Random Access

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 – 22 July 2007
After errand running and an unfulfilling (and debt-increasing) trip to Paragon City, I headed to and Jack’s wedding reception. It was nice and I got to see quite a few people I haven’t seen in many rains. I was also reminded that m3l is one of the first people I met after moving out here.

Post-reception, I came home and puttered around the apartment for a bit before heading to breakfast. joined us. Hopefully, we didn’t scare her too badly. At least, nothing that a little psychotherapy and or hypnosis can’t take care of.

The Best
Last night, I heard a cover of Easy Like Sunday Morning. I had heard it many times before and it’s a decent cover… but I still think that The Commodores’ version – the original – is the best one.

Likewise, I was listening to Annie Lennox’ version of A Whiter Shade of Pale. Good version, but still not quite enough to knock Procol Harem’s version out of the box.

Stray Toasters

• I got bored again: Family pictures
• I haven’t rushed out to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; I’m more inclined to pick up a new Spenser book before breaking my neck to power-read HP7. Sure, I’ll read it. And, yes, I’m going to make efforts to avoid seeing/hearing spoilers, but I’m not too stressed about it.
• “Super plasma frag some bitches… expialidocious!” and “Napalm is Nature’s toothpaste!” (by way of Ctrl-Alt-Del)
• Chafing and vagina dentata.
• I’m about *this far* from rewriting King of Pain as a testament to life in Utah on a Sunday, like I did with Salt Lake Valley Sunday.
• Amusing sequence: Applegeeks Issues #123 and #124 and Ctrl-Alt-Del “Issue 124 and a Half”
• …and that reminds me: Sequins vs. Sequence
• I think I may have just broken …
• This is definitely going on the outside of my cube wall at work:
• 10 tech disappointments… with cool names
• I may wind up at a driving range within the next 36 hours. Maybe less. Maybe much less.
• Irregular Webcomic: Not just entertaining, it’s educational, too!
• By way of :
  …and…
  

“And now, for something completely different…”

Namaste.

Friday – 20 July 2007
I crashed a little early last night… which was a bit disappointing as I had wanted to finish Vision of the Future. Oh, well… that will give me something to read tonight. No, I didn’t pre-order Deathly Hallows. *shrug* I’ll read it when I read it.

This morning is moving along nicely. The abbreviated commute didn’t hurt, either.

Stray Toasters

• I was cruising boingboing.net when I saw an article titled “Thriller” as performed by inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. Of course, that caught my attention. But, I then noticed a link to LEGO Thriller. LEGO…. and Thriller… all rolled into one? How could I resist. Not only was it the music video, it was the long-form video, redone shot-for-shot. Thirteen minutes of LEGO stop-motion animation. Someone had way to much free time.
• Chuck Berry
• UUCP
• That Spells DNA
• Constitutional. As in “walk,” not as in “allowed by law.”
• I Feel Fantastic

Pow.

Namaste.

Thursday: coda
The post-work evening looked rather drab, until called and asked if I was interested in getting sushi.

Well, let me think about that… Sure!

And out we went. Tepanyaki Japanese Steak House. I think that this is the first time that I’ve eaten in a Japanese steak house since I went to visit and Tyanna back on Long Island. (And that’s been a while!) It was fun… even though I missed the shrimp that the chef tossed at me. Oh, well. I had a Chicken and Shrimp combination plate, with Ika (squid) nigiri and California Rolls. Quite tasty. It also reminded me of Kabuto, the Japanese steakhouse that Mom used to take us to in Greensboro, so it was not only a nice change of pace, it brought back a few pleasant memories.

Stray Toasters

• I am, once again, talking with the lovely Ms. .
• Safest Seat on a Plane: PM Investigates How to Survive a Crash
• Fluffernoodle. Almost as amusing to say as “Jigglypuff.” But not quite.
• Thank you to Tyranist for returning me to a softer world.
• Chocolate. Milk.
• CubeNews1
• I was wrong: There is an Iron Lad ‘Clix… which means that it makes even less sense for there not to be a Hawkeye II ‘Clix.
• I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star – two songs that make me bounce like a fiend.
• This excerpt from Ask Kate amused me.
  

  Dear Kate,
  I wonder what early Borg looked liked? Was it just some alien race that decided to go cybernetic? If so, when did they start assimilating other races? Is there a species 01? Questions like this just go on and on, like why do the Borg speak English(they even think in it). I find these questions confusing, maybe you could give me some insight.
  YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED 10 of 23-
  
  Hi 23,
  Well, since you’ve asked me… early Borgs are among us! You’ve seen those people who walk around dazed with an earbud in one ear — early Borg! And those people who have a phone on one hip, an iPod on the other, and a PDA, and have to have the latest and greatest electronic gadgets — oh yeah, Borg too! Besides, haven’t we all seen the way the cellphone has evolved, remember how big they used to be only a few years ago? Next we’ll be implanted with our phone and we’ll have to plug the charge cable into our arm to power the batteries. See, we’re being consumed and dependent upon our technology… Technology is overtaking us! Grab your less advanced 8-tracks, and manual typewriters — and go! Run for the hills! Save yourselves!!!
  

• And, since I’ve already crossed the Neutral Zone… for : Requiem for Methuselah
• Oh, and here’s a bit of trivia for : Yvonne Craig, probably best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s Batman television series, also had a guest appearance on Star Trek: The Original Series. Whom did she play? Marta, you know… “the green chick.”
• The theme from The Simpsons, played on two guitars… by the same guy. Check it out.

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 July 2007
So far, it’s been a fairly decent day. The worst thing, so far, was the collection of monkeys on the road during the morning commute. Slow-in-the-fast-lane monkeys, truck-driving monkeys, monkeys who didn’t know how to merge when an opening was presented. Monkeys. But, I managed to make it down to AF without having to unload the disruptor cannons.

I had another good – and tiring – day at the gym. Today’s bench presses were:

• Set 1: 205 pounds/10 reps
• Set 2: 205 pounds/10 reps
• Set 3: 200 pounds/8 reps and 3 (slow and painful) reverse reps – instead of pushing the bar up, I had to allow it to/make it slowly descend

So, I’m pretty jazzed about that. Now, it’s just a matter of continuing to move that weight… and eventually see how much I can increase beyond 200 pounds.

The Best
I’ve been a fan of the song Tempted, by Squeeze, for many moons.
I’m also a fan of the Rockapella cover.

I’m a bit torn over which version is “The Best,” but I think that the Rockapella version edges out the original, ever so slightly… because of the harmonies that the group added.

Stray Toasters

• I’m not sure why continues to try to kill me… but she does. Although, today’s attempt was far less painful than last week’s. In fact, I even found this one entertaining and amusing.
• Seems as though Carmen and (and a few other family-types) may be in the area next month. If the timing is right, I may be able to kill multiple avians with a single piece of silicate.
• By way of : Messner ‘in God’s hands’
• Moab Brewery. (Damn you, !)
• That’s it. I’m moving to Sweden. Not (just) because of the Garden of Sweden, but because of this: Swedish woman gets superfast Internet.
• : Based on your comment, as we were leaving Clitorati last week, I think that I’ve found a theme that works: Parisien du Nord (instrumental), by Cheb Mami and K-Mel. This isn’t to say that I won’t change my mind at some later date, but this works pretty well for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday (coda)
The expedition to Dr. Volt’s was a success. I went back to work with my four-colored bounty and three (and ONLY three) pieces of plastic crack: Patriot, Stature and Sunspot. While I can understand why there’s no Iron Lad figure, I’m still a little unsure of why they did nor do a figure for Hawkeye (Kate Bishop). Oh, well… maybe they’ll put one in the next set.

Four-Color Coverage
Let’s get to it:

• Action Comics #852 – It’s the Jimmy Olsen issue. Watch as Jimmy – and his reporter pal, Clark Kent – observe a release hearing for The Kryptonite Man. Also, we see what led to Jimmy getting his handy-dandy Superman hypersonic signal watch. And, what’s going on with those monkeys at the zoo…?
• All Flash #1 – Wally West is back. And, he’s not exactly happy about the circumstances of his return. Here are the opening, pre-title, captions:
  

  My name is Wally West. I’m the Flash. The fastest man alive.

  And I’m still… too… late.

  I got super-speed back in grade school. Freak accident. Grew up running alongside my uncle, Barry Allen, the Flash before me.

  About midway through my adult career with the Justice League, I met Bart Allen, Barry’s grandson, who inherited Barry’s speed. The boy was flaky, unpredictable, and had the attention span of a bullet. He got codenamed “Impulse,” and it was probably the first thing that ever stuck to him.

  His grandmother, my Aunt Iris, brought Bart to me to train, and I spent months trying to figure out what I’d done to hack her off.

  I misjudged them both.

  Over the years, I watched Bart go from “Impulse the annoying” to “Kid Flash the amazing.” I learned to like him. A lot.

  When I decided to retire with the wife and kids, I had no hesitation about giving the Flash costume and identity to him. That’s what the Flashes do. We run our race, then we pass the baton to the next guy.

  I always figured I’d come back to check up on Bart–

  –not to catch his killer.

• The Brave and the Bold #5 – Batman and the Legion. Supergirl, Green Lantern and Adam Strange. And, what’s this..?! Another (somewhat different) Batman/Karate Kid fight? And what happens when you put a Kryptonian on a planet in a trinary-solar system? Three guesses. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
• Countdown: 41 – “Secret identities are such a pain…” Mary Marvel has a few moments of introspection. And, holy Titan A.E., Batman…. are Donna Troy, Jason Todd and Monitor #1 (I think) having a moment?:
  

  Donna: You deserve thanks, too, for helping our reality, and for helping Jason and me try to discover our places in it at last.
  Jason: She’s right. And we don’t even know your name.
  Monitor: Any gratitude paid me is irrelevant. My name is my mission– to maintain the balance in which you are elements and to prevent the coming of the Great Disaster.
  Jason: Then I’m gonna call you Bob.
  Donna: “Bob?”
  Jason: Because “To maintain the balance in which you are elements and to prevent the coming of the Great Disaster” is too much to say every time I want to ask you to pass the ketchup or something.
  Monitor: Mm. Very well, if calling me “Bob” will simplify matters for you, do as you will.

  And, , you’re going to want to pick this one up to see just who it was that kept Karate Kid from returning to the 31st Century.

• Green Lantern Corps #12 and #13 – Two dead Green Lanterns. Guy Gardner… the prime suspect?! Kilowog on a rampage. What’s wrong with Mogo? What are all of those… yellow… spores on its surface?
• Justice League of America #11 – First off, let me say how beautifully painted (or possibly drawn) this issue was; Gene Ha did some amazing work here. Brad Metzler wasn’t exactly a slouch either: Red Arrow and Vixen, buried alive. No signs of help on the way. And time is running out.
• Martha Washington Dies – This is the closing chapter in a book that Frank Miller started nearly twenty years ago, Give Me Liberty. I never read that book, but having read this one, I think that I might have to track it down.
• Superman #664 – Magic + Kryptonians = Not good (for the Kryptonian, that is). Arion apparently knows this. And using this knowledge, takes Superman down… Just before a newly-minted government team, dubbed “Squad K,” comes to kick Superman’s butt… Just before the Justice League comes to… well, you get the picture. And, as you can imagine, none of that does much to improve Superman’s mood.
• Superman/Batman #38 – Someone’s going around inciting fear in some of the citizens of Metropolis. And their ultimate target: A certain high-flying Kryptonian hero. But, the instigator is not The Scarecrow. Nor is it Sinestro nor anyone in his newly-formed Sinestro Corps. But, once their – and their co-conspirator’s – identity is revealed, I don’t think that you’ll be surprised at just who it is.
• Ultimate Power #5 and #6 – Irresistable Force (Nick Fury, along with the Ultimates, X-Men, Spider-Man and the FF), meet Unmovable Object (the Squadron Supreme). And… what usually happens when two groups of superhumans get together? That’s right: BIG. FIGHT. Knock-down. Drag-out. The only thing missing is hair-pulling. And, just who is that person lurking around the Helicarrier with Nick Fury? They look… familiar.
• Ultimate Spider-Man #111 – I stopped reading this title (regularly) almost a year ago. I saw the cover of this issue and decided to flip through it. The few pages that I read made me decide to take a chance on it. It wasn’t a bad choice. This issue was aptly titled “The Talk.” May Parker. Peter Parker. The kitchen table. And the truth about Spider-Man. In the words of the Rush song, Force Ten:
  

  
  Tough times demand tough talk
  demand tough hearts

  Well worth the price. This issue also sees the end of Mark Bagley’s run as writer. He has been on the book since it began, nearly ten years ago – these days, you don’t find a writer who sticks with a title for that long, especially at one of the big publishing houses. I won’t say that Mr. Bagley saved the best for last – he had some good stories along the way – but he definitely goes out with a bang.

Stray Toasters

• I have breathed new life into my LEGO and Bionicle LEGO watches! All thanks to the modern technology known as “new batteries.”
• Unfortunately, my clear-backed Fossil watch seems to have suffered fatal deceleration trauma. I need to take it into a jewelry shop and see if it can be made whole once more.
• Thanks to for sending me a link to this picture.
• Acolyte Derek’s training proceeds nicely, as evidenced by this post. He also gets bonus credit for this post, particularly the second cartoon – the seventh bullet point on this list is why… and he wasn’t aware of that item when he created his blog entry.
• : NPR is running a series called “Vocal Impressions: Hearing Voices,” where the commentator “…has been asking listeners to describe their impressions of famous voices.” They are currently on Round Six; Round Five apparently included “She Whose Sole Purpose On Earth Is for Me to Ridicule” (scroll down for the comments).
• Guitar Hero fans should take a look at this t-shirt.
• Down for the Count Profile: Karate Kid
• and/or : Glow-in-the-dark cross-stitch
• Tori Amos’ Big Wheel (video)

Namaste.

Monday (coda)
The post-work day has been somewhat productive.

• I got a new phone, as my old one was quite literally falling apart. I didn’t need anything incredibly fancy, so I went with the Motorola V3m.
• I looked in on a friend’s place, while he’s out of town.
• I cooked dinner (chicken breasts; rice, cooked in cream of mushroom soup; stir-fried vegetables)… and after it was done, fixed tomorrow’s lunch.

So, all-in-all, it wasn’t a bad evening. And I have a glass of Gewürztraminer (Holy crap, Firefox actually knows how to spell that… correctly) next to me. *nod* Not a bad evening at all.

I even caught online and chatted with her for a while. She pointed back in the direction of Monster by Mail. I then found the link to his Flickr page, with tons o’ zombified goodness. and I spent the next… half-hour or so stumbling across things that “fit” different people. Here’s what we came up with:

• and Tyranist: This should be up your alley.
• : You get two, this and this.
• : Pour vous… ceci
• : I saw this and thought of you.

And what conversation would be complete without the barbs and jabs…?

[21:03] : ah – for brad: http://flickr.com/photos/jawboneradio/670912335/
[21:04] : BWAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAH
[21:04] : You should [send] that to him… or post it.
[21:04] : i’ll let you 😀
[21:04] : you’ll be a hero
[21:04] : I already am… duh!
[21:04] : 🙂
[21:05] : i mean in the REAL world, silly
[21:05] : not where you dress in skirts 😉
[21:05] : I’m the Pope. What more do I need?
[21:06] : And, I look nice in that skirt.
[21:06] : I mean “shenti”
[21:06] : And I even shaved my legs for that!

Stray Toasters

• I really don’t feel like cleaning the kitchen. But, I will.
• and , this is a “Two birds, one stone” item: click here.
• Jelly Bellys.
• For :
• These Games Are So Bad, It’s Not Funny
• I have another idea for a lyric-to-drawing picture… and I think that it might supersede the one I’m planning on doing for Ed’s Song, because I can do this one much faster.
• The World Is Not Enough (video, by Garbage)
• Acolyte Derek posted a link to this video, done in LEGO. I countered with this video. And, I held this one in reserve, just in case… but I didn’t need it.
• I want another Sentinel Build-A-Figure.
• Jackie Chan (mp3)

And, that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 16 July 2007
It begins anew…

I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but I think that my body is on “automatic pilot” or something along those lines. I was up at 6:11 AM. That’s not really a bad thing, as the alarm is set to go off at 6:15 AM. The… unusual (?) part is: I haven’t done anything like this since I was in high school, I think. Sure, I know that it’s basically my circadian rhythms getting in line with the (rough) schedule that I keep. I just found it a little odd. I’m pretty sure that it’s why I’ve been getting up so early on the weekends, too, though.

There’s something that I neglected to note last night: I noted how the new table – when the leaves are collapsed – looks a little small in the dining room. That’s fine, because I don’t need a huge table… and when I do need more space, I can extend the leaves. TADA! But, the table – like Mother Hubbard’s cupboards – was a bit bare. I have the place settings that Sib-1 and gave me a few years ago on the table (and they look rather nice, I might add), but there was still something missing. Basically, it needed a centerpiece or something to break up the blandness.

I found the perfect thing – at least for now or until something else strikes me as possibly “better.”

When my grandmother died, my father asked me if there was anything that I wanted from the old house. At the time, I could only come up with one thing (technically “four,” but let’s not quibble): A set of angels that I had given my grandmother for Christmas many years ago. I’m not sure exactly what they are made of; I don’t think it’s plaster or ceramic, but it’s something along those lines. I had originally planned to put them someplace else, but opted to set the four of them – wings to the middle, facing away from each other – in the center of the table. I’m rather happy with them there and they look good, to boot.

Stray Toasters

• Read this.
• I actually took the time to eat breakfast this morning. Just a bowl of cereal, but still… it’s something.
• From the “Some Peoples’ Children….” file (NOT to be confused with the “Children of Some Peoples’ Children” file): Nev. couple accused of starving infants while playing video games.
• By way of : Tokyo Dance Trooper
• 
• Code Monkey very simple man
  With big warm fuzzy secret heart:
  Code Monkey like you

Namaste.

Sunday – 15 July 2007
I woke from an otherwise good sleep a few times this morning… “just because,” as best I can figure. Around 9:30, I had my fill of lying in bed, so I made my way to the Command Center. After a few minutes of surfing, messaged me to see if I was still interested in going to the driving range. I was, so I got ready and hit the road.

I had originally considered going to Pebblebrook, in Sandy, but we opted for Murray Parkway, instead. Nice driving range and you can use drivers there. We hit a couple of buckets of baskets of balls. She said that my form looked good, but she suggested that I move in – slightly – on the tee. Lo and behold, it made a decent difference in my drives – better contact and fewer ground-skimmers.

Afterwards, we headed to the Garden of Sweden. We’d worked up appetites on the range – and we had both skipped breakfast – so we decided to have lunch before shopping. Swedish meatballs. Salad. Potatoes. And “Chocolate Overload Cake.” Mm-hmm, that’s right. Then the shopping began. My mission: Dining room table. We wandered through the store, looking at other things, before going to get… the… the… um… Where are the tables that are supposed to be here?! *blink* The entire bin of boxes – no, where the boxes should have been – was empty.

*braincramp*

Fine. I went to find a sales associate. He looked. None in the store. I corrected him: There was one – the floor display upstairs. He made a call… and a short while later, I was the proud owner of a new table, at a discounted price. Selah. We loaded it into <lj user=”suzie_lightning”>’s car and brought it here. It looks good in the dining area… but in it’s “small” form, the room seems to swallow it. To me, that just means that I need something on the walls to fill the blank space. Good thing I have a couple of ideas of how to do that.

The Best
Although it’s not radically different from the original, I prefer the No Doubt version of It’s My Life to the Talk Talk version.

On the flip side, Genesis’ version of Land of Confusion still wears the crown, although the Disturbed cover isn’t bad… it’s just not the same. Likewise, I prefer the Don Henley rendition of The Boys of Summer to the version by The Ataris.

Stray Toasters

• I talked with the ‘rents today. They’re doing well.
• I exercised restraint in the Garden of Sweden, quite a feat for the Patron Saint of Poor Impulse Control.
• This looks interesting…
• The world is not enough
  But it is such a perfect place to start, my love
• For Derek: Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen #1
• If Daredevil is known as “The man without fear,” doesn’t it make more sense to juxtapose him with Hal Jordan (or any other Green Lantern), whose power derives from his/their ability to overcome fear (or, in Jordan’s case, be without fear)? Instead, they always stack him up against Batman. I can understand that, in the sense that aside from DD’s radar sense, he’s the closest thing to “baseline human without superpowers” to put up against Gotham’s protector… aside from the late Captain America. But still… *shrug*
• Pop Quiz: What do you do when the God of Hunger – the very same god you’re trying to destroy – shows up to say “Hi,” while you’re in the middle of trying to get one of the weapons you’re planning on using to destroy him?Did I mention “He’s a god,” already? I did? Okay… just wanted to be clear on that point.

  I think that it basically comes down to: “We’re boned.”
  (Remember Dunwich County? Yeah… that level of boned.)

• I realize that putting old shows on DVD and sticking ’em in your local video purveyor is the new “in” thing, but I would have never expected this show to get that treatment.
• Comic Urban Legend: Marvel Comics once had a line of female superhero comic books. Answer.

Time to figure out what I plan on doing for dinner… and what to do this evening.

Namaste.

Friday – 13 July 2007
Thank God it’s…

Last night, after deciding what to do for dinner – being lazy and not wanting to go out to eat – I decided to take on Paragon City’s criminal element. As soon as I logged in, I was invited to join a team comprised of a few members of my supergroup. We fought The Council and Freakshow… and a hybrid Nictus-Freakshow (think “Freakshow, with some of the raw power of a Peacebringer or Warshade”) called “Shadow Freakshow.” There was some dying – and debt – involved. But, when all was said and done, I had reached Security Level 31. And I was alright with that.

Stray Toasters

• I was about to look up something on the Nictus-infused Freakshow and mistyped “city of heroes” as “city of herpes.” I caught the mistake before I hit ENTER, but I am almost afraid to think about what the results for that search would have looked like.
• Jesse, meet Sam.
• (among others) might dig on this: Steampunk Batman costume – for sale on eBay (I’m pretty sure that this link will go dead shortly after the auction closes, but I couldn’t pass up posting it. Thanks to for pointing this out!)
• We are a part of the Rhythm Nation.
  (We are, according to Janet. “Ms. Jackson,” if you’re nasty.”)
• DC Direct Action Figure Archive
• 
• , can you identify the other person (the one not in red-and-blue) on this cover? He looks… familiar.
  (And since he’s running around in Countdown, does that make it a Legion crossover maxi-series?)
• My calves hurt.
• Be selective
  Be objective
  Be an asset to the collective
• Notable citizens of Salt Lake – I grok seven of those; the other three…? Not so much. And what about the ever-lovable B’Orrin Snatch?

Namaste.

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.

Wednesday – 11 July 2007
Last night was Harry Potter night. Many thanks, major kudos and a danke schen to for getting us tickets to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I thought that it was a good adaptation of (what I remember from) the book. Perfect? I don’t know that I’d call it “perfect,” but it was fun… exactly as a summer movie should be. I even referred to it as “…a great Star Wars movie.” No, there were no lightsabers or AT-ATs or Aluminum Falcons Millennium Falcons… but there was a very good wizards’ battle at the movie’s climax, which I thought had the same feel as the ‘saber battle in Empire Strikes Back – this is what I wanted to see. Go check it out.

Post-movie, I had dinner with , Mr. and Mrs. , Vikki and Chris. I found out that the went kayaking this weekend.

This morning, I woke up with a headache the size of… um… well, it hurt a lot. So I ignored the alarm (and the iPod) and rolled over to try and see if a little more sleep would help abate it. It did, to a degree. But, not enough of one.

Stray Toasters

• On the way to the theatre, Queen’s “A Kind of Magic” made its way into the iPod music rotation. It made me laugh.
• : You should touch base with ; he seems to have discovered an affinity for kayaking.
• 
• Transformers may be “More than meets the eye,” but what happens when they meet the Blendtec?
• By way of : Eyes Wide Shut – blindfolded artists draw their famous characters.
• 
• Pixel Mario cake made from cupcake squares
• Steampunk motorcycles

Attack the day like birds of prey…

Namaste.

Sunday – 08 July 2007: coda
Today was good. Lazy. Relaxed. And just… plain… good.
More about today after this break to backfill last night’s experience:

I neglected to mention that I went downtown last night to see Diane Schuur with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra. She put on a nice set. I think that I knew – somewhere in the back of my head – that she played piano, but for some reason spaced it off until seeing her play last night. *duhr* After her set, I stayed to watch Luther Hughes & The Cannonball-Coltrane Project, a five-piece band (upright bass, trumpet, sax, piano and drums) I liked them. Sure, some of the jokes between the songs were a bit stale/corny, but when they were playing… man, they were pretty hot.

I woke up this morning; I considered that a good start to the day. From there, I proceeded to do a whole lot of nothing for the next few hours. And that was fine. After a while, though, it wasn’t fine, so I decided to run a few errands.

And get a mocha.
Naturally.

Mocha was acquired. Errands were run. Then, it was time to find something for lunch… but I didn’t want the same old same. Jitterbug fit the bill, nicely. Post-food, I drove down to hang out with Kate, Perry and the kids for a bit… and came home with a few new pieces of plastic crack.

I did a few things around the apartment – including rehanging some pictures – before heading downtown to catch the final act of the Jazz Festival: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was the second time I’ve seen them in the past… year or so. And the show, though shorter, was every bit as good. They ended their set with Go-Daddy-O… and then filed offstage. People started leaving, but I stood in place – there was no way that they could end a show without doing their signature piece, So Long, Farewell, Goodbye. A minute or two later, they reappeared onstage and went into it. Before ending the song, Scotty broke into a few measures of Sweet Home Alabama and the rest of the band joined in. The crowd… went… nuts. I would love to hear them do a full version of that, I bet that it would rock eight ways from Sunday and in ways that Lynyrd Skynyrd never imagined. It was a great end to the festival. And, I may have to try and catch them in Vegas next month, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Stray Toasters

• I am talking with the lovely Ms. … and you are not.
• I am also enjoying a glass of Merlot. And you are not.
• Diamond Select will be adding a Sue Storm statue (click the image) to their catalog. It reminded me that I still wouldn’t mind tracking down one of their Jean Grey statues (click the image).
• Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
• 
• Steampunk Magazine – available for free download
• Indexed
• “…said the [click] to the [click].”
• Latest Chinese Safety Problem: Exploding Cell Phone Batteries
• , you may want to check this out.
• When I see this, the caption in my head says, “Daaaaaay-O! Day-ay-ay-O!”

Namaste.