Random Access

Wednesday – 01 September 2010
A new month begins.

Today is Comics (and maybe Sushi) Wednesday.

Today also marks the 36th anniversary of the The SR-71 Blackbird setting the record for flying from New York to London in the time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds… a record it still holds.

Last night, most of the Clitorati crew met at Desert Edge Brewery for dinner with , Michael and Hannah. It was a nice to see her – and meet Michael and Hannah – even if only for a couple hours. I had the Paella-style Chicken and Sausage Pasta, which was very good.

This morning finds me in the south office. I had a meeting with the landlord and the sbuilding manager about some changes that we’d like to make in our server room. I mentioned two ideas that we had considered; they countered with a variation on one of those plans… that might be somewhat less expensive than we had originally thought. We’ll see how their quote looks when it comes in.

Stray Toasters

• I broke out my grey glen-plaid suit this morning. White shirt. Blue/black/white tie. White pocket square. I’ve been getting the usual “Are you bucking for a raise/promotion” questions. I’ve been countering with “No, I have a meeting with my bishop.” The quizzical looks – since pretty much everyone down here knows that I’m not LDS – have been totally worth it.
• knew that I’ll probably never be a Browns or Indians fan… but I can give their home city a warm nod, if for no other reason than this: Cleveland, the True Birthplace of Superman
• Lovecraft is missing, and all R’lyeh breaks loose
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: NFL player Troy Polamalu gets $1m hair insurance
• Chewbacca, Han Solo and R2D2 drawn as if part of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh
• In New York Ballet Companies, Corps Is a Thrill
• I like how this garage-to-office conversion turned out.
• 
• Wesley Snipes Was Almost Geordi LaForge
• After Years of War, Few Iraqis Have a Clear View of the Future
• The Wilderness Downtown – this comes by way of . It is a very cool blending of technologies. Put in the real address that it asks for – it’s totally worth it. And don’t close any of the windows that pop up!
• 8 Surprising Household Deodorizers
• Method to Grade Teachers Provokes Battles

Namaste.

Tuesday – 31 August 2010
Day Two of the work week.

More importantly, it’s “Dinner with Amy” Day. That’s right. For the first time in far too long, I get to hang out with the force of nature known simply as “Amy.” She’s on a bit of a vacation and is choosing to spend a little of it in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain with the usual suspects. Win-Win.

Last night, SaraRules, , , Matt and I went to see Piranha (not “3D”). It was something.  It wasn’t great… but it wasn’t as horribly atrocious as it could have been. I think that summed it up best in two statements:

I don’t think that I’ve ever laughed that hard at a ‘horror’ movie

and

“Piranha” is totally fun for the whole family! It teaches important object lessons, such as why you should always listen to a cop with a megaphone, never walk on the beach barefoot, the importance and fragility of ecological systems, and why getting naked will always get you killed first. It’s a w1n-w1n!

Yeah. That about sums it up. I would only add that, since we didn’t see it in 3D, that our faces…

…weren’t bombarded with bombastic bulbous boobs, booties and bodies, though there was a bounteous bulk of them.

Okay. NOW, it’s pretty much summed up.
And I still have no idea whether it should get LEGO bricks or lawn darts.

Stray Toasters

• Army Revises Training to Deal With Unfit Recruits
• A Cathedral to the Shrine of Nature
• Nine Women in the Room: A Music Writers Roundtable
• My not-so-inner comic geek approves of this…and slightly covets it: The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection
• Doctors Seek Way to Treat Muscle Loss
• 
• And yet something else for The Covet List: The Pirates of Dark Water (1, 2) has just been released on DVD.
  (I didn’t realize how many notable actors did voices for this series.)
• Restoring Names to Iraq War’s Unknown Casualties
• From the look on her face, someone’s about to catch a beatdown.
• Ninjasaur
• “Hit it, DJ Chocolate Thunder”
  *cracks up*

Namaste.

Thursday – 26 August 2010
It’s Thursday. I was informed of something that might push the day outside of the “NBN” envelope. That – coupled with who told me and what they told me – bring the phrase “People suck” quickly to mind… and serves as a reminder that some people practically beg to be curb-stomped.

Despite this, I shall try to maintain an NBN Thursday state of mind.
(As opposed to a New York State of Mind.)

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Pawit’s Royale Thai for dinner. As always, the food was very good. We started with their Por Pia Sod spring rolls (most excellent) and I had Pad Thai for my entree, while SaraRules had a salad whose name escapes me.

After dinner, it was back home for couch-time with comics! Yesterday’s haul was pretty good. I am really enjoying Justice League: Generation Lost, a “reunion” of sorts of the Justice League International. Another good storyline has been the new Wonder Woman. J. Michael Straczynski has done a good job of reinventing the character (even if people aren’t fond of her new costume). And the Legion made two appearances this month — in their own title and also in Superman/Batman #75.

After reading about superheroes, I went back to work on my HeroClix Wonder Woman mod. The new figure from The Brave and the Bold is… boring:

(gallery bb-figure-018)

So, I decided to try and make something a little more… dynamic.  I’m combining two figures:

Phantom Girl, from the Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Set

(gallery ls-figure-005)

…and Mary Marvel, from Crisis:

(gallery cr-figure-041)

I should (hopefully) have pictures to share of the finished product soon.

Stray Toasters

• Blogging and Tweeting, Egyptians Push for Change
• Jo Chen’s Wonder Woman Pencils from Her Mystery Project Astound
• Trader Joe’s: Successful, but Secretive
• Looking at Islamic Center Debate, World Sees U.S.
• The best way to get back at your superhero ex: Become a supervillain

(Plan B, by Mitz)

• I like this layout.
• Tutorial: Creating a Retro Sci-Fi Poster
• Interview with “Love and Capes” creator, Thom Zahler
• Sci-fi movie posters from an alternate universe
• It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned him, but I really like Brian Bolland’s artwork. Check out this cover he did for the upcoming Zatanna #5:

• “Wheelchair of Death”
• Geek Art Loves Daniel Clark
• And another work emergency arises.  I think that we understand the problem, now it’s just a matter of arriving at a solution.

Time to save the world… again.

Namaste

Wednesday – 25 August 2010
It’s midweek, which means it’s Comics (and maybe Sushi) Day!
The “and maybe” is because the usual suspects all seemed to have punked out today. Oh, well.

Today is also ‘s birthday:

Last night, SaraRules and I had a lazy night about the house. I worked on a HeroClix mod, while she read. After a bit, we gathered to finish up Season one of Mad Men. (Sidebar: I think I may have just had an item from Season 2 or 3 item spoiled for me. Bah!) I went back to working on my figure, but somehow wound up starting to organize the past… year-and-a-half’s comics, which had neither rhyme nor reason to how they were being stored.

NOTE: About two years ago, SaraRules spent nearly a full week organizing my comics. There were something like 2,500 when she did. And that number doesn’t include the nearly… 3,500+… others still on the east coast. (Although, I think that some of those are in some semblance of “order.”) She did a bang-up job, too.

The problem with starting to organize the comics last night was: I started close to midnight and got sidetracked by reading a few. D’oh! And, after calling it quits for the night, I went back to working on my mod. Yeah, it made for a late night/early morning.

Stray Toasters

• I have just run out of my Honey Nut Cheerios stash at work. This must be rectified. But, I was at least able to get a full bowl of cereal before it ran out.
• Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Night Concert 2010 is being broadcast tonight on PBS. (Check local listings for time)
• After Mozart’s Death, an Endless Coda
• I have found an event I can totally get behind: Saturday is Read Comics in Public Day.



• Here’s another event… but neither I nor my Green Lantern costume will be in L.A. on Friday.
• What your email address says about your computer skills
• The Term Life Insurance Blog has a number of informative – and highly amusing – infographics.
• Exhibit brings Hendrix, Handel together in London
• 
• Eastern States Dominate in Winning School Grants
• The Legacy of Hurricane Katrina
• Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 August 2010
It’s the NBN Thursday before my 9/80 “off” Friday…
…which is only made better by the fact that I’m working a half-day. Boo-yah!

Today is also, apparently, National Aviation Day.  Who knew?!

Last night was D&D game night with and Jack. It was fun. We had a “somewhat socially awkward” member in our group.  (Yeah, yeah, I know.  “Socially awkward” and “game-playing geek” pretty much go together like Ronald McDonald and Grimace.)  *shrug* It happens.

BUT… the “best” part of the evening was catching sight of one of the players at another table…

…dressed in a white shirt and black pants (okay, so far)…

…and, um, “adorned” with glitter.

Yeah. Glitter. All over his arms and a TON of it on his face. “Go, Team Edward.”  We weren’t quite sure if it was sad or hysterically funny. (We went with “hysterically funny,” just to be safe.)

Post-gaming, I hit up the local blue-and-yellow electronics purveyor to get my copy of City of Heroes: Going Rogue. I looked at a few other things, too, but managed to subdue the urge to walk away with “one of everything.”

Back at home, I found SaraRules and Meliko hanging out. Other than pictures, Meliko hadn’t seen the house, so she’d come over to check it out. She approved. *whew* We took her home (i.e.: “dropped her off at the in-laws’ place”) and visited with the ‘rents for a bit.

Workout
Wednesday’s step count: 4,409

Stray Toasters

• I have not yet read yesterday’s four-color shwag, so don’t go giving away spoilers. Thank you.
• American Lives: James Baldwin, “Lifting the Veil”
  

  The writer James Baldwin once made a scathing comment about his fellow Americans: “It is astonishing that in a country so devoted to the individual, so many people should be afraid to speak.” As an openly gay, African-American writer living through the battle for civil rights, Baldwin had reason to be afraid — and yet, he wasn’t. A television interviewer once asked Baldwin to describe the challenges he faced starting his career as “a black, impoverished homosexual,” to which Baldwin laughed and replied: “I thought I’d hit the jackpot.”

• Who Elected Me Mayor? I Did – an interesting article about Foursquare
• Of the items from The Covet List that I noted yesterday, I not only picked up CoH: Going Rogue, but also the Dark Phoenix statue. Two down, three to go…
• Medevac industry opposing upgrades wanted by NTSB
• What would a steampunk smartgun/smartgun link look like?
• Hindu Deities Conjure Magic in Movement Downtown
  



• For New Orleans cops, scandals linger
• Illinois Unconvinced Corruption Culture Will Fade
• Drug Made Infamous by Date Rapes Gets Second Look for Fibromyalgia
• 
• Towns block chain restaurants to save charm
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: American to Charge for Easy On/Easy Off Planes
  (Or, as the original link put it:  “Stupidest Airline Fee Ever? ‘Express Seats’ Gets Our Vote”)

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 August 2010
It’s another good-looking day here in the valley.

And, because it was playing on the radio, during this morning’s commute:

Last night, and his son, Josh, came over to watch football and play with LEGO, respectively. We watched the Giants take on the Jets at the New Meadowlands Stadium, home to both teams — last night, the Jets were the “home” team. Both teams looked good, but the Giants seemed a little more hungry for the win… or perhaps they were just out for revenge after the hit that QB Eli Manning took near the end of the first half. Either way, the Giants came away with the win: 31-16.

Workout
Monday’s step count: 4,648

Stray Toasters

• My sister-in-law is coming to town tonight; I need to find some suitable four-color print entertainment for her.
• I also need to figure out what’s wrong with the water cannon sprinkler in the front yard – it’s not working properly. I spent about ten minutes last night trying to suss it out in the dark. Yay for home ownership!
• 
• astronautdinosaur.com – The Art of Scott Listfield
• Where Have All the Giant Robots Gone?
• Dress Code: When You’re Sick of All Your Clothes
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Rochdale man ‘took 200 fireworks on US plane”
• 
• Study finds fraud, abuse in MD energy program
• Musical Interlude:
  • Museum Acquires Storied Trove of Performances by Jazz Greats
  • Your Favorite ‘Great Unknowns’ in Jazz
• Dexter Has Nothing on These Serial Killers
• U.S. Said to Plan Easing Rules for Travel to Cuba

Namaste.

Saturday – 14 August 2010
Hello, weekend.

This morning, I slept in! All the way until 08:30!  (That is ‘sleeping in’ for me, considering what time I get up during the week.) I made my way to the couch downstairs and flipped on the television. After some surfing, I landed on Octopussy. I don’t think that I’ve seen that movie all the way through in a long time; I may have to do something about it one of these days. After about thirty minutes, I got up and headed into my office — I needed to get things together for this afternoon’s tournament.  After a shower and a quick breakfast – and a quick stop at Pin-up Girl – I headed out.

Today’s tourney theme was “Femme Fatales,” meaning that players’ teams could only be comprised of female figures. I threw a couple of options together; the team I played in one bye round was a Skrull Team:

• Elektra
• Ms. Marvel
• Spider-Woman and
• Susan Richards

Pictures of the event can be seen here.

I came home and met up with SaraRules. We headed to the local Whole Foods for a bite to eat. As we walked into the store, Sean, one of the employees saw me and seemed…. rather…. ecstatic… that I was wearing one of my Green Lantern shirts.  He yelled over at a coworker something to the effect of:

See!?  There’s a regular guy… and he likes superheroes! Comic books are alright!

It made me chuckle a bit.  Sean came up to me a couple more times and basically told me that he appreciated the fact that someone else not only liked comics but also Green Lantern. (When I showed him the GL symbol in my wedding band, he said it was one of the coolest things he’d seen.) He also expressed a little concern about Ryan Reynolds being cast as Hal Jordan in the upcoming feature film.  I suggested that he track down the SDCC footage of the Green Lantern panel, in which Ryan Reynolds not only talked about the film, but recited the GL oath for a young audience member:

He jotted down the info. Sean also happened to be at the check-out, as we were preparing to leave; he told me that I was “…welcome in [his] store anytime,” and to look him up if I ever needed any assistance. It was oddly charming.

Back at home, I put chicken kabobs on the grill and SaraRules prepared a salad and some quinoa. Very tasty combination.

Workout
Friday’s step count: 3,770

Next up: We’re heading downtown to Craft Lake City.

Tonight…? Who knows.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 11 August 2010
Mid-week and all’s well.
It’s Comics and possibly-Sushi Wednesday.

Last night, Chris, Jeremiah and Sinister came over to play ‘Clix. (Yeah, I know… what a concept!) Our theme for the game was “War of Light,” based on the “Blackest Night” storyline from DC Comics’ Green Lantern titles.  Chris and I played the Sinestro and Green Lantern Corps, respectively, while Jeremiah and Sinister played the Black Lanterns. For some reason, we thought that 1200 points per player was a good idea. And we also thought that starting (theoretically) at 7:00 was a good idea. We didn’t really get under way until 9-ish… and wrapped up somewhere around 12:30 this morning. We just called the game, but I think that if we tallied up points, Chris and I were ahead… but the other guys played one Hell of a game. And, it was a lot of fun. Pictures of the game can be seen here.

Workout
Tuesday’s step count: 4,633

Stray Toasters

• Tonight is the Epic Brewery Dinner at MacCool’s. SaraRules and I are going with the in-laws. If it’s anywhere on the level of the Guinness dinner from a few weeks ago, it should be fantastic.
• Letter from a freed man to his former slave owner
• I’m not a Twitter user, but found this article interesting: How black people use Twitter
• City of Heroes: Going Rogue comes out on Tuesday.



• Last week, Comic Book Resources’ “Comics Should Be Good” column asked for submissions of Disney-Marvel crossovers. This week, they posted some of the submissions — and they are good. Check them out here.
• This had me literally laughing out loud… and then sharing it with the rest of my team, when they came over to see what was up: Soul-Toons
• Another cooling unit’s pump appears to have gone out in our server room.  This would be (more)  understandable… if the units were more than a year old!
• Anti-terrorist hotline ad banned for being ‘insensitive’
• By way of Brad Guigar (Evil, Inc.): 



• My Day of “Dreckoning”
• Literary Destinations: Five Books to Help You Escape

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from last night’s game.  Attacked by two Black Lanterns, my Ganthet evaded an attack from BL Superman and shrugged off part of an attack from BL Martian Manhunter.  Jeremiah looked at Ganthet’s dial and saw that he was still ready to rumble. Rolling his eyes, he muttered:

“Stupid Ganthet…”

…and considered options for trying to remove him from the game. (Didn’t happen, just for the record.)

Namaste.

Monday – 09 August 2010
The weekend has ended and a new work week has begun.
And, quite frankly, I could use another weekend; this last one was packed pretty full.

Saturday morning, SaraRules, , and I attended the funeral for our friend, Dave. It was a nice service. Dave’s brother, Tommy, delivered the eulogy/life reflection. Correction: He delivered two of them — one that was the “family approved” version and one that he had originally written, but been vetoed on giving. Both were good, but I think that Dave would have particularly appreciated the unexpurgated version.

After the service, we headed back home. I needed to change for a tournament; SaraRules, and were going out for lunch. The tourney went well, as did the lunch, from what I gathered. Later, came over for dinner and a movie; we watched Batman: Under the Red Hood, which she hadn’t seen. After she left, SaraRules and I watched The Royal Tenenbaums. It was an… interesting… movie. Like other Wes Anderson movies, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it after seeing it.

Sunday, after a tasty breakfast, SaraRules, , and I headed up to Park City to attend the Kimball Park City Arts Festival. As I noted on Facebook:

[I am] getting ready to head to the Park City Kimball Arts Festival with three lovely ladies. It’s kind of like being Bosley from ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ but without the bad 70s fashion.

It was a good event. We wandered up and down Main Street, looking at the various items. We wound up coming home with four (4) new pieces of art:

• One piece (Cafe Society) by Audrey Heller, from whom I’ve wanted to purchase something for a few years,
• One piece by Larry Stephenson which just “spoke” to me (third row, second from left), and
• Two pieces by Merina Terauds

Later in the evening, SaraRules and I went up to her parents’ for dinner and a movie. We watched From Paris With Love, which turned out to be better than any of us had anticipated. There was a nifty in-joke that made us laugh rather heartily about halfway through the film.

After we got back home, SaraRules and I watched Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). I had never seen it, but SaraRules remembered it with nostalgic fondness. (I did, however, remember watching the Filmation cartoon series adaptation of the movie, however…)

Workout
Saturday’s step count: 817 (I neglected to put on the pedometer after changing pants Saturday afternoon)
Sunday’s step count: 4,792

Stray Toasters

• How to Be the Perfect Host in the 21st Century
• By way of SaraRules:
  • Parisians Find Playground Under the Streets
  • Blue Whales Align The Pitch of Their Songs with Extreme Accuracy, Study Finds
• My sister-in-law, in a reflection on race relations, posted a link to this in her blog last week: Strange Fruit: Anniversary of a Lynching
• 
• Cupcakes to Suit Geeks’ Tastes
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” files:
  • Finalist dies at World Sauna in Finland
  • Celebrating Turkish bridegroom kills relatives
• Nope. High fructose corn syrup does not cause pancreatic cancer
• Nucular Toonami!
• Huge ice sheet breaks from Greenland glacier
• The Star Trek and train buff in me appreciated this strip:
  



• Is AOL Finally Crashing and Burning?

Tonight: Hanging out with the grandparents-in-law.
Tomorrow: ‘Clix  with the guys.

Namaste.

Sunday – 01 August 2010
“Summer’s going fast…”
It seems as though July just started, and now we are beginning August.

Yesterday was also Ms. ‘s birthday.

Friday, was Day 5 of The Great Network Conversion. By the end of the (very long) day, it seems as though most things were in order. There was a lot of “hurry up and wait” involved, as we were awaiting some configuration to be completed at the home office. That didn’t help with the “longest day ever” feeling. Just before we left for the day, SaraRules dropped by the office, with a caramel mocha in-hand. (Have I mentioned ‘Coolest Wife Ever,’ recently?) By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was come home and take a nap. And that’s exactly what I did… and then it was off to gather with the rest of the Clitorati crew.

Saturday, I forced myself to sleep in. I know… I know… it sounds odd to have to “force” oneself to sleep in. But, considering that I woke up at 0700 and seriously contemplated getting up and starting the day — and given the fact that between Thursday and Friday, I put in nearly 24 hours in the office — sleep was a good and necessary thing. SaraRules went to the Open House at Repertory Dance Theatre; I stayed at home and did a bit of cleaning…

…until got here. We went to The Train Shoppe. I wanted to see if my new set had arrived. It hadn’t. Apparently, Lionel pushed back its shipping date by nearly a month. So… it should be here either just before or just after we  go camping.

Following that stop and a quick run to Dr. Volt’s, it was back home for a bit. Lunch. Hanging out with SaraRules. Exploring LEGO Universe… when it wasn’t being buggy. *shakes fist*

Later in the evening, SaraRules and I went to Rio Tinto Stadium to see Real Salt Lake host a match against DC United:

This also marked the first time that I have seen an MLS game live. (I doubt it will be the last time.) I had gone to MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) games as a teenager, but that really comes under the heading of “same brand, different flavor.”  Or, for the SAT crowd:

Major Indoor Soccer League : Major League Soccer as…

1. Roller Derby : NASCAR
2. Arena Football League : NFL Football
3. BMX : Motocross
4. Stickball : Major League Baseball

The correct answer, in this case, would be “2”

The match was a lot of fun. We sat in the upper level and had a great view of the soccer pitch… AND the seats were very reasonably priced. And they were also covered, which became important when it started raining. RSL won the match 3 – 0, with a couple of goals coming in the last 10 minutes of the game.  (I was a little torn about the loss for DCU, though…) I am Ivory Soap sure that we’ll be back in Rio Tinto Stadium to see another match before the season ends.

Workout
Friday’s step count: I don’t recall, but it was somewhere around 3,600 steps
Saturday’s step count:  5,948

Stray Toasters

• Obama gives himself a grade of ‘incomplete’ after 18 months
• UAE to block BlackBerry services
• Holly Golightly: Breaking Rules in a Little Black Dress
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Washing Machine Self-Destructs After Trying to Wash a Brick
  • Sixteen Years in Prison for Videotaping the Police?
• 
• My right bicep hurts, for an as-yet unexplained reason
• This Airplane Luxury Suite Is Way Out of My Budget
• Reading the Writing on Pompeii’s Walls
• The Evo gets Android 2.2 this week.
• Who’d win a battle between a Klingon battlecruiser and the Death Star? We found out!

Now: Breakfast.
Later: Salt.

Thursday – 29 July 2010
Good NBN Thursday to all.

I spent the day in the south office yesterday. That’s always um… a treat.  We’ve been preparing for some network changes and I went down to help Minion #1 take care of the wiring for that office. And, I did manage to squeeze in sushi for lunch with a few coworkers.

After work, I hauled back up the road and swung past Dr. Volt’s. (There was four-color goodness to pick up, after all…) I made a couple of quick side trips and then went to Hastur Hobbies for D&D night with Jack and . This week, they even brought little Jack:

Workout
Tuesday’s step count: 6,758
Wednesday’s step count: 4,207

Stray Toasters

• I quite enjoyed Batman: Under the Red Hood. Until recently, I haven’t really read the Batman titles in a long while. From what I recall of the “A Death in the Family” storyline and some recent developments, they appear to have done a decent job of adapting the story. Bruce Greenwood did a decent turn as Batman, but I was a bit disappointed in John Di Maggio’s Joker… of course, I kept comparing him to Mark Hamill, who – aside from the late Heath Ledger –  is now “the voice I hear” when I think of the Joker. Neil Patrick Harris, did a good job as Nightwing. I also have to give the animators a huge amount of credit for making Nightwing move like an acrobat.
  
• I woke up this morning feeling the effects of Tuesday night’s workout.
• Trader Joe’s owner dies at 88
• has discovered the joy of Pin-up Girl Espresso.
  (One of us…. one of us…)
• Be a Supergirl – Warner Brother’s mix of comics, sports and style
  • …and in a nominally related note: Krystal Harris – Supergirl

• What Is the American Dream?
• Dan Brown Wants You to Tell Him Where to Go
• Where did the money to rebuild Iraq go?
• By way of Wired: What’s the Best and Fastest ISP in Your City? Look It Up Here
• 
• Pixar: 25 Years of Animation Exhibition
• Breathing new life into old train depots
• 20 Secrets Your Waiter Won’t Tell You

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 July 2010
Work week: Day 2.
I had an extreme case of “the lazies” this morning.  In an uncharacteristic move for me (at least for a workday), I gave in to it. And, I have to say: It felt rather nice.

Last night, SaraRules had a Justice Junior League meeting after work, which meant that I was a dinner bachelor. The “up” side to this: I could have Chinese food for dinner. (Win!) I pinged former coworker Marci, to see if she wanted to spare me from dining alone; she was kind enough to agree.  We went to David’s Kitchen. I hadn’t been in many, many moons. I had the Beef Lo Mein, with potstickers and an egg roll; the food was as good as I remembered.

This morning’s musical interlude is brought to you by the letters “H” and “L” and the number “2”:

Workout
Monday’s step count: 5,628

Stray Toasters

• I almost typed this as “Stray Coasters.”
• For SaraRules: Barn-quilt trail patched together in Pennsylvania
• Lawmakers Question Salaries at Nonprofits
• sent me a link last night… that I didn’t get until this morning. I think that it was better to see it this morning, as it was the perfect way to kick off the day:
• By way of SaraRules: Alan Moore Digs Up ‘Unearthing’ and Lays His Comics Career to Rest
  • In a related item: Alan Moore Celebrates a Real Person in ‘Unearthing’
• Apple updates iMac line, intros Magic Trackpad
• I was just informed that I get the… privilege… of working in the south office today or tomorrow.  Yay.
• 
• The Great Male Survey 2010
• Secret Invasion Spider-Woman (chase figure) = Mine.
• Botanical Gardens Are Turning Away From Flowers
• 
• ‘StarCraft II’ is launched for a whole new era
• Former Body-Armor Executive on Trial for Fraud

Namaste.

Monday – 26 July 2010
It’s the beginning of another fun-filled work week.

Today would have been my great-grandmother’s birthday, as well. One of the best stories about my great-grandmother also involves Sib-2 and a Power Wheels truck; nearly 30 years later, it still makes me laugh.

Even though it was a three-day weekend, it still seemed far too short. The highlights of the weekend included:

• A trip to End Zone with Perry and the kids
• Hanging out with the coolest wife ever.
• Helping the coolest wife ever redo the planter bed in front of the house.
• Seeing Inception
  
• Playing City of Heroes for the first time in far too long…
• Playing LEGO Batman for the first time in far too long…
• Hanging out with the Pinup Girl Espresso crew
• Seeing The Book of Eli
  
• Watching Burn Notice

This morning’s musical selection: Orgy – Opticon

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Today’s thought comes from an unknown source:

We all have it within ourselves to rise from feelings of complete hopelessness to a state of renewed strength, clarity, understanding and peace.

Workout

• Friday’s step count: 5,700-something
• Saturday’s step count: 4,200-something
• Sunday’s step count: 2,650

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules has a meeting tonight, which means that I’m a bachelor for a few hours. I think that this calls for Chinese food.  Anyone care to join me?
• Jane Austen’s Fight Club
• Footloose came on the radio during the morning commute.  Whenever I hear the song, it reparses in my head as:
  

  Juice! Fruit juice!
  Or Kool-Aid, if you choose.
  Juice box, please! Or Capri Suns to squeeze!
  It’s a fact: Welch’s Grape is like crack!
  Juice! Fruit Juice!
  Everybody drink… Everybody drink…
  Everybody drink… Everybody drink…
  Everybody drink… Everybody drink… Everybody….
  Everybody drink fruit juice!

• The Other Bomber Girls
• 
• Batman: Under the Red Hood comes out tomorrow.

• My new train set should arrive this week!

• Would I Crush Everything be a good theme song for Cthulhu?

• Namaste.

Friday – 23 June 2010
It’s the weekeeeeeeeeend, baby!
Hello, 9/80 Friday off.  I’ve missed you.

I’m not a big modern Country Music fan, but Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet sum up my attitude about the weekend in this song:

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Park City to see Imani Winds perform as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival. It was, simply put, fantastic. Seeing musicians of color – and especially African-American artists – performing classical music is still somewhat rare… or at least uncommon. Seeing five of them perform together, even more so. But, this quintet is an excellent group of performers. It was very easy to see that they not only enjoyed their jobs, but they enjoyed playing with the others in the group, as well.

Something that SaraRules and I noted: It was interesting that even though flautist Valerie Coleman appeared to act as conductor/timekeeper for the group, there was no real “leader,” so to speak.  Everyone had a part to play – including some lovely solos – and each of the members took a turn at presenting a piece of music.

Their performance consisted of modern compositions, two of which were written by members of the quintet. I enjoyed first half of their performance, but the second half was the stand-out half for me. The performance closed with a klezmer piece that had been arranged for wind quintet and featured clarinetist Mariam Adams, who completely knocked it out of the park.

If Imani Winds perform in your area and you have a chance to hear them, I strongly encourage you to do so.

Workout
Thursday’s step count: 3,507

Stray Toasters

• Like I needed something else for The Covet List: WB, DC Announce Green Lantern Video Game
• By way of MarknTyme: Sledgehammer and Whore – it’s a pretty engaging read, actually.
• Speaking of games, DC Universe Online (finally) has a release date: 02 November 2010
• 
• Sealing tape that looks like hinges
• Kirby Krackle (great name for a genre band) have a fun video for their song On and On.  Read about it here and see the video here:
• Grading on a Curve: Super-Hero Term Papers
• Seriously… see Imani Winds if they are performing near you.
• Make a Name for Yourself with Superhero Business Cards

Time to hit the road, so I can hang out with Perry and the kids for a while.

I might even swing by Pin-up Girl for a morning pick-me-up…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 July 2010
Day Two of the work week is upon us.

Last night, SaraRules and I fixed jambalaya for dinner. It had been a few months since we’d made any. It was tasty. After that, we headed up to the Kohl’s in Brickyard (the Kohl’s that I always seem to forget is there) so that I could find a few new shirts. After that it was back at home for…

Stop!
Yard work time!

When the grasses and weeds had been tamed, it was time for a shower and unwinding in front of the TV for a bit. Property Virgins and James May’s Toy Stories set the evening off nicely.

Tonight, SaraRules and I are getting in touch with our inner cowboys/rednecks – or, as it’s part of the “Days of ’47” celebration, our ‘inner pioneers’ – and going to the rodeo. Tonight is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” Night, with the proceeds going to support breast cancer awareness… and was the primary reason for last night’s Kohl’s excursion – I needed a pink shirt that wasn’t a dress shirt. It should be an interesting way to spend the evening.

Workout
Monday’s step count: 4,530

Stray Toasters

• I heard Prince’s I Would Die 4 U on the way to work this morning. It would have made a good selection for this morning’s music post, but His Purple Badness has “a thing” about his music and/or videos being posted online, so you’ll have to come up with a viable alternative on your own… or you could go with The Cardigans’ My Favourite Game:
• Keeping the Faith: Finding the cross-cultural colors in classical music
  SaraRules and I will be going to see Imani Wind Quintet perform on Thursday; for details and ticket information, click here.
• As Ravens ready for Super run, Joe Flacco becoming the leader
  



• A lot of people may remember Gatchaman (or Battle of the Planets, as it was known in the U.S.). After many years in development Hell, it looks as though a feature-length film may actually see the light of day. Here’s a trailer:
• African Studies Give Women Hope in H.I.V. Fight
• The Perfect Pour: A Citizen’s Guide
• Bad Ideas from The Little Mermaid
• 7 jobs that pay you to play all day
• Michigan puts 3 lighthouses on the market
  Re-enact your favorite scenes from Shutter Island or Pete’s Dragon with your very own lighthouse!
• A City Outsources Everything. Sky Doesn’t Fall
• Federal grand jury subpoenas Toyota over steering rod issues

Namaste.