Random Access

Wednesday – 26 March 2008
Whew. It’s been a day. I’ve been fighting PHP and MySQL… and discovering the differences of installing MySQL on a Windows machine versus installing it on Defiant. I also got to wrestle with changes that my host made to their “create a new email” feature. Some would argue that it’s “easier” and/or “more simple.” To some degree, it is. But it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Sushi Wednesday is moving to Thursdays, it seems. Today, we went to Olive Garden. Almost all of us had the soup and salad with breaksticks special. I must say: It was a decent change of pace, both in the sense of not having sushi for lunch and in having something different than my usual fare at Olive Garden.

Last night, The Hand of Nefer-Tem hit Security Level 48.

Politics
I read this op-ed piece, Donna Brazile offers Hillary Clinton a reminder about Rev. Wright, yesterday. It was an interesting read. And, yes, it would be easy to jump on the bandwagon about Sen. Clinton’s… “creatively remembered” (or would that be “revisionist” or “retconned”) versions of events, but I’m not going to do that. This time.

Instead, I was more taken by one of the comments that I read. When I originally saw the article, there were only three (3) comments on it. When I returned to it a few hours later, there were three dozen or more. The particular comment that struck me was this one:

Obama is our Savior. Barak and Reverend Wright are Right, God D*** america. Now is the time to rally around Barak and Michelle and make them proud! And news flash america, Barak is right, your typical white american is a racist! Obama will apologize to our Muslim brothers for arrogant american policies of hate and slavery. Only Obama can forgive an evil nation founded slavery. REPARATIONS NOW!

 

Posted by: Obamamania

By the time I hit the third sentence, the following lines from Styx’ Mr. Roboto came to mind:

I’m not a hero, I’m not a saviour
Forget what you know.

…and that was almost immediately followed by these lines from Queen’s Flash’s Theme:

Just a man
With a man’s courage
You know he’s
Nothing but a man
And he can never fail
No one but the pure at heart
May find the Golden Grail

While becoming the President of the United States is a rather lofty goal, I’m not sure that I’d necessarily call it “the Golden Grail.” And, I won’t say that Senator Obama is without his failings. He’s human.

There have been those who have touted him as a hero. Or a possibly “a great Black leader.” Of course, there have also been those who have said that he’s “not Black enough,” or “just Black enough to not be ‘too scary’ to White voters.”

Another respondent to the piece pointed out something that I hadn’t considered: Obamamania’s comment was most likely a supporter of Senator McCain who was flaming the op-ed piece. After some thought, that seemed rather plausible.

How about this: At no time during this campaign have I heard Senator Obama claim to be anything other than a man who wants to make a difference and hopefully bring about some change. He has addressed issues of race with candor, but – in my opinion – has not attempted to use it as a soapbox or a crutch.

And I can – and do – respect that.

Stray Toasters

• I stopped in to visit Kate and Perry after work last night. They were watching American Idol. “When in Rome…” Apparently, this week’s challenge (or whatever they call it on Idol) was for the contestants to sing a song from the year they were born. There were some rather decent renditions of songs performed. Then, David Cook came onstage and performed a version of Billie Jean (yes, Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean), that I believe he arranged. It was pretty impressive.

After his performance, Perry suggested that I check out Cook’s arrangement of Lionel Richie’s Hello. I did. And I thought that it was rather good, as well…as was his Eleanor Rigby. He has good stage presence and seems to react/interact with his crowd well. He easily could become someone to watch – or listen – for on the radio in the not-too-distant future. (Listen to the judges’ comments on his performance, too.)
• Cartoonist sets out to take taboo out of swastika
• Endor Express offers up a look at upcoming Disney/Lucasfilm toys.
• I have no idea what I want for dinner.
• Dyscalculia
• Marvel has released the trailer for Next Avengers – their next direct-to-video animated feature
  …and…
  Entertainment Weekly has a 10-page preview of Marvel’s upcoming Secret Invasion limited series.
• Keith Giffen’s “Unfortunate Confluence of Words.”

  
  (click image to read the article)

• What if Clark Kent worked for Barry White instead of Perry White?
• Pilot’s gun fired during flight
• Correction: I now know what I’m having for dinner.

Namaste.

Monday – 24 March 2008
Monday, Monday (dah-dah… dah-dah-dah-dah…)

All-in-all, not a bad start to the week.

• Breakfast with SaraRules, before she headed back to the southlands.
• Blue skies.
• Warm weather.

<< Rewind <<
Yesterday, we went to Easter Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. I believe that this year’s service was even more crowded than last year’s, but it was still a very nice service. It was SRO… and there wasn’t very much room for standing, at that. I was intermittently amused by a lady standing near me who gave just about everyone the fashion police once-over as they walked past; she wrinkled her nose at more than “a few” people.

After Mass, we ate a late breakfast at The Other Place. I hadn’t been there in many rains. Decent food at a good price. I’ll have to remember to keep it in mind when looking for places to eat downtown.

Back home for a quick change and then we were off to “…a land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size.” I’ve been wanting to do… something… different with the office for some time. There’s a lot of dead/wasted space in there. One of the biggest things that would help would be to replace my monstrous desk. So, it’s on the short list of things to be vaporized. In its place, I’m looking at a Vika Amon table top with a Galant frame and legs. And, with a couple of relatively minor adjustments, the room will be opened up nicely.

After stopping in to say “Hi” to Perry, Kate and their kids, we headed to SaraRules’ family’s house for dinner. Dinner which included Black-and-Tans to wash it down. We followed up dinner with Enchanted. After the movie, it was time to head home to unwind (and do some laundry) before calling it a night.

> Play >
After work, I did a little errand-running.  When I was done, I stopped into the local Best Buy.  I picked up copies of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Memento.  Not too bad.  I picked up a bite to eat and headed home.  I checked out the new Fox series New Amsterdam.  Kind of like Highlander… if Connor McLeod had been a police officer.  Connor, not Duncan.  ‘Nuff said.  But, I digress.  The show wasn’t too bad.

I followed it up with an episode of JLU that I hadn’t seen before: “Chaos at Earth’s Core,” featuring Travis Morgan – The Warlord.     I used to read The Warlord back in the 80s and this episode was a very nice nod to the Morgan and the lost world of Skartaris.

In the savage world of Skartaris,
life is a constant struggle for survival.
Here, beneath an unblinking orb of eternal
sunlight, one simple law prevails:
If you let down your guard for an instant you will soon be very dead.

They covered a lot of ground in twenty-two minutes… and it was good.  It made me smile.

Stray Toasters

• I have new pics of Bit, eyes open and all.  I may (re)post a few later.
• LEGO Futurama fan set, LEGO Noir and Mmm, zombies
• I heard Counting Crows’ Mr. Jones on the radio this evening.  When I hear it, it often reminds me of Heidi, an old coworker of mine.  Around the time that this song came out, Us3‘s Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) was also on the air.  Heidi and I would argue (friendly banter, really) about which group would stay in the charts/be more popular longer  – I chose Counting Crows, Heidi chose US3.  Looks like I was right… at least on this side of the Pond.
• Top 10 Software Easter Eggs
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?” file: Transgendered Man Is Pregnant
• Astro City.

  

  I’ve started collecting the trade paperbacks.  If you haven’t read it, give it a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that SaraRules liked it.

• Slash-Proof Armored Tee Is Lightweight, Machine-Washable

That’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Sunday – 16 March 2008
Today was a “sleep in and have a leisurely morning” kind of day. That was fine with me. When we did get up, SaraRules cooked breakfast and then we set about getting ready for our afternoon outing:

Cinderella (La Cenerentola), by Rossini

That’s right, kids: Opera. The production was a more traditional version of the Cinderella story; it was definitely not Disney – no glass slipper, no wicked stepmother and no singing/dancing animals.

There was a prince.
There were courtiers.
There was the prince’s teacher – who brought just a touch of magic to the affair.
(In fact, when we learned who he was, he reminded me of Punjab, from Annie.)

The production was a lot of fun.

During the intermission, I ran into a couple of people with/for whom I worked when I was a USPS employee: Mike and Dayna C. It was a pleasant surprise, as they were two of a very small number of managers for whom I enjoyed working. We chatted for a couple of minutes before it was time to go in for the second act.

After the opera, SaraRules and I had dinner at Biaggi’s. I had the Rigatoni alla Bolognese; SaraRules had the Penne Sardi. Both dishes were quite good. Drew, our waiter, was rather attentive and on-the-ball.

Back home to unwind and hang out. We watched a couple episodes of CSI: as we sorted through – and attempted to bring a measure of order to – some of my loose ‘Clix. I didn’t take into account that I need to pick up a few more divided containers. We also assembled the Clone Troopers Battle Pack and added it to the Luke Skywalker Pilot Maquette in the second display case. After we finished that, we tried…

…making soft pretzels. They should be done in a bit. I’ll make a note sometime tomorrow as to how good/bad they turned out.

And with that…

Ghost.

EDIT:  Screw waiting until tomorrow…
We just tried the pretzels: They’re pretty damned good!
(Especially for our first try at this.)

Friday night, on the way to Clitorati, Margaritaville came on the radio. Being the infectious song that it is, SaraRules and I sang along. That got me to thinking:

What are some of the songs that “everybody knows” and that are almost guaranteed to have everyone singing along with…. even if it’s only the chorus?

We – and – came up with a (very) short list, but I’m sure that there are many more:

• Margaritaville (natch)
• Piano Man, by Billy Joel
• American Pie, by Don McLean

Can anyone else think of others…?

Sunday – 09 March 2008
So far, it’s been a quiet day here in the greater SLC metro area. After waking up to find more “mystery leak” water – and a wet section of carpet – I called maintenance (again). This time, I got some satisfaction out of the deal: Dave (the maintenance guy on-call) came in and checked four other apartments behind mine, but found nothing. He asked if this had been a problem since before SageWater came; I told him that it had. I then asked if someone could take a look behind the drywall. He said that they’d have to cut (more/new) holes in the ceiling. I told him that if they found the leak, they could cut as many holes as it took. They start tomorrow.

After some lazy time watching Ninja Warrior on G4, SaraRules and I headed to the Garden of Sweden for lunch and a bit of shopping. I have the second display case, a couple of lights for inside the cases, a new picture frame for my Roll The Bones tourbook and a new wine rack, among other goodies.

Stray Toasters

• I have cinnamon rolls from IKEA.
  (Now, if I could just figure out what in the Nine Hells I’m cooking for dinner tonight, I’d be set…)
• Geek Love – an Op/Ed piece from The New York Times (check out the flowchart)
• From Slashdot: New book cuts through violent video game myths
• For ….
  

And that’s all the news from Lake Saline. For now.

Namaste.

Friday – 07 March 2008
The re-piping project in my apartment started bright and early (8:00 AM) yesterday. When I got home, the first phase was pretty much complete… leaving a number of holes throughout the walls and ceiling of the apartment. This included a hole in the wall between the bedroom and the maintenance closet (outside). This meant that I had a rather drafty hole that allowed a good deal of cold air into the bedroom… almost directly over the bed. So, I jerry-rigged a light cover to try and keep some of the air out. It was nominally effective. Pictures here.

SaraRules came into town last night. We headed to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Cheese Fries. Prime Rib. Very tasty. We had a great server, as well. Her name was Jennifer. She was attentive, helpful, very pleasant and just all-around “good.”

Workout
Yesterday’s workout – the first in nine or ten days – was good… but painful.  “Good pain,” despite how oxymoronic that sounds:

• Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 55 lbs.
• Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs.
• Push-ups (elevated): 3 sets/15 reps
• Bench Dips 3 sets/15 reps
• Rows (upright, barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Tricep Press (cable): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs

Yesterday’s post-workout weight: 172.4 lbs.
Stray Toasters

• Yesterday, I got the Wizard Universe Store weekly email for new toys and comic-related merchandise. In it was an item for an advance order for the ‘Coming of Galactus’ Limited Edition HeroClix figure. This is basically a re-issue of the older Galactus figure… with a new paint job:
  • Old and busted:
  • New hotness

  And, yes, it is firmly entrenched on the Covet List.

• New Jack Kirby coffee table art book
• The Council for Better Driving: Utah gives a “thumbs-down” to UDoT for its lack of attention and care given to Salt Lake City metropolitan area streets. They are atrocious! Anyone who has driven on either 33rd/35th South and/or 90th South, for example, will know exactly why.
• This Is Your Brain on Jazz: Researchers Use MRI to Study Spontaneity and Creativity
• 
• By way of GQ: Clean Start
• I was just thinking about something:
  • In Justice League/Unlimited, there are a few episodes that feature Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet.
  • In Justice League: The New Frontier, another version of the plane was “shown,” but the way that it was “seen,” by the viewer, was by way of blood in the cockpit.
  • In both the comics and in animated versions – and even in the 1974 Cathy Lee Crosby made-for-TV movie, it has been noted that neither the jet – nor people inside the jet – cannot be seen by bystanders.

  So… how in the Nine Hells does she know where to get in or where the controls – or anything else – are?!

• Geoff Johns: Secret Origins and Blackest Night
• “What’s a Nubian…?”
• xkcd: Ultimate Game

Namaste.

and :
I really wasn’t trying to start something when I posted the Dreamweaver video. But, apparently… I did.

Said you wanna be startin’ somethin’, ya gotta be startin’ somethin’.
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’, ya gotta be startin’ somethin’.
It’s too high to get over and too low to get under,
You’re stuck in the middle and the pain is thunder.

So, with that in mind, I leave you with the following:

…and…

…and…
Booyah.

I was about to fire up Dreamweaver, to do some more PHP work, and I started whistling the chorus to this.

I think I need to scrub my brain now.

Thursday – 06 March 2008
I woke up a little later than planned this morning. I made up for it by doing my best impression of The Flash and was ready to roll shortly thereafter. Of course, to make up for such a metabolic surge, I stopped at the local B&B for a frozen mocha. Double shot. Shaken, not stirred.

The crew from SageWater showed up this morning a couple of minutes before eight. One of the guys – I’m assuming the lead on the project, if not just for my apartment – noticed my Ravens pennant on the wall. He asked if I was familiar with Baltimore; I told him that I grew up there. He then mentioned that their company was based out of North Carolina (which I already knew), so I asked which part (which I didn’t know). Raleigh. I then mentioned that I had a sister who went to school in Durham and grew up outside of Greensboro. He went on to tell me how broadly he travels with the company. (A LOT!) His next job is in Seattle. I neglected to ask how long they are typically on the road.

Stray Toasters

• If I needed any (ANY) proof that and I shouldn’t be left unsupervised with the unlimited power of the Interweb at our fingertips, this proves it:
  • http://youtube.com/watch?v=PsesC2iS06o
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZA2A2zoz-A&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMD9_QYfzb8
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyyW-n8aook
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NozOppLXh18&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoNI4N3xYmE&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqjBpHsW5x4&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeJbaxqG-3k
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfEG15CLTqo
• By way of Yahoo! News and 60 Minutes: Gustavo Dudamel
• Kilowog == Covet.
  (That would complete my set of GLs.)
• The (New) Laws of Casual Style and This Is Not Steve McQueen
• Yes, I am watching/trying to watch some of the work they are doing in my apartment. I can’t because they have a tarp over the entrance to the master bathroom… which is a “good” thing, as it means a minimum of debris/detritus that will spread over the rest of the office and apartment.
• From Rotten Tomatoes: Total Recall: Steal These 11 Heist Movies
• HALO3 Series 1 Action Figures in Stores Now
• LEGO HALO
  • …and the explanation
• Pink, it’s like red, but not quite…
• I think that I’m going to get a new display case after the SageWater work is done. And that means… a trip to the Garden of Sweden! *genuflect* Amen.

Namaste.

Tuesday: Coda
After work, I headed to Far West Comics. Chris had them hold my Dawnstar (Long Live my tiny plastic Legion!)… along with a Nightwing and Starfire and a new Blue Beetle. Triple-score.

Then I started looking at some of their other figures. And I walked out of there with:

• Cuckoo (one of Emma Frost‘s cloned “daughters“)
• Green Lantern (Mr. 2814.1, himself: Hal Jordan)
• Kyle Rayner
• Martian Manhunter
• Mordru (formerly “just” a Legion villain, he became a major player in the DC Arcana)
• Tempest, the former Teen Titan formerly known as “Aqualad”

…and a Spartan with Dual Plasma Rifles. Just because I didn’t have a Master Chief figure. Until now.

Damn, Chris. *shakes fist*

Next, it was off to ‘ place for Scion. had a surprise for me: This. I was greatly amused by it. and John couldn’t make it, so it was just , and me. We had an abbreviated – but good – session. And no one died. No one on our team, that is. And that’s what counts.

Stray Toaster
pointed me in the direction of this video. She said it would make me smile. She was right.

Namaste.

It’s been a long time…

…but it’s back.

Mm-hmm, that’s right – the dance break is back with an old-school, go-go swing:

The Real Roxanne (with Hitman Howie Tee) – Bang Zoom (Let’s Go-Go) (video)

What’s your day sounding like?

Friday – 29 February 2008
Happy Leap Day.

It’s early. I’ve been up since roughly 6:00 and I’m already in the office. Not a bad way to start the day, all things considered. And, hopefully, I’ll be over at Old Mill on the driving range at lunch.

After work last night, I watched CSI: and then headed to Paragon City. I joined an SG-mate on a team for some missions. Unfortunately, he had his missions dialed up to “Unyielding,” so there was a good amount of dying on our side. But, because of the XP we gained in fighting higher-level mobs, I was able to reach Security Level 45.

Stray Toasters

• I have frozen mocha goodness and a bagel sandwich.
• There’s a new trailer for Iron Man.  Check it out here.
• She’s a brick
  And I’m drowning slowly…
• Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi is the most hideous thing humans have ever created
• Rob Paravonian’s Pachelbel Rant
  
• 

  toothpastefordinner.com

• 400-thread count sheets
• Blue-Ray in laptops could be hard on batteries

Namaste.

Jason sent me a link to this earlier this afternoon.
I’m sharing the love. Or is that “the pain?” Sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference.

Stan Boreson sings ‘I Just Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore’
Produced, directed and edited by Mark McMillenFor more of Stan’s music and videos, go to his Web site.

Monday – 11 February 2008
This morning started early. 5:10 AM early. And, after a night of not sleeping well, that’s pretty damned early, indeed. But, it was worth it: SaraRules and I had breakfast at Paradise Bakery & Cafe before she headed back to Cedar City. We’ve been trying to go there for a few weeks, but never managed to get there during breakfast hours. It was pretty good and not too terribly priced; more than fast food, but a bit more substantial, too. We also discovered something else: That has to be the safest place in Cottonwood Heights at 6:00 AM — there were six or seven sheriff’s deputies there. And, it’s not the first time that I’ve noticed that.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
I’m willing to bet that this has been tossed around the Internet and other media before, but it just dawned on me: Lost is basically Gilligan’s Island with more people.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules pointed out Yes We Can (by the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am) to me this weekend. Check it out.
• Barack Obama won a Grammy Award (his second) for “Best Spoken Word Album” for The Audacity of Hope. Among the nominees he beat: former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
• shockpuppet pointed me in the direction of The Superest. Start at at the bottom and work your way up.
• 
• I don’t have incredibly high hopes for the potentially upcoming live-action Justice League movie, but I think that it’s cool that they cast Common as Green Lantern.
• I like this take on Wonder Woman, even though I’m not crazy about the sandals.
• Collateral damage.
• I picked up Across the Universe, Blazing Saddles and The Invincible Iron Man (animated) this weekend.
• Roy Scheider – possibly best known for his roles in Jaws, All That Jazz, Seaquest DSV or my favorite: Blue Thunder – died this weekend.

Quote of the Day
I received a random text message from Adam yesterday:

I’ll call you when I get back, I just set sail with the Captain.

I haven’t heard from him since. I just hope that it wasn’t one of those proverbial “three-hour tours.”