Random Access

Wednesday – 11 April 2007
Two and change down, two to go.

Last night, after work, I met , Staci and Pat for coffee at Jitterbug. (Once again: If you’re in the Sugar House area, drop in and say “Hi” to Bruce and crew. The shop is at 1855 South 700 East.) Apparently, Tuesday night is Stitch ‘n’ Bitch – or a close analogue – night at Jitterbug. I walked in to see at least 12 people, knitting needles and yarn in hand… more showed up over the course of the evening.

Last night was All Flesh Must Die night. Or, it was supposed to be. We showed up. Gaming materials were produced. But, we didn’t play. Instead, we sat around and BS’ed the evening away… which was at least as much fun as playing would have been.

This morning started off with me attempting to procure a cup of frozen mocha goodness. The Fates, however, had different ideas. It would seem as though the machine from which the Blessed Elixir is given was broken. BROKEN!!! Frozen caffeinated salvation was not to be mine. Instead, I wound up getting iced mocha almost-as-goodness.

I would make an “Ice Ice Baby” reference here, but I am afraid that nearly everyone who read it would immediately assume that I meant the song by Vanilla Ice. That would be about as far from the truth as one could get.

My reference would be from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, from whom Mr. Van Winkle lifted the tag line… for which he was subsequently sued (second paragraph).

From there, it was on to the SLC office to pick up a few things that needed to come south of the county line. The road monkeys were intermittently annoying. Fortunately, the iPod picked up most of the slack, once again:

• Rush – Crossroads
• Snoop Dogg (ft. Pharell) – Drop It Like It’s Hot
• Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
• Snake River Conspiracy – How Soon Is Now
• Tina Turner – The Bitch Is Back
• Drowning Pool – Bodies
• Kool & the Gang – Jungle Boogie

Hearing Jungle Boogie put me not in the mindset of Pulp Fiction, but this.

Break’s over. Back on your heads.

Namaste.

Once again, the iPod was on the one:

• Rockapella – Fliptop Twister
• No Doubt – New
• Will Smith – Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head)
• David Bowie – Dead Man Walking
• Janet Jackson – You Want This

That’s not a bad way to start off.

::: EDIT :::
I just got back from my morning constitutional (a very brisk constitutional, it’s 41° F and windy) and I’m beginning to think that my iPod is channeling the sentience once attributed to ‘s Winamp.  It gave me three songs with good tempos for walking:

• Mansun & 808 State – Skin Up Pin Up
• Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl
• Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Mix)

This morning’s commute was made bearable – the road monkeys were in rare form today – with the help of:

• emmet swimming – Sunblock
• Digital Underground (ft. Tupac) – Same Song
• Theme from Men in Black: The Series
• emmet swimming – Fake Wood Trim
• Rush – Dreamline

How does your day sound?

Saturday (coda)
Today was a very good day.  After being far too lazy with my morning and early afternoon, I made it out to get a frozen mocha.  Then I thought about the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything, either.  So, I stopped at Barbacoa.  I came home and devoured the burrito and slaked my thirst with mocha.

and onlyaly had talked about getting sushi last night at Clitorati.  Having only tried it once before, I asked if I could join the outing.  So, the three of us – and – went to Tsunami (“Nucular Toonami!”).  We ordered a few different types… and I also ordered a squid nigiri.  And it was good.  All of it.  Well, all of it that I tried – there was one that had roe on it, of which I am not a fan, so I skipped that.  Since we were next to the movie theatre, we decided to see if anything struck our fancy.  We opted for Marky Mark and the Gun-toting Bunch…. I mean Shooter.  It was pretty good.  In fact, it was a little better than I was expecting.  But, for some reason, I kept thinking about The Big Hit, which I need to buy. We headed back to onlyaly and ‘s for a bit before breakfast.  And then… breakfast.  There was some decent people-watching tonight.  And I acquired a couple “new” chairs.

Stray Toasters

• 
• I played “Video Tag” with Tracy this afternoon.  Among some of the gems that were tossed around were:
• Michael Jackson at the Motown 25th Anniversary Celebration performing Billie Jean, featuring the first time that he did the moonwalk onstage
• Rockwell (ft. Michael Jackson) – Somebody’s Watching Me
• Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus
• Oran ‘Juice’ Jones – The Rain
• Duran Duran – Save a Prayer
• Eddie Murphy (ft. Rick James) – Party All the Time
• Phil Collins – In the Air Tonight (from the Miami Vice pilot)
• Don Henley – Dirty Laundry (live)
• Santana (ft. Rob Thomas) – Smooth
• Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F
• I found a dial generator for custom HeroClix figures.
• found these user icons.
  …and…
  They amuse me.
• The Astro City Rocket
• By way of : South Park and Life
• Inkscape

Namaste.

Saturday – 07 April 2007
Trying out Axis & Allies: War at Sea yesterday was fun. I played an Allied fleet, comprised of:

• HMS Rodney
• USS Baltimore (as if I was going to let that opportunity pass…)
• HMS Javelin
• F4F Wildcats (2)

Chris used a mixed Axis fleet, with four ships and a squadron of planes. We didn’t fight a historical battle, instead we fought for three objective points. I took out his planes, which happened to be bombers, in my first attack. He retaliated by taking out the Baltimore and Javelin in his next couple attacks. That’s not what one would consider a very auspicious start… even for a beginner. I was left with the Rodney and the planes. Against a battleship, a cruiser, an aircraft carrier, and a destroyer (I think). The carrier couldn’t really do any damage to me, so it was a bit of a non-factor. The rest of the fleet could be… troublesome. Fortunately, I the Luck Lords of Ventura were apparently with me: I wound up destroying the three main ships while his carrier hid behind an island.

Clitorati was good. I couldn’t get my head into drawing last night, so it was all about the socializing. Both and Ms. onlyaly made quote-worthy comments. I don’t think I’ll post the former… and I can’t remember the latter.  The crossword in this week’s City Weekly gave me a bit of a problem.  More specifically, the clue “donut like” was the primary antagonist.  I couldn’t figure out what 7-letter answer they wanted.   I had “OS_APED” staring me in the face for the longest time before I sussed out that it was supposed to be “OSHAPED.”  As in “O-shaped.”  As in “shaped like an O,” which most donuts are.  *sigh*  I’m a genius.
Last night, after Clitorati and trying to play a little CoH (detailed below), I hit the rack around… 1:30 or 2:00. And was awake at 4-something. And 7:00. Sharp. And a little after 8:00. And a little before 9:00. I hope that’s not an augury of how the rest of the day is going to be.

This morning, I watched the rebroadcast of “Lightning Storm” on today’s Legion of Super Heroes. I noticed something in the Legion tryouts that I had missed the first time: Fire Lad, Polar Boy and Night Girl – all members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes – were there.

And in a couple of other Legion-related items, : Click here and here.
The Scales of Justice
After getting home last night, I decided to go on patrol in Paragon City. I joined a team with a couple members of my Super Group and we took on The Freakshow. It was a little tough, we could have used some backup… but we did alright.

Until we got to the second floor of the building.

Then, two things happened:

1. We started getting our butts kicked. Repeatedly. Badly. Painfully.
2. Two of us started nodding off… in the middle of fights.

That’s not exactly a good combination. So, we scrubbed the mission. And I went to bed.

Stray Toasters

• I should really give serious consideration to getting dressed and getting something to eat.  Maybe even in that order.  Maybe not.  *shrug*
• Cyanide and Happiness – a webcomic from Explosm.net
• 
• The Codpiece of Terror!!!
• Sent to me by coworker Matt: My Humps… as done by Alanis Morrisette
• In case you haven’t heard of this already: House Ransacked After Craigslist Hoax
• 
• The Webcomic List
• From Broken Frontier: Webcomics Review: Sinfest
  
  (click image for the full strip)
• Microsoft dropping DRM from Zune Music Store
• They’re talking about Jurassic Park 4?  As if we needed another one.

Time to go play in the sunshine for a bit.  Or something like that.

Namaste.

Friday – 06 April 2007
Today’s been good. A cup of frozen mocha goodness in hand, I raced the monkeys to A.F. They weren’t too badly behaved, either. Of course, I had the help of a good driving soundtrack to distract me. The morning was low-key and quiet… just right for a Friday morning.

We just finished a team-building exercise. Quake III. Eight players. Lots of weaponry. Lots of (virtual) running around. It was fun. This may have to become an irregular regular Friday lunchtime feature.

After work, I’m heading over to Chris’ to check out Axis & Allies: War at Sea before heading to Clitorati.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to mention that I picked up 24: Season Two a few nights ago. $20 USD. Unfortunately, none of the other seasons were similarly marked down.
• Prices for ‘.com’ and ‘.net’ will rise
• I watched The Call of Cthulhu the other day. It was modern silent movie, made to look and feel like it had been made in the 20s. It did a good job of evoking the feel of the times, too.
• Opticon (live)
• Not just a new Hall of Justice…
  
  (larger images: 1, 2)

  …but a new Watchtower, too…
  

  

• Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line
  Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time
  Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line
  Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time
• By way of Derek: Origins of Rock Band Names
• Echo-X: The artwork of Echo Chernik

Namaste.

Tuesday – 03 April 2007
Another bright, shiny morning in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.  The morning begins – as all mornings should – with a cup of frozen mocha goodness.  Two shots.  Selah.  The race with the road monkeys wasn’t bad, but it was amusing: As I was getting onto I-15 from the I-215 interchange, I watched as four monkeys attempted the impossible (at least according to modern physics) – They tried to put themselves into the same space at the same time.  I noted this to coworker John and we came up with what I think would make good copy for an UCBD ad campaign on “How To Be an Ass-Monkey to Your Fellow Drivers”:

Drive offensively among others before they drive offensively unto you.

Of course, there would be ads for “How To Be a Sensible Driver,” as well.  Or we could just take it on faith that people have a modicum of common sense.  Or would that be giving them too much credit?

There was no game last night.  Instead, I hung out with Frankie and watched 24, an episode of Homicide and Hustle & Flow.  I hadn’t seen Hustle & Flow before… and I can’t figure out why I waited.  It was a good movie.  Very good.  Terrence Howard – and the rest of the cast – did an excellent job.  This is the second Craig Brewer movie that I’ve seen in the past month or so… and I have enjoyed them both.

The Scales of Justice
Last night,  The Hand of Nefer-Tem led a small team into The Hollows for a couple of missions against The Council and some Trolls.  Beatings were dispensed.  Justice was served.  The missions also advanced the missing Kheldians storyline.

…and I’m a short way from Level 20.  Which means that I need to start thinking about Costume #2, which will again be civilian clothes.  I haven’t settled on a look yet, but I think that I might go with something more casual and possibly a little more ethnic, in keeping with Nefer-Tem’s background.

Stray Toasters

• I got a trophy from .
• 50 Best Tech Products of All Time
• Eric Poulton has added to his Steampunk Star Wars collection: Sir Obi Wan Kenobi
• For: , and : This and this.
• Every breath a static charge
  A tongue that tastes like tin
  Steely-eyed outside to hide the enemy within…
• “The Difference” – from xkcd.com
  
• showed me this video… which was based off of this video, which is one of the banes of my existence.
• …and since we’re here anyway: The Internet is for PORN!!

Back to it.

Namaste.

In light of the upcoming Live Free or Die Hard,a new poll on IMDb which asks who is better at taking down terrorists: 24‘s Jack Bauer or Die Hard’s John McClane. I am a bit torn because both of them are damned good at what they do… but I lean towards Jack Bauer.
Opposing arguments:

• Jack Bauer, because of his job with CTU, has given up – and lost – A LOT in the process of catching the bad guy(s).
• One could argue that John McClane simply has the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the right time – I don’t think that any of his (mis)adventures came directly in the line of duty. Granted, in Die Hard 3, he he wound up on-the-job for part of the movie, because it happened in his back yard and on his shift… but Die Hard and Die Hard 2 both happened while he was on vacation.

I’m interested in seeing what the rest of you think, though. So…

To use the phrasing from the IMDb poll: “Who is the more bad ass for taking down terrorists?”
Jack Bauer (24)
John McClane (Die Hard)

Have at it.

Sunday – 01 April 2007
Okay, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way:  It was April Fools’ Day!  And, with that in mind: Top 100 April Fools’ Day Hoaxes of All Time.  There.  Now, we’re done.  Let’s continue…

Today was sunny and bright (for the most part).  I spent the first part of the morning/afternoon creating a giant mess of comics in the middle of my office floor.  I was boxing/reboxing some of my more recent acquisitions.  After that, I decided to get out and play in the sunshine for a bit.  First stop: REI.  Thanks, to the , I am now the proud owner of a set of golf clubs.  I think that he got a new set and rather than take the dual-wield skill, he gave me his old set.  Now all that I need to do is learn how to ruin a good walk.  Any takers?  From there, I headed to Jitterbug for lunch and chat with Bruce and company.  Next, I stopped at ‘ to drop off his paintball gear and to pick up some game books.

Back home for a bit before heading to catch a movie with .  Tonight’s fare:

…based on one of my favorite books, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman.  Being an adaptation, there were a number of things that the movie had to omit, but they left the heart of the book in it.  Scott Mechlowicz seemed to portray Dan Millman well and I felt that Nick Nolte was an excellent choice to play Socrates.  I recommend the movie almost as highly as I recommend the book; I plan to purchase the DVD when it is released.

 Four-Color Coverage
Yesterday, I mentioned the Legion of Substitute Heroes.  This afternoon, I came across the following while going through my collection:

Yesterday’s Legion toon episode did not include Fire Lad (on the left) or Polar Boy (second from the right), but it had the rest.  And they were played to just about the same amount of comic effect as they were in the books.

And now, for something not-so-different, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the four-color press for the past couple weeks:

• 52: Weeks Forty-Six and Forty-Seven – Closing the “One Year Later” gap.  We’re shown scenes that set the stage for the upcoming crossovers “World War III” and “Countdown.”  The issues had a couple of good scenes, but on the whole felt just… mediocre.
• Action Comics #847 – This was something of a filler issue, I think to help Geoff Johns and Richard Donner get their finalè to their Last Son storyline finished up.  This was a “Kents in Spaaaaaace!” issue, featuring Clark and Jonathan.  I didn’t remember that Dwayne McDuffie was slated to write this issue… but I usually like his work.  This issue was no exception.  The issue also featured the artwork of Renato Guedes.  I am not familiar with his work; he drew a great cover, but it will take a while for his style to grow on me as interior art.
• Black Panther #26 and Fantastic Four #544 – Reed and Sue take a leave of absence from the team to work out their issues.  But, since “The Fantastic Two” doesn’t inspire the same feel as “Fantastic Four” – and since the remaining two would fight each other almost as much as they would fight bad guys -  they called in a couple of substitute members: The Black Panther and Storm.  The duo fit in nicely – T’Challa takes on the leader/scientist role comfortably while Ororo falls easily into the nurturing mother/voice of reason role.  It was also interesting to watch the New FF interact with Uatu, The Watcher.  The encounter reminded me of the  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, “Q-Less,” where Q came to the station and expected Captain Sisko to treat him the same as Captain Picard had.  (Hint: Sisko didn’t.  Likewise, T’Challa didn’t deal with Uatu as Reed had.)
• The Brave and the Bold #1 and #2 – DC returns this team-up title to its regular lineup after a LONG hiatus.  With Mark Waid on story and George Perez on pencils, they hit the ground running.  The first issue opens with Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Batman discovering twin alien corpses… with matching wounds.  One in space… one in the Batcave.  The trail leads to Vegas and then to outer space, so the heroes split up and take on new partners as they follow the leads.  Issue #2 opens with Green Lantern and Supergirl heading to Ventura (imagine a planet-sized Las Vegas), while Batman and the new Blue Beetle continue on the Earth-side investigation.  Waid’s writing is sharp (I’m going to miss him on LSH) and Perez’ artwork is as clean and crisp as ever.
• City of Heroes #18 – Ms. Liberty and her other-dimensional doppelganger, Dominatrix, Minx, and LuminarySwan go out for a night on the town.  And it’s not long before a fight ensues.  Being Paragon City, it’s a super-powered cage match.  We also see Ms. Liberty and Dominatrix learn something about each other… and themselves.
• Elephantmen #8 – This was a good story of a battle-hardened soldier who’s trying to adjust to life after war.  We are introduced to Trench, another of the Elephantmen, who is a no-nonsense, take charge and take no prisoners zebra.  We meet him in the middle of a gunfight.  And we get to watch him work.

Stray Toasters

• I just found out that Garcia’s Pizza will be offering online domestic ordering soon.  I am not sure if this is a good thing (I haven’t had Garcia’s since I left Indiana) or a bad thing (cost).
• If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look at the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer.  Selah.  *genuflect*
• Matt and Tyranist: Check out Comic Book Urban Legends #96, specifically the Wolverine-Magneto item.
• Moonlight Sonata
• Diodesex
• Derek, my acolyte/apprentice, made a picture of me as a South Park character:
  

  I was amused.

• chrisGcomics
• By way of Matt: 300, the PG-rated version
• I have a new supply of Cadbury Creme Eggs.
• and I were pondering the following: If Disney did an animated feature with Death, as a new “Disney Princess,” what would she look like?
• I need to buy a football and a Frisbee®.
• Pencils made from creamated humans

And that’s good for now.

Namaste.

The geek factor is on “High” today:

1. I set up a new Linux machine to play with… I mean… um.. “for testing.”  Yeah, that’s what it is.  “Testing.”  As it was going through the install, it asked for a name for the computer.  I drew a blank.  My Windows test machine is named “Valkyrie,” so I figured that I would choose something that would work well, thematically, with it.  Still drew a blank.

   Then a name popped into my head:  “Serra.”

   As in Angel.
   As in Magic: the Gathering.

   I winced, just a little, as I entered the name into the dialog box.

2. I’ve had a recurring image/scene go through my head for the past few days.  It’s a little disturbing, but it also makes me chuckle when I think about it.

   In it, there I see Leonidas, king of the Spartans from 300, standing on the shores of Thermopylae.  Before him, Xerxes and the combined armies of the Persian Empire stand ready to attack.

   As the image widens out, there are no loincloth and cape-wearing Spartans, standing behind him.

   Instead, there are 300 Master Chiefs, from HALO.

   For those of you who don’t get the reference, the Master Chief is a cyborg.  More specifically, he’s a Spartan-II Super Soldier.

   Having seen what just one Master Chief did to the Covenant, I’m Ivory Soap sure that 300 of them could easily handle the Persian army.

Wednesday – 28 March 2007
Two-and-a-half down…
Two-and-a-half to go.
The back half of yesterday’s work day was decent. Post-work, I stopped off for coffee and drawing time; the new drawing is coming along… slowly, but there is progress being made.    called and asked if I had any plans for dinner; I didn’t. She suggested Macaroni Grill. How could I refuse? I mean, after all, it’s a restaurant where you can draw on the tables! I was in. Dinner was good and I had enough leftovers to constitute a decent lunch. Unfortunately, they are still in my refrigerator. *facepalm* Oh, well… if nothing else, I can have them for a tasty dinner tonight. Finished off the last two episodes of The West Wing‘s first season, last night, too. I need to find Season 2. And 3. And… well, you get the idea. But, I don’t really want to kick out $300 for the seven-season box set.

This morning, I woke to snow. Yay. Fortunately, it wasn’t cold enough for it to stick to the roads… but that didn’t stop the road monkeys from driving as though it was a natural disaster.  (Packed like lemmings into shiny, metal boxes…)  At one point, there was a lady driving down I-15 with a LOT of traffic stacked up behind her: because she was going about 50 down the center lane. The road was wet. Barely. And she was doing 50. And white-knuckling the steering wheel. I simply listened to Carnival (*shakes fist at ) and then to the first half of Hold Your Fire and cruised into the office.

The work day hasn’t been bad. So far. I’ve had a couple of brushfires to deal with, but n-n-n-nothing too serious. (Lookit that: I snuck in an Icehouse reference. Go me. I rock.) And, I should be able to ease on down the road around 4:30, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Stray Toasters

• I still crave Krimpets of Butterscotch.  And Phillip’s crab cakes.
• Nyx and m3lodywise:  Check out this tattoo.
• If you’re very very quiet
  And you do not make a sound
  I’ll share a little secret
  That seems a bit profound
  Each thought that is imagined
  Gains a life its own
  And drifts into reality
  Looking for its home
• Snow.  *shakes head*
• Micro$quat has announced the Xbox 360 Elite.  Does this mean that somewhere down the road we’re going to see the Xbox 360 Grunt, Xbox 360 Hunter, Xbox 360 Jackal (They called him ‘The Jackal’…) and Xbox 360 Flood?
• It’s a great big universe
  And we’re all really puny…
  But these things are smaller still.
• Dr. Blair and the 10¢ plan.
• Synchronicity II
• Mr. Murdock looks like he’s about to whoop some ass.
• I don’t have anything to add here, so come up with your own punchline: Hotmail users deemed too dumb for employment at firm.
• Great monkey-squeezin’ Jesus… I haven’t seen this video in YEARS!
• Which Philip K. Dick story are we living in today?

Quote of the Day

[13:14] Sarah: have you seen the new Trix?
[13:14] ShadorunrWORK: Nuh-uh.
[13:14] Sarah: they are…. wait for it
[13:14] Sarah: NEW SHAPE:  ROUND
[13:14] Sarah: …
[13:14] ShadorunrWORK: Wait…
[13:14] Sarah: uh huh
[13:14] ShadorunrWORK: Weren’t Trix round when we were kids?
[13:14] Sarah: yup
[13:14] ShadorunrWORK: >.< [13:14] ShadorunrWORK: So "new hotness" Trix is really "old busted" Trix? [13:15] Sarah: and then they went all weird and made them "fruit shaped"... a lot like runts... and now...WOW!  ROUND!  UGH!

“That’s the thing about birthdays and Quik (and, apparently, lunch hours…), they go by so fast.”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 March 2007
One down, one in the chamber and three to go.

So far, the day’s been decent.  The road monkeys weren’t unbearable this morning, as they swung from branch to branch… I mean “lane to lane.”  For the most part, traffic flowed nicely.  I have coffee.  And there was apparently an IT task that was assigned that neither I nor our office director knew nothing about.  Greeeat.  Fortunately, it’s not a huge deal, but when I asked him about it, he had the same deer in headlights look that I had when I was originally asked about it; that made me feel a little better.  Oh, well.

Last night, we were supposed to shoehorn in a D&D session.  But, we didn’t.  So, I watched a few episodes of Justice League – including one from the second season that I had somehow neglected to watch! – and played some online poker…. until it was time for 24.  While not as amusing as 24: ATHF, it was still good.  Then, some online poker.  I also watched The Guardian – it wasn’t a horrible movie.  Near its end, I half-expected Whitney Houston to show up and sing I Will Always Love You.  Of course, when I first heard about the movie, I had the not-so-serious urge to photoshop her into a copy of the movie poster and retitle it The BodyGuardian.  Go figure.
Stray Toasters

• I have a slice of frosted carrot cake.
• I like Gwen Stefani’s new song, The Sweet Escape.  It’s bouncy and catchy.
• Ever have one of “those” days?  I get the feeling he has.  In fact, I’d say that he’s having one now…
  
  (click image for preview of Green Lantern #18)
• loves me.  How do I know?  Because she sent me a link (no pun intended) to this.
• Super Mario Brothers… done with LEGO bricks and figures.
• …and while on the subject: LEGO Batman Videogame in 2008
• Square Peg.  *sigh*
• The Pursuit of Happyness (not misspelled, thank you) is out on DVD today.  If you haven’t seen this movie, now is your chance to do so.  It’s a great story.
• Create a mascot for a Woot sports team
• This sounds suspiciously like a certain (non-IT) job I had not too long ago…
  
• It’s more than “a little” geeky, but I like this doormat.

Quote of the Day

[09:00] : eh!
[09:00] Scott: sup
[09:01] : Thought that this might amuse you:
[09:01] : ‘The Transformers’ appear on the internet’s worst website
[09:01] Scott: eh?
[09:01] : http://www.comics2film.com/
[09:01] : second item in “The Latest News”
[09:02] Scott: hahahahahahah oh god.
[09:02] Scott: Do we get Optimus Prime’s blog?
[09:03] : bwahahahaha
[09:04] : “Dear Diary:  Today, I got my oil changed.    There was a very cute Nissan Xterra there.  Red.  With racing stripes.   She was hawt!”

Namaste.

I just found a link to the video for emmet swimming’s Arlington.

Not bad for a Monday lunchtime.

Enjoy!

Sunday – 25 March 2007
Another weekend comes to a close. It’s been a good weekend, quiet and low-key. I had given some rather serious thought to a road trip (of sorts) this weekend, but opted to wait a while.

Saturday started with the Legion, found me in Park City in the afternoon and ended with episodes of The West Wing and late-night breakfast. One of the episodes was “Six Meetings Before Breakfast.” The title triggered a memory waaay back in the deep, dark recesses of my mind… but I couldn’t figure out why until I looked at the chapter listing: It was the episode in which Allison Janney’s character, C.J., did a lip-synch of The Jackal. For some reason, I didn’t think that happened until Season 2 or 3; I was quite pleased to find out that I was wrong. Quite pleased, indeed.
Today was rather mellow, as well. I started off with a trip to Paragon City with Nefer-Tem. I joined a team and put on… a level and a half, possibly a little more than that. After that, I hung out with at Borders and did some drawing. Actually, today was more “doodling” than anything, but I finally figured out how I want my next lyrics-to-drawing piece to look. I did the rough sketch for it and I’m pretty jazzed about working out the details.

After Borders, we decided to catch a movie: Reign Over Me, starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. There were also a number of other fairly well-known faces/names in the movie, including Donald Sutherland and Robert Klein. I’m not a huge fan of Adam Sandler; I’ve found him to be intermittently funny, but his name in movie credits isn’t an automatic draw for me. In this role, however, I think that he did an amazing job. Don Cheadle, as usual, put in an excellent performance, as well. This wasn’t necessarily an “easy” movie to watch, but it was well worth seeing. The movie started out with a song by Graham Nash, Simple Man; I don’t think that I had heard it before tonight, but I like it.  And, as one might infer from the movie’s title, the movie featured a couple of versions of The Who’s Love Reign O’er Me, a favorite of mine.  I highly recommend the movie.

Stray Toasters

• I was talking with someone about Phillip’s earlier today… and I’ve been craving their crab cakes ever since.
• Dinosaur
• “Say, who do you think would win in a fight? The Ninja Turtles or the Power Rangers?”
  
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?” file: Chinese burn Viagra replicas for randy ancestors
• Each life has its place…
• , there are a few cameos at the end of Justice Society of America #4 that might interest you.
• The Year Without Toilet Paper
• Wizard’s Eighth Rule
• Shade, the Changing Man
• Because it’s been a while since I linked it: Rollin’ with Saget
• It looks as though Hugo Weaving may be providing the voice of Megatron in the upcoming Transformers movie.

Namaste.

Thursday – 22 March 2007
Four down, one to go.

Today was a rather decent day. It started with frozen mocha goodness and a trip to the SLC office. Neither of which is a bad way to start the day. Then, it was on to the south office. The day was relatively problem-free; and it was slow enough to allow for two constitutionals. The lunchtime workout was good, too – a focused triceps workout.

Post-work, I skipped picking up my four-color shwag and got home a little before six. I was in a Barbacoa mood, so I had a steak burrito for dinner and watched V for Vendetta. (March Madness = CSI: ) Good movie and a nice way to wrap up the day.

Random Access
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you read
The songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure
To your eye

One for all and all for one
Work together
Common sons
Never need to wonder
How or why

Whenever I watch V for Vendetta (1, 2, 3, 4), I am struck not only by its similarities to George Orwell’s 1984, but also to the Rush concept piece/rock opera, 2112. The three of them are set in dystopian societies where the government provides all of the necessities and good things in life. And they would never mislead their citizenry. And everyone works for the betterment of god and country.

In the three stories, we are introduced to “the outsider,” the one who sees between the cracks of the grand facade and recognizes that all is not well. In two of the stories, he is also the one who wishes to bring change and freedom to his blissfully ignorant brethren: V and the “narrator” in 2112. In 1984, Winston Smith is not necessarily out to overthrow The Party and/or Big Brother, or even enlighten his fellow citizens, as much as he enjoys subverting the system by partaking in restricted/forbidden pleasures.

The stories differ in their resolutions and in how their protagonists end up:

• In V for Vendetta, V sacrifices himself, knowing that he has shown people the way to free themselves. We are shown that V represented ideas or ideals – greater than any one person – and it didn’t matter who was behind the mask: V was everyone… and no one, at the same time. He represented the unspoken – and in some cases, unimagined – hopes, dreams and ideals of the faceless masses and the forgotten.
• In 2112, the narrator, realizes that he alone cannot fight the power of the Priests and the Solar Federation. In desperation/despair, he commits suicide. Ironically, just after this act… the “Elder Race,” the enlightened, legendary forebears of the Solar Federation who left (Earth) return, with the proclamation: “We have assumed control…”
• In 1984, Winston Smith is captured by Party loyalists and reprogrammed to follow convention and embrace the love of The Party and Big Brother.

I also find it… oddly amusing that I wound up watching the “Vote Different” parody of Apple’s 1984 Mac ad earlier and then watching V for Vendetta tonight.
Stray Toasters

• I have another idea for a lyric-to-drawing piece.
• By way of Derek, Bunny suicides – Some of these are just… “wrong,” but they’re also eerily amusing.
• Also by way of Derek: Lego Aircraft Carrier. I have chosen a good acolyte. *nod*
• Chess Enlightenment, from xkcd.com
• , you might be interested in this: Batgirl 13″ Deluxe Collector Figure
• HeroClix is getting a Fifth Anniversary update.
• It was twenty years ago today
  Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play…
  But, who taught the good sargeant to play?
• From Games Radar: The Top 7 – PR Disasters
• Return of the Super Pimps. I have no joke here. In fact, I’m not exactly sure what to say…

Quote of the Day

It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to no one. I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An inch. It is small and it is fragile and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must NEVER let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the worlds turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you, I love you. With all my heart, I love you.

Valerie Page, V for Vendetta

Namaste.