Random Access

Wednesday – 25 March 2009
After dinner last night, while SaraRules was at her book club, I went to visit . Sissy the Wonder Kitty was being social last night, as well.

When I got home, MarknTyme was online. We spent the better part of the next hour talking about bands and music and whatnot. In that time he introduced me to a couple new bands:

• Tokyo Brass Style
• Youngblood Brass Band

One of my retorts was the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain.

This morning, I woke up with the theme from Josie and the Pussycats (the cartoon, not the movie) running through my head. It’s not a horrible song, in fact, it’s rather catchy. All the same, I’m listening to Hemispheres to purge it.

Today would normally be Sushi and Comics Wednesday… but SaraRules and I are attending a tasting at our reception center, so this week’s raw fishes and four-color haul will have to wait.

Stray Toasters

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Are Kidnapped Children Tax-Deductible?
• Problems Persist, But Art Advocates See Progress Under Obama
• Chimps Have a Built-In GPS
• …and, in a related note from Applegeeks:

  

• Sorry, : Browns will make Quinn, Anderson compete for QB job
• NPR Music has an article on the Gyuto Monks, a group that MarknTyme introduced me to many years ago.
• 
• Remixing the London police’s insane, paranoid terrorism scare posters
• By way of comes Apartment Therapy
• Model railway’s global uber-view

Attack the day
Like birds of prey…

Namaste.

Wes and I hit the gym for a long-overdue workout at lunch:

• Leg Raises: 3 sets/15 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Reverse Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/15 reps, 160 lbs
• Curl/Shoulder Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 60 lbs
• Core (plank): 2 sets, 45 secs

Post-workout weight: 185.2 lbs

Not too terrible for the first workout in a week-and-a-half. I’m not sure if I’m going to get a workout in on Thursday, as I may have a meeting.  We shall see…

Stray Toasters

• I looked up some Annie Lennox info after the last post. I wasn’t aware that Hugh Laurie and John Malkovich appeared in her video for Walking on Broken Glass.
• I’m of mixed feelings about this news on the pending Johnny Quest movie project.
  • Good: Dwayne Johnson as Race Bannon
  • Not-as-good/Questionable: Zak Efron as Johnny Quest
• Harry Potter: Zionist Conspiracy to Promote Witchcraft and Satanism?
• What do you get if you divide science by God?
• pointed out an article that takes a look at the state of the comics industry.
• Renter who paid on time ‘left out with nothing’
• Chris Pine, soon to be seen as a young James T. Kirk, is apparently being considered for the role of Hal Jordan in an upcoming live-action Green Lantern movie.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Macgyver to big screen

/lunch

Tuesday – 24 March 2009
After work, SaraRules and I went to visit . After that, we had dinner with and (I know!), who is on her way to California. told us about her trip to Africa, some of the people she met and the things she experienced; it sounded like an amazing adventure. I believe that we’re in for quite the slideshow when she comes back from California. And… she also hinted that she had some ring designs to show us, as well.

The Best: A Whiter Shade of Pale
Procol Harum vs. Annie Lennox vs. Sarah Brightman

I’ve been a fan of this song for… so long that I don’t even remember how long it’s been. Yeah, that long. I’m good with all three of the versions that I have, but there are distinctions:

• The Procol Harum version, the original, is… just… classic. I love the sound of the Hammond organ in this. And, Gary Brooker’s vocals sound like someone recounting a strange tale over a drink in a bar or in someone’s sitting room.
• As rich and nearly melancholy as the Procol Harum version is, the Annie Lennox version is… almost spartan in its synthesized sound. Parts of the arrangement are rather evocative of a music box, even. Ms. Lennox’ mellow contralto vocals provide a nice counterpoint to the synth sound.
• The Sarah Brightman version is… over-orchestrated. This isn’t to say that it’s a poor arrangement – it is rather well-done. (Although, and I just noticed this: It sounds like something that I’d expect to hear on a CD from Enigma.) Ms. Brightman’s soft (though strong) soprano vocals come off a bit ethereal… which works well with the arrangement, but still leaves me wanting a little something more.

So, for my taste, it shakes out like this:

1. Procol Harum
2. Annie Lennox
3. Sarah Brightman

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules and – Prince turns a brilliant sonic triple play: 3 albums in 1 day
• 
• Strip-Search of Girl Tests Limit of School Policy
• Contraception Pill Strictures Are Eased By a Judge
• London cops reach new height of anti-terror poster stupidity
• Princeton Student Finds Bug in LHC Experiment
• 
  
• Super Bowl on Presidents’ Day? Longer NFL season in reach
• NASA Tests Heaviest Chute Drop Ever

Unintentional Porn Overheard at Work
Part of our office is undergoing a remodel. We have electricians here today and, a few minutes ago, I was treated to the following:

Jr. Electrician: What’s going on?
Sr. Electrician: Just trying to get this 3″ in here…

…and…

Sr. Electrician: We ever gonna get this up?
(Talking about running some conduit in the ceiling)

Yep, just another fun-filled day…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 March 2009
Happy Green Lantern Day!
(Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to the rest of the world.)

After work yesterday, SaraRules and I headed up to Liberty Park for a stroll. (She’s been rather positive in helping me stick to this whole “doing cardio” thing.) We walked the inner loop, which is 1¼ miles, give or take a bit. The weather, mild and comfortable, was quite agreeable. All-in-all, it was a pleasant change of pace.

We got back home and SaraRules decided to try recreating the Pollo Limon Rustica dish that she had the other night at Macaroni Grill. I didn’t have any of the dish then, but last night’s fare was very tasty. After dinner, we watched the new episode of 24. Not too surprisingly, there were a couple of twists… including a one that I didn’t see coming; neither did SaraRules. And it was a pretty good one, in fact. We also watched reruns of The Late Show and The Late Late Show that we taped last week.

This morning, I woke up with The Beach Boys’ Fun Fun Fun running through my head.

Stray Toasters

• By way of :
  • The Interpreter – this is a pretty amazing story
    
  • Glenn Beck recycles X Files plot to Spread Fear of Obama
  • The new sexual double-standard
    

• NFLShop.com is offering 30% off on orders today.
• Week-long Africa visit for Pope
• Jasper Morello: stunning steampunk short animated film
• By way of and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Rubber Johnny. I will add the comment that he told me when he sent it to me: don’t read the description beforehand..just let it play

• US Capital blighted with HIV/AIDS
• Tailgunner Jo
• By way of : Din Daa Daa

• Brain Decline Begins at Age 27
• Juror Tweets Could Cause Mistrial

Quotes of the Day

• Quote 1
  I posted the following as my status on Facebook:

  Happy Green Lantern Day! Wait… What? St. Patrick’s Day? Really?! Well, that’s just silly.

  To which replied:

  By your powers combined, I am Captain… no wait. These are the other guys with rings. 🙂

• Quote 2
  Jeff, another coworker, just came over and told a St. Patrick’s Day joke:

Why did St. Patrick drive the snakes out of Ireland?

Because Samuel L. Jackson wouldn’t let them on the plane.

It made loonybin88, Tom and me laugh.

Namaste.

Sunday – 15 March 2009
“Beware the Ides of March.”

Yesterday was an all-around good day. Race to Witch Mountain turned out to be pretty fun. It was a little predictable in spots, but still fun. There were about twenty minutes of previews before the movie – we guess they figured that if they had a captive audience kids in the seats, they might as well throw a bunch of “Hey! Go see these!” trailers at ’em. Among the more interesting ones were:

• Battle for Terra (Think Titan A.E., but this time with Earth on the offensive)
• Monsters vs. Aliens (This just looks like silly fun)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and
• Up

Disney, through their new Disneynature division, has an upcoming nature documentary called Earth. It apparently follows three families: Elephant, polar bear and whale – over the course of a year, but it also shows their environments and how they interact with the world around them. It looked similar to the Planet Earth series that The BBC and Discovery Channel did last year.

After the movie, SaraRules and I did a little bit of shopping. Then, back home to change and it was off for a night at the opera. (Not to be confused with A Night at the Opera or A Night at the Opera.) We started with dinner at Macaroni Grill; she had the Pollo Limon Rustica, I had the Chicken Marsala. From there, we strolled up to Capitol Theatre for the performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. It was a good production – the casting, the music and the set and costume design. I enjoyed it.

Today, I’m joining Mrs. in a fast until dinner, on behalf of .  Actually, it’s been going since midnight. Aside from that, I think it’s going to be a rather lazy day until we head over to SaraRules’ parents’ place this evening.

Stray Toasters

• Former Ravens DE Douglast Follows Ryan to New York
• Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre
• Designer armor arrives in India
• SXSW: G-strings, Frosting Make Perfect Pair at Burlesque Cupcake Cookoff
• The Gentleman’s Handbook
• , the next two items are for you:
  • Metroid: New Samus Cosplay International Champion Crowned
  • Pixelninja cosplay photos (scroll down)
• British Boy Goes on Electric Shock Free-For-All with Bulgarian Stun Gun
• From Gizmodo: iPhone App: Have2P Will Save Your Underpants

Namaste.

Saturday – 14 March 2009
Happy Pi Day.

Today has kicked off with a quiet morning, the only sounds (so far) are the refrigerator, the clock and sound of my typing. It looks like it’s going to be a sunny day and possibly warmer than it has been for the past few days.

Last night’s Clitorati was fun. While out, I finally picked up a box set of the Star Wars trilogy. The original one. The good one. I had a coupon that made the deal lucrative. I was a bit torn, though – I almost opted to get The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But, I was tempted by the Dark Side swayed by the fact that the Star Wars set contained not only the “new and improved” versions of the movies, but the original theatrical releases.

Stray Toasters

• New way to misspell the title: “Stray Toaters”
• Dora the Explorer Grows Up and Gets a Makeover
• I think I’m done with my Sodam Yat figure. I gave him a head last night before heading to coffee. The head I used was perfect for the look I need… but not exactly the perfect size – the neck is a little too big. I’m okay with that. And, I think that I can smooth out the “rough edges” with a little clay. Or… maybe I’ll just let it be. *shrug* We’ll see how it goes.
• For Better or Worse, Resident Evil 5 Exposes Racism
• From the TED 2009: Aimee Mullins: How my legs give me super-powers

• High Noon on the Set – Jim Cramer vs. Jon Stewart
• 
• You Spent *HOW* Much on That? or “What Does a $16,000+ PC Look Like, Anyway?”
• Racing the Beam: How Atari 2600’s Crazy Hardware Changed Game Design
• Thanks to for pointing out The Most Amazing Mashup Music Video You’re Going to See This Month. I’d seen a link to it yesterday, but skipped over it. Good thing that he brought it to my attention as something worth watching, it really is pretty amazing.

• Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry

This afternoon: Race to Witch Mountain
Tonight: The Marriage of Figaro

Namaste.

Friday – 13 March 2009
Another 9/80 Friday begins. This morning, I had Jonathan Coulton’s Skullcrusher Mountain playing in my head as I got ready for work. (I’m currently listening to 2112, so it’s been a win-win kind of morning, musically.)

I arrived at the office and discovered that I was the first person here. It wasn’t the lack of  lighting that gave it away – lights can be on in one area, but not another. No, I was informed of this by the way the alarm beeped at me when I opened the door. It was at that moment that I remembered something that had been nagging me for a couple of weeks:

I didn’t remember the disarm code.

I entered what I thought was the code. Strike one.
I tried another code. Strike two.

*grblsnrkx*

One more chance to get it right before security and/or the police showed up. I am going to assume that the two synapses that rubbed together to form “a clue” were just on a coffee break, because I got the right code on the third try. I just hope that the rest of the day is relatively less eventful that that.

Stray Toasters

• I worked on my Sodam Yat ‘Clix again last night. I finished the top of his dial and mounted (most of) the figure on the dial. I still need to figure out what to do for his head. And then, there’s also the matter of doing a character card for him…
• NEA Releases Strict Rules for Arts Stimulus Grants
• Medals for videogame veterans
• 
• Bored? Try Doodling to Keep the Brain on Task
• A dime for a dozen
  If that’s what you’re after
  A moment of silence
  Or a lifetime of laughter
• MacBook modded with second monitor inside logo
• 
• Modern day Noah’s Ark replica
• Last week, I mentioned that Craig Ferguson did a great, though brief and comical, mini-history of South Africa on The Late Late Show. It seems as though CBS has finally posted the video of it:

Time to see what (other) kinds of trouble I can get into…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 11 March 2009
Last night, after a quick dinner, SaraRules headed off to a quilting class and I headed up to visit . She’s doing a bit better, which was good to see and hear.

From there, I headed over to Chris and Mary’s to play ‘Clix. As we were expecting to play with a couple other people, we hadn’t set up any teams or themes. No one else showed up, so Chris and I put together teams around the theme of “Villains.” We played for a little over an hour, at which point I needed to leave, and Chris called the game a draw… even though he was a bit ahead on points. But, I gladly took the tie.

For some reason, I woke up many times during the night. I woke up a little after 2:00 AM and would have sworn that I had nearly overslept. Nope. *sigh* When the alarm finally went off – four-and-a-half hours later – I got up… with Sammy Davis, Jr’s The Candy Man running through my head. O,o.

Stray Toasters

• Code Monkey get up, get coffee
  Code Monkey go to job…
• Sean, one of my henchmen, just told me a story about an encounter he had with one of the AF monkeys yesterday. He now wants to put up a list of “Stupid IT Requests of the Week” for each time someone puts in a dumb request. I endorse this idea.
• Thanks to for pointing out Stuff Mormons Like.  It was a funny way to kick off the morning.
• …then she pointed out Celebrities Wear Costumes for Purim, which was a bit odd and unexpected, to say the least.
• Deadly shooting at German school
• Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?
• 
• NBC Stars Whimper About Jon Stewart’s Skewering of CNBC
• From NPR Music:
  • Act Like You Know: Ornette Coleman
  • Free SXSW Sampler
• 10 Best Uses for RFID

Attack the day…

Namaste.

There was only one meeting today… and it was done in fairly short order.  This project seems to be moving along fairly well.

The sun is out… but it’s still a tad chilly outside, according to The Weather Channel. I don’t know first-hand – Wes worked out of the AF office today and, thus, we didn’t go to workout at lunch. On the plus side, that’s an hour and change that I don’t have to make up on the back end of the day. All things considered, I guess it’s a good thing that I did last night’s cardio workout.

Stray Toasters

• Tents on wheels give homeless people roof and pride
• If, for some reason, you haven’t checked out How It Should Have Ended, you should.
• Baggies (video)
  If you are at work – or around children – you’ll want to have headphones.
• Extreme Mac Mini Case Mod
• Terrific special effects reel by 12-year-old (video)
• By way of (though indirectly) come the following:
  • This comic
  • and this one
• LEGO Watchmen minifigs
• By way of and Snopes.com: I Don’t Like Mondays

Tonight: ‘Clix at Chris’ place.

Namaste.

Monday – 09 March 2009
I woke up this morning expecting to find a new blanket of snow outside. That’s what the weather forecasters warned us was coming. It hasn’t showed up yet. But, it seems as though we are, in fact, due for snow in fairly short order.

Last night, after dinner with her family, SaraRules and I went home and watched Spenser: A Savage Place, the last of the Spenser movies with Robert Urich. Aside from the dated fashion, it wasn’t bad. I need to reread the book to see how much it deviated from the original story.

Stray Toasters

• While having dinner with SaraRules’ family yesterday, we watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. There was… something… about Commodore Norrington that struck me as familiar, but I couldn’t place what it was. A quick trip to IMDb solved it: Jack Davenport played Steve on the BBC version of Coupling.
• From NPR Music: India.Arie: Love and Politics
• Fifty years of Barbie
  • Barbie at 50: Is Mattel’s star still in fashion?
  • I was surprised to find out that Barbie actually has a full name: Barbara Millicent Roberts. I shouldn’t really be shocked, though; for example: Hasbro came up with rather elaborate backgrounds (names and histories) for all of their G.I. Joe characters/figures.
  • I was also surprised at how large Ms. Roberts’ circle of family and friends is. It’s huge. Verizon network huge.
• It looks as if the Legion might/will be in the Smallville season finale.
• Life Before the Console Age: Forgotten Electronic Games
  I had a Big Trak, Merlin, an Intellivision and Blip.
• Offbeat name? Then Facebook’s no friend
• I was surprised to see: Terrell Owens to join Buffalo Bills
• Holy caped crusader! You could be a superhero, too
• I think that I’ve settled on my next attempt at a ‘Clix mod: Sodam Yat as Ion.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 04 March 2009
Midweek. And only two more days to Watchmen.  And the new Star Trek trailer. Selah.
And, as if that’s not enough, it’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
Win-Win.

Last night, I headed to Chris’ for Round Two of our JLA/Injustice League fight. The match started off slowly, but we eventually moved our pieces into position for smacking each other’s teams around… and then both of us had to deal with hot and cold streaks with our dice. In the end, my dice decided to effectively go on holiday and Chris wound up with a win. We both enjoyed the fight with the two teams and may revisit this in the not-too-distant future. I think that our next match will be the (Teen) Titans vs. the X-Men.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to take my camera to Chris’ last night, so no pics of the game… or of my two mods.
• By way of Nyx: How To Make an Anatomically Correct LEGO Cake
  (Despite it’s title, it’s quite work-safe.)
• The Repair Manifesto
• Design for a nine-square-foot house
• This user icon makes me laugh:

  

• Ladies and gentlemen… Morris Day and The Time!
  
  Morris Day & The Time – The Bird
• From The Daily What: Ways To Be Cool
• Christian salt, a wingnut alternative to kosher salt
• Smokey and the Bandit would have been a much different movie with a few of these…

Quote of the Day
Today’s gem comes from an NPR story about a man fighting court fees for badminton in San Francisco.

Today’s “Last Word in Business” comes from Ed Leong. The former San Francisco Housing Inspector is an avid player of badminton.  He’s been whacking shuttlecocks…. there’s a phrase that I didn’t know you could get away with saying on the radio….

You can find the story – and the audio (RealPlayer, I think) – here.

Namaste.

Monday – 02 March 2009
And March, at least for Utah, comes in more or less like a lamb. That’s apparently not the case back home, where the east coast has been hit with a winter storm.

This weekend’s highlights included:

• Heading to Red Butte Garden to take a look at the Fragrence Garden and The Orangerie as a possible ceremony and reception event. I like it… more than I had expected, actually. It’s on my (very) short list of sites.
• Chris, who had an unexpected opening in his schedule, came over Saturday night and played HeroClix – the Justice League (Chris) vs. the Injustice League. We played on the masterboard  and used the multi-building cluster. Chris cleaned my clock, but it was fun.
• I dragged SaraRules to a few places in a fruitless search for vellum rub-on letters – I need them for my Shado ‘Clix figure.  If I had been thinking about it, I would have taken pictures of her last night. But I wasn’t. So, I didn’t.
• I also started on a new figure mod: James “Bucky” Barnes/Winter Soldier as Captain America.
• Last night, we had dinner with SaraRules’ family and watched The Golden Compass. I’ve owned the movie for a few months, but this was the first time we’ve watched it. I liked it. I found a number of parallels to many archtypical hero myths, as well as a couple of direct comparisions to the Star Wars mythos.

All-in-all, it was a good weekend… and I’m already looking forward to next weekend. Fortunately, it’s a short work week.

Stray Toasters

• My affinity (obsession/man-crush/whatever) for Avery Brooks began long before his tenure as Captain Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It started in the mid-80s when he played Hawk on Spenser: for Hire. SaraRules knows of this and, while channel surfing yesterday, stopped on a network called TV One, which was airing a marathon of A Man Called Hawk, a short-lived spin-off of the Spenser series. Yes, it was “a bit” dated, but it still made me smile.
• Born to Kvetch: Yiddish as She Is Spoke
• Who needs a utility belt when you have a Bat-hoodie?  (By way of )
• One More Story, also by way of Nyx
• From USAToday: Fine arts in survival mode as funds dry up
• From the “Math is hard… Let’s go shopping!” file:

  

• Cake Wrecks, as always, is good for a laugh.
• I could think up people for whom I could use a few dozen stickers from this site…
• Unusual custom guitars

Namaste.

Monday – 16 February 2009
Another work week begins… but at least it’s a short week.

The Splendid Heritage exhibit was amazing.  It displayed pieces of Native American art while detailing the pieces’ artistic and cultural significance. On display were such things as clothing, weaponry, a winter count, and even childrens’ toys. There were also a number of “touch stations,” where visitors could actually handle samples of items. The exhibit runs from 09 February 2009 through 03 January 2010; I think that it would make an excellent family – or even date – outing.

Last night, Chris and I got together to play a (or “yet another”) game of HeroClix. We’d settled on the Avengers vs. JLA for our teams. I played the JLA:

• Batman
• Black Lightning
• Flash
• Green Arrow
• Green Lantern
• Martian Manhunter
• Superman
• Wonder Woman and
• Zatanna

Chris fielded the Avengers:

• Box
• Captain America
• Dr. Strange
• Hercules
• Iron Man
• Ms. Marvel
• Spider-Man (Iron Spider/Civil War costume)
• Wolverine

We played on the masterboard I took to the tournament a couple of weeks ago, with one modification: I finished the new corner – gas station/garage, single room apartment and armory. I didn’t put roofs on the new buildings, so that we could have some indoor space in which to play and we took the shelter off of the gas pumps, so that we could play in the space under it. We played a two-hour game and at the end of it, I won on points, 412 – 213. Pictures of the game and actual board can be seen here.

Stray Toasters

• Disney adds African-American princess Tiana to royal family
• From today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jacksons star in Nigerian resort row
• Esquire’s 75 Books Every Man Should Read – I need to get cracking on this…
• I saw this cartoon on Applegeeks last night:

  

  I wondered how true it was, so I did a little poking around for news items… until I found this article: Dead rodents, excrement in peanut processor lead to recall

• British, French submarines collide
• The NBA All-Star Weekend was this past weekend. Events included the three-point shootout, dunk competition and the All-Star Game. Dwight Howard had an impressive – and amusing – dunk in the first round:

  but in the end, Lex Luthor Defeating Superman, NBA-style

• Top 10 Comic Book Romances
• Hey kids (and nostalgic adults), it’s Runway Barbie!

And that’s a wrap… for now.

Namaste.

Friday – 13 February 2009
Happy Birthday to Rana (Sib-1):

Last night, after watching CSI:, SaraRules and I watched Spenser: Ceremony. (Thanks, Netflix!) Again, it was enjoyable; this time we noticed the point at which it diverged from the book – at the very end of the story, actually. (The book didn’t have quite as happy an ending as the movie.)

I also assembled a garage for my ‘Clix map. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do the armory and gas station before getting together with Chris for our game this weekend.

Stray Toasters

• Best LEGO Sets in History
• Shirley Manson was on The Late Late Show last night… and may be on again tonight.
• French Vanilla ice cream and ginger snaps
• 9/11 widow apparently on Buffalo flight
• Thanks to (and Gizmodo) for pointing out this freebie!
• Men’s Guide to Style Manifesto
• This will be the first Sunday – of six months of Sundays – without football.
• Apple says jailbreaking iPhones is illegal and should be banned
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Amazon sells rape simulation game
  WHO thought this was “a good idea?!”

Song of the Day
For today’s song, I’m going back “a few” years: Swing Out Sister – Breakout

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 09 February 2009
Another overcast day in the valley begins a new work week.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Appaloosa, starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortenson and Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons. It was a good movie. It both started and ended in unexpected ways, which we both enjoyed. Additionally, we were both surprised to find that the story had been written by Robert B. Parker, best known as the creator/author of the Spenser books.

Stray Toasters

• We still have nothing more concrete than “September or October,” at this point, for those keeping score.  More details as they are available. Stay tuned.
• London police demand that new pub owner installs a CCTV as a licensing condition
• 
• Two monkeys, one banana.
• Speaking of monkeys, last Wednesday’s  Monkey #1 actually apologized. Unglaublich!
• Facebook flashmob shuts down station
• Stevie Wonder’s Do I Do is a long song; it checks in at nearly 10:30 long!
• Steampunk puzzle game preview
• I’m going to try another 300 lb max bench press next week. Operative word: “Try.” The last time I tried, I couldn’t do it… but could get a rep at 250 lbs. We’ll see how it goes.
• Bankers can’t possibly afford NYC on a mere $500K/year
• 

Namaste.