Random Access

Thursday – 07 January 2010
Another NBN Thursday/Technical Friday in the valley. I heard on the radio that today’s high is supposed to get all the way up to 31F. That’s a veritable heatwave! (Have I mentioned that I’m really looking forward to Spring/Summer and warm weather lately…?)

Last night, I saw Dances with Wolves in Space… I mean Ferngully in Space… Pocahantas in Space… I mean Avatar. In IMAX 3D. Wow. Talk about a visually stunning movie. And that’s despite the fact that I was in the front half of the theatre and on the far left side of the screen. It, quite simply, looked amazing. Sure, the story was one that’s been seen/heard before, but – as I have been reminding people: James Cameron isn’t necessarily known for bringing groundbreaking stories to the big screen…

• Terminator – Robots run amok and decide that “Kill All Humans” sounds like a pretty good idea.
• Aliens – Humans boldly go colonizing planets… only to find that they might not be quite as high on the food chain as they thought.
• The Abyss – Nuclear sub goes missing, civilian divers are brought in to help recover the sub… and run into aliens. Hijinks ensue.
• Terminator 2 – Robots, realizing the “Good Theory, Poor Practical Application” of their “Kill All Humans” idea, try again.
• Titanic – Boy meets girl. Boy and girl get on boat. Boat meets iceberg. Boat sinks.  (We all – ALL -  knew the boat was going to sink, but still went to the theatres in droves to watch, down to the last “glub-glub.”)

…but he is known for being able to make them look beautiful. This movie was no exception. And, at nearly three hours in length, it didn’t “feel” like a long movie. I would be willing to see it again – in the theatre – and I will be adding it to the DVD collection, when it’s released.

Stray Toasters

• YouTube Suspends Kid’s Account, Gets Porn Fest in Protest
• By way of shockpuppet: The ‘Israelification’ of Airports: High Security, Little Bother
• 13 Things a Man Should Keep in His Car
  (Although this is from The Art of Manliness, women could/would benefit from this sage advice, as well.)
• 
• The Cool Hunter
• Robotic Snake Takes a Swim
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Teen found after fleeing to hook up with 42-year-old woman he met in Warcraft

Almost time for the first of (at least) three meetings today. Lucky me!

Namaste.

Monday – 04 January 2010
It’s the first work day of the new year. It’s also my first day back in over two weeks. I’m still not sure that I remember all of my logins. We’ll see… maybe… if my system ever recovers from the updates that are being pushed down to it.

Yesterday was a good day, all the way around.  There was sleeping in. There was football. There was dinner with the in-laws and MORE football. After we got home, I even felt up to the challenge of sorting some of my extra ‘Clix into their respective new homes, while SaraRules watched Club Paradise.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday was a good day for football, as the playoff picture fell into place:

Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders
21 – 13
This game wasn’t aired here, but SaraRules and I tracked it on NFL.com’s Game Center, as the game involved both our teams.The Ravens seemed to play decently and didn’t get themselves saddled with excessive penalties. And, on the other side of the ball, the Raiders had a decent game and just roll over and give away a win. With this win, the Ravens secured a playoff berth (and knocked the Steelers out of playoff contention, in the process). Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
17 – 23
The Browns handled their business and eliminated the Jags from playoff contention.Congratulations, zeeke.

.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins
30 – 24
The Steelers headed south to Land Shark Stadium and handed the Fins a loss that also took the them out of playoff contention, even though the Dolphins would have needed losses from other teams to make the playoffs. With this win, and a Ravens’ loss, the Steelers would have made the playoffs.

.

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants
0 – 37
The Bengals took on the Jets… and came away with a loss, in a game that the Jets had to win in order to make the playoffs. Mark Sanchez and company did the home crowd proud, handing the Bengals a big loss on the road. And who do they play next week? The Bengals… but this time, they’ll be playing in Cincinnati. Sorry, janietrain and carefreespirit.

.

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
33 – 7
The Packers traveled to the desert and handed the Cards a loss… and a pretty big one, at that.Sorry, Marr.

.

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
10 – 23
The Panthers handed the Saints a loss……in a game with no playoff implications for either team.

.

New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings
7 – 44
The Giants headed into Minnesota, just to have Brett Favre and the Vikings serve ’em up a heaping helping of beat-down and eliminating them from the playoff picture.Congratulations, .

Tonight, the Vikings take on the Bears in what should be a good game.

Stray Toasters

• By way of : 10 Purchase not to put on credit cards
• 10 Sci-Fi Weapons that Actually Exist
• 

  (click to find out your score)

  

• Where was this when I needed it: LEGOland California: An Adult Visitor’s Guide
• TSA Special Agent who threatened blogger spaces out, drops notebook in public place
• 
• Avatar smashes $1bn speed record
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: BeautifulPeople.com axes holiday weight gain members

I finally remembered my password. I had changed it on one system, but not the other… and I was trying to enter the wrong password on the first machine. *sigh* But, I finally sussed it out.

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Sunday – 03 January 2010
It’s the last day of vacation and tomorrow it’s back to the workday grind. I have to say that it’s been nice to have the downtime, though. Very nice, indeed. Last night was quiet and low-key. I wound up taking a nap, because I was so tired from the lack of sleep and the early and long day.

I completely neglected to note a minor milestone from Friday: SaraRules and I hit the gym for the first time this year. And… it was my first time in the gym in nearly a month (03 Dec 09, from what I wrote down). It was a short workout, but it was a good start:

• Treadmill: 10 minutes (Yeah.. I know! Me, doing cardio!)
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/12 reps
• Sit-ups: 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 205 lbs
• Core (plank): 3 sets/30 seconds
• Elliptical: 10 minutes (Even more cardio..? What’s wrong with this picture?!)

Post-workout weight (fully dressed): 190 lbs

It was good to get back in the swing of things, but I can definitely feel the effects of the treadmill and elliptical on my quads. But, getting more cardio into my workout routine is something that I plan on doing more this year.

Stray Toasters

• By way of : Green Lantern LEGO
• And, in a related note, this is going on The Covet List.
• I don’t know what’s going on with Comcast, but I’m getting “a little” tired of the way that my Internet connection just… drops out – for no reason – every so often. Having talked with a few other people over the past few days, I discovered that it’s not just my connection that it’s happening to, either.
• 
• It seems as though Jitterbug Coffee Hop has a new logo and a new website.
• Harmonographs
• posted a link to this Mad Cat ‘Mech.  So, I posted a link to this one.
• Thousands of dead octopuses wash up on Portugal beach
• 100 Extraordinary Examples of Paper Art
• Speaking of “paper art,” I have assembled nearly enough tiles to have a 30″x30″ one-level map of WorldWorksGames TerrainLinX Himmelveil Streets terrain. I realized that I can still utilize some of my older terrain with the new stuff, even though the new streets and walls have a medieval look/feel – cobblestones and flagstone – and the TLX walls are only 2″ high, as opposed to the 3″ Mayhem City stuff that I’ve built.

Maybe I’ll play a little City of Heroes this afternoon…

Namaste.

Friday – 01 January 2010
Welcome to 2010.

Today is also the seventh day of Kwanzaa; today ‘s principle is “Imani” or “faith”:

To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Last night, SaraRules and I had a small gathering of friends and family over for a potluck dinner. There were some wonderful dishes and the company was great. It was a quiet and low-key way to say goodbye to 2009 and prepare to welcome in 2010.

After dinner, SaraRules and I settled in for a quiet evening. We turned on the television to watch the (delayed broadcast of the) ball drop in Times Square. We both noted how… old… that Dick Clark looks and sounds; he seems to have deteriorated quickly since his stroke a couple of years ago.

Today is… unscheduled. And that’s not a bad thing. I’m sure that we’ll come up with something to do. And tonight, we’re getting together with the usual suspects for Clitorati.

Stray Toasters

• I’m watching the Tournament of Roses Parade. They had a really nice float featuring the Tuskeegee Airmen.
• TSA drops subpoenas against bloggers who published security directive
• Moscow’s full-body scanners in action
• While it briefly crossed my mind last night, I just remembered that I need to come up with some sort of team to play in tomorrow’s tournament, just in case I have to play someone in a bye round…
• 
• Pope’s peace message focuses on environment
• Stuntman’s record-breaking car jump in Florida
• Chocolate Weapons

Namaste.

Thursday – 31 December 2009
Today is the last day of 2009.

Today is also the sixth day of Kwanzaa; today’s principle is: “Kuumba” or “creativity”:

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

As I mentioned above, today is the last day of 2009.

This year has been full; among the more notable points of the year:

• I lost a close and very dear friend,
• My second niece was born,
• I got married,
• I lost another friend, just yesterday…

…but these are all part of “life.” And, as cliche as it might sound, it really is hard to appreciate the highs without experiencing the lows as well. By the same token, weathering the bad times makes you appreciate the good ones – and the family and friends that surround you – that much more.

SaraRules and I saw Sherlock Holmes last night. It was good; she was a little disappointed, in that she expected it to be more of a “Guy Ritchie movie.” I was pleased that it did not, in fact, turn into Snatch or RocknRolla or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law did admirable jobs of bringing Holmes and Dr. Watson to life. I’ve heard some people say that they were worried that the trailers made this look like too much of an action movie. Rest assured, it’s not… but, do consider that Sherlock Holmes was – to some extent – the “action hero” of his day and genre. All-in-all, it was a good movie and worth seeing.

Stray Toasters

• Knighthood for Patrick Stewart? Queen says make it so.
• I met Jake Black, who has written for DC and Marvel, as well as for animation (among other media), at Dr. Volt’s yesterday.
• TSA subpoenas, threatens two bloggers who published non-classified airline security directive
• The 10 Best Videogames of 2009
• Thanks to the lovely SaraRules, I have a caramel apple that’s been rolled in Butterfinger bits.
• 
• Woman’s .708 blood alcohol level may set state record
• Degas painting stolen from museum
• Man, that Ganthet is one bad…
  Shut yo’ mouth!
  I’m just talkin’ about Ganthet.
  We can dig it!
• How Long Could Luke Survive in a Tauntaun?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Body washing with water alone
• 
• Ten Gadgets That Defined the Decade

I hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable New Year’s Eve and a prosperous 2010.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 29 December 2009
Time to see if WordPress is going to pull the digital equivalent of a rectal craniotomy this morning and actually work…

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa. Today’s principle is “Ujamaa” or “cooperative economics”:

To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Yesterday, I wound up running a couple of errands and then having coffee with . We headed to Jitter Bug, which was the first time either of us had been there in… well… quite a while. It was a nice way to round out the afternoon.

After I got home, SaraRules and I pondered dinner options. We came up with the idea heading out to dinner, but needed to narrow down our options. We called Logan and Swiz to see if they were interesting in going with us. We settled on Famous Dave’s BBQ. Good call. Back at home, we watched one of the last episodes of Planet Earth; this one was on conservation. It was good without being overly preachy.

Stray Toasters

• Philadelphia is on Bravo. I had forgotten how good a movie it is; I should find it on DVD.
• Cinematical.com had a couple of gallery items that I found interesting/amusing:
  • The Trilogy Meter
  • Noir-Style Posters
• ‘Romeo & Juliet’: Just as You Misremembered It
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Escaped Convict Continues to Update Facebook
• Here are a couple of neat LEGO builds:
  • Microscale Colosseum
  • Daedalus landing
• Star Wars/A-Team intro mashup

Off to face the day.

Namaste.

Monday – 28 December 2009
Week 2 of vacation kicks off… and I’m trying to decide what to do with myself. Blah.

Today is also the third day of Kwanzaa. Today’s principle is:”Ujima” or “collective work and responsibility”:

To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

Yesterday, we headed over to the in-laws’ to see Meliko before she headed back to sunny (and warmer) California. After that, we came back home for a quiet day. Last night, we watched House of Flying Daggers. For some reason – despite owning the movie – I had never seen it before. If I had to summarize it in three words, I’d have to go with:

1. Love
2. Betrayal
3. Duty

It was very good. I enjoyed the story, cinematography, the acting and the costuming. It also ended differently than I expected, but it was quite fitting.

Instant Replay: Football
So, I got married a couple of months ago. This isn’t exactly “news.” In the process, I not only gained another set of parents (so to speak), but I also inherited a new set of grandparents. Not only that, but grandmother-in-law is a football fan. More specifically, she’s an Arizona Cardinals fan. And she “gently reminded” me that I’ve been… remiss… in covering Cards games in my football coverage. So, starting this week, the Cards will get added to the list o’ teams that I run down.

And with that, on to the games:

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
20 – 23
I was surprised to see this televised in this market. Pleasantly surprised, yes, but surprised, nevertheless… The Ravens played a decent game. I’d love to say that they played a “good” game, but they shot themselves in the foot with senseless penalties. How bad were the penalties? Well, let’s just say that they killed two scoring opportunities, which would have secured a win. Despite giving the game away, Baltimore is still in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card spot, although they have dropped to the #7 Seed. They need a win in Oakland next week to get a Wild Card spot.

.

Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns
9 – 23
The Raiders dropped this one to… the Browns. Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph. Congratulations, .

.

Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins
27 – 20
Last week, it was the “former Houston team.” This week, it was the “current Houston team.” Both weeks, it was a loss.

.

Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
10 – 17
A late-in-the-game TD by Chad Ochocinco Johnson secured the win for the Bengals. Congratulations, and .

.

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
10 – 31
This was another game that wasn’t broadcast locally, but it looks as though the Cards had this one well in hand. Congratulations, Marr.

.

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
41 – 9
The Panthers went on the road to face the Giants in the last game to be held in The Meadowlands… …and they came away with a win. A big win, at that.

In other football news

• The Indianapolis Professional Football Club suffered their first defeat of the season, handed to them by the Jets… after Indy benched all of their starters.
• The New Orleans Saints also took one on the chin in overtime… from the Buccaneers.

Tonight, the Vikings take on the Bears in what should be a good game.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been meaning to post these for the past two days: Saturday morning, when we left the apartment, there was a trio of hot-air balloons overhead. By the time I got my camera, I missed the first one, but I got the other two:

  
  (click for larger images)

  And, how cool a way is it to start off the day with balloons?!

• MarknTyme sent me a link to Car Lust: Great Cars of Song – Red Barchetta. It not only gives the background of the Rush song, it also includes a link to the story, A Nice Morning Drive, which served as the song’s inspiration.
• Percy Sutton, trailblazing businessman, dies at 89
• For :

  

• Antique Steam Engine Rescues Passengers After Electric Trains Fail in the Bitter Cold
  • This is the LEGO Emerald Night. I find that it looks like the train in the story above.
• The Fastest Train in the World
• Tori Amos’ Track-by-Track Guide to “Little Earthquakes”
• I believe that I posted a link to this before, but 60 Minutes rebroadcast the story last night, so here it is again: The Birdmen

  
  Watch CBS News Videos Online

• Why transplants use ‘imperfect’ organs
• The Mysteries of Rabies

Okay, it’s time to find some trouble to get into.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 22 December 2009
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas the vershluggen inversion has set in… permanently. Fortunately, weather forecasters say that we have a stormfront moving in that will bring snow showers tonight or tomorrow. That should help clear the air for Christmas… I hope.

After yesterday’s outing with SaraRules and my m-i-l, we came home and had a little downtime. Said time included a much-needed nap for me. After I got up, SaraRules and I hit the mall to pick up a couple of gifts – in and out of the mall in under ten minutes(!) – and then headed downtown.

We met and checked out the lights at Temple Square. Let me rephrase that: “We planned to meet Nyx and wound up waiting for each other on opposite corners of the same intersection for about fifteen minutes before meeting up to see the lights at Temple Square.” Yeah, that is a much better explanation. And it’s far closer to the way things turned out. Let me also add: It was COLD last night. Seriously cold. Temple Square had throngs of people, which is far from atypical, especially at this time of year. The lights were nice and there were five Nativity creches to see, as well. Pictures of the outing can be seen here.

After the lights, SaraRules, Nyx and I headed to Coffee Connection to meet up with 365DayGirl. Nyx had been there – and mentioned that I should check it out – before. It was something of an eclectic place: The main entry area has a spartan, almost industrial feel; the “study area” was full of booths and had a bit of a diner-like feel to me; and the “lounge” area was full of couches and had a much more casual feel. We hung out and chatted for a while before calling it a night.

Stray Toasters

• Thank Heaven, God and Baby Jesus for polypropylene long underwear.
• How to Practice Mindfulness
• Nyx sent me links to two amusing sweatshirts last night:
  • Green Lantern
  • Shredder
• While watching How Do They Do It? yesterday afternoon, they had an item about modular houses built – within a week – by Huf Haus.
• 
• How to Teach Physics to Your Dog
• It looks as though Corey Ivy will be taking Lardarius Webb’s place in the Ravens’ lineup.
• Someone on HCRealms has posted a picture of the “Buy It by the Brick” HeroClix figure for the upcoming “Brave and the Bold” set:



• East Coast Blizzard Seen From Space
• District 9 is out today.
• I’m not sure how many – if any – of you are familiar with the Mark Millar comic book, Kick-Ass…
  

  Dave Lizewski, an otherwise ordinary New York City high school student and the child of Greg Willer, loving single father, takes his interest in comic books as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. He assembles a suit and mask, which he wears under his normal clothing, begins exercising, and practices things like walking on roofs, sating his ambitions for a time. He eventually seeks to fight crime, with his first attempt leading him to receive a severe beating and stabbing by thugs, followed by his wandering into the street and being hit by a car.^[1] He retains his secret identity, however, stripping off and hiding his costume before paramedics arrive.

  …but there’s a live-action movie coming out next year. One of the characters in the book is Hit-Girl, a 12-year-old vigilante who patrols the city with her father, Big Daddy (portrayed by Nicolas Cage). Here’s a trailer of Hit-Girl’s… um… “greatest hits.” (Definitely for mature audiences)

• Climate, Habitat Threaten Wild Coffee Species
• Monkey knife-fighting with octopus tattoo

Time to get out there and face the day.)

Namaste.

EDIT
I just got a message from my father: Our holiday cards were shipped to Maryland, rather than here… despite my calling FedEx to verify where they were supposed to go. *sigh* On the “plus” side, Dad had them Express Mailed here; we should have them tomorning.

Monday – 21 December 2009
Vacation is good.
Sleeping in is good.
And in a bit, shopping will be good, as well. Not so much because of the joy of the crowds… but that’s to be expected at this time of year. The bonuses are that I’m hanging out with SaraRules and her mother… and that there’s a trip to Hobby Lobby involved. I don’t really need anything from there, but it’s Hobby Lobby and you just don’t know what you’ll find.

Yesterday was a good day that also involved some sleeping in. After that, there was football. And that was mostly good (details below). Then we were off to the in-laws’ for dinner and more football. Then, back home for downtime and a movie: Run, Lola, Run. I had heard of the movie before, but never seen it. So, thank you, Netflix. It was… interesting. I enjoyed the stylized look of the movie, as well as the “What if…?” aspect shown in each version of the story.

Instant Replay: Football
I missed the Thursday and Saturday games of Week 15, but the outcomes were:

• The Colts remain undefeated
• The Saints lost to the Cowboys, but are still atop the NFC playoff chart

In Sunday action:

Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens
7 –31
This was the game that almost became a Monday night doubleheader. As Baltimore got pummeled with two feet of snow, it was questionable whether the Bears would be able to fly in for the game on Sunday. As it was, the NFL agreed to postpone the game from 1300 to 1615. The Bears were able to make it into BWI late Saturday.I would have liked to have seen this game, but it wasn’t aired in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. But, from the NFL.com Game Center coverage, it looked as though the Ravens came to play on both sides of the ball. Additionally, this win not only keeps the Ravens in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card spot, it moves them up to the #6 Seed.

.

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
20– 19
The Raiders took this one away from the Broncos… in Mile High Stadium. And that’s not even the crazy thing.  The “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” moment belongs to Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell – who came in when Charlie Frye was taken out of the game – and led the drive that sealed the Raiders’ win.Congratulations, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

.

Miami Dolphins at Tennessee Titans
13 – 23
The Dolphins put up a good fight, but they lost this one in OT, when the Titans scored a field goal, after picking off a pass from Chad Henne.

.

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs
41 – 34
This was another game that wasn’t broadcast locally, but the highlights were all over. The Browns had two players with record-tying or record-setting days: WR Joshua Cribbs returned two punts for TDs, 100 and 103 yds. RB Jerome Harrison rushed for 286 yards. Congratulations, .

.

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
7 – 26
The Vikings went to Charlotte to take on the Panthers. When the game started, I noted that the starting QB for the Panthers was Matt Moore. I don’t remember hearing his name before. In a moment of clarity, I called my friend, William, to find out what the deal was. His response: “He’s Carolina’s savior, now that Delhomme’s on the bench.” And, to his credit, Mr. Moore – along with RB Jonathan Stewart – put on one helluva show, as the Panthers took down the Vikings. Sorry, .

.

Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers
24 – 27
This was another game that wasn’t broadcast locally, but this one apparently came down to the wire. Commisserations, janietrain and carefreespirit.

Stray Toasters

• sent me this item for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: HP Face-Tracking Webcams Don’t Recognize Black People
  I’m not sure whether I should be horribly amused or offended by this.  (I’m leaning towards “amused,” though.) Thanks, HP!
• sent me a link to Punched-Out Font, which she suggested could be used with my ‘Clix pictures.  “BIFF!” “POW!” “BAM!”
• Why Hollywood security is better than the Pentagon’s
• US Officer draws gun on snowball fight crowd

And, now… off to shop!

Sunday – 20 December 2009
Yesterday was a good – and full – day. I started at 0830… and was on the move until around 2300. But, it was worth it.

I started the morning with a call to my uncle; it was his birthday. SaraRules and I talked with him for a few minutes before we headed out to start our respective days: She was shopping with her mother; I was having coffee with Chris and Perry. After that, Chris and I headed up to Dr. Volt’s for another HeroClix tourney (pictures here). This time we had four people (including Chris) show – technically, it was five people… but the fifth showed up after I had started the first matches, so he opted not to play. He said that he’s in for the next tournament, though. Chris won the event, going 3-0.  He played Josh (one of the new arrivals) who until that game was also 2-0. Josh took home the Fellowship prize.

After I dropped Chris at home, I came home and then SaraRules and I headed to Five Guys for burgers and fries. They were, as usual, quite tasty. Back home to change and get ready to head out to the Utah Symphony Holiday Pops with Jerry! concert. It was a lot of fun, with a lot of good music… but, the best part of the concert came just after the concert:

I was walking backstage with SaraRules (she had to put away some work material), when we came to a doorway that led to steps from one of the upper tiers. A few people exited the door, among them an older lady in a red dress.

She turned and looked at me.
I looked at her.

She looked at me… like she knew me.
I looked at her… blankly.

She looked at me… like she knew me… and came over and took my hand.
I stood there… still not knowing her… not quite sure what to say.

“You don’t remember me, do you?  I’m Lotta Mae¹ ” she smiled and said.
“I don’t believe that we’ve met before, ma’am,” I responded, warmly and with a smile.
“Oh… you’re not Eric, are you?”
“No, ma’am… I’m not.”
“Oh, well, then… I’m sorry.”

And, with that she walked off.

SaraRules and I continued down the hallway, she with a grin on her face. I was still completely in the dark as to exactly why, but I did find the situation a bit comical. After we got to her desk, SaraRules explained that after thinking about it, she understood why the woman thought that I was this “Eric” chap. As we were walking out, we saw Eric and she introduced us. Eric…

• …is roughly my height
• …is roughly my build
• …is very similar to my complexion (Yep! There’s another Black guy in Utah!)
• …also has a shaved head
• …was also wearing a black suit.

That’s about where the similarities end:

• He was in a white shirt; I was in a white/purple-striped shirt
• He had a gold jacquard tie; mine was with purple with white/grey squares.
• He was clean-shaven; I have a goatee.

When SaraRules explained to him what had just happened, he broke out in hearty laughter. I did, too. Again. We came to the conclusion that we were apparently Mirror Universe opposites and that Lotta Mae had failed to notice that I was actually the “evil twin.” (And, I actually made a Driving Miss Daisy joke to SaraRules about it on the way back to the car, as well.)

But, it was a heckuva funny way to end the evening. And for that reason, I’m naming Lotta Mae and Eric as co-Humans of the Day.

Stray Toasters

• The Bears – Ravens game has been postponed until 1615 (EST), due to weather.
• Bryan Singer on X-Men: First Class
• By way of Rachel: Star Wars Weather Forecast
  (Enter your city in the text box at the top of the page.)
• ‘Alien’ Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon, Dead at 63
• 99 Luftballons, Side-by-Side Comparison – the German translation and the bastardized version that we got in English.
• 
• British troops to get first new camouflage in 40 years
• Traveler’s worst nightmare: East Coast snowfall cancels over 800 flights
• A Lament for Saab

And now, I believe that it’s time for coffee and some form of breakfast.

Namaste.

¹ – I’m not sure that’s how her name is spelled; since this is my story, I get to spell it the way I want. Hopefully, I’m at least close to how it’s supposed to be spelled.

Friday – 18 December 2009
It’s the end of the work week.
It’s also the end of my work year.
And, if that wasn’t enough, it’s a week before Christmas.
And, on top of THAT… in four (4) more days, the days will start getting longer again. Selah.

Last night, SaraRules and I ran some errands and made some (more) Christmas candy. When that was done, we watched Tuesday’s episodes of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening. What we didn’t do was watch the Colts-Jags game; from what we heard from SaraRules’ father, it actually turned out to be a good game. Oh, well. If it comes down to it, I’ll just look for the rebroadcast on NFL Network.

I slept fairly well last night, but – for the third time this week – I woke up due to a rather disturbing dream. You know the kind: The “Should I really be upset with Person X for that…?” kind. It took me a minute or two to realize that the transgression occured in a dream and to calm the urge to tell someone where to go, how to get there and where they could find a pair of gasoline drawers to wear on the way. *sigh* My subconscious is apparently a cruel and evil bastard.

On the plus side, today is the quiet Friday in the office. I’m not saying that one of the Star Wars movies or Green Lantern: First Flight might make their way onto the big monitor today… but I’m not not-saying it, either.

Stray Toasters

• In the name of “holiday cheer” (and just because I could), I’m wearing my Santa hat today.
• I don’t remember who posted this first, but it makes me laugh: What Really Happened
• posted a link to The Morgan Freeman Chain of Command
• YouTube video leads to Hollywood contract
• Office monkeys!  *grblsnrkx*
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Spite Houses, built to piss off the neighbors
• The list of films showing at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival has been posted.
• Vertabrae necklace
• US man freed by DNA evidence after 35 years in prison

Namaste.

Thursday – 16 December 2009
Day 3 of the work week and it’s NBN Thursday, to boot.  That’s a nice combination, no matter how you slice it.

Last night, SaraRules and I had one of her former MFA classmates, Sara… hm… I guess I’ll just have to refer to her as “Sara2″… over for dinner. SaraRules made chicken and dumplings for the entree. The ladies chatted about their experiences in the MFA program, including their trip to NYC a couple of years ago. I’d heard about this trip – part of the trip, anyway – from SaraRules; last night, I got some more behind-the-scenes info and insight, which was both sad and rather funny. All-in-all, dinner and the company were quite fun.

This morning, I woke up when the alarm went off… but I really don’t remember turning the alarm off. I do remember looking at the clock, a couple of minutes after the alarm sounded and wondering why it was not going off and why I was awake.  Yep, it was one of “those” mornings. But, I have my trusty cup of coffee at my side, so things can only look up from here.

Stray Toasters

• December 17, 1903: Bicycle Brothers Make Aeroplane Work Wright
• The new trailer for Iron Man 2 is online; take a look here to check it out.
  • Semi-related: People Magazine Loves The Super Hero Squad Show
• Steampunk Menorah
• Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry dies after fall from truck
• Bank of America names new CEO to replace Ken Lewis
• 
• The Year in Media Errors and Corrections, courtesy of
• Extrasolar ‘Super Earth’ is first to have atmosphere
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Brazil boy found with 40 needles in ‘black magic rite’

Time to make the donuts…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 16 December 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went out for dinner and then did a little errand-running. After we got home, I found my way to the couch… and The Dreaming. That’s right: I took a nap. SaraRules woke me up and suggested that I call it an early night. I did… but slept poorly. That wasn’t a great thing considering that I had the privilege of…

…coming to work early this morning. I was here a few minutes after 0700. We had a building-wide power outage (thanks to our friends at Rocky Mountain Power needing to do some line work), which meant that we had to take things offline last night and bring them back online this morning. In a perfect world, that would have been a piece of cake. In a perfect world. But, as Huey Lewis put it so eloquently: “Ain’t no livin’ in a perfect world…” Thus, we’ve been working at bringing recalcitrant systems back online and coordinating with other teams to find out what they need us to bring online versus what can remain powered down.

Stray Toasters

• Hopsice Santa volunteers face grief, kids’ hard questions
• After decades of snowy whites, black ‘Princess’ a true dream
• From NPR Music:
  • Jingle Jams: A Holiday Mix from NPR Music
  • Have Yourself a Funky Little Christmas
• 10 Fugs Ho, Ho, Holiday Sweaters
• Intel sued for using size to keep out rivals
• 
• 100-word fiction contest: Vote for the winner
• Make a Pilgrimage to Robot Mecha

Namaste.

Monday – 14 December 2009
I’m enjoying another extended weekend Monday off. I got up when SaraRules did, to see her off to work, and then proceeded to veg on the sofa. There’s been the typical morning TV (meh) and CSI: is on now. I should get a bite to eat. And then, consider getting around to some errand-running.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday was a pretty good day for football action:

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens
3 –48
We didn’t get to see this game, but a game with a “W” for the Ravens always makes me smile. I would have liked to have seen this game, as it appears as though Lions QB Dante Culpepper tried to put up a fight… but both Joe Flacco and Troy Smith did some decent work on the Ravens’ side of the game. Additionally, this win helps to keep the Ravens in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs.

.

Washington Redskins at Oakland Raiders
34 – 13
The Raiders took one on the chin from the ‘Skins.Early in the game, it looked as though the Raiders were making a game of it, until QB Bruce Gradkowski left the game in the third quarter, after injuring both knees. Sorry, SaraRules and .

.

Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars
13 – 23
This is another game I would have liked to have seen, but at least the Dolphins came away with a win.

.

Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
10 – 30
This was another game that wasn’t broadcast locally. Congratulations, . Commisserations, and .

.

Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots
10 – 20
The Cats dropped this one to the Pats.  *sigh*

Boilermaker Watch

• • Drew Brees and the Saints fought off the Falcons – led by former Ravens QB Chris Redman, who played one heck of a solid game – to remain undefeated. Too bad Redman was too far down the depth chart to get much playing time when he was in Baltimore; he looked solidly in control yesterday.
  • Denver QB Kyle Orton and the Broncos dropped this one to the undefeated Colts.

Stray Toasters

• Stan Lee Explains Hannukah for Digital Holiday Special
• The Facts About Bottled Water
• The Orient Express Takes Its Final Trip
• posted a link to Zoho International Artforms. Yep, Covet List.
• 
• How electricity became a right, and it that means for broadband
• I need want a new brown hat.
• Southwest thrives on policy of free checked bags
  • Trivia: Southwest trades on the NYSE under the keyword “LUV”
• The Problem With Best-of Lists

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Sunday – 13 December 2009
Yesterday was a long and busy day…

After breakfast and a fairly lazy morning, SaraRules and I headed out to do a little Christmas shopping. Next, we stopped in to see Kate, Perry and the kids. From there…

…we went to see The Princess and the Frog (1, 2). The movie marked a return to 2-D animation by Disney Animation Studios. The movie follows Disney’s newest princess, Tiana, in her quest to achieve a dream that was inspired by her father. Tiana also holds a couple of  distinctions in Disney lore:

1. She is Disney’s first African-American princess
2. She is not a “help me, save me” princess, but more of a driven/determined young woman – much in the vein of Pocahantas or Mulan.

Let me start by saying it was a great movie. I enjoyed pretty much everything about it, from the animation to the voice casting (including Oprah?!) to the songs. The movie was set in New Orleans, in the… 20s and 30s. The animators did a good job of capturing the look and feel of the Crescent City in those days. Additionally, the animation used in a couple of Tiana’s dream sequences was also fantastic.

The movie’s dark side – provided by villain Dr. Facilier, a street con/voodoo magician – includes some scenes in which he… works his magic (sorry, couldn’t be helped)… that could be frightening to younger viewers. Dr. Facilier’s methods and motivations are reminiscent of Aladdin‘s Jafar.

The music was a fine combination of jazz, zydeco, and gospel. The different styles were used, quite effectively, to enhance the given atmosphere and attitude of specific scenes.

All-in-all, this was a fine movie and a worthy successor in Disney’s line of “Princess” movies. SaraRules made the comment: “I feel that I could let our children watch this without feeling like I just fed them a bunch of shite.” I concur.

After the movie, we headed home for a bit and then, it was time to head over to OnlyAly and ‘s for their annual “Nightmare Before Christmas” horror movie marathon.

We watched Pitch Black, The Descent and Dawn of the Dead (2004). As always, it was a fun way to spend an evening. Thanks, again, to the hosts for their hospitality.

This morning involved a good bit of sleeping in. And now… there’s football. Unfortunately, the Lions-Ravens game isn’t being aired in this market, so I’m relegated to tracking the game on NFL.com’s Game Center.

Stray Toasters

• It’s snowing. Surprise!



• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Santa Claus banned from visiting locked-up children in UK asylum detention centre
• I just saw this commercial; I like it and the message it conveys: LEGO: Build Together

• Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN adviser
• forwarded a link to My Fortress of Solitude. I think that this belongs on The Covet List. I’d love to do something like this, but I’m not sure that I could pull it off, given the types of desks that we have at work.
• Black Mesa Coffee Mug
• I looked up a little more information about The Super Hero Squad Show, specifically the voice acting talent. I was surprised and amused to note that they got Shawn Ashmore and Ray Stevenson to do the voices for Iceman and The Punisher, respectively… given that the actors portrayed those characters in live-action movies.
• went to see the Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero exhibit yesterday. I’m a tad jealous.

Namaste.