Random Access

Friday – 21 March 2008
Today is Good Friday.
And it’s a “good Friday,” to boot.
Win-Win.

This morning’s commute was to the tune of 2112: Overture and Temples of Syrinx.
At lunch, and I are going to Ye Olde Driving Range.
(Did you know that “Ye” is actually supposed to be pronounced “the?” It is.)

Stray Toasters

• The Red Balloon that’s a few doors down from Dr. Volt’s has gotten a new shipment of Rokenbok. In the shipment was Tower of Rok Mania. I deem that this shall be the next addition to my collection. (And, to be honest, I wouldn’t mind adding another Monorail Metropolis Start Set to the equation, either.)
• SaraRules is helping to… tame… the volumes of comics that I have – at least the ones here behind the Zion Curtain. Until a couple weeks ago, they were stored in seven long boxes in one of my closets. Currently, they are stacked – unboxed – in my living room. When stopped by yesterday to take SaraRules to lunch, he saw the stacks. After lunch, he asked me how many comics I have. I asked if he meant here or overall. “Both.” So, after a few minutes of mental gymnastics, I figured that I have:
  • UT: roughly 2500
  • MD: 1200 – 1400
  • NC: between 2000 and 2500 (probably closer to 2500)
• broke someone’s day; I am proud of her for the method with which she did so.
• Soft Pretzels: Round 2 – tonight.
• I was reminded of a tech fact about “cookies” that I had forgotten (and a fact of which most people are unaware):
  

  Cookies are a way for a server to store information about the user (on the user’s machine) so that the server can remember the user over the course of the visit or through several visits. Think of a cookie like a name tag: You tell the server your name, and it gives you a name tag. Then it can know who you are by referring back to the name tag.

  Cookies have gotten a bad rap because users believe cookies allow a server to know too much about them. However, a cookie can only be used to store information that you give it, so it’s as secure as you want it to be.

• This made me laugh.
  (It even made laugh, too!)
• David Letterman’s “Top Ten Reasons to Watch the New Season of Battlestar Galactica“:
  
• I have a possible new addition to the Covet List: Tetris Mirror Pieces
• if (!$error) {
  print ‘Looks like you might actually have SOME idea of what you’re trying to do!’;
  } else {
  print ‘You FAIL…’;
  }
• Why Pulling the Fire Alarm at the Gas Station Is a Bad Idea
• 

This post has been brought to you by the letters “C” and “Y” and the number 2112.

Namaste.

Thursday – 20 March 2008
Today is the first day of Spring.
(Oddly enough, the weather here seems spring-like. Go figure.)

<< Rewind <<
After dinner last night, SaraRules and I walked down to the Red Mango and had cups of yogurt for dessert. It was not, however, the frozen yogurt that I was used to. It was… tart; it is apparently closer to the “plain” yogurt than it is to the frozen yogurt that most places sell. This is not to say that it wasn’t good, though. It was. I had dark chocolate chips and sliced almonds in it, for flavor.

After we got back to the apartment, we watched the second disc of I Am Legend, the unreleased-in-theatres version. There were a few things that were a little closer to the book, but still not… quite… there. And I wasn’t as satisfied by the revised ending as I was the theatrically-released ending.

> Play >
Today has been a good day, all around. I worked out of the south office today; longer commute, but that also meant that I got to go to the gym. And, as an added bonus: Wes was in AF again, so he worked out with us. Speaking of which, today’s workout consisted of:

• Pull-ups: 3 sets/10 reps (2½ unassisted sets, ½ assisted set @ 80 lbs)
• Leg Raises (full extension): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps (2 sets/225 lbs, 1 set: 205 lbs/6 reps, 185/3 reps)
• T-bar Rows: 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs
• Push-ups: 3 sets/20 reps

We tried max bench press again today, but at 285 pounds. Eric was able to lower it, but couldn’t lift it; I managed to get one rep. One very slow rep. But, I did it. It’s not 300, but it’s back on the road to it.

Pre-workout weight: 174.8 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• I realized a little earlier today that I can make a centaur – like Force Commander or Baron Karza – out of my Stikfas.
• By way of

  

• By way of

  

• And, speaking of the Old Ones: Corben and Lovecraft at Marvel in June
• How to Visit a Microbrewery
  (Come on… do we really need instructions on this one?!)
• 
• Pulp Vixens
• Kevin Conroy will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight DVD
• Movie posters… redone in LEGO and LEGO Steampunk in 50 Bricks or Less

Namaste.

Tuesday – 18 March 2008
Last night, SaraRules and I joined and went to An Evening with Garrison Keillor at Abravanel Hall. It was a lot of fun. He talked, told stories, sang a few songs. It was like an extended version of “…the news from Lake Woebegon,” with a couple of sprinklings of personal connections thrown in.

After we got home, we lazed around watching TV and just hanging out. A little after midnight, I started getting really tired. REALLY tired. That almost never happens that early. But, it did last night. And I was in bed and knocked out before 12:30. That almost never happens, period.

I slept in a bit this morning. When the alarm went off, I wanted no part of that whole “being conscious” thing. The extra sleep was good. And the work day hasn’t been bad, either.

A little before lunch/gym time, I watched Sen. Barack Obama’s speech on race.

(read the transcript of the speech here, from The New York Times)

It was a very good speech. Aside from a a paragraph or two about 25 or so minutes into the speech, there wasn’t much politicking in it. There wasn’t, in my opinion, a lot of sniping or snarky remarks about his opponents. It was a solid discourse on his relationship with his former minister and why, despite the comments that Rev. White made, he is not “disowning” or disavowing his connection with the man. I don’t want to go into too much detail about it, rather I’d say watch the video or read the transcript (or both) and decide for yourself.

Workout
Today’s workout didn’t cover a lot of exercises, but it was good and tiring:

• Pull-ups: 3 sets/10 reps (2 unassisted sets, 1 assisted set @ 80 lbs)
• Leg Raises (full extension): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps (2 sets/225 lbs, 1 set: 225 lbs/6 reps, 205/3 reps)
• T-bar Rows: 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs
• Lunges (dumbbell, one-leg): 2 sets/10 reps, 15 lbs (each hand)

We tried – TRIED – max press again today… for the first time in far too long. Eric started at 300 lbs. Neither of us made it. I was able to lower the weight and get it to… 3 or 4″ above my chest, but at that point, I stalled. Eric lifted the weight before I could try it again. When it was his turn, he stalled at about the same spot. We’ll try again Thursday, I presume, but most likely with a little less weight.

The lunges were not fun. I was wobbly and winded after them. I guess that means that I need to either do more of them and get better at them and/or start doing more cardio.

Pre-workout weight: 174.4 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• I haven’t really drawn anything in months. But, I’m intrigued by Project Rooftop’s Iron Man Invincible Upgrade.
• I Am Legend and Enchanted hit the shelves today; I shall have to acquire both.
• Wooster Collective – A Celebration of Street Art
• Butterfingers® are tasty.
• The Wit and Wisdom of Prince Philip
• From xkcd: “Unscientific”

  

• Dream Girl and Star Boy seem to feature prominently in this weekend’s episode of Legion of Super Heroes. I wonder if the show will portray anything of their classic in-comic romance…?
• KidsWB is soon to be no more. The Batman ended two weeks ago. Legion will end on 05 April 2008. *sigh* It was good while it lasted.
• Comcast wants to put a camera in your cable box
• I haven’t acquired any cotton candy in a while. I should rectify that.
• Do doo do-do-do

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 – 14 March 2008
First off: Happy Hatching Day to :

And, as made a post about it being Steak & Blowjob Day:

Now, on to our regularly scheduled programming.

After work, I stopped to say “Hi” to Kate, Perry and the kids on the way home. Then, it was on to Target to pick up a few things and then home. I got home a little after 8:30, figuring that I would catch the tail end of CSI: while I waited for dinner to cook. I need not have worried – it was a rerun. I channel-surfed while eating dinner. Then it was time to take it to the streets… of Paragon City. I ran a solo Vanguard mission and then joined an SG-mate and a few others for a 50+ mission. By the time I was done, I was over half-way to Security Level 47.

This morning, I got up to take the car in for an oil change and to get the driver’s side front turn signal assembly replaced. The first question Ian (the associate who usually handles my car service issues) asked was: “Can you leave it with us for a couple of hours?”

*blink blink*

The light assembly is mounted behind some restraining brackets and the bumper – which is why I’m not replacing it myself – but I didn’t think it was going to take quite that long. So, I rescheduled for tomorrow morning. Undaunted, I left the dealership and met Perry for pre-work coffee.

And it’s been snowing. Again. Yee-haw.

Stray Toasters

• was talking with Coworker DaveW about a new Pontiac commercial. I was intrigued because he said that it was a take on the old Spy Hunter game. So I checked it out for myself. The commercial is chock full of awesomeness:
  
• What are your operating system, web browser and email client(s) of choice?
  I’m an OSX and WinXP, Firefox (both platforms) and Thunderbird (bot platforms) user.
• Thanks to for the following:

  
  …and…
  
  A… cardinal… who wants to be….
  Oh, Hell… I if I have to explain it, just move 0n.

• From CNN: They would rather die than get help
• WOWIO
• PHP
• From xkcd: “Morning”
  
• This link leads to action-figure.com‘s coverage of Toy Fare 2008. It has MANY things that could be added to the Covet List there. Many, indeed.

And, thanks to putting in some extra hours on the front end of the week, today will be an abbreviated work day. Amen.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 12 March 2008
Mid-week.
(As I typed that, I heard

Midnight, and it’s raining outside…

…the opening line from “Midnight,” by Yaz (Upstairs at Eric’s) run through my head.

I went to Chris and Mary’s, after work, to play dolls HeroClix with Chris. He wanted to test a couple of figures before he plays in a tourney next month; I wanted to try out a couple of new figures. He cleaned my clock, but I learned a few things about how to better use a couple of figures, including:

• Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
• Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and
• Time Trapper

Chris was a little disappointed with the way the new Kyle Rayner figure plays, but I thought that it was alright. And we both agreed that WizKids should do an updated (read: “less underpowered”) John Stewart figure. *shrug* Maybe in the next set…

Today has been good. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary to report.
No sushi today.
No comics. Yet. But, soon… Soon…

Stray Toasters

• I came home last night to find a package from my father waiting for me. Random assortment of things (no Butterscotch Krimpets, though), but some neat stuff, nonetheless.
• YouTube Everywhere
• Vih-Dee-Ohs
  • Star Wars, as described by a 3-year-old
  • Star Trek: Closer
  • Star Trek: The Wrath of Farrakhan
  • National Spelling Bee

  And, just for the record: “Closer” and “Spelling Bee” are quite NSFW. You have been warned.

• What Real-life Dungeon Exploration Might Look Like, Graduate Students in Tow
• I have been using this image as my desktop wallpaper in the SLC office for… three or so weeks now:

  

  I adapted it from this image, which is part of the cover for the Incognegro graphic novel. And here is an article on the book, from The New York Times.

• Southwest grounds planes, places three on leave
• Rock Me, Amadeus

  
  (click image for more information)

• Surveyor of the Superheroes: Kaveney talks new book
• ‘Oldest Profession’ updates to a wired world
• …and, in a related note, it seems as though David Paterson will be assuming the role of Governor of the State of New York as of 17 March 2008, making him New York’s:
  • …first Black governor
  • …first visually-impared (legally blind) governor and
  • …first disabled governor since FDR
• Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub
  

  * Why did Utah name its capital, Fillmore, after the president (and the county it is in, Millard, too)? The Mormons wanted to join the U.S. They wanted to be a state. Congress and the executive branch were nervous about taking in a state so large (at the time the state covered most of Nevada and chunks of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho — larger than Texas as I recall) and there was active opposition to taking in a state run by Mormons. So the Mormons moved the capital to Fillmore — more centrally located, and out of Salt Lake City where the Mormons had their temple and a lot of people. Then they named the capital after the president, hoping to curry his favor and that of the Whig Party partisans. It didn’t work. The proposed State of Deseret was carved up, and Utah didn’t get statehood until 1896 — after even Nevada.
  (from the site’s “Sources on Millard Fillmore” page)

  Fillmore is one of the towns I go through on the way to/from Cedar City.

• PHP and arrays.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 11 March 2008
One down, one in the chamber and three to go.

Last night, I got home and flopped on the couch. I watched the tube for a bit. Then I realized that eating dinner would be a good thing. Then I remembered that I had planned to cook dinner. So, off to the kitchen to do it.

Objective: Spaghetti and sauce.

I seasoned and cooked the ground beef. I added tomato sauce and paste. Spices and sugar. (Yes, “sugar.” I use sugar in my spaghetti sauce recipe.) I cooked the pasta. And I even made garlic butter for a few slices of garlic bread. Tasty.

Dinner and more TV. Top Gear, Law & Order and an episode of JLU. Having gotten my “watching superheroes” fix, I decided to give in to the dark side my “playing superheroes” fix. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a team to join and got beat down by an end boss in the solo mission that I ran. (Fortunately, I clued in on something that will let me defeat him if I try to solo the mission again.) After licking my wounds, I decided that I wasn’t in the mood for much more CoH, so I logged out and watched Jonny Quest. The classic series, not the 8os or 90s revival.

Then, an early (for me) night, as I was apparently rather tired.

Today hasn’t been bad: I wound up sleeping in a bit. Not horribly so, but enough to get rested. Up, dressed and out the door in (fairly) short order.

Workout
Today’s workout was… work. Muscle-fatiguiging work. “Break out in a serious sweat” work. Which, after the fact (LONG after the fact, that is) wasn’t such a bad thing. Today’s routine:

• Dips with Leg Raises: 3 sets/10 reps
• Pull-ups: 3 sets/10 reps (2 unassisted sets, 1 assisted set at 80 lbs)
• Decline Press: 3 sets (1: 185 lbs/7 reps, 135/4 reps; 2: 185/6 reps, 135/4 reps; 3: 145/15 reps)
• Bent-over Rows: 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Tricep Press (dumbbell, overhead, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• “Good Mornings”: 3 sets/60 lbs

Today’s pre-workout weight: 174.6 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• I watched a little of Thundarr the Barbarian last night. Wow. “The road to Hell…”
• Star Wars Guide to the Presidential Candidates
  and
  Presidential Candidates as Monster Manual monsters
• Glenn Medieros (ft. Bobby Brown): She Ain’t Worth It
  
• Geoff Johns: Secret Origins and Blackest Night
• From Weblog Tools Collection: Who Comments on Blogs, and Why?
• Free! – Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business
• 
• 10 Things You Didn’t Know About David Paterson
  • WHO is David Paterson? Click here for more information.
• By way of Drew: Apple Shooter
• City of Heroes Veteran Award: 39 Months – Ardent
  Okay, this just cracks me up.  “I played for 39 months… so I could create Rocky?!”

Namaste.

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…?

Monday – 10 March 2008
Oh I could hide ‘neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings
The six o’clock alarm would never ring
But it rings and I rise, wipe the sleep out of my eyes
My shaving razor’s cold and it stings

Welcome to the jungle first work week of Daylight Saving Time. “Saving.” No second “s.”

It was dark when the alarm went off this morning.
It was dark when the second alarm went off, too.

But, we had to get up and get under way. So we did.

<< Rewind <<
After our excursion to the Garden of Sweden, SaraRules and I went home and started putting together the new display case. At the point that we realized that the drill was out of power, we decided to take a homework/City of Heroes break. By the time I stopped playing, Nefer-Tem was Security Level 46… and a couple of bars on his way to 47.

Dinner. Which meant a run to the store. (Two runs, actually, but that’s a detail that we really don’t need to focus on.) Soft tacos. Tasty.

After dinner, we finished assembling the case and decided to settle in and watch a movie. We watched Brick, which I had not seen before. It starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, possibly best known for his role as Tommy Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun. It was an interesting and unusual movie. It had a film noir sensibility about it – if you examined the characters, it was easy to see their noir roots/counterparts. It was a smart film, well-written with solid acting and dialogue.

> Play >
This morning, we had IKEA cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast (which allowed for a wee bit more sleeping in than if we had gone to Paradise) before heading out.

There may be a nap in the offing for this afternoon.

But for now, there’s PHP, SQL and Windows Server 2003 to be dealt with.

Namaste.

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.

Saturday – 08 March 2008
When I got home from work yesterday, SageWater was done.  Completely.  Down to the repainting.  If I hadn’t seen the holes in the walls and ceiling, I wouldn’t even know that work had been done.

Clitorati was very small last night.  Intimate, even.  But, still quite fun.

I slept poorly last night.  *shrug*

The morning started off well, though.  New episodes of LSH and The Batman… and it was the series finale of The Batman, as well.  After toons and breakfast, SaraRules and I watched last year’s college dunk competition and 3-point shootout (won, overall, by Katie Gearlds… from Purdue!) and moved some of the furniture back to their prior positions.  A few of them found new positions.  We also found a home for the artwork that I bought in Cedar last year.

Off to see Kate, Perry and the kids.  And to do some minor network maintenance.

Next up: Dinner with SaraRules’ family.

Back home for comics and TV.

Stray Toasters

• I need to pick up a new Robin to complete my original Teen Titans set.   Maybe I’ll swing by Dr. Volt’s tomorrow and pick one up.
• I’m listing my 17″ and 21″ CRTs on Craigslist tomorrow.
• Teller survives zombie uprising with conjuring and sniper rifle
• 
• Steampunk animal skull sculptures

Next on the docket: Breakfast with the usual suspects.

Zoom.

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:

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.