Random Access

Tuesday – 16 November 2010
The second half of November is upon us.

Last night, and Nathan came over to watch the Eagles-Redskins game. More on that later.

After the game, I went to work on my model railroad. I was trying to incorporate the 90º crossover and two more switches… but couldn’t get a the pieces to line up. Rather than fight it (too much), I decided to call it a night and ponder the issue today. If nothing else, I’ll probably just do another reversing loop and find a way to throw a spur or two off the main line.

Chew on This: Food For Thought/Quote of the Day
Today’s “Magnetic Poetry Self Affirmation Quote of the Day” comes in response to the feeling of being overwhelmed that a coworker is experiencing:

FYI: I refuse to let the small stuff and stupid people be a problem anymore.

I think that can be applied in many situations…

Instant Replay: Football

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
59 – 28
Wow. Seriously… that’s just about the most accurate way to describe last night’s match-up between the Eagles and the ‘Skins. Last night’s broadcast of Monday Night Football should have been renamed “The Michael Vick Show.” He did it all: Threw four (4) touchdowns; Ran for two (2) touchdowns; Rushed for eighty (80) yards; Threw for 333 yards; No interceptions No fumbles He also became the first QB in NFL history with: …at least 300 yards passing, …50 yards rushing, …four passing touchdowns and …two rushing touchdowns in a game. One game. The man was money. All night long. Speaking of money, the Redskins’ new $78 million man, QB Donovan McNabb would have had a much better outing… if his receivers had bothered to show up. McNabb’s passes were pretty much on the money all night, but the receiving corps didn’t seem to put up a lot of effort to catch and/or hold onto the ball.

Stray Toasters

• 45 Years Later, An Apology and Six Months
• By way of Maddox: Not everything is epic, shitheads
• If you saw “Oz with Orchestra” this past weekend, why not leave a review on the Utah Symphony blog page?
• 
• Art of Storytelling Alive and Well in Audio Books
• Colorless, Tasteless but not Dangerous
• TSA tee: “We get to touch your junk”
• She Has No Head! — My 20 Favorite Comics Females
  • This list features not only Wonder Woman, but also Planetary‘s Jakita Wagner, another woman who kicked Batman’s ass (in her own words).  Sorry, Nizlee.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: She’s a hooker for Jesus. Honest.
• When Opera Stars Show Their Frisky Side
• DC Universe Online: Pre-ordered.
• 10 Buildings Shaped Like What They Sell

And with that…

Namaste.

Monday – 15 November 2010
Another work week begins…

This weekend was a good one. Saturday, I went back to the train show and made up for the deal I lost out on Friday by picking up some switches, a crossing grade and some assorted track pieces for a really good deal. There was some damage to a few of the pieces, but nothing insurmountable.

Saturday night, SaraRules! and I went to Oz with Orchestra, as performed by Utah Symphony. As SaraRules had to “…play P.R. Girl,” as she put it (read: “sit with Jeff, a photographer from Riester“), we got to sit in Maurice Abravanel’s box seats… which put us directly above and behind the First Violin section. From this vantage point, we not only had a good view of the movie screen, but we could also read the sheet music of the vilolinists (and some of the bass players), as well.  While the orchestral accompaniment did lose the tempo a couple of times, Associate Conductor David Cho did an excellent job of leading the symphony and getting them back on track. The overall experience was a lot of fun. And, as an added bonus: David Cho proposed to his then-girlfriend during intermission – she said, “Yes” – so, congratulations to him!

Sunday was pretty relaxed. We started the morning with breakfast at Ruth’s Diner. We also ran into Sanaz’ parents while there. Next, I headed back to Chris’ to (FINALLY!) finish his PS3 hard drive upgrade. Fait accompli. Back home for a little time with the trains and then on to the in-laws’ for a belated birthday dinner for SaraRules! and football.

Instant Replay: Football

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts
17 – 23
Sorry, and .

.

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins
17 – 29
The Dolphins notched another home win.

.

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16 – 31
The Panthers dropped this one to the Bucs.

.

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
39 – 26
I don’t know whether or not it was because of the beat-down they took from the Browns last week, but Tom Brady and the Pats manhandled the Steelers last night. BIG time, shutting them down on both sides of the ball. And it doesn’t hurt that the Steelers’ loss helps keep the Ravens atop the AFC North, either.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules! should check her folder.  Just saying…
• Lead in reusable grocery bags prompts calls for federal inquiry
• Jury Selection Begins for Civil Rights Cold Case
• LEGO ornaments, buy or build your own
• I picked up some new pocket squares from Jos. A. Bank yesterday, thanks to a sale notice posted on their Facebook page.
• 
• Dynamite’s “Lone Ranger” Rides into the Sunset
• Everyone Hates TicketMaster — But No One Can Take It Down
• ‘Black Ops’ breaks records with $360M in first-day sales

Lunch: Eaten.
The Grind: Getting back to it.

Namaste.

Saturday – 13 November 2010
So far, it’s been a good day… and it’s only half over.  I’d call that a “win,” quite frankly.

<< Rewind <<
and I went to the Wasatch Rails Train Show yesterday afternoon. It is at the Utah State Fairpark and runs through tomorrow afternoon; it’s being held in the Grand and Promontory Buildings.  There is a lot of model railroading goodness there. A. Lot. I missed out on an amazing deal on some Fastrack, but I did come home with a book that I used to own when I was much, much younger.

After the train show, I came home and painted one of my train tables green. Doing so gives me a (more or less) “grass-colored” board AND it saved me from having to buy a grass mat. And, if I want a more grass-like surface, I can use some Spray Mount^© and sprinkle flocking on the boards. Next, it was off to coffee and dinner…

This morning, ‘s father came over to look at our furnace and give us an estimate on installing a new and more energy-efficient unit. Turns out that if we hurry, we should be able to get in on some good incentives and rebates.

And, tonight: Oz with Orchestra

Stray Toasters

• I am giving some serious thought to heading up to The Train Shoppe… and/or back to the Wasatch Rails show.
• Entire New Zealand town goes steampunk
• Uncivil Society
• By way of SaraRules!: How to Gift Wrap a Cat
• Web Designers Versus Web Developers, Visualized
• Pascal’s Wager, courtesy of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Effervescent Brain Salt
• November 2010 Reader Art Gallery, from Comic Book Resources

Off to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 10 November 2010
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday!
(The usual suspects all had other things come up that preclude being able to go to sushi for lunch.)

Today is also the 235th birthday/anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps:

And, it’s also my friend, Adrian’s, birthday:

Last night, SaraRules! and I went out for dinner at Hopper’s Restaurant and Grill. It was a nice change of pace.  She had a Mac and Cheese dinner with Hoppers’ seasonal Hefeweizen; while I had the Far From Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, along with a pint of the Madame X Stout. After dinner, we popped into the local Target to pick up a few things… where I ran into a former coworker from the USPS. (She’s also left Postal Service’s employment.) Then, it was back home for a movie: Law Abiding Citizen.  The movie had promise, but kind of fell flat. I’m still not quite sure if it’s a low-LEGO brick or a high-lawn dart movie.  *shrug*

Stray Toasters

• It’s another suit day: Black suit, white shirt, black and rust African masks tie
  • Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head) – Remix

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: The Power of an Earthquake Turns Train Tracks to Spaghetti
• Pop!: Land of Lost Tales – Dave Stevens’ Superman and Rocketeer Miniseries
• Thanks to eBay, I have the following items, formerly on The Covet List on the way:
  • Validus Build-A-Figure from DC Universe Classics (to go on my Legion shelf)
  • The Griffin graphic novel
  • X-Men/Teen Titans graphic novel
  • Tailgunner Jo miniseries
• More graphic cigarette warnings proposed
• 
• More than 1,800 libraries to celebrate National Gaming Day on Nov. 13
• Real-Life Gadgets for Real-Life Superheroes
• Tightrope: If employees have to give two weeks’ notice, shouldn’t you, too?

And…. done!

Namaste.

Friday – 05 November 2010
Today is the beginning of Diwali.

It is also Guy Fawkes Day.

It’s also my 9/80 “on” Friday.

Last night, SaraRules! and I attended the Ballet West performance of:

The performances were good. I was unfamiliar with The Four Temperaments (as a dance piece); it was interesting and a little odd. I was familiar with the music from Carmina Burana, but the performance was less of an interpretation of the the story and more of an expressionist piece of modern dance.

Stray Toasters

• Graphitti Designs is (FINALLY!) coming out with a new Legion t-shirt in January!  Covet!
• Secret Ohio Warplane Graveyard Unearthed
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: 10 Toys That Will Permanently Screw Up Your Kids
• How Fanboys, Fandroids and Crackberry Junkies See Each Other
• E.U. Says It Will Overhaul Privacy Regulations
• Comics Career Guide: What to Expect from a Career in the Arts
• 
• Cooking for Geeks
• Microsoft has a hit with Kinect Xbox 360 game controller
  • Of course… Kinect has problems following dark-skinned users
• Learning in Dorm, Because Class Is on the Web
• Qantas CEO: ‘Faulty design’ may be behind jet engine blowout

Our outgoing President/CEO bought a foosball table for the office as a parting gift. I just played foosball for the first time in… in… well, let’s just say “a very long time.” I must admit: It was fun.

Namaste.

Thursday – 04 November 2010
Another NBN Thursday is upon us.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had Angela, Kate, A.J. and John – Utah Opera’s resident artists – over for dinner. We had a fantastic meal (maple chicken, roasted root vegetables, sauteed green beans with mushrooms) and got to learn a little bit more about the artists and what they do. It was a lot of fun. We also had an excellent dessert, as the residents brought a German Chocolate cake with them. It was a great way to spend the evening.

After the residents left and the dishes were put away, it was time to read this week’s comics haul. There were a couple of good reads, including Adventure Comics #520 and Superboy #1.  (I foresee a new Four-Color Coverage in the not-too-distant future…) I should also admit that I’ve been rather pleased with how Paul Levitz and his conspirators have reintroduced a young Clark Kent and Kara Zor-El back into Legion continuity. I was curious to see how it would work, given that Kara has already spent time with the Threeboot Legion, but Supergirl Annual #2 (last week) did a good job of it.

Today’s musical interlude: Anita Kelsey – Sway (“performed” by Jennifer Connelly)

Tonight: Carmina Burana at Ballet West

Stray Toasters

• I woke up this morning with Rocket 2 U, by The Jets, running through my head. I have NO idea “why.” I was more than “a little” disturbed and worried by it.
• Tennessee Titans Claim Randy Moss on Waivers
• might want to consider clicking here.
• 
• 2010 Hess Toy Truck and Jet
  I used to get Hess trucks for Christmas as a kid… but none of them had a jet.
• More than 20 tons of pot smuggled in border tunnel
• Covet!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 November 2010
Midweek.
Of course, that also means that its Comics and Sushi Wednesday, too!

And, it’s ‘s birthday:

Last night was D&D night with and company. It was a good game. No one died, although Alex’ character gave it the old college try. And we met a new party member, before things were all said and done.

Today’s musical interlude comes in two parts:

• Jesus Jones – Right Here, Right Now
• Van Halen – Right Now

Stray Toasters

• Stan Lee Revamps ‘Romeo & Juliet’ in the Future with Cyborgs
• The History of the Uncanny Valley
• 
• Serious Security Bugs Found in Android Kernel
• LEGO lifts off with NASA
• Cotton Clothing Price Tags to Rise
• From xkcd: “Diode”



• Bill Parisi’s Photos of Model Railroad Layouts
• S.F. Supes Pass Happy Meal Ban with Veto-Proof Majority
• The Art of Biking
• A Cultural Leap Across a Political Divide: In Cuba, American Ballet Theater and City Ballet Dance

The show must go on!

Namaste.

Saturday – 30 October 2010
It’s Hallowe’en weekend.

There’s been a lot of debate going around as to whether or not kids should be out Trick or Treating tonight or tomorrow night. *shrug* I’m not sure that I care either way. I know that we’re giving out candy tonight and, assuming that we’re home tomorrow night, we’ll probably give some out then as well.

Yesterday, and I headed up to Ogden to pay a long overdue visit to The Wonderful World of Trains. We both found things that we liked, but I was the only one who wound up walking out with a few things:

• Atlas O Signal Tower
• Lionel K-Line B&O Double Door Boxcar
• Lionel K-Line “Happy Birthday” Boxcar (minus the “Tavis 2nd” part)

After we got back to SLC, I stopped in at The Train Shoppe and picked up some more track; I needed it to try out a layout I had in mind…

After SaraRules! got home from work, we headed to The Blue Iguana to have dinner with Bill Byrnes, one of her former professors. I’d been to The Red Iguana before, but never to The Blue Iguana. I had the beef enchiladas and they were quite tasty. Post-dinner, we met up with a few of the usual suspects for coffee and dinner… or, rather just drinks and a snack for us.

Back at home, I headed to the basement to work on my model railroad. The layout worked pretty much the way I had hoped: I did a single L-shaped dogbone loop…

Dog-bone arrangement of a continuous loop; the sides of an oval are squeezed together so it looks like a double-track section with a loop at each end where the trains turn around.

…with a couple of spurs off the inside line.

Today started lazily. (That’s far from a “bad” thing.) After breakfast, we got to the business of painting the guest bedroom. We used a different brand of paint than we used in the other rooms; it was thicker and took a little more effort to apply, but I think that we may only need one coat of it. As to the rest of the day, we’ll do a little errand-running this afternoon, but I think that this evening will mostly involve watching horror movies and handing out candy to the intrepid ghosts, ghouls and other assorted creatures who wander the streets tonight.

Stray Toasters

• The Magic of Harry Houdini’s Staying Power
• Black Republican Set to Make History in S.C.
• The Minivan Video Your Kids Shouldn’t See. Ever.
• 
• A Science Joke for Your Saturday Morning
• For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance
• Lost Animaniacs Clip – “Dear Mister Gingrich”
• A Giant LEGO Map of Europe

And with that, I think we’re off to seek out what the day has to offer.

Namaste.

Friday – 29 October 2010
It’s my 9/80 “off” Friday and the start of my weekend. Amen.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Market Street Grill for the retirement party of my company’s President/COO.  It was done as a cocktail hour… without cocktails, but was still a nice affair.

After that, we came home and got ready for the evening’s entertainment: We had SaraRules!’s parents, brother and his fiancee over for Hallowe’en cookie decorating and then watched the classic Disney The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring the voice of Bing Crosby.  It was a fun way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

• What Can You Do in Twenty-Five Words?
• The year is 2010. Detroit is a crime-ridden carcass of the gleaming metropolis it once was. The city only has one hope. And he’s 2 years old.
• Is the proper use of an apostrophe really that hard to figure out?
• Welcome to Dracula’s Castle
• Lisa Black: Gear-Turning Steampunk Taxidermy
• 
• National parks have room for all races
• Comic Book Resources has a preview of the upcoming Superboy #1, from Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo. This version of Superboy is not a young Clark Kent, but a clone spliced from the DNA of Superman… and Lex Luthor, known as Conner Kent. The character first appeared in the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, following the “The Death of Superman” in 1992.  I think that I have a fair portion of his first series (1993-2000), but mostly followed it because it was a Superman-related title; the character was still a bit… rough. Over the past year, Paul Levitz has breathed new life – and definitely added some depth – to the character. (That… and he’s renewed/strengthened Conner’s ties with the Legion.) This new title has the potential to be good. And just plain fun.
  • I just talked with Jeremiah – one of the guys from Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection – and found out that he did an interview with Jeff Lemire for Big Shiny Robot.
• The Biggest Movie Monster Ever
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Police arrest man after beer found in child safety seat

That’s good for now. I need to get ready to get out of here — and I are grabbing lunch and then heading up to Ogden to visit The Wonderful World of Trains.

Namaste.

Saturday – 23 October 2010
In the words of Bjork: “It’s oh so quiet.”
The only sounds, aside from my typing, are from birds chirping outside the window.

Last night, I had a great time: SaraRules! organized a birthday dinner for me at MacCool’s; my birthday isn’t until Tuesday, but she correctly figured that it might be “a little difficult” to get people together on a school night. There was good food (Prime Rib!), good beer (Black and Pumpkin, made with Guinness) and the delightful company of family and friends. We followed dinner with cake and ice cream back at home. It was a great evening and truly an excellent way to wind up the week.

Today, I’m judging another ‘Clix tournament this afternoon at Dr. Volt’s. As there’s no tourney next week, this is our Hallowe’en-themed event, which I’ve been referring to as “Monster Mash.” For this match, all teams have to have at least one figure with the “Monster” keyword.  I’m looking forward to some interesting combinations.

Stray Toasters

• New misspelling: “Stray Toaters.”  I was surprised to learn that “toat” is actually a word.
• I talked the paternal parental unit this morning. He sent me a book, Trains of the World, for my birthday.  In it, he noted a train that used to run through his hometown when he was younger.
• Wonder Woman Day Unleashes Awesome Art for a Good Cause This Sunday
  • And, if you’re in the Flemington, NJ area, check out Comic Fusion’s Wonder Woman Day event, which kicks off today.
• Why Is Clint Eastwood Still the Man?
• Sweet gourd-mangling Cthulhu… I have found Ravens pumpkin carving stencils! I may actually have to carve a pumpkin this year…
• 
• Words & Unwords
• 10 geek sins that will get your geek card revoked
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Celebrity Invention: Penn Jillette’s Bathtub for the Ladies
• Repaneled

I should probably get ready to hit the road.

Namaste.

Friday – 22 October 2010
Bonus points to those of you who get the subject line without having to look it up.

It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday.
It started off somewhat quietly… but it picked up a little, around 9:45. No big deal. Nothing insurmountable.

Last night, after a couple of rounds of “Let’s Clean the House,” I managed to sneak off to Nova Praetoria for a while. I hadn’t played City for a week or two, so it was a nice change of pace. I ran a few missions. I leveled up once. I remembered how slow running through a city can be… although it’s still faster than Hover.

I also got in a bit more reading in Starship Troopers.

Stray Toasters

• Tweaking Tradition, Even in Its Temple
• Moon Crater Contains Usable Water, NASA Says
  • Shawn Colvin & Ernie: I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
    
• Recently Rediscovered Letter Shows Wonder Woman’s Earliest Costume
• Middle Classes in Africa
• Haunted Mansion ghost hearse made from LEGO
• A Son Grows Thankful for His Father’s Tough Love
• Gays, Mormons and Boy Scouts’ discrimination
• 
• Credit Cards Soon to Get a Makeover
• T-shirt turns into a zombie
  • Sears reaches out to the neglected Zombie-American demographic
• No Net for the Man in Charge

Namaste.

Thursday – 21 October 2010
Another NBN begins here in the valley.
And it’s a slightly chilly one.  (At least it is to me.)

Last night was D&D (4.0) night, with m3l and Jack. We had a good encounter (read: “No one in our group died.”) I also managed to more-or-less finish my repaint of the latest Wolverine HeroClix. I did him up in his current, non-X-Force costume… but haven’t decided if I’m going to do the striping on the side. We’ll see. And maybe I’ll try to get some pictures of it, as well.

After gaming, SaraRules! and I hit the gym. Last night was a cardio night. Rather than get on the elliptical, I got on the treadmill. We walked for a half-hour; I covered 1.70 miles. Hopefully, my schedule will allow me to get back in there with some regularity in the next week or so.

Stray Toasters

• It appears as though the migration is complete. The only thing left is for the new DNS settings to propagate through the Intertubes. All things considered, it was pretty painless and quick.
• Today’s musical interlude: Aerosmith – Pink
• Green Lantern Fan Constructs His Own High-Tech LEGO Power Battery
• Speaking of LEGO, I am having fun with LEGO Universe.
• OMNI Magazine’s Publisher Bob Guccione Has Died…
  …although I’ll probably remember/love/hate him almost as much for Caligula.  (Helen Mirren was in that?! Wow.)
• This makes more than “a little” sense:
  



• What’s so wrong with Comic Sans?
• found a couple of bits of awesomeness on Gizmodo:
  • The Difference Between Facebook and Twitter
  • Student Hides Rick Astley’s Song in College Paper
• If this picture makes you laugh (for more than just “funny animal picture” reas0ns) or sparks nostalgia…

  

  …then you should check out the rest of Timothy Lim’s artwork and his Spider-Man/Calvin and Hobbes mashup.

• NPR Ends Juan Williams’ Contract After Muslim Remarks
• Toyota Makes Another Car Recall
• Superhero Horders: The 7 Biggest Pack Rats in Comics

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Sunday – 10 October 2010
That’s right… it’s 10/10/10.
So far, it’s been a good weekend.

Yesterday, I had breakfast with Chris before heading off to judge a HeroClix tournament at Dr. Volt’s. It was another 500/1000 event: Players could field either a 500-point team with no restrictions or field a 1000-point team, with at least one colossal figure. Two 500-point teams would be paired to take on the 1000-point team.

Only one player brought a 1000-point team… with the newest colossal figure: Dr. Manhattan.

However, as there were six (6) other 500-point teams, that meant that all six teams faced off against the good doctor. Needless to say, “The Doctor was in.” All the way in. There wasn’t anyone who could really do enough to him to effectively take him out of the game.

After the game, SaraRules and I met up with the in-laws and ventured to the home of some friends of the family for a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and the company was excellent, as well.  It was a good way to spend the evening.

When we got home, SaraRules turned on The Fly (1986) – which I had somehow never seen – and I fired up LEGO Universe. I had to start a new character, now that the game is out of beta. Most of what I did was “review” from gameplay in the beta, so while I did a little more looking around and lollygagging, there wasn’t a lot “new” that I did.  That does not, however, mean that I didn’t have a lot of fun doing it.

Today, I slept in a bit. That was nice. SaraRules also fixed a tasty breakfast and then came over to help me turn off the sprinklers for the year. And, after that…

…it was time to watch some football: The Broncos at the Ravens.  Boo-yah!

Instant Replay: Football

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
17 – 31
The Ravens hosted the Broncos at home this week……and the game was televised locally. Hoo-AH! The Boys from Baltimore looked solid.  They opened the game with a drive down to the goal line, but couldn’t convert it into a touchdown… and turned it over on downs.  But that’s okay. They held the Broncos on their drive. The Ravens’ offense and defense looked good, despite a series where QB Joe Flacco couldn’t buy a reception. On the other side of the field, Broncos (and former Purdue) QB Kyle Orton passed for a 300+ yard game… his second in a row. But, all in all, it comes down to this: Baltimore is now 4-1, putting them atop the AFC North.

Ray Rice, you rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns today, how does that make you feel?

Yeah… I’d feel like breakin’ it down a little, too.

Stray Toasters

• I’m about to head into work. Yeah, I know… I know…
• BOOM! How Comic Book Sounds Become Movie Sounds
• Add each of these to The Covet List.
• The Periodic Table of Super-Powers

Okay… might as well stop procrastinating and head to the office.

Namaste.

Friday – 08 October 2010
It’s almost the weekend.
It is my 9/80 “on” Friday… and there’s some work that needs to get done before it’s Miller time.

Speaking of work: I’ve been part of a project that has been in various stages of development and progress for a year or so. A couple of months ago, a large part of it wound up falling into my lap. To be honest, a good portion of what needed to be done fell “a little” outside of my personal experience/knowledge base. But it was mine, so there no use crying over “But, I can’t…” or “I don’t…”  (Not that there haven’t been times that I’ve wanted to say those things and walk away.)

On more than one occasion, I’ve been reminded of a song, Discipline, by Bobby McFerrin:

for those who have been trained by it,
no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.

The lyrics are actually taken from Hebrews 12: 11 (NIV):

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Very apt.
More to the point, I haven’t walked (or run) away from the project.
And, despite the learning curve – and some frustration/irritation from learning a good number of things on the fly – it’s been a great learning opportunity.

Stray Toasters

• LEGO Universe is live, as of this morning.
  Of course, I won’t get to play it until this evening or later tonight. *shakes fist*
• Flawed Foreclosure Documents Thwart Home Sales
• Tom Bancroft’s DCU Elementary
• 
• Rediscovering an Earthy Master
• Pirate Johnny Depp makes surprise school visit
• For : Batman: The Killing Joke Relived Via LEGO
• Spammers Using Soft Hyphen to Hide Malicious URLs
• There is a new anime-styled ‘Iron Man’ animated series coming to G4 this Spring. Not too surprisingly, someone’s found the opening title sequence and posted it on YouTube:
• Fringe Star Anna Torv Explores a New Reality
• If the future’s looking dark
  We’re the ones who have to shine
  If there’s no one in control
  We’re the ones who draw the line
  Though we live in trying times
  We’re the ones who have to try
  Though we know that time has wings
  We’re the ones who have to fly…
• Duke Winces as a Private Joke Slips Out of Control
• The Art of Steve Thomas
• From the “Everything’s Heavy Underground” files:
  • Underground: graphic novel thriller set in a cave
  • Luxury underground community: bomb-shelter meets gate-guarded community
• Ancient Roman helmet sells for ten times estimated amount
• Newspaper Publishers Still Hope Tablets Will Save Them

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 05 October 2010
Work week: Day 2
Rain clouds have moved out of the valley and the sun is trying to peek through…

I just caught an email that informs me of a training session that I had forgotten about. That’s on top of another meeting, later in the day, which I did know about/remember.  Two hours that I kind of need to work on other things… gone. C’est la vie.

Last night, and Josh came over to watch the football game beat down that the Patriots handed the Dolphins. More on that in a minute. In typical Monday Night Football fashion, there was pizza and beer. SaraRules even baked cookies. It was a good evening.

Instant Replay: Football

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
41 – 14
The Patriots traveled to Sun Life Stadium to take on the Dolphins in the month’s first Monday night game.Early on, the Pats didn’t look too impressive, only scoring a pair of field goals in the second quarter. That was NOT the case, however, in the second half. They put up three touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the fourth. It was almost as if they scored at will. The Pats’ special teams corps really put in a performance, including a 103-yard kickoff return for a TD to start off the third quarter. The Dolphins, on the other hand… well… I don’t know what happened after a decent start to the game, but they just fell apart. The vaunted “Wildcat” formation did nothing for the offense. Receivers dropped balls that were thrown right to them. Chris Henne threw three (3) interceptions. They put up TDs in the first and third quarters, but that was it. In a bitof a historic note, the Patriots scored in all but two possible ways last night: Field Goal Rushing TD Passing TD Kickoff return for TD Blocked punt return for TD and Interception return for TD. The only other ways to have scored were: Safety and punt return for TD. If I remember the stat/graphic correctly, the Patriots are the only team in NFL history to pull off this feat. It was a helluva good game… unless you happen to be a Dolphins fan.

Stray Toasters

• Today’s Musical Interlude: Sting – After the Rain Has Fallen
• From Heaps of Junk, a Melodious Clang – New York Philharmonic as Junkyard Players
• The ‘Disintegration’ of America’s Black Neighborhoods
• Style… it’s like a second cousin 2 class
• Bank of Japan Cuts Rates to as Low as Zero Percent
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• Along highways, signs of serial killings
• Aiming to Learn as We Do, a Machine Teaches Itself
• I, along with the rest of my team, just got an award from a coworker for the way we handled a number of IT emergencies last month.  Nice way to kick off the morning.
• She Has No Head!  — Ladies Comics Project, Part 1
• Japan Recycles Minerals from Used Electronics

Namaste.