
31 – 10
The Raiders went to Arrowhead Stadium and scalped the Chiefs. They finished the season 8-8, their best record in seven (7) years! They also set a curious record: It marked the first time that a team has swept their division (6-0), but did NOT make it into the playoffs. Congrats, SaraRules! and 1silver_seraph.

.

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
10 – 31
I don’t know what it is about the Panthers and teams with bird-themes, but once again, they managed to lose. There’s always next season, I guess…

.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
7 – 38
The ‘Fins dropped this one to the Pats. ‘Nuff said.

Stray Toasters

• This post, from made me grin this morning.
• Class Decides Whether to Donate Professor’s Kidney
• Actor Pete Postlethwaite dies
• 
• Into the Tunnels: Exploring the Underside of NYC
• Courting Disaster: Family Ties
• 
• Body of former Pentagon official found in landfill
• How to stay safe at a public Wi-Fi hotspot

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 December 2010
NBN Thursday
Falls silently upon us.
Like new-fallen snow.

That’s right. I just busted out a haiku.  Just. Like. That!

What’s more, the haiku references a few pertinent things:

1. It’s Thursday;
2. I have declared it a “No Bad News ” Thursday; and
3. There is snow on the ground.

And you got all of that information in seventeen syllables.

Yesterday, I visited The Train Shoppe. In itself, not too out-of-the-ordinary. However, this trip was made a little different by the fact that I was joined by my father-in-law and grandfather-in-law, both of whom have a soft and warm spot in their hearts for model railroads. I picked up a package of earthen bumpers and a half-curve of O36 track.

I came back home just as snow started to fall last night. By the time SaraRules! got home, about an hour later, a couple of inches of snow had fallen. We decided to stay in for the night and watched Seven Pounds. It was a good movie, although there was something in the pacing and the way the story was told that was a little “off.” I definitely felt that it was more of a “watch at home” movie than a “sit in the theatre” one. But, as I said: It was good; it was also a bit unexpected.

After the movie, SaraRules! and I bundled up and went outside to shovel the driveway and sidewalks. We were done in about twenty minutes. It’s amazing how quickly it goes when there are two shovels at work!

We woke up this morning to find another 3-4″ of Mother Nature’s frozen, mocking laughter blanketing the ground. *sigh*

Stray Toasters

• I don’t have the background in economics, history or politics to refute the information within, but I found this to be an interesting read: Bill Moyers: Welcome to the Plutocracy
• Thanks to for pointing out: Kawah Ijen by night
• Something for (and possibly Meliko): How to Open a Champagne Bottle with a Saber
• 
• Pianist Billy Taylor, Jazz Ambassador and NPR Host, Dies
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” and “Eww, creepy!” files: Muppets with People Eyes
• Julie Taymor Withdraws from New York Times Event
• While reading friends’ blog posts, I found something in ‘s entry that reminded me of this:
• Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2010
• Five days after Christmas and I’ve already added a bunch of stuff to The Covet List…
• Ew’s and Ah’s: Photos from a hospital medical museum

Okay, enough procrastinating… time to make the donuts shovel the snow.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 December 2010
It’s quiet around here again.  Things are returning to what passes for “normal” around here.

I just talked with my mother and uncle — they both made it home, although MUCH later than either of them had anticipated. Thanks to a three-hour delay getting out of SLC, my parents didn’t get home until almost 0100 AM EST. My uncle didn’t fare any better, as he made it into and out of Chicago with no problem… but couldn’t land in White Plains. At least, not the first time. His flight was re-routed to Hartford for refueling and then went back to White Plains. He got home after 0200 AM. But… everyone made it home safely.

Last night, I had dinner with my in-laws, before they took Meliko to the airport. We went for Mexican food at El Chihuahua. I had the beef enchiladas; they were good. After dinner, I met at MacCool’s for the last Monday Night Football broadcast of the season: The Saints at the Falcons. It was a very good game and pretty much came down to the last few minutes. Add to that a couple of Black and Pumpkin beers and an order of Finn’s Skins and it made for a good evening in good company.

Stray Toasters

• I’m thinking (seriously) about tearing out my rail yard and reconfiguring it. Again.
• 1980s cartoon intros in other languages
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” and the “People Are People” files: Harry Potter actress in hiding after death threats
• Coded American Civil War Message in Bottle Decoded
• 
• Big Bird Behind the Beak – A Look Behind the Feathers
• Infographic: Bad Science in Movies Chart
• Despite the fact that I left my old web hosting company nearly three months ago, I still get email from them.  (No, I’m not still getting billed by them.)

I should probably start getting ready to face the day.

Namaste.

Friday – 24 December 2010
It’s Christmas Eve.
My uncle will be here in a few hours, as will Meliko; we’re still waiting to see if Kristen will be able to make it.

My mom and stepfather got into town about noon yesterday. We spent the afternoon and evening in; we had lunch and sat around and talked for a bit.  Later, Mom tagged Christmas gifts – she and Kris had shipped them here earlier in the week – and then we watched the Panthers take on the Steelers on Thursday Night Football. It was seriously like watching David take on Goliath… except this time, Goliath knew what was up and completely manhandled David. The final score was 27 – 3; I was just happy that the Panthers put some points on the board. After the ‘rents went to bed, SaraRules! and I watched the mid-season finale to Fringe and an episode of Burn Notice.

SaraRules! and I are heading to the gym in a bit; I think that my stepdad is going to join us… if he’s awake. (He and Mom were up at 0330 yesterday to make their first flight, so I can understand and appreciate that they’re “a little” tired.) Later, we’re all going to lunch with SaraRules!’ parents. Pat’s Barbecue.  Mmmm. I think that there will be a little shopping done and then it will be off to the airport to pick up Uncle Ronnie and Meliko – their flights gets in around the same time).

Workout
And…. we’re back. My stepfather didn’t join us, after all. The workout was short and sweet:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 155 lbs
• Deadlifts (barbell): 2 sets/8 reps, 70 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell): 2 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbell): 2 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Lat Pulldown: 2 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs
• Lunges: 2 sets/8 steps per leg, 20 lb dumbbells
• Crunches (Swiss ball): 2 sets/15 reps

Stray Toasters

• It’s been fun having my parents here.  There… I said it.  (And meant it.)
• 
• America has a serious drug problem
• Hyperbole and a Half: The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas
• What Happens When You Steal a Hacker’s Computer
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Pearl comes out of ear 41 years later
• Wright’s ‘Falling Water’ in gingerbread
• California beaches ‘contaminated’ after rain storms

And, just in case I don’t get back on here tomorrow (or later tonight): I hope that everyone has a safe and very merry Christmas.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 22 December 2010
It’s midweek.
Comics (and probably not-Sushi) Wednesday.
Sugar cookie-making with the in-laws day.
And, the day before my parents get to town.

Whew.
I’m already tired.

Tuesday saw a bit of errand-running. I went to the office to drop off Christmas presents to my team and then it was off to lunch with a few other coworkers. We went to Market Street Grill; the service was uncharacteristically slow, but the food was still good (for seafood in a landlocked state, that is!). Next, it was on to the Post Office to drop some Christmas cheer in the mail. After that, I did a little wandering before making it back home.

After dinner, SaraRules! and I went to an advance screening of The Green Hornet.  (Thanks to Melissa S. for the passes. I have been… leery… of the movie, especially when it was announced that Seth Rogen would be starring. My main concern was that it would be more along the lines of “The Green Hornet meets The Hangover.” While there was some camp and a few places where belief had to be suspended, it was a fun movie. I don’t see it as an Oscar contender, but it was definitely entertaining. As I told SaraRules!, “I was trying to put it on a scale between The Spirit (bad) and Superman (good), in terms of superhero movies.  It’s definitely more Superman than Spirit.”

(7) … possibly even (8)

Stray Toasters

• By now, I’m Ivory Soap sure that most people have seen the DeSean Jackson punt return that gave the Eagles the win over the Giants on Sunday… but have you seen it redone in Tecmo Bowl? Check it out:
• Pa. boy to be tried for murder as adult; historic sentence looms
• FCC Is Set to Regulate Internet Access
• ‘Flash mob’ results in California mall evacuation
• From another TED talk: Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders
• 
• This entry, from DC Comics’ The Source blog, may just contain three of the funniest Batman related pages that I have ever read. And, they are only made funnier given the fact that Aquaman is delivering the lines. Yes… that Aquaman.
• I saw this a few days ago, but let it ride.  Then I started thinking about it and decided to add it to this morning’s ‘Toasters: Racists Totally Freak Out Over Idris Elba Playing Norse God in ‘Thor’
  • In a Quote of the Day-worthy note, my brother-in-law,, had this to say:
    

    “Let me get this straight: Douchebags are upset because a black dude is playing a completely fictional character from Norse mythology.  Is that correct?  Glad to know our country’s capacity for getting upset over totally inane bullshit hasn’t waned any…”

  • Related note: if you have a chance, watch the Penny Arcade TV “Racist Clock” video, mentioned in this article, as well. It’s doesn’t really take off until about 2 minutes in, but it’s worth it.
  • Additional related note: All I have to say is “Wow…” about the Council of Conservative Citizens. While I don’t agree with their ideology, I support their right to think and believe what they will…. with the notable exception of Item #2 in their Statement of Principles. Chalking this one up to the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file.
• From the “Yes, these were parts of our history…” files:
  • Discussing Civil Rights Era, a Governor Is Criticized
  • Charleston’s ‘secession ball’ a contentious start to Civil War’s 150th anniversary
• Cartoon Network’s ‘Young Justice’ to Begin Regular Rotation on January 7

I’m sure that there are a lot of other things I could add to this post, but I’ll just wrap up here.

Namaste.

Monday – 20 December 2010
The song says, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”  Today is Monday. It is also… snowy, although there may be some rain falling somewhere in the valley. However, this combination is far from getting me down. Why?

1. I’m on vacation.
2. It’s only three more sleeps till my parents get here!
3. It’s only four more sleeps till my uncle gets here!
4. It’s only five more sleeps until Christmas!
5. Did I mention that whole “vacation” thing? I did?  Okay, good. Just making sure.

Yesterday, SaraRules! and I knocked out a little more eleventh-hour Christmas shopping. That was good. After that, we came home for a bit. During the down time, I fired up the 360. I was planning on playing a little bit of LEGO Batman, but Fate had other plans in store: messaged me and invited me to play HALO: Reach online with him and . As I hadn’t played Reach online (heresy, I know…) and as I was going to be able to play with a couple of friends, I pulled Batman out, put Reach in and played for a bit.

A short while later, SaraRules! and I headed over to Sanaz and Logan’s. On the docket: Dinner and making/decorating a gingerbread Christmas tree:

All-in-all, it turned out well.  Steve brought the video camera, to record the event, so I’m Ivory Soap sure that there will be a trailer – if not a full-on movie – showing our exploits. Dinner was very good; we had turkey legs, homemade mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, asparagus and cranberry sauce.

After we returned home, SaraRules! watched The Godfather, which I recently realized that I had never seen in its entirety. It was good. Very good. My only complaint was the pacing — there were places in the film where you couldn’t get a firm grasp on just how much time had elapsed. Other than that, I can easily see why it’s on so many people’s favorite movie list.

Instant Replay: Football

New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens
24 – 30
Drew Brees and the Saints came marchin’ into M&T Bank Stadium… …and the Ravens sent ’em marchin’ back home with a loss. Joe Cool and the boys started out strongly, but let the lead slip away in the second half. The game ended with another Ravens interception, this time delivered by DE Cory Redding. With this win, the Ravens go to 10-4 and are still very much in the hunt for the AFC Playoffs Wild Card, as the #5 seed.

Coach Harbaugh! Hey, Coach!  Hey… your team just beat last year’s Super Bowl champions and are currently the #5 seed in the AFC Playoff picture!  How does that make you feel?

.

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
23 – 39
The Raiders busted the Broncs in this division win. Congrats, SaraRules! and 1silver_seraph.

.

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers
12 – 19
The Panthers hosted the Cards… …and found a way to come up with a win. Sorry, Marr.

.

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
17 – 19
The Bengals came away with the win in this “Battle of Ohio” Congrats, carefreespirit and janietrain!

.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
17 – 14
The ‘Fins dropped this one to the Bills, making them 0-3 against division rivals this season.

Stray Toasters

• Your Apps Are Watching You
  • Full database of apps/information shared, as tested
• Lewis Delivered Passionate Speech
  Ray Lewis..!? Passionate about football..!?  This is a surprise to whom, really?
• Many High Schools Offering “Computer Science” Really Aren’t
• Hailee Steinfield: For a Young Actress, a Gritty Debut
• 
• Pentagon Plan Won’t Cover Brain-Damage Therapy
• Save the Wedding Date: Any Time Before Krypton Explodes
  • In a semi-related note: Stuart Immonen’s take on the origins of some of Superman’s 1990s’ Rogues Gallery
• The underwater sculpture of Jason de Caires Taylor
• Best Buy Puts an End to Tyrannical Restocking Fees

Namaste.

Sunday – 19 December 2010
It’s a chilly, rainy/snowy day here in the valley.

On the “plus” side, today is my uncle’s birthday:

Yesterday, SaraRules!, and I did our best Smokey and the Bandit impression and headed to Cedar City to retrieve the last of SaraRules!’ things from storage. We were up at 0630 and on the road a little after 0700. The trip down was a little slow, thanks to new snowfall and poorly-plowed roads in Utah County. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. After picking up the trailer, we headed to the storage unit, where Josh (SaraRules!’ former MFA classmate) met us and helped us load up. We stopped for a bite to eat that The Pizza Factory and then got back on the road. The whole process took a hair under 12 hours, from the time we left to the time we got home after returning the trailer. It was a good, productive and tiring day.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank for volunteering his time – and his Jeep – to help us get the things from southern Utah:

Today, we’re doing a little shopping and then heading over to Sanaz and Logan’s for dinner… and gingerbread tree making/decorating. Tonight, as there will be no new episodes of The Walking Dead (for ten months!), we’re most likely going to watch The Godfather.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to mention this a few days ago: I’m an uncle again!
  My brother and sister-in-law had a little girl, whom they named “Corrine,” on Thursday.

• Jazz Composers Orchestra: Teaching the Symphony to Swing
• For the first time in… weeks, I think… I have an organized HeroClix collection.  Hallelujah!
• Guess who’s back!
  I actually have an original C64 in the storage room… this almost makes me want to break it out, boot it up and play a little Impossible Mission.
• A couple of days ago SaraRules told me that my father-in-law made a “trailer” of this year’s family vacation.  This morning, she showed me the video.
• Drug helps clear lung mucus in cystic fibrosis patients
• I just watched this video, Changing Education Paradigms, which was informative, interesting… and rather entertaining, as well:

• Thief’s Facebook Photo Robs Sense of Online Security
• Magnetic Yellow Card – cyclist intervention

And with that, it’s time to get ready to face to the day.

Namaste.

Friday – 17 December 2010
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday.
It’s also my last day of work for the year.

With those two things, you’d think that the day would almost qualify as an “NBN Friday.”

Too bad that I spilled my coffee as soon as I got to my desk. *sigh* I made it out of the house, out of the garage, all the way to work, up the elevator and into the office with no problem. But, go to turn the corner at my desk…?

::: SPLASH :::

And I’d only gotten a small sip of the coffee in the elevator. “Some days…,” I tell ya. Hopefully, this will not prove to be a bellwether of the rest of the day. I got the office wet/dry vac and did the best I could to clean Ground Zero. (Fortunately, the carpets are scheduled to be cleaned this weekend.)

Last night, SaraRules! and I had dinner at MacCool’s. As usual, the fare was quite good. We split an order of Finn Skins as an appetizer; she had their Ahi Tuna Sandwich, while I had the Meat Loaf (with a spiced barbecue sauce). And there was Guinness. It was a good dinner and a nice change of pace.

After dinner, I stopped at Dr. Volt’s to pick up my second brick of ‘Clix, the tournament prize pack – gotta have goodies to hand out at tourneys, of course – as well as this week’s four-color paper crack. From there, it was on to Hastur Hobbies for 4th ed. D&D night. Josh, a former coworker, joined the group. We finished out the encounter (and that chapter of the story) without any deaths in our party.

After the game, I headed home to meet SaraRules! and we then headed to the gym:

• Leg Raises (Roman Chair): 3 sets/15 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 155 lbs
• Squats: 2 sets/10 reps, ~75 lbs
• Row: 2 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs
• Push-ups: 2 sets/10 reps
• Step-ups: 2 sets/10 reps per leg, with 20 lb dumbbells
• Jackknifes: 2 sets/10 reps

And, to finish up the evening we finally finished up this year’s Christmas card.

Stray Toasters

• MarknTyme just called me a “pusher.”
  All because he:
  1. Is considering getting back into model railroading after we’d talked about it a few times, and
  2. Just made his first purchase from WorldWorksGames.

  I told him that I prefer to think of myself as a “facilitator.”

• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Flirty Models Were Hired in Bid to Find Bone Marrow
• Zombie attack hoodie
• From the “We’ve Taken Care of Everything…” file: Man boards plane at IAH with loaded gun in carry-on
• Help, My Half-Elf Is Pregnant! The 11 Strangest Questions from the D&D ‘Sage Advice’ Column

  

• Blake Edwards, Prolific Comedy Director, Dies at 88
• Badass LEGO Guns
• The Implants Loophole
• When the Apocalypse Happens, You’ll Find Me in My Armored Home

Namaste.

Wednesday – 15 December 2010
Another Comics (and possibly Sushi) Day is upon us!
Today also marks the release of WizKids’ DC 75th Anniversary HeroClix Set.

This morning started with a fresh 2-3″ blanket of snow. My first thought, upon looking out the window this morning, was: “I do not feel like dealing with this.” I put it off for fifteen minutes, but the snow didn’t magically shovel itself, so… I went out and cleared the driveway and sidewalks.

Yesterday was a good day at work. Thanks to the help of my coworker, James, I was able to get through a problem that was keeping me from getting some work done on a particular server. If today and/or tomorrow are like that, I’ll have worry-free (at least as far as work-related issues go) vacation.

Last night, I headed over to Chris’ place to play HeroClix. It’s been a while since the two of us have faced off in a friendly game. We had considered playing one theme, but wound up changing our plan after I got there. We wound up playing the X-Men (Chris) vs. the Avengers. Chris won – but not without taking a couple losses. It was a good game, though. And it was fun.

Stray Toasters

• It’s another suit day: Grey suit, white shirt, grey/pink/white/black tie, black vest… all capped with a pink pocket square.
• In a pretty stunning bit of health science news: Man officially cured of HIV
  • Stem Cell Transplant Cures HIV in ‘Berlin Patient’
  • The First Man to be Cured of AIDS
• Curse you, MTH, for providing more items for The Covet List, especially when it’s this close to Christmas! (More specifically: This!)*shakes fist*
• Hanna Rosin: New Data on the Rise of Women
• These Are America’s Worst, Best Commutes
• 
• The Most Amazing Science Images of 2010
• From the “Curiouser and curiouser…” file: De Young Draws the Line on Sketching
• Internet posters angry at computers with which they are unfamiliar
• 
• Jorsh Pena Adds Vintage Charm to Gremlins, Ghosts and Goonies
• By way of comes: New scam tactic: Fake disk defraggers
• The Adoration Aside, There Are Dangers to Being an R&B Heartthrob
• It would seem that Jon Favreau has turned down the director’s chair for Iron Man 3.

Namaste.

Monday – 13 December 2010
Today kicks off my last week of work before Christmas vacation. Or, I guess another way of looking at it is: My last week of work for the year. I like the sound of that a little better.

Yesterday was a good and somewhat busy day. SaraRules! and I had breakfast with her parents and at Paradise Bakery… where they ran out of eggs. Let’s allow that to settle in: A bakery with no eggs. Genius! After that, and I went gallivanting about the valley:

• IKEA
• Ski ‘n’ See
• West Valley Hobbies

I made a quick stop at Best Buy, before heading home. At home, I decided tear out  the reversing loop on one side of may model railroad and to try and figure out a way to change the rail yard a little.

After that, we headed up to SaraRules!’s parents’ place for dinner. Sanaz’ parents and sister, as well as were also there. We had lamb, imam bayildi, rice pilaf, sliced vegetables, pita and homemade hummus. It was quite a feast. We rounded out the meal with baklava for dessert.

All-in-all, it was a good day.

Stray Toasters

• I don’t know who set Utah’s thermostat to “warm,” but 60F and sunny – in the middle of December – ain’t so bad, in my book.  I actually rode around with the sunroof open for a bit yesterday.
  • And, speaking of roofs: Gizmodo (and everyone else) has footage of the Metrodome roof collapse
• Los Angeles Hopes to Lose Its Rank for Homelessness
  • The Almost Forgotten: Los Angeles’ Homeless
• By way of MarknTyme: “Weird Al” Yankovic – Ode to a Superhero
• Cake Wrecks
• Corvette ZR1, Mustang Boss 302 come with driving school
  • The course that Ford sends drivers to sounds like the performance driving package that SaraRules! got for my birthday present this year.
• Now playing in a sky near you: Winter meteor shower
• It’s All About Me: But Is Narcissism a Disorder?
• 
• After failing TSA screening, flier in wheelchair (and her underwear) leaves Oklahoma
• Sincerest Form of Flattery: Some Joke!
• From the “Overkill” file: It Costs $82,000 to Light the One Million Christmas Lights at This House

Namaste.

Thursday – 09 December 2010
I’d like to wish a “Happy No Bad News Thursday” and a “Happy Birthday” to my good friend and favorite comic book-reading, motorcycle-riding band director: MarknTyme

Congratulations on completing another circle around the sun!

Last night was D&D (4th ed.) game night. And, like Tuesday’s game, there were zombies. During the game, I encountered an interesting phenomenon (do DO do-do-do!): My dice rolled fairly well for me… but failed to roll well three consecutive times when I was trying to keep Jack’s character from dying. (No, it wasn’t because I was planning on looting his corpse. This time.) Other than that, it was a good night’s gaming session. And, as an added “plus,” it seems as though my former coworker, Josh, will be joining our group.

Stray Toasters

• Somehow, I managed to leave home without making a cup of coffee.
  This may mean that I need to pencil in a trip to Pin-up Girl Espresso in this afternoon’s agenda.
• Did you see Inception and wonder how the layers of dreaming were supposed to map with reference to each other?  Wonder no more: The Definitive Inception Dream Layer Map, Drawn by Christopher Nolan Himself (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
• ComicsAlliance’s Holiday Card Series: Belated Happy Hanukkah!

  

  (Click image to read the full article and the rest of the card.)

• Apple Ban on iPhone Donation Apps Anger Nonprofits
• and I traded links to a few model railroad layout and scenery building videos on YouTube last night. There are more than “a few” of them out there.
• Why some holiday specials are still special, and others aren’t
• Pro-WikiLeaks hackers target Mastercard, PayPal
  • Amazon Could Be Next Site Brought Down by WikiLeaks’ Supporters
• The trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been released; thanks to for making sure that I saw it.

  Before everyone gets all excited about how good it looks and psyched up to go see it, let me remind you of one thing: The trailer for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen looked good, too… and we all remember how that turned out. Just something to keep in mind.

• Chaplains Worry About Careers if ‘Don’t Ask’ Is Lifted
• SpaceX launches Falcon 9 into orbit
• Four Ravens Lead Pro Bowl Fan Voting

• Buy a Colorful Clock That Tells Time in Three Dimensions
• Visit the Manhattans of Our Wildest Imaginations

And with that…

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 07 December 2010
Today is the 69th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day.

We have a visitor in our office today. I’m hoping that the fact that…

Oh, my lucky stars! A Negro!¹

…was the first thing that popped into my head after seeing him is an indicator that it’s going to be a good day.

Yesterday, I was visited by the UPS and USPS Fairies. The UPS Fairy brought the first wave of parts for my new computer arrived; now I need to figure out what I want to get next.  The USPS Fairy brought the other new arrival: my Department 56 Lionel Electric Train Shop.

and Ryan came over to watch last night’s highly-hyped Jets-Patriots game (1, 2) Too bad the game didn’t live up to the hype. The Pats steamrolled the Jets. Badly. They broke ’em down like fractions.

Stray Toasters

• Tyranist and I had a discussion yesterday about which is more terrifying: slow, shambling zombies or fast-moving zombies/”rage-infected” humans and why.
• State Department Daily Is Window on Jittery Planet
• TSA workers, experts worry about radiation exposure
• 
• Cthulhu Playing Cards
• A couple of items from NPR Music:
  • Israel Kamakawiwo’ole: The Voice of Hawaii
  • 5 Best Cover Songs of 2010
• In the Wild, a Big Threat to Rangers: Humans
• 
• pointed me in the direction of this: Awesome fan-poster for Green Lantern movie
• WikiLeaks Founder Warns About More Dispatches
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Denver bomb squad defeats 8″ toy robot after hours-long standoff
• For Steve Harvey, all this attention is rewarding, scary

Julie just referred to someone as “…[her] new monkey.”  I think that my day is now complete.

Namaste.

1 – That quote comes from Brendan Fraser’s character, Adam, in Blast From the Past.

Sunday – 05 December 2010
It’s a quiet morning…

…aside from the birds chirping in the trees outside.

I’m awake earlier than I had planned, but am enjoying the fact that we’re actually going to see the sun today.

Yesterday morning, I put up Christmas tree #1. It’s downstairs, in the family room. Next, I got my things together for a tournament at Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection. There were only five (That’s right, “5”) players this week, but it was still a fun event. The theme was “Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting…,” in which all figures had to have the “Martial Artist” keyword in order to be eligible for use. A lot of teams used either Bullseye and/or The Question (Renee Montoya). Mine was no exception:

• Batgirl
  (gallery cr-figure-014)
• Bronze Tiger
  (gallery th-figure-032)
• Bullseye
  (gallery ws-figure-042)
• The Question
  (gallery aa-figure-004)

They fared well, going 2-1 on the day. Technically.  (Since I was playing the “bye” rounds, I couldn’t “win.”) But, as I mentioned before: It was fun.

On the way home from Dr. Volt’s, I stopped at The Train Shoppe. Yeah, yeah… I know… “Addict.”  Duh. In an exhibition of willpower worthy of a Green Lantern, I refrained from buying anything “big.”  I did, however, pick up a few small “Christmas” trees and a set of telephone poles for the city side of my layout. I also met an older couple while there; they were looking to start an O gauge railroad. Jeff (the Shoppe’s owner) talked with them about some of the differences between Lionel and MTH. I mentioned to them that I had purchased a Lionel set a few months ago and how happy I was with it…. and how quickly it had grown in the past four months.

After heading home for dinner, SaraRules! and I went errand-running. And then, we hit the gym:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 155 lbs
• Squats: 2 sets/10 reps, bar only (so…. 45 lbs+)
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Push-ups: 2 sets/10 reps
• Rows: 2 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Step-ups: 2 sets/10 reps per leg, 15 lbs dumbbells per hand
• Jackknifes: 2 sets/10 reps

When we got home, we started in on Mad Men Season 3 until it was time to go pick up Christmas Tree #2. The tree retrieval process was fairly easy and relatively painless: We bagged and cling-wrapped the tree, put it (and the accessories that came with it) in the car and brought it home. The tree and wreath look very nice in the living room and work very well with the room’s color scheme:

Now, it’s just a matter of getting some of the other Christmas decorations up…

Stray Toasters

• I finally picked up a copy of Superman: Earth One yesterday.

  

  J. Michael Straczynski crafted a well-told take on Clark Kent’s introduction to Metropolis and the world’s introduction to Superman. I recommend it.

• The Everyman’s Guide to Black Tie
• How Much Should You Tip for the Holidays?
• Dream Home: A Converted Firehouse with Fire Pole
  Come on… like you wouldn’t love to have one of those in your home.
• The 12 Most Ridiculous Moments in Travel – 2010 Edition
• 
• Vast Hacking by a China Fearful of the Web
• Law and the Multiverse: Applying real-world law to comic books

Next: Breakfast with the shockpuppet and .
Later: The Ravens host the Steelers tonight on Sunday Night Football.

Namaste.

Friday – 03 December 2010
It’s Friday.
Thank God.
“Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.”

It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday, so I – and a few others – are in the ghost town that we call an office today. As one of the others is Paul, I got to start off the morning talking about model railroads and some ideas I have for what is becoming known as “The Train Room” in the basement.

Last night, SaraRules! and I rented kids for the evening. Kate and Perry were having an evening out and asked us if we’d mind watching their kids. As usual, the kids were fine. We popped in The Iron Giant – which I always enjoy – at the request of the youngest child and they watched that (and Transformers Prime) until it was time for bed. Getting them into pajamas, teeth brushed, and off to bed was a breeze. After the kids were abed, SaraRules! and I watched Fringe and then a couple of episodes of Renovation Realities.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
I’ve had a couple of thoughts running through my head for the past few days:

• You have no one to blame for your unhappiness but yourself.
• You only get out of life what you are prepared to put into it.

It seems that so many people are unhappy/dissatisfied with Situation X or Thing Y in their lives, but seem unwilling to actually do anything about it. And then, they seem… surprised… that the issue doesn’t just auto-magically fix itself.

That’s unfortunate.

Stray Toasters

• The inversion has set in, heavily, across the valley.  I hope that the forecasts of rain over the weekend were correct.
• What Is the Best Superman Origin Story?
  I actually agree with both of his choices here.
• WorldWorksGames has come out with some amazing looking new sets in their TerrainLinx line. Case in point: Hinterland Forests
• I received the latest addition to my train yesterday: Lionel 6-7612 Spirit of 76 North Carolina Boxcar



• Chuck Norris fact: He’s now an honorary Texas Ranger
• During yesterday’s comics run, I also picked up a new member for my Sinestro Corps shelf: Mongul
  

  

  At 9″ tall, he’s a good head to head-and-a-half taller than the other figures.

• WorldWorksGames has come out with some amazing looking new sets in their TerrainLinx line. Case in point: Hinterland Forests
• Arizona Cuts Financing for Transplant Patients
• Disney town sees death for 2nd time in a week
• UNC team builds 3d model of Rome using Flickr photos on a single PC in one day
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” File: KKK Snowman Spreads Holiday Hate in Hayden
• Unemployed and Likely to Stay That Way
  • We lost 8 million jobs. Only 1 million came back.
• 10 great classic American cocktail lounges
  • To serve man (drinks): Roboxotica 2010 opens in Austria

That should be good enough for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 December 2010
Three down.
One in the chamber.
One to go.

And that’s how another No Bad News Thursday kicks off.

Last night was D&D Encounters night with Melody, Jack, and company. We were a couple of party members short, so it was a bit of a grind. Seriously. Melody didn’t pull any punches and I think that the characters in the encounter all had brushes with near-death. But, it was still fun.

After I got home, SaraRules! and I watched Sunshine Cleaning. I’d heard about it last year and it has blipped on and off my radar since then. It was a good movie. No big special effects. A simple story. Good acting. All-in-all, a very solid presentation. The movie stars Amy Adams as Rose, a single mother trying to make ends meet. When her situation goes from “bearable, but not great” to “something’s got to give,” Rose decides to change her career path in a somewhat unexpected manner: She opens a crime scene clean-up company. It would be far from the truth to say “Hilarity ensues.” It would be more apt to say “Life goes on… for some.” SaraRules! and I agreed that this was a refreshing change of pace from the quick cut scene, always moving at fast forward, mega-blockbuster movies that are so prevalent today.

Stray Toasters

• It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Jonathan Coulton’s music. As a home owner, I’ve found new affinity and appreciation for his song, Shop Vac. Apparently, Jarrett Heather is a fan of the song, too… as evidenced by the following kinetic type video:
• Squiggly, Tangly and Angular
• A Mission to Transform Baltimore’s Beaten Schools
• You Only Dream of Driving Like This
• For some reason, this reminds me of the fight scene between Sistah Girl and White She-Devil in Undercover Brother:
  
• The Sweet Beet: 14 Food Shockers
• kidscomics.com – for the young reader in your family or circle of friends
• Amanda Vissell’s Posters for Girls
• F.T.C. Backs Plan to Honor Privacy of Online Users
• LEGO Death Star Christmas tree ornament
• 
• Retro Movie Posters Reimagined, courtesy of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Man Killed Girlfriend Because She Answered Her Phone During Sex
• sfds