Random Access

Tuesday – 18 August 2009
Another day in the mines.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to dinner at El Chihuahua. We ate. We talked. We watched football. After that, we ran a couple of errands – one of which involved a Hostess Fruit Pie (but perhaps I’ve said too much…) – and then headed home for a quiet evening in.

The management at our apartment complex is having some of the roads in the complex repaved. I think that this would be referred to as a “Charlie Foxtrot” in the military.

Football Update
The Panthers traveled to New York to take on the N.Y. Giants for their first preseason game. (GameCenter) They put on a… decent… showing. The first half was primarily the Giants’ half. Somewhere in the second half, the Panthers seemed to remember why they were there.

With under two minutes left in the game, QB Josh McCown executed a rather impressive drive that went in for a touchdown AND two-point conversion to tie the game at 17. The Giants had a chance to drive downfield, but couldn’t. On the first play of the Panthers’ next drive, McCown, setting up a pass play, had the ball knocked from his hand, which was recovered – in the air – by a Giants’ lineman and run back for the go-ahead winning touchdown… just as time ran out.

Carolina: 17
Giants: 24

And, in other gridiron news: Brett Favre is back in Minnesota…

Workout
Marci and I went to the gym this afternoon:

• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (bar): 3 sets/12 reps, 80 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, hammer grip): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Reverse Punches (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 lbs
  • Set 1: 20 reps
  • Set 2: 10 reps

Weight (morning): 184.5 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I was messaged by someone I haven’t spoken with in nearly five (5) years. It was a bit of a shock, pleasantly so… but surprising, nonetheless.
• By way of : While I Was Away

• IKEA Draper Crayfish Party
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts is holding a film and lecture series, beginning next week.
• Why Is PETA Making Fun of Fat Women?
• I’m a fan of Bobby McFerrin. Check out his rendition of The Pink Panther Theme
• Insanewiches
• Car 54 Jamar Nicholas, Where Are You?
• pointed this out to me: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

• Has the Spidey Musical been deep-sixed?
• But we’re never gonna survive
  Unless we are a little crazy…

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote is gleaned from a conversation I had last night with . He wanted to make sure that we were alright with Bit and Pixel being at the wedding ceremony (in the chapel, that is).  Duh – we only get to see them (or at least Bit, to this point) every so often; naturally, we want them there. That led to the following:

9:47:10 PM : aiiight so urchins ok, i’ll load them both up with nyquil.
9:47:21 PM : heh or mountain dew
9:47:24 PM : either way, fun at parties
9:47:26 PM : 🙂
9:47:59 PM : SaraRules: “How about one and one?”
9:48:06 PM : “He gets to pick which one.”
9:48:24 PM : hahaha ok awesome, Bit on mountain dew then.  i’ve been wanting to play with THAT shotgun for months.

Namaste.

Monday – 17 August 2009
A new work week kicks off in the valley and…

…SaraRules starts at Utah Symphony/Utah Opera today:

Stray Toasters

• By way of MarknTyme: Finally, The Best Use for LEGO Is Revealed
• Gone Forever: What Does It Really Take to Disappear?
• U.S. banknotes show cocaine traces
• 
• …and on the subject of fanfic: While I do not often read much fanfic, but posted a link to a really well-done one: The Mutant Problem
  (Click the images on the right for more to the story)
• Chris and I are going to redo our Green Lantern Corps/Sinestro Corps ‘Clix battle – this time, including our respective heralds: My Ion (Sodam Yat) and his Parallax (Kyle Rayner).  It’s going to be a pretty big game, in terms of points, but it should be fun.  Now, we just need to see if we can come up with something for a Sinestro Corps Team Ability or Feat…
• I had forgotten that both Michael Gambon and George Harris were in Layer Cake, which we watched again last night. Whenever one of them appeared onscreen, I kept making Harry Potter cracks.
• This kid cracks me up:

I should take a look at what’s on tap for the rest of the day.

Namaste.

Sunday – 16 August 2009
It’s cold cool – far cooler than one would expect for the middle of August in SLC. It’s 64°F and today’s projected high is only 74°F. But, it’s sunny, so there’s… something.

This morning has been lazy, so far. Just me, Defiant and the Interwebs. I should probably think about eating something in the next little while.

<< Rewind <<
Friday night, SaraRules and I went up to Park City to the Deer Valley Music Festival to hear the Utah Symphony perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. It rained intermittently… but only for a couple of minutes at a time. Bizarre. The performance consisted of:

• Fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copland)
• Overture to Colas Breugnon (Dmitri Kabalevsky)
• Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin)
• Suite from Swan Lake, op. 20a (Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky)
• Appalachian Spring (Aaron Copland)

The featured pianist, for Rhapsody, was Edisher Savitsky. His take on Rhapsody was very interesting – he played some passages quite slowly, others were spritely and animated. But his performance was delightful.

Saturday morning, we met SaraRules’ parents, Logan and Sanaz (Logan’s girlfriend) for breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. I have driven past the cafe many times – on the way to/from Dr. Volt’s or Oh Sushi!, but I’ve never really thought twice about checking it out. That was my mistake. It was a nice place, with good food at reasonable prices.

Next up, we went to see District 9. All I can really say about the movie – without giving anything away – is “Wow.” I was duly impressed. I had avoided reading any reviews or commentary about the movie, so that I could go into it “cold” and without any prejudice. And I am pleased to say that it was the right call.

Chris called and asked if I wanted to play ‘Clix. (Hm, playing twice in one week…) I headed over to his place for some gaming. We played the Superman family (me) versus the Shazam family. It was a much closer fight than either of us really expected – it literally came down to “last man standing” on both sides: Superman (Justice League) for me, Shazam! (Unleashed, Kingdom Come). Chris’ Captain Marvel edged out Superman in the last turn for the win. It was a lot of fun and a battle that we’re considering playing again.

> Play >
There’s no preseason game today. Fortunately, NFL Network – which is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels – is rebroadcasting some of the past week’s games. Win-Win!

I’m not really sure what’s on tap for today. We’re most likely going to hit the gym at some point. And we’re having dinner with SaraRules’ family this evening.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules starts a new job at Utah Symphony/Utah Opera tomorrow.
• Legion Blogpost: We’re Back! Who Are We?!
• Thai elephant gets artificial leg
• Do-It-Yourself Guru Makes Treasures from Trash
• Room to swing a cat? Hardly
• 
• ‘It Might Get Loud’ takes measure of 3 guitar heroes
• Woman ‘to join Iranian Cabinet’
• Taking the Great American Road Trip, Google-style
• Moderate drinking ‘boosts bones’

Namaste.

Friday – 14 August 2009
The work week draws to a close. Amen.

After work yesterday, SaraRules and I met up with and headed to get fitted for our tuxedos. It was quick and rather painless. On the way home, I realized that I was craving something… I finally figured out what it was: Cake. We had to run by the store anyway, so we picked up some Devil’s Food cake mix and a… tub (?)… container (?)… whatever the unit is called (?)… of Cream Cheese frosting. SaraRules whipped it up after dinner.

This morning, I had the unexpected, but very pleasant, surprise of chatting with Bret for a bit before I had to get ready for work.

Football Update

1. The Ravens opened their preseason against the Washington Redskins last night. They apparently opened up a can o’ Whoop-ass, too, because they not only beat the ‘Skins… they blanked ’em: 23-0.

   

2. SaraRules’ beloved Raiders opened up against the Dallas Cowboys last night. They won. Handily. 31-10.
3. Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for a one-year contract, with an option on a second year. We know that the man did a phenomenally douchbag thing with his dog-fighting ring a few years ago. But…he paid for it. Can we (finally) stop talking about what a schmuck the guy is – or was – and get on with the football aspect of things?
4. Dante Stallworth. Benched for the season. Sorry, .

Stray Toasters

• This morning, I awoke with the vershluggen music they play on the Lagoon commercials running through my head. I blame for this… for no other reason than “Because I can.”
• After a few misfires, I now have City of Heroes (re-)installed on Defiant.
• The Park City Jazz Festival kicks off next weekend; the closing artist is Al Jarreau. I believe that I shall have to find a way to attend this event.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Woman Blames eBay for Thwarting Baby Name Auction
• I know you’re not supposed to play with your food, but with plates like this, how can you not?!
• By way of :

  

• Battlestar Galactica Feature Film Confirmed
• I just talked with – it looks like SaraRules and I will have our rings in about three weeks.  We both REALLY like the design she came up with; can’t wait to see the finished product.
• Why Should I Trust My Network Administrator?
• Thanks to ‘s posts about his trip through Indiana, I’ve had Rockapella’s Indiana (mp3) running through my head for the past couple of days.

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.

Thursday – 13 August 2009
This week has been cruising right along.

Happy Birthday to :

I also talked with last night. He informed me of the following:

• Bot and Pixel are doing well.
• Bit has a few new words. (And, yes, one of them is “Mama.”)
• Grandparents just don’t understand.

Reeling By on Celluloid: The Last King of Scotland
SaraRules and I watched this movie last nig.ht. It told the story of Idi Amin’s reign as “President for Life” of Uganda in the 1970s, from the point of view of his personal physician. Forest Whitaker portrayed Amin; James McAvoy portrayed Nicholas Garrigan, his doctor. After college, Garrigan goes to Uganda, looking to make a difference in the world. Through a random occurance, winds up meeting Amin, who has just ascended to power in a coup. From there the movie follows Garrigan as he becomes entangled in the complicated world of  Amin’s fight to maintain power and control.

The movie was very well done and didn’t pull any punches in bringing some of the horrors of President Amin’s rule to light. Forest Whitaker won the 2007 Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for this film and, watching his character’s progression from man of the people to a man caught up in his own cult of personality. All-in-all, it was an very good film and one quite worth watching.

Four-Color Coverage
This week had a number of good books… as did last week, which I didn’t list, because I was tromping through the woods of Idaho. So, this week will see a, or rather “another,” two-week compilation list:

Week of 05 August 09:

• Doom Patrol #1 – DC’s strangest heroes are back on the block. And they’ve got a new strange villainess to contend with. An interesting read and one that makes me curious to see if the next couple of issues turn this into a regular purchase.
  
• Justice League: Cry for Justice #2 (of 6) – The pieces and the players continue to come together in this offshoot League. It’s still moving a little slowly, but I’m going to bear it out, especially since it’s supposed to have (eventual) ramifications in the core JLA book.
  
• Superman: World of New Krypton #5 (of 12) – General Zod has been shot. New Krypton is in chaos. Superman and Supergirl head to Earth, hot on the heels of Zod’s attacker. (Wasn’t there something about the UN banning Kryptonians on Earth…?)
  
• Captain America: Reborn #2 – Steve Rogers continues to do his impression of Quantum Leap’s Dr. Sam Beckett. And, like Dr. Beckett, Cap is slowly coming to realize what’s happening to him. Unlike Dr. Beckett – and more like Queen – he realizes that “there’s nothing you can, nothing you can, nothing you can do about it.”
  
• Ultimatum
  • Ultimatum: Fantastic Four Requiem #1 and Ultimatum: X-Men Requiem #1 – Marvel’s Ultimate Universe was supposed to be the sandbox where writers and artists could take familiar characters and places and do things that they couldn’t get away with in the mainstream Marvel 616 Universe. And, in Ultimatum, they’ve done just that. These books present the aftermath of Magneto’s “Ultimatum Wave,” through which he caused upheaval on a global scale. While I wasn’t necessarily thrilled with some of the things they did, I have to give Marvel credit for redrawing the lines on the playing field.
    STORY:
    EXECUTION:
• Love and Capes #11 – Abby needs a new wedding dress. Marc whisks her off to Paris for a shopping trip with her sister, Charlotte. But, what happens when Abby not only finds “the perfect dress,” but also finds that it was made by Marc’s former flame, Amazonia?
  

Week of 12 August 09

• Adventure Comics #1/#504 – Superboy is back. He’s trying to put the pieces of his (former) life back together. Good thing that he’s got Martha Kent, the Teen Titans and Krypto – not to mention a certain “mild-mannered reporter” – there to help him out. This issue’s second feature includes the Legion of Super-Heroes. Kind of. More specifically, it features Starman and Tellus, who team up to fulfill the last will and testament of R.J. Brande, the LSH’s late benefactor.
  
• Blackest Night
  • Blackest Night #2 (of 8 ) – Commissioner and Barbara Gordon meet an unexpected visitor on GCPD’s rooftop. Black Lantern Aquaman schedules an impromptu family reunion. Green Lantern and the Flash set up for Round Two with Black Lanten Martian Manhunter… and wind up facing [SPOILER DELETED].
    
  • Blackest Night: Batman #1 (of 3) – The new Batman and Robin team up with not-a-Black Lantern Deadman to take on the newly reanimated [SPOILERS DELETED].
    
  • Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps #39 – GLs Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner are headed back to Oa when they meet up with Lanterns Soranik Natu and Iolande. It’s a quiet trip until they get passed by a swarm of Black Lantern rings… headed to Oa.
    
• R.E.B.E.L.S. #7 – Vril Dox reaches out to leaders of other worlds, seeking to form an alliance against Starro. While he makes some convincing points, let’s just say that he shouldn’t necessarily look for a second job in Sales.
  
• Luke Cage: Noir #1 (of 4) – Luke Cage, “The Power-Man,” gets the Marvel Noir treatment… and it’s a treat to read. Fresh out of prison, Cage is looking to renew some old connections and see how things have changed while he was away. Hopefully, he can learn who the players are… and who’s getting played.
  
• Action Comics #880 – Continuing from last week’s World of Krypton #5, Superman and Supergirl chase Ral-Dar, General Zod’s would-be assassin, to Earth… where they get a less-than-“warm” reception. Readers also learn a bit more about General Lane’s playmates.
  
• G-Man: Cape Crisis #1 (of 5) – School-aged hero, G-Man, hooks some of his friends up with the ability to fly. What could possibly go wrong when he tells them it’s time to come back to ground? This was both a great all-ages read and a refreshing change of pace – along the lines of Tiny Titans, but with a little more “meat” to the story.
  
• Uncanny X-Men #514 – As running the X-Men (all teams) and X-Force (the team that no one knows about) wasn’t enough, Cyclops puts together another team. Also, Emma Frost’s “Dark X-Men” do some good at saving citizens in the Bay Area. And it looks as if the Summers X-Men and the Frost X-Men are going to butt heads. Soon. On a personal note, it’s nice to see that Matt Fraction has a good handle on writing Cyclops. As my long-time favorite X-Men, I appreciate it when he’s written well – a bit conflicted and occasionally awkward, but always making plans and contingencies.
  

Stray Toasters

• I’ve got to do my “Goals and Accomplishments” for 2009. Yay.
• Steampunk butterfly
• Guitar, studio wizard Les Paul dies at 94
• Looking for a treat to satisfy your favorite snack-hungry zombies? Try Brain cupcakes.
• Do you eat the moldy stuff?
• 
• Euro-Area Economy Contracted 0.1% in Second Quarter
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!” file: Brazilian crime TV host ordered executions to boost ratings, cops say
• 
• I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist campaign for photographers’ rights

Yeah… that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Sunday – 09 August 09
We’re back.

We got in last night around 2230. We cut the trip short a day, because it rained most of the day on Friday, which played hob with fishing and made sitting around camp kind of… dull and boring. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a good time, though. The breakdown goes a little something like this:

Thursday (Pictures from Day 1)
We got up at 0510 to head to SaraRules’ parents’. For some reason, I didn’t get to bed until after 0200, so waking up was definitely hard to do. After a shower, I felt a little closer to human. We got to the house and waited for Logan, whose building had a power outage and screwed up his alarm.  We hit the road at 0730, bound for Idaho.

Given that I was “a little” tired from the previous night’s lack of sleep, I was out of it for most of the way to Pocatello. I woke up as we were turning off the highway to get breakfast. We ate and got back on the road. We made a quick stop in Blackfoot and then headed up to EBR-1. Again. Although, this time, it was open for touring. we spent about 45 minutes or so walking around (and taking pictures). On to Challis – we had to load up on spud-nuts (doughnuts, made with potato flour). And from there, on to Stanley and Redfish Lake.

Part of our job as the first car to leave was to find and secure a campsite. We did that. SaraRules and Logan were of the opinion that it was the same site they had two years ago. The main difference from last year’s site was that the toilets were much more basic than the ones in Glacierview: Pit toilets vs. flush toilets and sinks. *shrug* We set up the tents and generally got the campsite ready for the weekend. A little after Car 2 (with the Meliko and the ‘rents) showed up, it started raining. Steve set up “Alaska rigs” (tarps suspended in by ropes, draped over the tents and picnic bench); lo and behold, we stayed dry. For the most part. There was a small pool of water that collected at the corner of SaraRules and my tent. Meliko, Logan and I dug a small trench to divert the water – it worked fairly well.

Friday (Pictures from Day 2)
We woke up to intermittent rain. As that bode ill for fishing, we went to the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge again. It, too, was open for a tour. Looking at it last year, just from the exterior, it seemed rather amazing that the whole thing was run by just three (3) men. Seeing it from the inside made it seem all the more amazing. And, of course, I took a plethora of pictures. After that, we headed up to Custer and then SaraRules, Logan and Steve tried their hands at fishing… to no avail. We headed back to camp.

A while later, Logan and Steve decided to try again; SaraRules wanted to go to the hot springs. So we packed into the cars and off we went. Meliko went hiking around the area where Steve and Logan were fishing; Bonne came to the hot springs with SaraRules and me. I wasn’t entirely sure about this whole “sitting in a hot spring while it’s not terribly warm out” thing, as I’ve long looked askance at people who sit in hot tubs in the middle of winter. It just seemed… odd… to me. But, I did it. Trying to find the right mix of hot spring water and cold river water was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to do it. And it was fun.

Saturday (Pictures from Day 3)
Intermittent rain beset us again. We decided to break camp and head home. SaraRules, Logan and Steve decided to hit a couple of fishing spots before making the trek back to Utah. First stop, Indian Riffles. And, just before we got there, the sun came out. Go figure. The trio changed into fishin’ gear and hit the river. No dice. From there, we went back to the Yankee Fork. Once more into the fray… and this time, the fish came out to play – everyone caught something. Their fishing appetites sated, we started back to Salt Lake.

Instead of heading back through Arco and Pocatello, we came back via Sun Valley. This included a trip to the summit of Galena Summit. (Fortunately, Idaho believes in guard rails, unlike many areas of Utah…) We descended into Ketchum. We had lunch/dinner at Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta. The food was good and so was dessert – I had their Chocolate Ganache Cake and ice cream. A quick stop at Starbucks and we were on the road again.

We traveled through a couple of small – REALLY SMALL – towns and along some back-country two-lane roads before winding up in Paul, ID (a few miles from I-84, southeast of Twin Falls). Then, it was highway cruising. We were making good time until we got to Ogden, where there is construction. Lots of lane-constricting construction.

On the whole, I’d have to rate this year’s camping trip:

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation.

Today kicked off with sleeping in. Later, we headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for brunch. After eating, we watched Black Sheep. It’s basically an Australian zombie sheep movie. And, yes, I know exactly how that sounded. This movie is definitely on the CW/LKG Scale.

(at least)

Tonight, I think we’ll have a quick trip down to the Garden of Sweden and then back home to watch some football. That’s right: Football. It’s the Hall of Fame Week game that kicks off four weeks of glorious preseason football.  Selah.

Stray Toasters

• Ray Charles covers Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire

• Gap founder’s amazing art collection may leave San Francisco
• I watched The Big Hit earlier. I haven’t seen this in a long time… but it’s fun. It’s on the CW/LKG Scale, but I’d rate it on the higher end of it.

  

• In a related note and comic trivia: Actress Lainie Kazan (who was in The Big Hit) was the visual inspiration for Big Barda.
• Eugene Roddenberry and the legacy of ‘Star Trek’
• 

• The Happiest Cartoonists of All Time
• Filmmaker John Hughes has died.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 04 August 2009
Another work-a-day morning in Paradise. And this is after a 12-hour day yesterday. On the plus side, this means that after logging today’s and tomorrow’s hours, I can trim a bit off the number of hours I need to take for leave on Thursday. I’m not sure that’s a full “Win-Win,” but it’s not bad. Of course, I’m in an all-day meeting, so that should keep me (more or less) out of trouble.

Last night was a low-key evening. That not-so-loosely translates to: “I sat in front of the television and vegged.” And it was good. I also got a little further in cataloguing ‘Clix.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules pointed me in the direction of: One Super Wedding
• Inverse Spatial Logic Game
• sent me a link to this picture; I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.
• Indian police accused of abuses
• Wow…. Kenneth just used the phrase “money shot” in our meeting. With our CEO and other top brass in it. I think he just scored “Human of the Day” for that.
• US Health Care Debate (infographic)
• 
• 5 Robots that make C3PO look like the Terminator
• 10 Badass Female G.I. Joe Characters
• Also by way of Nyx: Obama’s Birthday Cards from Birthers
• Living in a massive high-rise with no neighbors

Namaste.

Monday – 03 August 2009
Another work week begins. But this week is a short one – even shorter than usual, in fact – because we’re heading to Idaho on Thursday to go camping. With that in mind, I think that I can make it three days in the office. (Just found out that we might be going in the “early car,” which means that we’ll be on the road about 0600 on Thursday… but that facilitates my ability to tour EBR-1 (1, 2), so there is a bit of “Win” to be found.

88 Minutes turned out to be a decent movie. It wasn’t awesome and was a little predictable in parts, but it was “just right” for something to have on in the background.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I started watching Neverwhere, thanks to Netflix “Instant Queue.” About halfway through the first episode, Door asked Richard to seek out the Marquis de Carabas. The name rattled around my head for a few minutes before I was able to make a vague association: A few years ago, either said that I reminded her of the Marquis or that I should dress as him for Hallowe’en. Unfortunately, I don’t remember which it was.
• fotographylife
• I’ve started cataloging my HeroClix figures on HCRealms. I’ve finished with the small trays and started in on the large trays last night. That doesn’t include the bin full of “extra” figures that I have.  That will be fun, I’m sure…
• Botched building demolition creates real world Katamari Damacy horror
• What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
  I think that I’d have to go with Mocha Almond Fudge (or a variant thereof, depending on brand) and/or a really good Rocky Road.
• Google CEO Schmidt Leaves Apple Board
• 
• As of 01 August 09, NFL Network was supposed to be part of Comcast’s Digitial Classic service package, of which I am a customer. Why is it that when I checked this morning, I received the “For Ordering Information…” announcement? *sigh*
• Car used to design font
• I’m trying to decide whether I want to reinstall Growl.
• Scammer Plants a Fake ATM at Defcon 17

Namaste.

Sunday – 02 August 2009
Last night, I went to OnlyAly and ‘s to play a little poker. It was a fun way to spend the evening. I got home and watched Cigarette Burns, originally part of Showtime’s “Masters of Horror” series, with SaraRules. As Tyranist and Rish described it on Horror Film Compendium:

An obtainer of rare films is contracted to find the most notorious film of all time, the supposedly lost (and madness-inducing) Le Fin Absolue Du Monde. But the closer he gets to finding the film, the more the powers of darkness close in on him.

It was a curious film. And rather dark. But, it was good.

After the movie, I lobotomized Defiant. She now has a larger hard drive and a fresh new install of OSX. While I was waiting for the OS to install, I channel-surfed. I wound up finding Grindhouse on Encore. Having not seen it before, I watched it… or at least half of it: “Planet Terror.” And it was fun. A lot of fun, in fact.

I wanted to stay up and watch “Deathproof,” but “Planet Terror” didn’t end until 0200 and I had to get up early in order to go to…

…The Park City Kimball Arts Festival. SaraRules and I headed up and met and Chris2 for brunch. No, make that “breakfast,” Cisero’s doesn’t do their normal brunch during the Arts Festival. BAH! However, that didn’t stop the omelettes we had from tasting great. After breakfast, we met and even ran into Jim and Sandi walking up the street. (Superpower: Check!) There was a lot of good stuff to be seen at the festival, too.

Back down to the valley for afternoon babysitting duty. Kate and Perry needed someone to watch the kids for a couple of hours. We had an open schedule and agreed. (It wasn’t really hard to agree to, honestly.) The kids were great, as usual.

Back home again. We both planned to have some hobby time, but didn’t want to watch either of our Netflix movies – neither of them are “in the background” movies. So, we opted to watch 88 Minutes. It’s been an interesting movie. (We’re still a few minutes from the end.)

All of that, and the night’s still young.

Namaste.

Saturday – 01 August 2009
Last night’s sleep was… a little broken. I woke up a few times, for as-yet undetermined reasons. After getting into bed after 0230, I was up around 0730… and thought I might stay up for a bit. I thought better of it and crawled back into bed. I finally woke up and decided to start the day around 0915, which was a much more reasonable hour.

I got dressed and went to have coffee with Perry. It was a very brief get together, as he was on the clock. I came back home and found that SaraRules was already back from quilting. We hit the road again… this time with a two-fold mission:

1. To pick up our invitations from the printer
2. To pick up a new HDD for my MacBook

We were successful in both.

Human of the Day
While at the Best Buy, getting the hard drive, I saw what I’m sure is going to be the most awesome thing I see all day: A guy playing football on what I believe was the PS3 display. That, in and of itself, isn’t so noteworthy. What made it great was that he had pulled up a chair from their office section (a nice brown suede-looking finish), set it up in front of the display, taken off his hat (and put it on the display) and was just… going to town playing video games. It rocked. SaraRules and I decided that only a couple things could have made the scene better:

• If he had a Big Gulp^® and some chips on a little tray next to him and/or
• If he had friends with him, throwing down some game time trash talk.

I completely spaced off getting a phone picture of it, though.

Workout
We also hit the gym for a weekend workout:

• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Calf Raises (standing): 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Bent-over Row (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Reverse Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Tricep Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Side Bends (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with the pentatonic scale
• After Scare, Tempers Flare at La Guardia
• The Le (pronounced “Tee Lee”) sums up what was wrong with Marvel Comics’ last couple of events, World War Hulk and Civil War:
  

  Since the reader has become so attached to Hulk’s cause, this makes the reader a fool too… and that’s really the problem here. The Hulk’s a chump, and we’re also chumps for taking his side.
  
  That’s just bad storytelling. The author, Grek Pak, was clearly trying to pull a fast one on us, and he succeeded. Like the terrible last moments of Civil War before it, we’re left with a great story that is utterly ruined by a pitiful ending.

• America makes nothing except weapons
• 
• From the “Yeah, I want some Cheesy Poofs!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?” files: Cheezy poofs marketed as “organic carrot stix”
• Also from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?” file: Michael Jackson wanted to make ‘Spider-Man’ movie, Stan Lee says

Tomorrow: Off to Park City for the Arts Festival.

Namaste.

Friday – 31 July 2009
First and foremost: Happy Birthday, !

It’s not my 9/80 Friday, but at least it’s quiet around here today. Maybe I’ll be able to clear a few things off my “To Do” list…

…of course, I might just have to add “Play Typing of the Dead” to that list, though. I wonder if I can justify it as “Training,” since it (theoretically) is a typing game/tutor..?

Stray Toasters

• Superman and Green Lantern ain’t got nothin’ on me…
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!” file: Canadians vow mass-mooning of US spy-blimp
• Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
• Annie Lennox gives her masters to mashup artist DJ Earworm: Backwards/Forwards

• By way of
  • Alien prequel takes off
  • Heavy Metal has a new animated movie coming out next year: War of the Worlds: Goliath

• By way of :

  

• Steampunk Monkey Nation

WHEEEEEE!

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda
The day turned out better than Tuesday, after all. Selah.

After work, SaraRules and I headed to Kate and Perry’s – I had a few Blackest Night-related comics to hand off. On the way there, we were passed by a couple of scooter riders whose helmets looked… vaguely familiar; I confirmed later that it was and A 400 Lb Gorilla. We hung out with Perry and the Kids for a while. Next, we headed to the nearest Best Buy, where I (finally) found a copy of Green Lantern: First Flight… with the figurine. (More on this later.) I, however, completely forgot to look for a copy of The Middleman. Ah, well, another time.

Back home, SaraRules started in on dinner and I started in on today’s four-color crack. For tonight’s fare, SaraRules made maple chicken, cheesy potatoes, green beans and glasses of Novella Synergy Blanc. Dinner was, as always, quite delicious. During dinner we watched GL:FF. After that, SaraRules went back to work on our wedding quilt and I finished up my four-color shwag.

Reeling by on Celluloid
Green Lantern: First Flight, the latest release from DC Universe Animated Original Movies, is an adaptation of the origin story of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. The feature hits the ground running and, before the opening credits even roll, you’ve been introduced to Hal and two major supporting characters. Things don’t exactly slow down after the opening credits, either, as Hal meets Sinestro and three other Lanterns and is escorted to Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corps. The story doesn’t retell Hal’s first days as a GL entirely as recounted in comics, but that’s okay – the story that they do tell is a good one. The story makes the characters accessible to viewers who neither watched Justice League/Unlimited nor read the comic book and it even lends itself for more GL features down the road. As an added bonus, one of the special features on the disc is a preview of the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Win-Win.

Four-Color Coverage

• Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #3 (of 3) – The final issue of this series tells the stories of Kilowog’s first mission as a Green Lantern recruit and also of the legacy that a veteran Lantern carries on. Possibly the best feature of the issue is “Blackest Night #0: Director’s Commentary.” In it, Geoff Johns, Adam Schlagman and Eddie Berganza give a running commentary of the zero issue of Blackest Night, given away on Free Comic Book Day.
  
• Fantastic 4 #569 – The FF take on the Marquis of Death: Final Round. Fight! The Marquis dishes it out… can Marvel’s First Family take it? (Hint: They aren’t called “The Mediocre Four” or “The Just-Getting-By Four”). Readers also learn exactly what happened to Dr. Doom during his fight with the Marquis. Despite all of the action, I’d have to say that the best Thing in the issue is.. um… The Thing’s wedding. And the final page sums things up perfectly.
  
• Justice Society of America #29 – This issue opens with a mystery… and reveals two more mysteries over the course of the story. Readers are also introduced to two new members of the JSA. Also, what’s going on with Mr. Terrific?
  
• The Last Days of Animal Man #3 (of 6) – Buddy’s still losing his powers… but he doesn’t intend to just lie down and accept it. To this end, he enlists the aid of the League of Titans, an amalgamation of the JLA and the not-teen-anymore-Titans. Highlights of this issue are Buddy’s interactions with his family and their reactions to him – Gerry Conway does an excellent job of showing different sides of the family dynamic. There are also a couple nods to 52, as well.
  
• Ultimatum #5 (of 5) – What’s left of the Fantastic Four, the Ultimates and the X-Men pay a call on Magneto. They intend to make him answer for the destruction he unleashed around the world. As fans of the Marvel 616 Universe might recall, the X-men and Magneto have had this dance before. It ended with Magneto leeching all of the Adamantium out of Wolverine’s skeleton. Will history repeat itself in the Ultimate Universe? Readers also learn the secret that Nick Fury’s been keeping from… well… everyone. And who’s going to be pulling the strings in the Ultimate Universe after the dust settles.
  
• Wonder Woman #34 – Diana of Themyscira is now a woman without a family. Or a country. Or her gods. These things have shaped and defined Diana over the past few years. What will she do without them. She does what any warrior does: She survives. More than that, she endures. When she discovers that Genocide is still alive, Diana recruits Black Canary’s help to track down leads she needs to find her. Dr. T.O. Morrow shows… a softer side?! What’s that about?! Also, Achilles makes his first commands as… king… of the Amazons. My biggest gripe with the issue is Black Canary. Let me rephrase that: My gripe is with the way that Gail Simone wrote Black Canary. It felt… off. I would have expected something different, especially given the fact that Ms. Simone wrote Black Canary for years in Birds of Prey. *shrug* Maybe this was part of how she wrote BC in that book, but it came off in this title just feeling…wrong. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
  

Stray Toasters

• Officiant: Check!
• There, I Fixed It
• I read this and thought of :

  

• What do you get when you mix Wu-Tang Clan and LEGO? Something like this.
• Robert Downey, Jr. on Iron Man 2
• PhysicsCentral: Learn How Your World Works

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 July 2009
Another day kicks off… with me taking my car to the dealership. The “Check Engine” light came on last night, so I figured that getting it looked at would be a good thing.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I headed to Utah County to get our engagement photos taken. I finally had the opportunity to meet Twila, our photographer; SaraRules had told me nothing but good things about her – from their first meeting and from her bridal photos. She was right. Twila was fun to work with and I’m looking forward to seeing how our shoot turned out.

Stray Toasters

• Green Lantern: First Flight hits shelves today.
• Question for the movie fans out there: When you know that [BIG NEW MOVIE] is coming out, how much would you like to know about it beforehand? Do you prefer to know as little as possible, aside from a few sketchy details, or would you prefer to have a decent overview/synopsis – up to, but not necessarily including spoilers – before going in?
• For: SaraRules and
  From: NPR Music - Riverboat Gamblers ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ for 25 Years of ‘Purple Rain’
• Wonder Woman Is Not Lame
• By way of : William Shatner Makes Palin’s Speech into Poetry

• Transitional Care Cuts Hospital Re-Entry Rates, Costs
• Bill Maher Calls America a ‘Stupid Country’
• Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America
• 
• Crows Recognize Human Faces

Namaste.

Monday – 27 July 2009
Back in the saddle again…

Last night, after dinner (and Bocce) with SaraRules’ family, we headed home to wind down the weekend. SaraRules quilted; I worked on the second story of my ‘Clix building. I think that I’ve finally determined the best way to get the top to stay in place when the first story interior isn’t being used. I’ve also discovered that I’m looking forward to making a building using the Shellendrak Manor set, which allows for less unusable/unplayable space in building interiors. While we were working away at our respective crafts, we watched I Am Legend.

Today is SysAdminDay.  (At least, we’re celebrating it today, as people will be off on Friday – and we need something to make Monday less suck-tacular.)

Show your SysAdmin some love. Julie, our “Distinguished IT Admin,” came in with a box this morning. The box contained this:

Aww, yeah…

Stray Toasters

• We’re taking our engagement photos this evening. Given our ideas for them, they will hopefully be as much fun as we are anticipating.
• This item combines two things I love: LEGO and Top Gear: Full-size LEGO House
• Iced coffees: ‘A meal in a drink’
• By way of MarknTyme: Axis of Awesome – 4 Chords

• American eugenics movement archives
• From the “YeahbuhWHAT?!?” file: “I feel it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics-as-usual, lame-duck session in one’s last year in office.”
• To prove that it wasn’t just a fluke – and because I had a fun time of it – I’m going camping with SaraRules’ family (again) next week.
• Free online archive of vintage TV commercials
• How to shark a ‘Guess the number of M&M’s in a jar’ contest:

• Russians hear the call of the circus

Namaste.

Sunday – 26 July 2009
SaraRules and I did a little shopping yesterday. I picked up some new gym gear and a few pairs of shorts. Later in the evening, we hung out with shockpuppet, and others for Rib Fest last night. It was a lot of fun.

This morning was a lazy sleep-in day. I woke up and picked up American Psycho again. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten where I stopped reading, so I had to go back and cover about 10 pages again. Then, it was time for breakfast and the first three eps of Wolverine and the X-Men. And then…

Workout
…SaraRules and I went to the gym for a workout:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Upright Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps
• Curls (dumbell, with shoulder press): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Tricep Press (T-bar): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs
• Lunges: 3 sets/10 reps
• Core (plank, side): 3 sets/30 seconds

Weight: 184.5 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Rebecca, Joe or Jim (can’t remember who pondered this with me): It does not seem as though glow sticks have made it onto the “Stuff White People Like” website or book. Yet.
  • In a related note, Stuff Mormons Like is my favorite parody site of the SWPL site.
• I haven’t been G4‘s biggest fan since they became “G4” – I miss the… intelligence and variety, I guess… of TechTV. However, I have to give them props for their coverage of Comic-Con 2009.
• 
• Baptist Leaders Face Challenge on Women’s Roles
• From the “SkyNet is now online…” file: Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man
• Taqwacore: Muslim Punk Underground
• This shit is bananas…
  (I still think that MarknTyme should teach this to his band as a stand song.)
• Three reasons Palin’s move might be about money
• After a few days with Safari, I’ve found the transition hasn’t been too bad. There are still a couple of relatively minor things that I miss from Firefox, but nothing yet to make me go kicking and screaming back to it. Yet.
• First, Geoff Johns did a Legion episode of Smallville… and now he’s writing a JSA episode? Hmm…

Namaste.