Random Access

Thursday – 12 July 2007
Last night, after saving the world – or at least a portion of Paragon City – I stretched out on the bed, thinking, “I’ll lie here for a minute and then get a shower and get a little reading before bed.”

Three-hundred-fifteen minutes later, I woke up.
Road to Hell, meet my friends: Good Intentions, Handbasket and Gasoline Drawers.

But, I didn’t wake up with a headache this morning. And it didn’t take long to cut through the “I’m tired” haze, either.

The Scales of Justice
I logged into CoH and looked for a team to join.

Nada. Zip. Zilch. Sorry. No go, Flight.

So, I boarded the train and headed to Brickstown. I had a mission there and if nothing else, I could happily get pummeled to death (again) by Freakshow, Crey or The Council. A minute or two after stepping off the train, I was invited to join a Level 29 Blaster who was hunting Crey and Council. I did. And we beat on them mercilessly. A few more minutes passed and I was messaged by a member from my supergroup who wanted to team; I dropped from the hunt and joined up… and wound up leading the team. We got some decent experience out of the deal and I didn’t die, which is always a bonus.

Stray Toasters

• I want crab cakes. Or salmon cakes. But, I’d happily settle for a Tastykake.
• By way of Dwim: Zombie infestation simulation
• Mortuary novelty gift shop
• …and since we’re on a roll: Dead Man’s Party (video)
• I dream of rain
  I dream of gardens in the desert sand

  It has rained in the valleys. Our temps have dropped by almost 30°F.

• : [link]
  : In the name of the OJ, the eggs and the holy toast
  : Amen.
  : *genuflect*
• Sidewalk stencil choose-your-own-adventure
• 
• The computer virus turns 25
• It seems as though and I will be going to see Robots Blowing Shit Up on Saturday.
• “Reclaime”
• Cotton Candy. Spun sugar goodness… no matter what Tyranist says.

/lunch

Namaste.

I was having a conversation with about Order of the Phoenix. Here are some excerpts:

[16:53]: So… you weren’t pleased with Phoenix last night?
[16:53]: i liked it, but i was just really dissapointed in the the death scene, which was all changed from the book
[16:53]: and then just not explaining things
[16:53]: They’re taking into account – or just “for granted” – that everyone knows.
[16:54]: yeah.. they really are
[16:54]: i hope everyone has
[16:54]: lol
[16:54]: The only difference that I wasn’t “thrilled” with was Umbridge.
[16:54]: lots of little things that just never get explained
[16:54]: i actually loved her
[16:54]: I wanted to see her get zapped silly.
[16:54]: You…
[16:54]: Oh, look at the time.
[16:54]: i did
[16:54]: she was evil
[16:54]: I…. have…. a thing…. with…. someone……. somewhere.
[16:54]: shut up
[16:55]: and not enough snape.. my fav character and never and screen time
[16:55]: enough
[16:55]: It’s not Snape and the Order of the Phoenix
[16:55]: *ducks*
[16:55]: LOL
[16:56]: it was the prettiest of the films
[16:56]: Yes.
[16:56]: It was.
[16:56]: And the Jedi fight at the end was good, too.
[16:56]: and i was so happy the death eaters no longer looked like army of darkness KKK members
[16:56] : hahahahahaha
[16:56] : well they did

…and…

[17:02] : oh and voldy in a suit was hot
[17:02] : heh
[17:02] : just saying
[17:02] : LOL
[17:03] : Actually, this movie made me like Luna
[17:03] : The actress who played her was good.
[17:03] : i know… she was perfect
[17:03] : She didn’t come off as a complete flake.
[17:03] : Just a little… spacy
[17:03] : just a little off

And, that’s about the time that iTunes started playing Rhapsody in Blue. Great piece of music. But, hearing it wasn’t enough. I had to see it. Fortunately, I had The Fantasia Anthology here and could watch it. If you’ve never seen it, you can catch it, in two parts, on YouTube (1, 2). I think that they did an excellent job of tying the animation into the music.

And that’s all I have to say. For now.

Stray Toasters

• I didn’t know that Carmen was a Harry Potter fan. According to , she’s pretty avid/rabid about the book-to-movie adaptations. I’ll be interested to hear how she receives Order of the Phoenix.
• My inner six-year-old thinks that this is neat… and covets it.
• – Vermont town voted Simpsons home
• Chicken-fish! (for )
• SATA. Motherboard. PATA. (You know who you are…)
• “Ensign So-and-So, why don’t you go over there and investigate those strange readings…”

*voop*

Tuesday – 10 July 2007
This morning started off well enough, but was made more interesting/amusing by the following tidbit from Tyranist:

More Hasbro products begging for the Michael Bay movie treatment

The first few are… okay, but the last one put a wicked grin on my face.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, for the first time in far too long, I fired up the GameBoy. Advance SP, kids. I played a game of Madden 2003. As the Ravens. And won. If you remember anything about the 2003 season, you know that the Ravens weren’t exactly a… um… well, let’s just say that they weren’t a great team. But, the key point is: I won.
• Pretzel Goldfish.
• 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 S.O.S.
• 
• Librarians pimp their book carts
• 

Namaste.

Friday – 06 July 2007
And so, another week comes to a close.

I’m trying something a little different with this post: I turned off the PostAvatar plugin because it seems to cause WordPress to eat posts. Which it did to this post a little while ago. Which it has done many times before. Which is annoying. So, I’ll just try embedding the icons by hand, for a bit and see how that works out.

Jason, James and I had off-site training today. It was good. There were interesting applications of technology. There were sections on personnel relations, including inter-office communications. There were exercises in creative thinking. And… and… Oh, Hell. We went to see Transformers. There. I said it. It had action. A little suspense. Lots of shit blowing up – even more that Live Free or Die Hard! And it was fun. Sure, there are old-school purists who will find things to complain about:

“Waaaah, Bumblebee is supposed to be a Volkswagen…”
“Optimus Prime never had ghost flames…!”
“According to episode blah-blah-blah…”

I would just like to remind those people of one tiny, miniscule, almost-insignificant fact: It’s a movie… based on a cartoon… based on a line of toys. Sit down. Shut up. Enjoy the ride. It’s fun. Thank you, move along. *ahem* Where was I? Oh, yeah… It was fun. Definitely worth seeing.

The Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival opens this evening; I might even go to coffee a little late, so that I can hear Diane Reeves perform. And the festival closes down with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Yeah… I’ll be spending a little time downtown this weekend.

Stray Toasters

• I have an idea for my new lyric-to-drawing piece. Now I just need to draw it…
• is trying to kill me. Again. This time, this is her weapon of choice.
• It seems as though my young acolyte/apprentice has started the clock on his fifteen minutes of fame – he’s the one talking about the Wii in the home video clip.
• 
• A few days ago, made a comment about Marvin Gaye’s version of The Star-Spangled Banner being the “best version ever.” I’m not sure that I agree with that, but I did agree with his choice of Ray Charles’ America the Beautiful. For many years, I’ve thought that the late Mr. Charles’ rendition is the definitive version. That led me to consider other songs that have been covered by different artists and which of those versions I consider “The Best.” So far, I’ve come up with the following:
  • Al Jarreau – Since I Fell for You
  • Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U
  • Tina Turner – The Bitch Is Back
  • Bruce Willis (yes, that “Bruce Willis”) – Good Lovin’
  • Was (not Was) – Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
  • Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (ft. Henry Rollins) – War
  • Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Poison Ivy

  I’ll be adding to this list, as I remember/discover other songs that fit the bill. I may even make it an item/feature unto itself

• Microsoft to extend Xbox 360 warranty, take $1 billion hit
• Dwim showed me this video yesterday. It made me laugh. A lot.
• 
• Arf Forum: Unholy Marriage of Art & Comics
• I [heart] my blender.
• Laptop typewriter mod
• Blood ties: Yakuza daughter lifts lid on hidden hell of gangsters’ families

Up out.

Namaste.

Wednesday: 04 July 2007
Happy July 4th… to those to whom it applies.

Many people fought so that we can have the freedoms that we enjoy today. They proved that with enough people gathered behind a cause, anything can be changed. Take time to remember that the day is about more than cookouts and sales and fireworks.

The Fourth of July reminds me of my paternal grandparents. Growing up, I would often spend a few weeks in the summer with them. Those parts of my vacation usually bridged the Fourth of July weekend. Every Fourth, my grandparents would pack me into their car and drive to Princeton to see the fireworks. I’d sit on the hood of the car, looking up over the shopping center, watching the various pyrotechnics. (To this day, my favorite display remains the chrysanthemum.) After everything was over – with my ears ringing and a slight headache from the explosions – we’d get back into the car and head home. I was usually asleep shortly after we got out of the parking lot.

This morning, despite turning off the alarm and not placing Nomad in the SoundDock, I was awake at 6:20 AM. Six. Twenty. For no discernible reason. *grblsnrkx* After staring at the clock for a few moments, I rolled over and went back to sleep. When I finally decided to get up and out of bed, I made coffee showered… and then proceeded to do a lot of nothing. I called Kris – she’s out of class today for the holiday.

Game night was canceled last night, so I had the opportunity to find something else to entertain myself. My weapon of choice: A movie. Live Free or Die Hard. It was good. Fun. Witty. Good writing. Sure, there were a few scenes that required some suspension of disbelief. But, you know what you’re getting when you walk into the theatre. I wasn’t disappointed. There were a couple of interesting trailers before the movie, as well: War, The Kingdom and… Hitman (which, if I am not mistaken, is based upon the video game series). Also, Timothy Olyphant, the lead antagonist, reminded me of a young Billy Bob Thornton in a few close-up shots.

Stray Toasters

• I fear that two of my interests (addictions/obsessions) are beginning to merge: I have an urge to build a replica of LSH HQ out of LEGO bricks.
• I have finally upgraded to Firefox 2.0 One change that will take some getting used to is the “X” on each tab, rather than the “x” at the end other Tab bar.
• 
• Ursula LeGuin rips into Slate Magazine

And now… time to hang out and have some coffee.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 03 July 2007
I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but this morning’s commute was relatively monkey-free and it had a good soundtrack:

• emmet swimming – Arlington
• Rush – Tom Sawyer
• Duran Duran – Notorious
• Rush – The Spirit of Radio
• The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump
• Michael Jackson – In the Closet (the man may be a whackjob, but some of his music is damned entertaining and good)

I’m not sure whether or not it was the technopathic link with Nomad in action, but I was very pleased with that lineup.

Thanks to those of you who gave comments on last night’s “Irish Creme + Decaf = ???” question. As it turns out, it was rather tasty and made for a nice pre-bed drink while I read more of Vision of the Future. made the suggestion of Butterscotch Schnapps and coffee… I will have to explore this possibility. Do any of you have any other “alternately leaded” coffee recipes/combinations that you enjoy? I’d be interested to see what they are, if so.

Stray Toasters

• I not only have a frozen mocha, I have chocolate espresso beans, as well.
• How and why in the Nine Hells do you “fire” a “living goddess?” Wouldn’t you think she might shove lightning bolts up your ass for something like that?
• I think that I need to take in a Real Salt Lake game…
• Tyranist pointed me in the direction of the trailer for Shoot ‘Em Up (Hey, , it has Clive Owen!)… which then led to a link to the trailer for I Am Legend. I will have to see both of these movies.
• Conform or be cast out…
• 
• 33 Ways to Watch Free TV Online
• I think that I slightly covet this tape dispenser.
• Whenever I read stories about this, I hear Heaven Is a Halfpipe in the back of my head.
• Reason #489537 of “Why amuses me”: She sent a link to this picture.
• Captain America Buried in Arlington National Cemetery… but does anyone care at this point?
• If WizKids did Young Avengers ‘Clix, why didn’t they include one for Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)?

And now to pick up and put down heavy things.

Namaste.

Thursday: coda
The post-work day found me in the Garden of Sweden. Again. This time, I went with the intent of checking on a coffee table, some picture frames for my concert tourbooks and… what in theory should be curtains, but I think will be used as wall treatments. *blink blink* Did I just say… “wall treatments?!” *sigh* I think that is unequivocal proof that I am my mother’s son. But… “I found things to hang on the wall.” I also discovered that a couple of pieces of furniture don’t come in the color I want. Oh, well. I can deal.

Home for a bit and then back out again for coffee with Liz. Then, home again, home again. Jiggety-jig.

Stray Toasters

• I got some potentially really good news from Perry this afternoon; I just have to wait to see how it pans out.
• I don’t know how I missed this announcement. Hopefully, it will be better – MUCH better – than the adaptation of Johnny Mnemonic… which was an excellent short story, but a shitty movie.
• And speaking of Mr. Gibson’s work (with a few other items thrown in, for good measure): The Matrix has you – Second Earth
• Using the Wii Remote as a wireless 3D interface device
• Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket
  Never let it fade away!
  Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket,
  Save it for a rainy day!
  (This was one of the first – if not the first – songs that Mom taught me to play on the piano.)

• Cyberpunk cinema
• 
• “Peace, be still.”
• Steampunk Workshop
• : DIE Another DAY.
• Jake Van Slatt’s Steampunk Creations
• I don’t need no one to tell me about heaven
  I look at my daughter, and I believe.
  I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth
  I can see the sunset and I perceive

Namaste.

Tuesday – 26 June 2007
You know that it’s going to be an interesting day when it takes you at least fifteen seconds to remember what day it is. Seriously. The alarm went off and I couldn’t remember if it was Sunday, Monday or possibly Tuesday. Slowly, clarity – or some semblence of it – made its way into the dark recesses of my brain and I came up with “It’s Tuesday.” The rest of the morning prep went fairly well after that.

Into the SLC office to finish up a task that I had started on Friday. I had planned to finish it yesterday, but I was in AF all day. From what I could gather, it would take an hour-and-a-half or so to wrap up. Wrong. Try almost four hours, thanks to a couple of hardware issues and the fact that there are parts of the process that I am completely unfamiliar. Wrapped it up and headed down to AF…

…just in time to head to the gym. Today’s workout shouldn’t have been overly taxing, but it was work – Eric agreed. But, we muddled out way through it.

Back to the ranch for the back half of the workday. Whoop.

Stray Toasters

• I need a nap.
• The new LSH ‘Clix come out tomorrow.
  …as does the new Avengers set.
• …and, since we’re on the topic of The Avengers: New Iron Man movie photo
• Dirty Microbe – “World’s best funny t-shirts and stuff.”
• Video Ga-Ga (Neither is exactly work-safe.)
  • You’ve probably seen or heard Hey There, Delilah by The Plain White T’s. A coworker sent me this parody.
  • Dwim sent me a link to an SNL sketch starring Christopher Walken: Colonel Angus
• Have dinner with Joss Whedon, help a good cause.
• It’s sad how accurate this is…
  
• “The Baby Jesus” meat product
• …and Supreme Court-approved drugs for Jesus
• 
• GoogleTalk and Safari don’t mix well.
• Instructables
• So… are they bringing Magik back?

Quote of the Day

From a conversation with earlier this afternoon:

[14:54] : you have 5 minutes to reach minimum safe distance.
[15:13] : Um.
[15:13] : That’s not a good sign.
[15:14] : sorry. you were vaporized about 5 minutes ago.
[15:14] : Sweet.
[15:14] : I am a vapor trail!
[15:15] : you’re awfully talkative for someone who was recently vaporized. maybe it was a dud. is there an ICBM in the parking lot there?
[15:15] : You mean that big, shiny metal thing that crashed about 15 minutes ago?
[15:16] : no no.. that’s just a busload full of nuns.
[15:16] : Oh.
[15:16] : Then…. no.

Namaste.

Saturday – 23 June 2007
and her teammate Dina (“Scarlet Danger”) crashed here after Clitorati. Apparently, the kids remember , as they came out almost immediately to say “Hi.” And, they sidled up to Dina almost as quickly – which is a little atypical for them around strangers. This morning, and I went in search of caffeination (in which we were successful) and to pick up her brother, who is a referree for tonight’s bout. Back here so that the three of them could prep for the bout (while I watched today’s LSH episode). When wheels and bearings and other assorted items had been checked and changed and otherwise fiddled with, they headed off to a team brunch/meeting.

Today’s episode of Legion of Super Heroes was a rebroadcast of “Champions,” which (surprise!) I hadn’t seen. Lightning Lad was competing in the Galactic Games (think “Interstellar Olympics”), with Phantom Girl and Superman along for moral support. The games are being sabotaged by The Fatal Five… with the help of Mekt Ranzz, older brother of Lightning Lad. Some “famous faces” thrown in for added flavor are: competitors Jo Nah (not-yet-called Ultra Boy) and Tenzil Kem (Matter-Eater Lad, before he joins in “The Substitutes”) and President of the United Planets Winema Wazzo… Phantom Girl’s mother. Despite the superhero/supervillain brawl near the end, it was a fairly light episode; I’d almost go so far as to call it a filler episode. But it was a new (to me) ep. And it was Legion. And that was enough.

It’s a great day out there. I believe that I’m going to head downtown and take in some of the Arts Festival at some point this afternoon. A couple of hours down there should give me enough time to take in the artwork and the atmosphere… and work on my tan.

Stray Toasters

• pulled a Smokey and the Bandit for me.
• I have found my plectra!
• I have also found my roulette chips from Caesar’s Palace, The Hard Rock Hotel Casino and The State Line Hotel and Casino.
• “Hopen.” And I’m pretty happy with it.
• Because I am in touch with my inner lemming…
  $3950.00The Cadaver Calculator – Find out how much your body is worth

  Mingle² – Online Dating

• Reason #573826 of “Why Rob shouldn’t be allowed to play with PhotoShop when he’s bored” is…
  

• Guinness.
• 
• Giant monkey crotch playground toy
• By way of SciFi: Tapping Eager to Join Atlantis
• Tyranist: Are you familiar with this movie

Namaste.

Monday (coda)
Post-work, I did something that I neglected/avoided doing yesterday: Grocery shopping. I was rather proud of myself for sticking (mostly) to the things on the list.

Came home and cooked – soft tacos for dinner tonight AND pasta for dinner/lunch later this week. came over; we ate and watched Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut – something we’ve been planning on doing for months, but never got around to actually doing. While Donner never finished his version of Superman II – he was fired from the production by the Salkinds and replaced with Richard Lester – this is a closer version to his vision. There were scenes that had been completely changed – and a screen test that was added as footage. I liked the feel of the “new” stuff. I think that it worked well with the story and, to be honest, I couldn’t be happier that they got rid of the “kiss of forgetfulness” scene. On the whole, I think that this version edges out the “classic” version – at least in spots. And it was a fun way to spend the evening.

Four-Color Coverage
First off: The Sinestro Corps.

They are being set up as the anti-Green Lantern Corps. (Duh.) Instead of being able to overcome great fear, their power comes from being able to instill fear in others. Fair enough. In… Green Lantern #9, I think, we see one of the Sinestro Corps rings choosing a new host: This guy. Makes perfect sense, as instilling fear is his M.O.

Tyranist made a good counterpoint though: Of all of the characters in the DCU, why doesn’t Scarecrow get a Sinestro ring?

And now, on to the reviews:

• Action Comics #850 – A look at the Man of Steel… through the eyes of the Girl of Steel (who is still temporally displaced in the 31st Century). An interesting thing here is that we get – through Kara and the Legion’s eyes – a look at Superman through the years, but we also get some insight into Kara’s feelings about her cousin.
• Avengers: The Initiative #2 and #3 – Superhero-in-training boot camp continues. Some of the cadets are hiding secrets from some of the senior Avengers. An ex-New Mutant pays a visit to Camp Hammond. Nanobots? Who are the guys in the familiar-looking red-and-gold outfits?
• Elephantmen #9 – What do you do with a drunken sailor an Elephantman with a broken leg? How does he get his groceries home? Why is that truck barrelling out of control down the road? And… was that a pick-up line?
• Green Lantern #20 – We learn more about the nature of the Star Sapphire and the Zamorans. It also seems that the Zamorans are capable of rubbing a couple of brain cells together and coming up with “a clue.” How will that bear out for the Green Lanterns? Will the Sinestro Corps find a place in the equation? Somebody get me a color wheel!
• Justice #12 – The 12-part maxi-series comes to a close. Wonder Woman is falling apart. Literally. Superman is… uncertain? Aquaman is pissed off. Green Lantern calls some friends for a sleep-over a little assistance. And Batman is, as ever, cool as the other side of the pillow. Speaking of which: Why is Toyman sporting an almost-cyberpunk look? Black Manta without his helmet is just as megalomaniacal… but just not as threatening. Brainiac’s master plan has been thought out to the nth degree, but Lex Luthor is hedging his bets… just in case. All of this AND a two-page spread of my favorite 31st Century team? Yeah, this story closes out with a bang. And a smile.
• Justice Society of America #6 – I covered this one yesterday.
• Liberty Girl #2 and #3 – I’m still trying to get a handle on this title. I like it… but trying to figure out the timeline is a bit like trying to read current issues of The New Avengers. Despite that, it’s still intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages.
• The New Avengers #31 – Wong asks Jessica Jones a breast-feeding question. (How, exactly, does one “delicately” ask a former superhero a question about breast-feeding?) Ninjas. LOTS of ninjas. And [spoiler deleted].
• newuniversal #6 – The Starbrand and Nightmask travel the Superflow. Justice is served. The President calls a meeting. And, the Project: Spitfire HEXsuit comes online. Can World War III be far behind?
• Supergirl #17 and #18 – We learn more about what’s going on inside the Girl of Steel’s head. And it’s not a very happy place. And it may just be that someone else is pushing her buttons and pulling some strings to push her farther and farther out of synch. Who would do something like that? Ask Troia, I’m sure she’d have an idea or two.
• Superman #662 and #663 – Pop Quiz: What do you do when an ancient Atlantean sorceror comes to you and basically tells you “Get off of Earth or everyone and everything dies?” Yeah… aren’t you glad that your biggest decision today is “Should I super-size the fries and drink?” All this and a surprise appearance from the New Gods. Plus, Lana and Clark get some time to talk. Plus, Lois and Clark get some time to talk.
• Superman/Batman #34, #35 and #36 – Dr. Magnus, I presume? And the Metal Men. And Brainiac…? And… wait… the last time we saw [spoiler deleted], didn’t it just about bring the DCU to a flaming, screeching, crashing halt? Right. I thought so. So… why has Batman kept this around?! Warning: Bumpy ride.
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #42 – Reed lets his father get under his skin. Again. Ben Grimm’s mom shows her poker face. Literally. And… a surfboard?!
• Uncanny X-Men #487 – The Morlocks are back. Hepzibah does her best Yoda impression. And Storm pulls rank… not only as an X-Man, not only as a member of the Fantastic Four, but as the Queen of Wakanda. How much do you want to bet that the Office of National Emergency blinks first?

Stray Toasters

• Sissy the Wonder Kitty strikes again!

She was in the master bathroom.
She walked out, next to the cabinet under the sink…
Raises a paw to open the cabinet door…
Looked down the hall to see if I’m watching her…
Saw that I was…
And walked off like she never planned to touch the door in the first place.

• John Williams’ Superman Theme is a great piece of music.
• For :
  
• HOWTO knit a baby Viking helmet
• Instant Karma’s gonna get you
  Gonna knock you off your feet
  Better recognise your brothers
  Everyone you meet

  …which reminds me of…

  Take a walk outside myself
  In some exotic land
  Greet a passing stranger
  Feel the strength in his hand
  Feel the world expand

Namaste.

Monday – 18 June 2007
Another week begins.

So far, the day has been rather quiet and uneventful. This morning’s excursion to Ye Olde Shoppe of Coffee yielded an improper elixir. I didn’t really notice it until after I had gotten into the car and was preparing to leave – apparently, the machine that makes the “frozen” part of the “frozen mocha” was not working properly. It just gave out mocha-colored liquid, far from frozen. You would think that I would have noticed that the triple-shot of espresso just… sank to the bottom of the cup beforehand. Nope. Ok, well. I went back in, asked about it and Niki went about fixing a new – frozen – drink from another dispenser.

Yesterday, post-pilgrimage to the Garden of Sweden, I went home and hung out with the kids for a few hours… after which, I decided that I wanted to get out for a bit. I headed up Fort Union Boulevard and towards Wasatch Drive. Then, I noticed that I was getting hungry. Not ravenously so, but enough to allocate a couple of brain cells to the task of figuring out what I wanted and where to get it. I called Angela, with whom I haven’t spoken since God was a boy, to see what she was up to. Not much, it turned out… and she hadn’t eaten, either. We opted for Redrock Brewing Co. They have a very smooth Oatmeal Stout. And calamari. And “Maryland Crab Cakes.” The calamari was good, as always. The crab cakes were alright… but I’m pretty picky about anything claiming to be “Maryland Crab Cakes” or “Maryland-Style Crab Cakes.” After dinner, we headed over to The Gateway to check out the remnants of the Chalk Art Festival. Most of the drawings along the south end of The Gateway had been removed, but the north end was still cordoned off and the drawings were mostly intact. Mostly. There were footprints in a lot of the drawings and – this was irritating – people were taking the beadwork off of the picture (based on this piece) drawn by Gina Jrel. Some peoples’ children…

The Scales of Justice
After I got back home, I decided to see what was going on in Paragon City. I’d already missed (most of) Double XP Weekend, but I had finally worked up the desire to play. I started the CoH loader and was greeted with a notice about Issue 10: Invasion. Wait… Issue 10?!?! We just barely got Issue 9 and they are already talking about Issue 10!? Sweet! Looks as though the Rikti are back… and they’re not happy about having been repelled.

I was invited to a team shortly after logging in. I played for a couple of hours and managed to get two levels under my belt before logging off. That’s right: Security Level 30. Which also means a new costume slot. Which also means that I have to figure out what I want to do for the new costume.

Stray Toasters

• I finally finished the picture of :
  

  

• CNet Top 5 Worst Things About the iPhone
• Cover to Cover: Deja vu All Over Again – A Crisis of Infinite Homage Covers
• For <lj user=”trellos”> and Carmen: Nepali “Living Goddess” is rather into gadgets
• Starfish and coffee
  Maple syrup and jam
  A butterscotch cloud
  A tangerine
  And a side order of ham
  
• What Steampunk Means
• By way of Wired: Steampunk gallery
• 1408 opens this weekend…
• …as does the Utah Arts Festival

Namaste.

Sunday – 17 June 2007
Again: Happy Father’s Day to the dads out there.

So far this morning I have:

• Fed the kids
• Observed the hygiene rituals
• Worshipped at the Temple of Sweden with and … for three hours!
• Talked with the paternal parental units.

…and it’s just a little after 2:00 PM. Still plenty of time to find some trouble to get into!

Yesterday was good. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was fun. They did a good job of retelling/retooling the origin of the Silver Surfer and making it mesh with the movie version of the FF. The characterizations were good… although, I felt that Julian McMahon’s Doctor Doom was a little “too” over-the-top in a couple of spots. But, he’s a classic character and there have been more than “a few” times when he’s been over-the-top in the comics. So, I can let it slide. While this movie was not on the same level as Gladiator or The Shawshank Redemption, in my opinion it did what it wanted/needed to do: Put a comic book on the screen in as believeable a manner as possible. And, as I said: It was fun. I give the movie a big ol’ thumbs-up with an okay.

I also went to The Gateway to check out…

I missed and the rest of Team Chalk-o-Licious – thanks to dealing with Sprint (more on that later), but I did get a photo of their piece and some of the other works.

I need to finish resizing the rest of the pictures; they should be up in the next few days.

Sprint. *sigh* I have just about had enough of them. Until roughly 10:00 PM last night, I did not have access to the Power Vision service (Sprint/Nextel’s internet). I kept getting an error message whenever I tried to connect. I have probably talked with more people at Sprint/Nextel in the past two days than more people talk with over the course of their entire service contract. For the longest time, no one could figure out what the problem was. Someone was finally able to tell me something late Friday evening: The two companies use different billing systems and they are in the process of merging them – My bill showed up as paid and up-to-date in one system, while it didn’t in the other. That system being the one that the Power Vision service is apparently tied to. Okay, great! Problem identified. Now, to solve it. Right… More time on the phone AND a trip to one of the local Sprint Stores. *grblsnrkx* Sidebar: Jennie, the Sprint rep who helped me in the store, did everything that she could to try and get through to someone to get the problem straightened out. And, I could tell that she wasn’t happy with the answers that she was getting from the people on the other side of the phone. AND, she maintained a pleasant disposition throughout the whole ordeal. I appreciate good customer service and she deserves recognition – I have NO complaints about her customer service skills and will go back to the store this week to make sure that her manager is aware of this. It still took me another… hour-and-a-half to two hours on the phone AGAIN to finally get someone to push whatever button needed to be pushed to get things up and running again.

After that, breakfast was a welcome respite. And, Patryck put in an appearance, too. That was a nice surprise.

Four-Color Coverage
This is just a (fairly) quick hit. I’m still enjoying “The Lightning Saga,” the crossover storyline in JLA and JSA. In Justice Society of America #6, they keep it coming. In this issue they throw in a bit of Legion trivia of which I wasn’t aware:

Timber Wolf: Thom’s still a couple planets short of a system. Is it the safety blocks?
Dream Girl: I’m afraid not, Brin. The medicine of this time period is unbelievably primitive. They still use pills to help schizophrenia.
Starman: I took my pills today.
Timber Wolf: I didn’t know he was schizophrenic.
Wildfire: He told me about it once. He said he spent years in a hospital after his gravity powers popped up.
Dawnstar: Brainiac 5 didn’t give him medical clearance to travel. That’s why Thom tricked Colossal Boy and took his place. Since the time beam wasn’t calibrated for him, something went wrong. I can only belive his unanticipated path to the past worsened his health problems.
Karate Kid: What unanticipated path was that?
Dawnstar: I can see it on him, Val. The mark of the multiverse.
Starman: Hi, Swamp Thing. (to a snake coiled around a tree limb)
Timber Wolf: The multiverse?
Dawnstar: Before he came to this time period, he was accidentally shunted to a parallel Earth.
Starman: Earth-22? Meh.
*cut to scenes from the Kingdom Come miniseries*
Starman: No one liked each other there very much!
Wildfire: Thom always did call himself the “unluckiest” Legionnaire.
Dream Girl: I should have seen this coming.
Karate Kid: You can’t dream up every event that’s going to happen, Nura.
Dream Girl: I’m not talking about my precognitive abilities. I know Thom better than anyone. Health problems or not, he would never hesitate to risk his life to help his friends.
Starman: You’re my dream girl. I did it because I love you.
Dream Girl: I love you, too.

Wait. Star Boy/Starman…? Schizophrenic?! Huh. Who knew? This is followed up with a great scene of the new Liberty Belle (formerly Jesse Quick) trying to play matchmaker for Wonder Woman…

Liberty Belle: You’ve never thought about marriage?
Wonder Woman: Marriage isn’t a concept I grew up around, Jesse.
Liberty Belle: What about Superman? You two were made for each other.
Wonder Woman: He’s unavailable.
Liberty Belle: How about Dr. Mid-Nite?
Wonder Woman: A little too quiet for me.
Liberty Belle: Wait! I got it! We just heard about him the other day. He’s cute, vigilant and your costumes would look so great together. *sly grin* Have you met the new Mr. America yet?

This is good stuff. And we learn the identity of the seventh Legionnaire. The storyline concludes in Justice League of America #10. Can’t wait.

Stray Toasters

• I am getting hungry… but I’m not sure what I want for dinner.
• Ten days to the new Legion ‘Clix set.
• Don, we may need to rename the scale…
• As much as I love playing City – and despite the fact that it’s Double XP Weekend – I am not motivated to play right now.
• I was just looking at JSA #6 again. I have an idea of who’s going to die. I think. I just noticed something about the group of Legionnaires that makes one of them a… “better candidate”… than the others to be sacrificed.
• 9% of cell phone users want the iPhone
  (I just want a cell provider whose system actually works the way it’s supposed to!)

• 

Namaste.

Friday – 15 June 2007
So far, it’s been a pretty good day. Of course, any day that starts “Fri-” us usually pretty good.

Unless it’s 1929.
And October.
And the last Friday of the month.

But, it’s not. So we’re good.

I’m working in the Salt Lake office today and that’s a good thing because a semi driver decided to play chicken with an overpass – the one at the exit I take to get to the A.F. office – and lost. Big time. He was hauling a pre-fab home. I guess that he technically is still hauling it… but it now has one hell of a sunroof:

Picture courtesy of Acolyte Derek

Yeah. Not so good there.

Last night, I went to a taping of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! with KHAYLA. I had a ball! I was expecting it to be fun, but nowhere near as much as it was. The whole taping took about two hours… of which only forty minutes or so will make it on the air. That’s a shame, because I’m willing to bet that some of the really funny stuff is going to be edited out. Your loss. The panel was Paula Poundstone, Mo Rocca and Tom Bodett and their celebrity guest for “Not My Job” was Donny Osmond (by phone from L.A.). I have never been the biggest Donny Osmond fan, but I have nothing against him, either… and he was quite funny. DANGERMOUSE_UT: You were right – Peter Sagal is not a very tall man. But, he knows how to work a crowd, has good comedic timing AND he knows when to just let the panel – and Carl Kassel – just go off on their riffs. Last night’s taping will air on Saturday, 16 June 2007, check your local NPR station for the time.

Stray Toasters

• I lost the original version of this post this morning. *sigh*
• I’m getting the urge for prime rib from Outback. Maybe I’ll satiate that desire sometime this weekend.
• Jan, yet another coworker, has introduced me to KLOV – Killer List of Video Games… like I needed another distraction.
• Giant snake terrorizing Pennsylvania – Okay… are we sure that this isn’t just an American chupacabra story? TIPHASAURUS, would you look into this?

• 

• Wooden robot toys!
• Getting an iPhone, but not an iTunes Music Store fan? Better rethink that.

Tonight: Clitorati
Tomorrow: Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer with Perry and Max and the Chalk Art Festival… and, at some point, a trip to IKEA.

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 June 2007
Today is Flag Day.

Yesterday was Blog Like It’s the End of the World Day.

My last four posts – and ‘s comments and posts – were part of that. Salt Lake City has not succombed to “mass hysteria, dogs and cats living together” …. or even the zombie apocalypse. This time. C’mon, we’re talking about the Land Behind the Zion Curtain, after all. Do you think something like a zombie uprising is going to stop the faithful?

*ponders a missionary vs. zombie cage match*

As a result of yesterday’s little exercise, I recieved:

• Three comments
• Two IMs and
• One phone call

…to make sure that everything here was alright. That made my inner writer feel good. “Better than James Brown” good. And I didn’t want to come right out and say “Hey, look! Zombies!” I thought it better to slowly build up some suspense and tension – I hate it when they give everything away in a story or movie right after it starts. Where’s the reason to keep going, if you already know what’s up from the get-go?!

If you’re interested in seeing what others who participated wrote, click the link at the top of the page. Or click here. Or don’t. It’s your call.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I went to a test/preview screening of Day Watch with Liz, Tyranist, Rish (the other contributer to the Horror Film Compendium), and . Interesting movie. This morning, Tyranist asked me what I thought, as I have not yet seen Night Watch. I told him that liked it and that it had enough “what came before” flavor to help fill in some of the gaps. One thing that was very cool about it: The subtitles were not just “static.” They did some rather interesting things with them that went along with what was happening on-screen. I would like to see both Night Watch and Day Watch, together, to see how the story flows as a more-or-less complete piece (there’s supposed to be a third movie, at some point).
• Screensaver of Old Comic Book Ads
• From Dwim: FlÅ“jte Hero
• Etched in Time
• 
• Steampunk Computing

Tonight: Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me… the taping!

Namaste.