Random Access

Wednesday – 08 August 2007
For some reason, I keep thinking that it’s only Tuesday. Not really sure why.

Last night’s game did not end with mass death – neither ours nor the mad god that we were facing. I consider that a “good” thing. That’s not to say that things didn’t hit the fan in short order. Because they did. With the quickness. Our mage attempted to use a scroll to ‘port us out of harms way… and rolled a critical failure. (For those non-gamers out there, think: “Put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye” bad.) The raw magic wound up taking the form another spell – Limited Wish. We got some rather… unusual… results:

• Three of our party returned to our home city
• One was returned to another part of the home city.
• My character… um… “slid sideways,” into a nominally parallel plane. (For lack of a better analogy, think of Patrick Swayze in Ghost – I could see/hear things around me, but not interact with anything or anyone.) Oh, and while everyone else went home, I stayed in the same place, which was about 10-14 days away from home. Greeeeat. Fortunately, I’m playing a monk and, as such, have a couple of feats that allow me to travel faster than normal and recover from fatigue faster than normal.

Fortunately, our group knows a mage who was not only able to find me, but also open a portal to get me home… after five days, by which time I’d already covered about 2/3 of the journey. (Like I said: “Bionic monk.”) Once everyone was together – and fully recovered – and we set about our original plan: Amassing an army to go and whoop some elevated being’s ass. Turns out that in coming to our world, the god had broken a pact among the pantheon and turned himself into Public Enemy #1. (Although, if he had turned himself into Flava Flav, I would have been much more amused.) We’ll see how things go next gaming session.

Stray Toasters

• I just heard some amazing news… but I can’t share it on here.
• Remoting Future – countdown timer to science fiction future events
• There are a plethoric ass-load (although not quite a metric fuck-ton) of pictures on Flickr under the SDCC: San Diego Comic-Con International pool.
• The IKEA 2008 catalog is out. I got a message from the Right Coast saying that the one I have delivered there has arrived; my local copy should be here soon. *genuflect*
• Minesweeper: the Movie, by way of Acolyte Derek
• 
• Eric sent me a link to a LEGO Guitar Hero controller mod. I countered with a video of someone playing YYZ in Guitar Hero 2 on Expert Level.
• SSDT / SSDG
• Douglas Adams on the now-extinct Baiji dolphin (yes, that Douglas Adams)
• World War II propaganda posters
• 
• Right to the heart of the matter
  Right to the beautiful part
  Illusions are painfully shattered
  Right were discovery starts

Pax vobiscum.

Saturday – 04 August 2007
Despite oversleeping this morning, it’s been a good – and nominally productive day. I don’t know what it was, but after Clitorati, I came home and was ready to hit the rack within an hour. Which put quite a damper on any thoughts I may have had about visiting Paragon City. I was up shortly before 7:00, but saw the error of my ways and returned to The Dreaming.

Once I got up and dealt with the necessary hygiene rituals, I met Perry and the boys for coffee. When they left, I did some more work on She Talks to Angels. I’m rather pleased with the way the angel has turned out, but a little less enthusiastic about the figure that’s supposed to look like my grandmother. Which means that I need to do more portrait work. My other big concern with this piece is/was: Fabric. It folds and twists and billows. Depicting that isn’t exactly my strong suit, but I am happy with the way it looks.

dropped by for a bit, to say “Hello,” so I chatted with her for a while until I got a message from Chris (we’re going to have to start numbering Chrises now, too) asking if I was still interested in going to the gym. I was. We did. I got there before him, so I spent 10 minutes on the recumbent bike. I haven’t done that in a long time; it was good. Chris showed up and it was game time. I wasn’t paying attention when I set up the weights for my bench press and wound up doing 225 pounds on my first set. Brilliant, I am. Not easy, but I did it. I dropped it back down to 205 pounds for the second and third sets, although I had to do the last 5 reps of the third set at 185. Today also saw a lot more presses than I have done (in one workout) in a long time: Flat bench, incline and decline.

Back home for a much-needed and very refreshing shower and a late lunch. And to kill some time. Tonight, I’m going to the Rita Coolidge concert at the Sandy Amphitheatre, thanks to Kate. I asked her to find out about tickets and a couple of days later, she presented me with one. I should send her a fruit basket. (Bonus points for knowing where that came from.) I think that I would really like to take a nap, but I have a few things that I should take care of before heading to the concert. *sigh* No rest for the wicked, I guess.

…and I still need to make (another) trip to the Garden of Sweden, which I most definitely will not get around to tonight.

Stray Toasters

• I have been craving chocolate milk like a madman, lately.
• From Real Tech News: MP3-Eating Worm on the Loose
• Blood, Sweat and Cheers! – Five little-known facts about 300.
• “Are you Lutheran vegansexual?”
  
• And I must have missed a memo about last week being “Bag on Vegans Week,” because I just saw this in Crtl+Alt+Del:
  
• The Best Super-Pregnancies (No, I didn’t make that title up.)
• WizKids will be adding a “Heroes” line – based on the television series – to HeroClix.
• When Amber met Amber
• – Play Infocom Hitchhiker’s text adventure by IM
• The Weird Things People Eat Around the World
• , I saw these and thought of you when I got to the pair in the lower-left corner.

I should finish getting ready and get out of here…

Namaste.

Friday – 03 August 2007
I watched Casino Royale and finished Dark City last night.

• Casino Royale: Bond. James Bond is back. I haven’t watched this movie since its theatrical release. It was every bit as enjoyable on the small screen as it was on the silver screen. Daniel Craig makes an excellent rough-around-the-edges, newly-minted 007. It will be interesting to watch as this “blunt instrument” develops into the refined spy who defined cool for many a movie goer over the past 40-odd years. If, in fact, they are using this movie to “reboot” the James Bond franchise, I will be quite interested to see how they portray Bond as going from cold and detached, to falling for Vesper Lynd, to once again setting aside his emotions… only to later fall for – and marry – Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo.
   
  As the opening – and closing – credits rolled, I listened to You Don’t Know Me, the theme for this movie. Performed by Soundgarden and Audioslave front man, Chris Cornell, it stylistically harkens back to older Bond themes. It was also interesting to note how it was worked, very subtly, into the score… even in places where one would expect to hear the classic “007 Theme.”
• Dark City: As I watched this movie, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between it and The Big O:
  • Both take place in cities where people have lost their memories.
  • Both take place in isolated cities: Dark City is a… petri dish, for lack of a better term; Paradigm City has been sealed off from the rest of the world, inside a giant dome.
  • The protagonist lives a little outside the norm – both John Murdoch and Roger Smith know that “something isn’t right” with themselves and in their respective cities – and question the norms.
  • Both protagonists have, in supporting roles, a prominent female figure and a police officer as a somewhat reluctant ally.
  • Both features are done, to borrow a phrase from Warner Brothers Animation Studios, in a “dark deco” (and in some instances, gothic) style.

  I’m not entirely sure what I expected to get from the movie. It borrowed from many different concepts and blended them into a dark oleo. I’m not saying that it was bad – or that it was done poorly – but it was definitely… different. One thing that I did note was Jennifer Connelly’s presence. No, not for that reason (but, yes, she is nice to look at). I saw her and thought about her role in Ang Lee’s Hulk, in which she played the romantic lead opposite another man who not only had metahuman abilities, but also had… issues. I enjoyed the movie, but it would probably take another viewing for me to sort everything out about the movie.

Stray Toasters

• I was sent a link to this video from Loading.Ready.Run. by . It amused me… and reminded me of a (non-monkey) coworker.
• HALO ActionClix. Check out the size of that Scarab!
• Limited Edition ‘Diamond Variant’ Emma Frost Bust
• By way of boingboing.net: Freaky roadsign photoshopping contest
• While I generally find the LOLcats phenomenon (do DO do-do-do) only mildly amusing, this and this made me chuckle.
• WHAT?! And how did I miss this gem!?
• I just got an ego-boost-in-an-email from Mom. Not only is that a nice way to start the day, it’s even better than finding homemade chocolate chip cookies in your lunch. What was the last thing your mom sent you?

And now, off to save the world! to work.

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 August 2007
The back half of yesterday was good. Jason and I went to lunch at La Puente; Perry met us there. After lunch, we paid a visit to the good Doctor’s, where I fed my four-color fever. Then it was back to the workday grind for a few more hours.

I started to watch Dark City last night. For the first time. Interesting movie. Unfortunately, I started it far too late in the evening and wound up nodding off about 30 minutes into it. I will finish it tonight or tomorrow.

This morning, I slept in. A bit unintentional, but it was nice, all the same. And, once I finally got in gear, I was able to have a brief conversation with , which is never a bad way to start the day.

Unfortunately, one of the code monkeys didn’t get the memo about today being NBN Thursday. I walked into the office to find that this person decided to do something stupid. Actually, it was a couple of things, but we can lump them all together into one homogeneous item for this case. (A coworker pointed out that the issue in question happened on Wednesday, so it’s not really a Thursday problem and I can still enjoy the rest of NBN Thursday.) And, apparently, the person-in-question had asked other people about the same issue before deciding to take matters into his own hands. And, I just found out that the person was told where to look to resolve the problem… which means that he either ignored the person who told him that and/or is a complete idiotstick. After talking with a few others about this person, I’m going with Option 2.

Today’s workout went well: Three sets of 205 pounds on the bench press (10 reps/set) followed by 2½ reps of 250 pounds. Apparently, Tuesday’s warm-up set – and the extra weight on the first set – just took any extra UMPH I may have had… and let it dribble out of my ears.

Four-Color Coverage

• Action Comics #853 – Countdown tie-in issue. This issue was another Jimmy Olsen issue, showing him – as Mister Action – going up against The Kryptonite Man. And, Superman does put in an appearance or two in this issue.
• Astro City: The Dark Age – Book 2 #3 – This issue continues the story of Charlie and Royal Williams, two men whose parents were killed during a superhero/villain battle. Charlie became a police officer; Royal a criminal. The series looks at Astro City through their eyes… and their estranged relationship.
• Avengers: The Initiative #4 – “World War Hulk” tie-in issue. Justice and Cloud 9 go on a field trip. Hardball is… moonlighting? And, what happens when you throw heroes-in-training up against Ol’ Jade-jaws and his extraplanetary band of rebels? Um… hello?! You did catch the “World War HULK,” up there, right? Do the math. I also have to give Marvel credit for something: They have brought back a few teen characters that had fallen off the map in recent years. In fact, one of the characters, Ultragirl (1, 2), had her own mini-series about… ten years ago… only to completely disappear until Civil Bore War.
• Countdown: 39 – Karate Kid and Una (the former Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel) want an audience with Oracle. Oracle is a bit busy and doesn’t want visitors. The Legionnaires don’t think that “Come back later” is an acceptable response. Throw in a few pages of the new Suicide Squad, Batwoman and The (new) Question and you have a full issue.
• Justice Society of America #8 – “Bells & Whistles” This issue fleshes out the backstory of Jesse Chambers,the new Liberty Belle. Most of the issue is done in flashbacks, showing her as a young girl and a fledgling heroine. But that’s not where the issue shines. It shines when we see a modern ‘Belle acting as negotiator to Damage, who has Hutner Zolomon – better known as Zoom, the Reverse Flash – hostage… and is looking for a little payback.
• The New Avengers: Illuminati #3 and #4 – The behind-the-scenes powers-that-be shaping the Marvel Universe for a better tomorrow. First, they go up against The Beyonder – think Star Trek: TNG‘s Q, but without the impish qualities – who is apparently undergoing a retcon. *sigh* And then, they take on Kree hothead, Noh-Varr, would-be world conqueror… and Namor whoops his ass a time or three… and, then they make Noh-Varr a proposition.
• Supergirl #20 – We have finally moved past “Finding My Way” Kara and on to “Taking a Stand” Kara in this “Amazons Attack” tie-in issue. And we get to see “Getting My Butt Kicked” Kara, as an added bonus! While I enjoyed the writing – and it’s notably darker-than-usual tone – I wasn’t terribly enamored with Renato Guedes’ interior artwork when I first read through this… but I went back and looked at it again, later. Some of it may seem… simplistic… but there is a lot that is conveyed in the body language. And, some of the close-up shots convey emotion very well: Anger. Pain – physical and emotional. Anguish. Determination. All-in-all, a very solid issue.
• Uncanny X-Men #489 – What happens when the news gets out that a band of mutants is attacking and disfiguring people in the general populace? Oh, and while they may live in the tunnels and sewers beneath New York, they aren’t technophobes – they harness the power of the Internet and “We2UBE” to spread their message of hatred. Yep, the flames of mistrust and hatred just got fanned. And, let me just say that Salvador Larroca can draw Storm any day of the week – and twice on Sunday – as far as I’m concerned.
• World War III #1 – #4 – I finally got around to reading “Black Adam vs. the DCU.” After reading it, I’m not sure that I really needed to spend the money on it, but the deed’s done.
• X-Men: First Class #8 of 8 (limited) – The X-kids go on safari! Their quarry: Professor X. Their guide: Ken Hale, Gorilla Man. Hilarity ensues. (No, really… it does, at times.)
• X-Men: First Class #2 (ongoing) – The X-Kids go up against the rather carnivorous flora and fauna of… Island X.
• X-Men: First Class Special #1 – This book contained three short stories, featuring the fledgling X-Men. The best of the stories was “A Girl and Her Dragon,” a story told by Scott Summers to Kitty Pryde and Lockheed. It started with Kitty chasing Lockheed through the mansion and running into Scott. He then tells her that she is not “the first mutant girl with dragon” and recounts a story about Jean Grey and (the retconned history of) Dragon Man.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I not only enjoyed a Samuel Adams Summer Ale (Thanks, !), but I drank it from my Samuel Adams pint glass that I acquired from J. Butler’s many moons past.
• pointed me in the direction of this site. Cool stuff.
• “trans-orbital trailer home”
• Brain-injured man speaks after 6 years
• Ass-hats and ignoramuses.
• Wow… Firefox didn’t try to correct my spelling on any of the above words.
• 
• For the Whovians – not to be confused with Whoville-ians – Doctor Who Action Figure with R/C K9
• Are people more polite in virtual worlds?
• Dwim: In light of your “Magneto goes where he will!” post, I offer up this: “Magneto goes when he will!”
• Pope Stumpy
• Apple iPhone getting pwn3d in Wired’s Greatest Gadget Tourney
• “You’re naked all of the time. Aren’t you?”
  
• Need something new and different for your walls? Try Tonky Wall Stickers.

/lunch

Namaste.

Wednesday – 01 August 2007
Two down, three to go and a new month begins.

I don’t know what the deal is/was, but last night’s sleep was phenomenally craptacular. I think that I was awakened – for no apparent reason – at least three times between 2:00AM and 5:00AM. And, I woke up again at 5:56… 29 minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off. *grblsnrkx*

Last night was a game night: All Flesh Must Be Eaten. We didn’t die, but a Plague Marine did its damnedest to try and change that. We aren’t out of the scenario – or the proverbial woods – yet. But, we did manage to show the Marine who had superiority through numbers/firepower. Barely.

The Best: Come Together
The Beatles vs. Aerosmith: I like the Aerosmith cover, quite a bit… but, for me, the boys from Liverpool’s version has the edge.

Stray Toasters

• I am now the owner of a pair of fencing foils. Just because.
• By way of ThinkGeek: The Government Manual for New Pirates and Pirates for Hire hat
• I received the same email (body, not headers) from my mother and a coworker today. asked if I have ever seen them both in the same place at the same time. I haven’t. He suggested that I drive a stake through the coworker’s heart… just to be sure.
• Transform and roll out eat up!
• I (still) think that this is a great video: All I Want Is You, by U2
• Vincent: Want some bacon?
  Jules: No man, I don’t eat pork.
  Vincent: Are you Jewish?
  Jules: Nah, I ain’t Jewish, I just don’t dig on swine, that’s all.
  Vincent: Why not?
  Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don’t eat filthy animals.
  Vincent: Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.
  Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I’d never know ’cause I wouldn’t eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That’s a filthy animal. I ain’t eat nothin’ that ain’t got enough sense enough to disregard its own faeces.
  Vincent: How about a dog? Dogs eats its own feces.
  Jules: I don’t eat dog either.
  Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
  Jules: I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
  Vincent: Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
  Jules: Well we’d have to be talkin’ about one charmin’ motherfuckin’ pig. I mean he’d have to be ten times more charmin’ than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I’m sayin’?
• Apparently, ordering diagnostic equipment is very similar to using a Wish spell in D&D: You have to be VERY specific in what you ask for, or else you get… what you ask for as opposed to what you wanted.
• The photography of Kat Bret
• Because sometimes you just need yet another geeky tech site: Gizmos for Geeks
• Sometimes Salvation, by the Black Crowes – a song I haven’t listened to in a while… and a video I haven’t seen in an even longer time.

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

Monday – 30 July 2007
Return to the work-a-day grind.

Yesterday was good. I didn’t make it to the Garden of Sweden, but I did manage to pull off a few other tricks, including lunch with , a brief stint in Paragon City and seeing , whom I haven’t seen in what has to be at least a year-and-a-half.

The Best
I may have to consider something of a “variation on a theme” (I’m not sure if the pun is intentional or not) to handle instances where an artist/a band has redone one of their previous works. In some cases, the artist/band just reworks the piece; in others, they are working with another artist or group.

Stray Toasters

• I’m craving a Tastykake Coffee Cake.
• The Bourne Ultimatum opens Friday. I feel another off-site training in the offing. Now, I just need to convince to talk the powers-that-be into endorsing it…
• I’m a 2×6 Lego Piece!

  Long and versatile, you’re a 2×6 Lego piece!

  What Lego piece are you?

  Take Other Caffeine Nebula Quizzes

• Gammarauders
• “Curly”
• The 50 Best Movie Robots
• But… I thought that the Internet was a series of tubes. Now, I’m confused.
• What happens when you turn the AC off in the server room?
• 
• Kate Bush
• “belligerent cockfags” *cracks up*
• Aarakocra
• The WETA Rayguns were featured in G4’s coverage of Sandy Eggo Comic Con.
• Origami Cthulhu

Blue skies and gentle landings.

Sunday – 29 July 2007
Another day in the lovely Utah sun. Temps seem to be creeping back in the triple-digit direction.

So far, it’s been a good day. I was considering going to see You Kill Me, until I found that it is no longer playing in this area. That’s something that drives me nuts: A movie will open locally… in one theatre. And then, it disappears with nary a trace of its passing. I had the same problem last week in trying to find a theatre that was playing Sunshine: Eleventy-seven theatres in the greater Salt Lake City metro area and only one theatre had it. Bah.

Stray Toasters

• I think that I am going to find a place to hole up and draw this afternoon.
• Dad called a little while ago. All’s well with the Mid-Atlantic contingent.
• Someone has posted a link from the Sandy Eggo San Diego Comic Con premiere of the teaser trailer for Iron Man.
• Damn you, Tyranist. *shakes fist*
• I may make a pilgrimage to the Garden of Sweden today or tomorrow.
• 

Over. Under.  Out.

Namaste.

I saw Sunshine with Tyranist at lunch.

A spaceship.  (A BIG spaceship.)
An eight-person crew.
And the literal weight of the world on their shoulders.

Pop quiz:

1. Could you handle the responsibility?
2. If it came down to it, could you make the tough, hard-line decisions that deal with peoples’ lives… and potential deaths?
3. Would you be able to function – just “function” – if the world started falling apart around you?

Going into this, I had (a few small) fears of this being a rehash of The Core.  Fortunately, this movie did not succumb to the many failings that plagued that film.  I think that Mr. Boyle did a good job of showing the underlying tension that the crew felt.  And the special effects were good.  Very good. (One word: “Mercury.”)  One thing that I would have liked to have seen done a little differently: I would have preferred if the exterior shots had been completely silent, except for radio chatter/static.  I think that would have done a great deal to reminding the audience of how big and ominous – and silent – space is.  As it was, the sounds that they did use were used relatively sparingly and did not really detract from the scenes.

All-in-all, I give the movie a thumbs-up with an okay.  I’d even go see it again.

Friday – 27 July 2007
Four down, one in the chamber.

I don’t know what happened, but I must have been phenomenally tired last night. I slept like a proverbial rock. I even slept in a little this morning.

The Best
Many moons past, I was given the Schoolhouse Rock! Box Set. All of the Schoolhouse Rock! songs that many of us grew up singing along with… in glorious CD form. Some of ’em in stereo, even!

Fast-forward a couple of years: I discovered Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks, covers of fourteen Schoolhouse Rock! songs.

Fast-forward again, to the near past: Given my new hobby in determining “The Best” versions of songs, I wondered who would win in an SR! vs SR!R battle. So, I listened to the originals and covers. Below is my take on the songs¹:

And there you have it.

Coming soon: The Best – Classic Cartoon Themes vs. Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits

Stray Toasters

• I have off-site training this afternoon.
• 
  (click the image)
• …and in honor of SysAdminDay: The System Administrator Song
• My inner 6-year-old thinks that these are pretty neat.
• 

Notes (The Best):

1. Results may vary, by user
2. Blind Melon did a nice job of trying to keep some of the sound and feel, but the original hits all the marks.
3. C’mon… it’s Conjunction Junction. Do I really need to spell this one out for you? Jazz.
4. As much as I like the late Mr. Sanders’ work, Goodness makes this song their own.
5. Ween did a great homage to Bob Dorough’s version… but came up a little short.
6. The was very close: You’d almost swear that Biz Markie was channeling Jack Sheldon.
7. This is a photo-finish. Both versions have merit for their respective sounds.

Up out.

Namaste.

Wednesday (coda)
Crossposting seems to be back on track, so let’s give this a go, shall we…?

The day was good. Work wasn’t bad and I had plenty to keep me occupied. That’s never a bad thing, “idle hands” and whatnot. At lunch, I fed not only myself, but also my four-color crack addiction… with a single serving of plastic crack as dessert. Total win-win situation.

Came home and read a bit of Deathly Hallows. I’m seven chapters in. Stuff has happened. Spells have been cast. And monkeys! Flying monkeys! Wait… that was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Nevermind.

Stray Toasters

• I am appalled by this story: Man dies of heart attack after VA hospital turned him away. I would like to hear both sides of the story, as there is possibly more to it than…
  

  The unidentified person who answered the phone inside the hospital said the ambulance should take the patient to a hospital located about three miles — or 10 minutes — away.

  …but that a medical center would turn away a patient? Granted, from the “transcript” of what the paramedic said, there is no indication that she or he said that the victim was suffering a heart attack. Hopefully, the truth will come out in the next few days.

• Samuel Adams: Brewer. Patriot. Homeboy.
• 
• Queen guitarist wraps studies for doctorate
  “So what are you, some kind of rocket scientist…?”
  “Well, as a matter of fact, yes… yes, I am.”
• From the “Truth, stranger than fiction” file: Nude blonde, gold stilettos and a Ferrari
• , I’m not sure if you’ve heard this: Weekly World News dies after 28 years of awesum, Bat Boy bummed
• With The Simpson Movie just around the corner and this being the 30th Anniversary of the release of a little film by George Lucas, this seemed appropos: I Bent My Wookiee! Celebrating the Star Wars/Simpsons Connection
• I’m rockin’ the suburbs…
• And a little somethin’ for the math majors out there:

That’s good for now. Maybe I’ll go check out the invasion.

Pax vobiscum.

Wednesday – 25 July 2007
Thank you to and onlyaly for their kind hospitality last evening. They had people over for a cookout and to watch the Cottonwood Heights fireworks display.

and Beth challenged and me to a warped version of Six Degrees of Separation. The two challenges they presented us were:

• Trent Harris to Elvis Costello
• William Shatner to Denis Leary

We managed to make both connections.

Stray Toasters

• Dwim sent me a link to this. Please check your sanity at the door…
• Snapple, Advil and Denis Leary
• Sign up for Explosives Camp
• We’re getting a reprieve on the high temperatures again today; it’s supposed to be around 85°
• Trailers from Hell: Directors muse on schlocky movie faves
• From Newsarama: Crossover? Ka-ching!
• Old Harry Potter Is Back in Troll Remake

In the words of Kool Moe Dee: “I go to work.”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 24 July 2007
Merry Mormon Christmas!

It’s Pioneer Day here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. The commemoration of the day when Brigham Young, leading “a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest: A shining planet territory, known as Earth Deseret,” came into what is now known as the Salt Lake Valley and said, “That’s it. I’m done. Set up camp. Call me when supper’s ready.” What this mainly means is that many local businesses are closed (not us, though…). And there will be parades. And fireworks. And stuff. And whatnot.

Last night, after work, I hung out with and the kids for a bit. I also borrowed her copy of Deathly Hallows. I think I made it to page 16 before I was powerless to resist the siren call of the bed.

And that’s another thing…

I know that dreaming basically sticks the subconscious mind on a couple of Vivarin and two liters of Mountain Dew. But, last night…? Damn. Who added crack to the mix?!

Most people who know me (especially at Clitorati) know that I think in terms of pop culture media/trivia and “hyperlinked” thoughts – and there’s not necessarily much conscious thought given to some of the connections I make… but the connections are logical and valid, when I trace them back.

Last night’s dreams were bi-fucking-zarre. Not only was the pop culture trivia there, but a lot of disparate parts of my life… all jumbled together.

I woke up, staring at the ceiling… and I think my first waking words were literally,”What the fuck was that?!”

The Scales of Justice
Before reading, though, I took a trip to Paragon City. No sooner than I had logged on, I was invited to join a team of my supergroup members. We took on The Council and The Freakshow. There were no Shadow Freaks, though… I was a little disappointed. But, it wasn’t my mission, so not part of my storyline. Oh, na. We also took on a safeguard mission: Prevent a bank robbery. We did. With the quickness. (And… there were a few deaths, but that’s not what we’re focusing on here.)

The Best
Madonna’s cover of Don McLean’s American Pie just hit the iTunes rotation. It’s good. I like it. (Of course, I also like Weird Al’s parody, The Saga Begins (video) But, I think that Mr. McLean’s version wins out over the former Material Girl’s version.

Stray Toasters

• Welcome to Post #500, according to WordPress.  (It’s not exactly 500, but I don’t want to burst its bubble.)
• I need to remember to download Northern Strike.
• Zaz!
• Much to Tyranist’s chagrin – and my satisfaction: Samuel L. Jackson has been confirmed as General Nick Fury in the upcoming Iron Man movie.  This makes sense, as the Ultimate version of Nick Fury was based on Mr. Jackson’s features.  Hilary Swank has also been confirmed to appear in the movie, in an as-yet undisclosed role – I’m personally banking on her playing Natasha Romanova, the Black Widow.
• Mandelbrot Set you’re a Rorschach Test on fire
  You’re a day-glo pterodactyl
  You’re a heart-shaped box of springs and wire
  You’re one badass fucking fractal
  And you’re just in time to save the day
  Sweeping all our fears away
  You can change the world in a tiny way
• By way of : Female Orgasm is Deadly for Men
• I like Basia’s Time and Tide; I have for many years.
• – Iraq War amputee’s bionic hand moves all five fingers
• 
• I still contend that the themes from Thunderball and Duck Dodgers, both done by Tom Jones, sound eerily similar.
• – Wii speeds up the rehab process
• Secret list of buildings you can’t photograph
• Jane, divided
  But I can’t decided which side I’m on

Namaste.

Monday – 23 July 2007
A new week begins.

Yesterday morning, I was too lazy to make a pot of coffee. I think I was awake for about an hour and a half before I managed to drag myself out of my chair and meander the way into the kitchen. After that, the laziness continued.

Until roughly 2:00.

At that point, my six-month muse whacked me in the back of the head… and the lethargy/laziness disappeared. In its place was the compulsion to rearrange furniture. Yeah, most people get the urge to play video games or go for a bike ride or hang out in the park; I get the urge to move furniture. Go figure. Although, the thought of going to the gym did cross my mind. Briefly.

After that, I went to see 1408. I liked it; it was interesting, in a not bad way. It reminded me of the Jack Nicholson version of The Shining in many ways. Couldn’t be because they were both based on Stephen King works, could it? Nah. After the movie, I dropped by Kate and Perry’s for a bit. Then home… then to the airport – I needed to mail a couple of letters and figured that going to the AMF would be the easiest way to accomplish that. Wrong. They have changed their hours and are no longer open to the public 24/7/365… which meant that I had to double back and drop off the letters at the GMF. *BAH*

Stray Toasters

• I have had All Time High intermittently running through my head since early yesterday afternoon, when it popped up on the iPod. My thought process went: “All Time High… Rita Coolidge….no, Melissa Manche… no, it was Rita Coolidge…. I wonder what she’s up to?” So, I checked Google. That led to her website, which, in turn, led me to see that she will be coming to Sandy in two weeks. That could be an interesting show… and possibly a nice change of pace.

  I just infected Tyranist with All Time High. He threatened to kill me if it gets stuck in his head. I’m willing to take that chance.

• By way of :
• I recounted Friday’s tale of being in a foul mood at Borders amidst the Harry Potter hoopla to Tyranist. He said that I could be one of The Seven Duffs. I was amused by this.
• I got my certain and my
  sure ‘nough on
  and I’m puttin’ on my really
  for real
• The following was a sponsored link on my Gmail page:

  Mormon Ringtone – RingRingMobile.com – Send this complimentary ringtone to your phone right now!

• Wow… I just had a horrible collision in my head: The Swedish Chef and the former lead singer of The Sugarcubes – Bjork! Bjork! Bjork! (Please… shoot me now.)
• 
• What is “Cloverfield?”
• 
• By way of TechTarget’s WhatIs.com: “What does PCMCIA stand for? (The slot in your laptop). ‘People Can’t Memorize Complex Industry Acronyms.'”
• makes me laugh.
• Interplanet Janet is currently in rotation on iTunes. For those of you who grew up on Schoolhouse Rock, you may remember that it’s the Science Rock tour of our solar system. I’d never paid attention to the fact that when Lynn Abrams, the vocalist on the track, gets to the following line…
  

  Uranus is built on a funny tilt

  …she pronounces it “ure-AH-nuss,” instead of the more commonly heard “ure-AY-nuss.” I wonder if the powers-that-were at ABC made that decision or if Ms. Abrams did.

• Back in the 80s, Michael Jackson and Sir Paul McCartney performed a couple of songs together: Say, Say, Say and The Girl Is Mine. I’m going to leave Say³ out of this one and look The Girl Is Mine for a moment. There’s something… creepy… in thinking about the two of them fighting over the same girl. And when you throw in their age differences…? Adds a whole new level of *ick*.

Namaste.

Sunday: coda
It’s 11:45 and I still haven’t had dinner yet.  Popcorn and cotton candy, yes.  Dinner, no.

I went to see Paprika at the Broadway.  The movie’s basic premise:  What would happen if a machine allowed people to tap into others’ dreams… and what if that machine fell into the wrong hands?

Wow.

Perfect Blue may have been a right skull-fuck of a movie, but at least it got a few minutes into the movie before things went wonky.  This one…?  Right off the bat.  I don’t think that it was even three minutes in before everything went skewampus.   That said, I thought that it was a good movie.  It took a bit to suss out who was whom and how things related to each other, but things were okay once that was done.

Just before the movie’s end, posters for Satoshi Kon’s three previous movies – Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers – can be seen.  I thought that it was a neat twist, not knowing that Kon had done this movie, as well.  I now need to see Actress and Godfathers, which most likely means that be adding a few more DVDs to the collection, soon.

Saturday – 14 July 2007
For reasons yet unknown, I was up at 8:15 this morning… after going to be sometime around 3:30. Not that this was a problem, per se, I just wasn’t expecting to be up quite so early.

Last night was apparently Rob the Route Planner (not to be confused with Bob the Builder) night – both Dad and Adam are travelling, and I was acting as remote navigator. Not a problem, especially as I’m kind of used to the role, but it was a little amusing. Adam is traveling a small portion of the route that I took when I moved out here, so I was passingly familiar with some of the things he should look for, but had to consult the Internet and a Rand McNally atlas to fill in some gaps when he got into an area that I didn’t travel. And I neglected to ask him to stop in Metropolis, Illinois to get a picture of the Superman statue. And, I just spoke with Dad; he’s about 10 miles out of Reidsville – he’s stopping in to see Mom and my stepfather and one of my aunts on his way home from West-by-God Virginia. He’s spoken with Adam this morning, who is already underway on the next leg of his trip.

Last night was also Clitorati night. Good turn out… and Acolyte Derek also put in an appearance at coffee. The conversation-to-musical reference generator in my head was turned up to 11. I think that it amused Chris S. to find out just how quickly – and randomly – it worked.

This morning, I watched a “new” episode of Legion of Super-Heroes: “Phantoms.” In it, Clark inadvertently releases a criminal from the Phantom Zone. This results in lots of property damage across New Metropolis as the Legion tries to wrangle him back into the Zone.

I saw Transformers (again) with <lj user=”duckspeaker”> and his… friend and/or co-worker (I think), Terry. Watching robots wantonly blow up lots of property is a great way to start off a Saturday afternoon.

The Best
New addition to the list: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – I Wanna Be Like You (from The Jungle Book).
You can check out a version of it here.

Four-Color Coverage
This week’s take included eleven weeks of Countdown, DC’s latest weekly maxi-series that I had originally intended to skip… until I found out that Karate Kid seems to be featured in it. Which means that it’s a Legion tie-in, even if only tangentially. Which means that I am compelled to buy it. So, that said, let’s get to it:

• Action Comics #851 – Superman is trapped in the Phantom Zone, while General Zod, Ursa (and a few other Kryptonian villains) are free on Earth. But, just like Ringo Starr, Superman gets by with a little help from his friends. Or just one friend, in this case: Mon-El, who at this point had been in the Zone for about 15 – 20 years… of the 1,000 years that he would wind up being there.
• All-Star Superman #8 – More adventures on Bizarro World. And Lois discovers Superman’s secret. No, not that he’s Clark Kent (that was Issues #1 and 2… and she didn’t believe him). The secret that his mission to the sun in Issue #1 is killing him.
• City of Heroes #20 – Final issue. This issue has a big knockdown, drag out fight that lasts for seven pages, establishes a few changes in the CoH/CoV uniferse and alluded to a few things in the upcoming in-game update, Issue 10. There was a little too much exposition in this issue and it felt as though they tried to wrap things up a little too quickly. But, what’re ya gonna do?
• Countdown #51 – 42 – Something is amiss in the newly reborn DC Multiverse. The Monitors – DC’s answer to Marvel’s Watchers – are back; they who haven’t really been seen since 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now, there are 52 of them – one for each level of the new multiverse. And, at least one of them is on a mission: Eliminate anomalies in the timestream/multiverse – namely, anyone who should be on one Earth, but has migrated to another one.The mysteries don’t end there. Why is Jimmy Olsen suddenly exhibiting superpowers? What’s happening to Mary Marvel? What are the Flash’s Rogues planning? What’s the story behind the Athenian Women’s Help Shelter… and what’s Harleen Quinzel’s angle? Who’s killing the New Gods? What is Monarch planning for the new multiverse?One thing that I am appreciating is a look at some of the between-the-pages scenes that occurred during “The Lightning Saga.” Case in point: A scene aboard the JLA Watchtower, with Dr. Mid-Nite, Dream Girl, Karate Kid and Starman looking down on Earth:
  

  Dr. Mid-Nite: Does she still look the same in your era? Or have we managed to completely pave her over by then?
  Karate Kid: Actually, Earth’s axis is tilted differently in our time. The South Pole’s in Australia…
  Dream Girl: Can we please not make chitchat? I’m worried about the others.
  Dr. Mid-Nite: Understood, Dream Girl, but we’ll find them, safe and sound, just like we found you.
  Karate Kid: We appreciate your Justice Society and Justice League putting everything into finding our lost teammates, Dr. Mid-Nite… but Dream Girl says one of us is going to die before this is all over, and she’s never wrong about these things.
  Dr. Mid-Nite: Perhaps… but all of you experienced memory loss when you arrived here from the thirty-first century. In the case of Starman, the cognitive impairment was, shall we say, even more profound. How do you know Dream Girl’s precognitive abilities aren’t similarly affected? Just let us finish tracking down your missing teammates’ flight rings. We’ll bring them back here safe, just like Dream Girl. And, hey, at least you’re not locked up in one of our holding cells anymore.
  Karate Kid: Aren’t we? You’ve given us free run of the station, but we’re effectively in quarantine up here.
  Dream Girl: Val, this man is trying to help us.
  Karate Kid: He’s diagnosing us, Nura. He knows a potential infection when he sees one.
  Dr. Mid-Nite: Fair enough, Karate Kid, but can you blame me for being cautious? You very nearly took down Batman!
  Karate Kid: I was mind controlled. I’m not a threat anymore.
  Dr. Mid-Nite: *hh* Do you know why you traveled a thousand years back in time to come here?
  Karate Kid: You know I don’t.
  Dr. Mid-Nite: Do any of you know why you’re here?
  *blank looks on Dream Girl, Karate Kid and Starman’s faces*
  Dr. Mid-Nite: Then until we’re sure your mission isn’t something along the lines of “Kill Sarah Conner,” I suggest you relax and enjoy the view.

  …and…

  *Karate Kid approaches Batman on a Gotham rooftop*
  Batman: People who try to sneak up on me usually regret it.
  Karate Kid: I’m sorry, Batman. I didn’t come to make trouble. I just wanted to say that the Legion is returning to the Thirty-First Century. I’m going to go rendezvous with them right now…
  Batman: Don’t let me keep you.
  Karate Kid: Before I go, I, uh… I am humbly grateful to have fought such a skilled martial artist–
  Batman: Don’t. You outfought me. Once. You wouldn’t in a rematch.
  Karate Kid: I wasn’t trying to rub your nose in it. I only wanted to… Never mind. *flies away*
  Batman: *smirking* Did you expect a sidekick job?

• Fantastic Four #547 – I think that this has to be one of my favorite issues of FF ever, if only for the following exchange between Storm, The Thing and The Black Panther:
  

  Storm: I can’t believe you said that.
  Thing: I didn’t say it, I’m just telling you what Michael said.
  Storm: You can tell Michael Collins that my hair is completely natural.
  Thing: Okay, you know. Whatever. Sorry I brought it up.
  Storm: This is not a weave. Go ahead.
  Thing: Go ahead what?
  Storm: See for yourself. Pull my hair.
  Thing: Are you nuts?
  Storm: *wrapping strands of hair in Ben’s hands* Hard as you want.
  Thing: I don’t want!
  Storm: Do it. *irritated look on her face*
  Thing: *lifts Storm a few inches off the floor… by her hair* There. Happy now?
  Storm: I think I proved my point.
  *Black Panther walks into the room*
  Thing: T’Challa, I can explain…
  Black Panther: Don’t bother. She’s very sensitive about her hair. Word of advice: As you value your life, never ask her if she’s wearing colored contact lenses.
  Storm: I ‘m not!
  Black Panther: I know, my love. *walks out of the room*

• Green Lantern #21 – Aftermath of the attack of the Sinestro Corps. 59 Green Lantern rings seek replacement bearers. Most of the Guardians are… ignoring… the Blackest Night prophecy. Two Guardians – Sayd and Ganthet (surprise) – don’t think that it’s a wise course of action…. and recruit Officer 2814.1 (Hal Jordan) to spearhead an attack against the Sinestro Corps. But, what is it that Hal Jordan (still) fears?
• Justice Society of America #7 – Another post-“Lightning Saga”thread weaves through this story, with Superman visiting Starman at the Sunshine Sanitarium:
  

  Starman: *singing* “…to make me fret, I fly a-round! I had strings, but now I’m free– there are no strings on me!” *walks into the cafeteria*
  Doctor: Good afternoon, Starman. You did a very good thing this morning, pulling that school bus from the river. You saved a lot of kids and made a lot of parents happy.
  Starman: Well, today should be a good day for everyone, Doctor. It’s Wednesday, after all.
  Floyd: Hi, Starman.
  Starman: Hi, Floyd. Oh, yes! *bends down to look at Sloppy Joes on the lunch counter* They don’t have these when I come from.
  *off-panel voice* Excuse me, Starman.
  Superman: I know the Justice Society wants a few words with you , but since we’re old friends– I asked for some time first. I want to know more about what’s happened with the Legion. And I want to know more about you.
  Starman: *chompf* You ‘anna ‘oppy ‘oe, Kal?
  Superman: I’d love one, Thom.
  *the pair get lunch trays and sit down*
  Starman: Aren’t you going to drink your milk?
  Superman: Um, no.
  Starman: It makes your bones stronger. You’re not still mad at me, are you, Kal?
  Superman: I’m not mad at you, Thom.
  Starman: The we’re still friends?
  Superman: The Legion will always be my friends.
  Starman: Mine too. I like Power Girl an awful lot, but not in the way I love my Dreamer. I can’t wait to see her again. *chompf*
  Superman: Why didn’t you go back with the other Legionnaires?
  Starman: I wanted to, but I can’t. I’m here to help.
  Superman: Help who?
  Starman: Myself. And Earth, too! The black hole is supposed to help her see the truth. Then he’ll come and why… the Justice Society of America shows us all the way. The world needs better good guys! That’s not just our world, you know. Or our time. But the future isn’t up to me to save. I have my own job. I have gravity powers! I’m quite happy about that. *uses his power to crush a milk carton*
  Superman: Why did the Legion come back here?
  Starman: There’s trouble in the 31st Century, you see. The big three say you can’t help them.
  Superman: Why not?
  Starman: Why Clark Kents can’t come! It’s common sense.
  Superman: When they opened the Speed Force, Wally West and his family came back.
  Starman: And they say lightning never strikes twice in the same place! Pfft! Just ask him.
  Superman: But is that why the Legion were here? To bring the Flash home?
  Starman: From the vibrational plane! Zip! Zoom! The Legion of three worlds! Do you remember XS? She had such a crush on you. And I got to meet another Thom and another Thom!
  Superman: I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
  Starman: Yeah. Me either.

• The New Avengers #32 – Welcome to “Who Wants to Be a Skrull-ionnaire?” There’s tension on the team. After last issue’s revelation that Skrulls may have replaced some of Marvel’s best and brightest, now the question looms: “Who can you trust?” In the New Av’s case: It seems to be no one. Not even your teammates. Where are Scully and Mulder when you need ’em?
• Supergirl #19 – Finally! FINALLY! Kara grows up, grows a pair (so to speak) and owns up for her actions – or lack thereof – over the past year. Maybe this book will actually see some progress and story advancement now…
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #43 – The Silver Surfer arrives… and he’s not exactly the harbinger of good news.
• Ultimate X-Men #84 – Wolverine lets off a little steam. Stryfe attracts the attention of a fleet of Sentinels. Bishop’s team of X-Men makes a public appearance.
• Uncanny X-Men #488 – Nightcrawler and the Professor go off in search of Magneto. The Morlocks declare war on the over-world. Storm, Hepzibah and Warpath head to the Morlock tunnels in search of some answers, which leads to this scene:
  

  Storm: Can both of you concentrate, please? We’re about to enter potentially hostile territory.
  Hepzibah: I do not like tunnels either, Storm. Especially not ones that stink of rats and vermin.
  Storm: For me, it’s a little bit worse than not liking them, Hepzibah. It’s worrying that they might drive me insane… *hovers down into the sewers*
  Hepzibah: Warpath? What does she mean?
  Warpath: Storm’s claustrophobic. Can’t take being in small places, or being boxed in. It takes all she’s got to even go into these tunnels.
  Hepzibah: Then let us not leave her on her own down there. *drops through manhole… into sewer water* Ukk. This is so unclean.
  Storm: Heh… you look…
  Hepzibah: Careful with your next words…
  Storm: I was just going to say… dignified. You look dignified. For a wet cat.
  Hepzibah: You are a brave woman, Storm. Very brave woman.
  Storm: You don’t know the half of it.

Stray Toasters

• I spoke with Dad and Adam again today; their respective trips are going well.
• I am going to have to replace my cell phone. Today. This one is on its last… hinge.
• To go to the Garden of Sweden or not to go? That is the question.
• I should install – and play – Locomotion. Finally. I’ve had it since God was a boy.
• I think that I’m actually craving Ika… and maybe a few other types of sushi.

Time to get something to eat and get some errands taken care of.

Namaste.