Random Access

Sunday – 06 December 2009
Yesterday was a good – although cold – day. It also started to snow yesterday morning. There was snow in the forecast… but not until today. So, when I headed out, looked to the west and couldn’t see the Oquirrh Mountains, I knew that it was imminent. Ten minutes later, I was driving into it. Yay. It snowed intermittently throughout the afternoon. Nothing really accumulated, aside from on the grass/fields in some areas.

I hosted a ‘Clix tournament at Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection yesterday.  There was only one other person (besides Chris) who showed up to play. That was fine, because that meant a few things:

1. There was some word of mouth – the other player drove up… from Nephi.
2. Chris had someone to play against.
3. I didn’t have to worry about “Who won what,” as I could hand out both the first place and the Fellowship prizes.

Wayne, the guy from Nephi, wound up winning the tourney. put in an appearance; he’d been curious about both the game and the comic shop, so he thought he’d check them out. (Hopefully he had a good time hanging out.)

After the game, SaraRules and I went out to dinner and ran some errands. After that, we came home and set up the Christmas tree, while Christmas songs played on the 360. After that – and a nap, on my part – we chilled out on the couch, with hot chocolate and biscotti… and MythBusters.

Stray Toasters

• From the “Wow… I’m an idiot” file: I saw a blurb for the following item from The Washington Post:
  

  A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number.

  Wait. What? Really?  I mean…. REALLY??! Come on. They had to be kidding. I looked up the original article.  The correction was in reference to the following paragraph:

  Public Enemy has earned notoriety with more than 20 years of politically charged music about fighting the power, challenging racism and declaring that 911 was a joke. The group has joined forces with Virgin Mobile USA to combat youth homelessness as part of National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week.

  I shared the item with SaraRules, who was as flabbergasted as I was that someone would make that mistake. Her post-shock comment was: “This is something that… two minutes… of research would have clarified. Did she ever listen to the song?! If nothing else, she could have looked at when the song was written and seen how far before [September 11^th] it was.”

  Not only that, what about an editor?! Someone should have caught it. I did a little searching of my own, to see if I could find a picture of the author; maybe she was an older woman who just had no clue. This is the picture I found:

  

  She is the young lady on the far left.
  And just for the record (and future reference) : 911 != 9/11.

• MarknTyme tossed me a link to a concept trailer for a show called Slingers. Check it out here.
• U.S. hospitals turn to G.E. for surgical cuts
• 
• From NPR Music:
  • Living Colour: Keeping the Music Alive
  • The Jazz Loft Project: Sights and Sounds
  • The 11th Annual Director’s Cuts Music Guide
    
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Custom LEGO model kit leads to tactical police response…
• …and, in a similar vein: Police U-turn on photographers and anti-terror laws
• I watched 1 vs. 100 last night – one of The Mob was an aerospace engineer… who was also a cheerleader for the Houston Texans. Talk about disparate jobs!
• Comic Book Artists Illustrate Sci-Fi Legends
• Apple acquires music service Lala
• This image…

  

  …is available as a card or a print. Click here for more information.

• Woman jailed, charged with felony camcordering after recording 4 minutes of sister’s birthday party in a movie theater

And with that, I think I’ll put on some coffee and watch a little gridiron action.

Namaste.

Friday – 04 December 2009
Another work week draws to a close.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to The Festival of Trees. When we pulled up to the convention center, the parking lot was full. Full full. As in “people looking for non-existent empty parking spaces” full. We opted not to roam around the lot; instead we parked by Kate and Perry’s and just walked over. That worked much better. Once we got in, it was camera time. I took over 150 pictures of trees, wreaths, Nativity scenes and gingerbread houses. This Nativity picture has a story:

I wasn’t really paying a lot of attention as I turned the corner past this Nativity. So when I glimpsed this king, out of the corner of my eye…

…the first thought in my head was:

“Why is he videotaping Baby Jesus?!”

After a moment, there was a brief spark, as two brain cells rubbed together to form a clue:

“Wait. They didn’t have camcorders at Christ’s birth…”

Which led me to go back and look at it more carefully. Things fell into place much better at that point. Apparently, a lady noted that I was taking pictures of Nativity scenes and told Sara and me about a collection of Nativities – from around the world – that are on display at Temple Square. I think that we’re going to try and see them in the next week or so.

And, I thought that I might actually get out of there without my superpower kicking in. No such luck: I ran into a coworker – who was volunteering at the Festival – as we were getting ready to see the quilts and gingerbread houses.

If you’re in the greater Salt Lake City metropolitan area, I recommend visiting the Festival of Trees – not only is it a nice family outing, but proceeds go to benefit Primary Children’s Medical Center.  It runs from 10 AM to 10 PM, through tomorrow (Saturday, 05 Dec 09). More details can be found here.

After we got home, SaraRules put on some hot chocolate and we settled in to watch Fringe. It was a nice way to wrap up the evening.

Stray Toasters

• U.S. Veteran, 108, fights for WWI memorial
• A Computer Geek’s Smart Productivity Guide
• Bringing the Disney Magic Back in ‘Princess & the Frog‘

  

• LEGO Guitars
• Ancient Morocco adds modern amenities for tourism
• Comcast Eats NBC (infographic)

  

• Metropolis in the Old Days
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Smile Like You’re Dead Inside
• Dams Could Alter Local Weather, Cause More Rain
• Visit to the home of a steampunk houser-restorer
• Chainmail Tetris blocks

Namaste.

Wednesday – 02 December 2009
One down, one in the chamber and two to go. Yesterday was a decent enough day, workwise. There wasn’t really any monkeydom to deal with – that always makes the day good.

Today is Sushi and No Comics Wednesday – shipments were delayed due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Maybe I’ll buy a box or two of ‘Clix to compensate for the delay.

After work (and dinner), Chris came over and we played HeroClix. Since we’re running a tournament this weekend, we decided to try a few of the new pieces in a 300-point game. After setting up the “Fountain of Asgard” map, we noted that it is not for tournament play; we went with the “Arkham Asylum” map. Chris’ team consisted of:

• Captain America
• Daredevil and
• Moondragon

I asked SaraRules to pick ten figures at random, so that I could simulate pulling a couple of sealed boosters. Of the pieces she chose, I went with:

• Moonstone
• Penance
• Star-Lord and
• Valkyrie (#012, not #055)

We maneuvered our pieces into position and started throwing punches.  There were a lot of “swings and misses” before Chris changed his dice (oddly enough, his new dice “worked”); I think that my dice got scared and decided to get on the job when they saw that. I took out Daredevil with Valkyrie… and Moondragon scored a critical hit on Penance, not only doing four points of damage to him, but also slamming him backwards – into a wall – to finish him off. After that, we traded bad dice rolls until I was finally able to pick off Cap and Moondragon. So, for the first time in months… I beat Chris.

It was good to see the new figures in action. I’ve become a big fan of the Star-Lord ‘Clix and Chris pointed out something about both the new Captain America and Daredevil figures that would make them truly painful to face in unrestricted play.

Workout
Wes and I hit the gym yesterday at lunch.  We were joined by Eric, who was up in the north office for a while:

• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Tricep “Kickbacks”: 3 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
• Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 130 lbs
• Push-ups: 3 sets/15 reps
• Core (plank): 2 sets, 30 seconds

Post-workout weight: 188.1 lbs

It’s amazing – but not entirely unexpected – how painful working out can be… after a nearly three-week absence from the gym.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules bought a couple of boxes of Honeycomb for me a couple of months ago… right around the time I started eating Honey Nut Cheerios fairly regularly. I had something of an epiphany last night: I could take one of the boxes to work – where I keep a spoon and bowl, anyway – pick up some organic milk (which stays good for up to a month), and just have breakfast at work. I put that plan into motion this morning. So far, so good.
• Utah Symphony-Utah Opera is having a Holiday Sale.  Check it out!
• By way of Rachel: LEGO Movie Posters
• Reboot This! 10 Sci-Fi Shows Ready for Upgrade
• 
• A short while ago, I was talking with Minion #2 about the mistranslation of the “number of The Beast.” We have long been taught that the number is “666.” That’s not correct; the number is supposed to be “616.” (Sources: 1, 2, 3)

  Amusing side note: The Area Code for Grand Rapids Michigan is 616.

  Another amusing side note: Marvel Comics’ main universe is “Universe 616.”

• Madagascar unveils ‘cartoon constitution’
• sent along a picture of these shoes: Armani velvet pinstripes. I don’t think that I could swing ’em, but I’m sure that someone out there could hook them up nicely.
• From NPR: The Best Five Books to Share with Your Friends

Namaste.

Sunday – 29 November 2009

Friday afternoon, SaraRules and I went shopping. As I mentioned, I had expected most of the early-birds to be back in their respective aeries. That wasn’t the case as of the early afternoon, when we headed over to JoAnn Fabrics. I was amazed at the number of people in line to get fabric cut! If I remember correctly, there were literally about EIGHTY (80) people ahead of us! Unglaublich! Fortunately, SaraRules had the presence of mind to take a number before she started looking for fabric; I’d hate to think how much longer we would have waited had she not done that. And, we also picked up a wreath while we were there. The rest of the day and evening were rather low-key. We went to coffee and – aside from Carilyn (former coworker of mine) – were the only ones there.

SaraRules, Logan and I went to see The Blind Side yesterday. It was good. Very good, in fact. And… I have something of a confession: I’ve never really been a huge Sandra Bullock fan. I don’t mean that I dislike her – I’ve enjoyed her in other films – it’s just that she’s never really done anything that’s made me go, “Wow!” Until this movie. I actually thought,”Whoa… she can pull of depth and range beyond ‘comic actress.'” I enjoyed her portrayal of Leanne Tuohy. And, while I’m not a modern country fan, I have to give Tim McGraw props for both cleaning up nicely and doing a fine job in front of the camera, too. It was definitely “an inspirational sports movie,” but it was quite good in the way it told its story… and the fact that Michael Oher is the Ravens’ Left Tackle didn’t hurt, either.

We came back from the movie and I finished a project that I started Friday afternoon: Cleaning the office. It had been “far too long” since I had any verification that there was actually a floor in there. I set about proving that there was… and I was right! It looks about 300% better in there now.

For my final amazing feat of the day, I decided to do HeroClix mod. Like many people I wasn’t thrilled with the sculpt of the Spider-Man figure that came out in WizKids’ Secret Invasion set: The figure’s proportions weren’t right and it just looked… well… cheap. I had been toying around with some ideas and put them to work:

• Old and busted:

  

• New hotness:

While this wasn’t as much of a mod as either Winter Soldier/Captain America or Sodam Yat, it was as much fun to do as either of the others, including doing a complete repainting of the wall (including a covered-over zombie poster on the back). For a better look at what I did to make a better-looking Wall-Crawler out of Spidey, you can take a look at the before and after shots. I’m rather happy with how he turned out.

Stray Toasters

• posted a link to Super Emo Super Friends.
  (Consider the whole set as having been added to The Covet List.)
• Okay. I lied. Only one ‘Toaster, so far.  Maybe I’ll post more later.

And now, brunch at Cisero’s with SaraRules and the family!

Namaste.

Monday – 23 November 2009

Yesterday, the Comcast service tech came to look at – and hopefully fix – our service outage. When I scheduled the appointment, I was told: “…the earliest thing that we have available is 8 AM tomorrow (Sunday).” I agreed to that and set my alarms accordingly. Bright and early at 0800, I got out of my warm and toasty bed and traipsed out to the living room. After verifying that our service was still out, I curled up on the couch to wait for technician. A few minutes later, SaraRules came out to wait with me; after nearly an hour of trying to nap, she headed back to the bedroom – the new sofa doesn’t sleep two terribly comfortably. (Good to know…)

I called Comcast to verify that I hadn’t misunderstood the service call time/date. The IVR noted that my service window was “…between 8 and 12.” Wait. What?! If I was in a “service window,” why didn’t the CSR just say that Saturday morning, rather than “at 8AM.”

*grblsnrkx*

Wynn, the technician, showed up a little after 1000. I explained – and showed – the problem to him. He went back outside and checked the box. He came in, asked if anything had changed. Nope. He went back out and came in a couple of minutes later. Lo and behold, signal! I asked what had happened; he told me: Apparently, there was a service call in the next building, for Apartment #11… which is our apartment number. The tech for that call undid our line instead of the appropriate line.

::: braincramp :::

This wouldn’t have been so bad… had this not been the third time that we’ve had this exact same thing happen. Wynn looked a bit bemused, but understanding. He said that he would label the lines – “in a couple of places” – so that it wouldn’t happen again. Amen.

<< Rewind <<
Saturday, after coffee with the guys, Chris and I headed up to Dr. Volt’s. Our reason was two-fold:

1. We wanted to see what new plastic crack was in store and
2. We wanted to talk with Dave about running ‘Clix tournaments.

We bought a few singles – and a couple of boxes – and both wound up with some of the pieces we were looking for. Dave also said that he was up for hosting tournaments – as long as he knew “when,” he could make space available. So… with that in mind: Chris and I are running a tournament in just under two weeks! Hopefully, we’ll get some decent interest and will be able to run more tourneys in the future.

The rest of Saturday was spent doing some cleaning, a little errand-running and just hanging out with SaraRules. We also started watching Seven Samurai, which she had seen, but I hadn’t. It’s an excellent bit of film.We got about halfway through it (it’s a three-hour long fare) before calling it a night.

Sunday brought football. (Details below) After the early games, Logan came over – the three of us were going to see The Blind Side. The showing we wanted was sold out. So… we went back home and checked out SaraRules’ Netflix fare: The Strangers. Meh. Could have been (a lot) better:

We had dinner with the in-laws and – as it had started to snow – went home a little early. The late game was lax so, we finished watching Seven Samurai.

Instant Replay: Football
:

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
17 –15
The… sorry, The “Indianapolis Professional Football Club”… returned to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. Peyton Manning and company held the Ravens to field goals, but were only able to put up a pair of TDs and a field goal themselves. I was somewhat surprised to learn that Steve Hauschka had been released last week. As I told Julie and Minion #2 this morning: “[He] wasn’t working out.” New Ravens K, Billy Cundiff, kicked six FGs, missing one, for all fifteen of the Ravens’ points. I was expecting the “IPFC” to come in and completely wreck shop, but the Ravens were able to keep the game close, despite only scoring field goals. It was a loss, but respectable gameplay by the Ravens kept it from hurting… too much.

.

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders
17 – 20
We didn’t get to see all of this game – just the last few minutes were broadcast here, but… the Raiders WON. Not only that, but they beat the team to whom the Ravens have already lost twice this season. Congrats, SaraRules! Sorry, and .

.

Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions
37 – 38
The Lions? Really..? Wow. Sorry, .

.

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
9 – 35
I didn’t see this one, but I’m not surprised. Congrats, .

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: Shaq Takes Shot at Art as Curator of Show ‘Size DOES Matter’
• I’ve been meaning to post this for nearly a week: The Superman 2000 Pitch
• It’s healthy for kids to get dirty
• This popped up on my radar the other day and nudged me and reminded me of it:

  
  (click image for article)

• MarknTyme sent me a link to a Smallville teaser trailer… featuring the JSA.
• Animated map of US unemployment stats since 2007
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Homebrew Pikachu Ski-mask

Quote of the Day: Unintentional Porn Overheard at Work
This morning, a couple of people noted something that smelled like “burning electronics.” If you’ve ever smelled something that’s had a component blow out, you know what I’m talking about. I didn’t smell it, because I’m “slightly” congested, but loonybin88 and Minion #2 also noted that they smelled something. They finally tracked it down to one of Julie’s computers – the fan on the power supply had gone out and the components were overheating.

After they swapped out the PSU – and made sure that things were working properly – they gave Julie her machine back. Shortly after that, she got a call (I assume from someone who had asked about the smell earlier); she responded with the following:

Jason said he smelled something. It was my box.

I was (barely) able to contain any outward expression… until I got into the Build Lab, where I related the story to Minion #2. We both cracked up.

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 November 2009
I was up FAR too late last night. I got two bricks of Hammer of Thor ‘Clix and – after dinner and errand-running and making a pie and other stuff – I had to open both bricks and see what I got. I almost completed the set; I think that I’m ten or so pieces from complete at this point. In addition to the brick, I also picked up an Organized Play Kit, which basically means that I can run tournaments(!), should I choose to go that route. (I need to check with my local crack comic book shop and see what the owner thinks about it…) But, I’m happy with what I got. Very happy indeed.

Stray Toasters

• We’re having cheesecake – instead of ice cream – for today’s work snack. WIN!
• ‘Computer Glitch’ Is Delaying Flights Across the Nation
• By way of SaraRules: Blackface Filmmaker Wallraff Sparks Race Debate
• Robots Perform Shakespeare
  (This has already been done, at least it has in the book Too, Too Solid Flesh)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blamed for Katrina floods
• 
• Lab worms are stunned by ‘phaser’
• Overlooked 80s Sci-Fi Flicks, Recalled by Wired Readers
• Guns ‘n Gardens: How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse

• The “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file has a few bits of monkeydom today:
  • Maricopa deputy steals defender’s paperwork during a court case
  • Man Blames Planes for Divorce, Seeks $555 Million
  • SFPD cops from imaginary anti-dance-party squad steal laptops
• Power-guzzling TVs to be banned

All of that and it’s NBN Thursday… AND there’s football tonight!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 18 November 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I attended Play! A Video Game Symphony, as performed by Utah Symphony and the Utah Symphony Chorus.

It was an odd night for a concert, let alone a concert about videogames. Add to that: Two new games – Assassins Creed 2 and  Left 4 Dead 2 – just released yesterday, which meant that most hardcore gamers would be… at home playing games, rather than in the symphony hall listening to music from games. But, I digress. The program included music from:

• Super Mario Brothers
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• World of Warcraft and
• HALO

For an encore piece, the symphony performed d from Final Fantasy VII. All-in-all, it was a fun way to spend the evening and I got to see and , to boot.  Thanks to SaraRules for not only getting us tickets for the event, but also for putting up with a bunch of geekiness for the evening.  Coolest. Wife. Ever.

Stray Toasters

• Not only is it Comics and Sushi Wednesday, but it’s also New ‘Clix Day, too! Win-Win-Win!
• What to Wear No Matter Where You Go for the Holidays
• For (among others): Cthulhu Holiday Decorations
• Had flu? You may have H1N1 protection
• 
• Tom Ford’s Style Rules
• just shared this with me – Jon Ronson on telling his son the worst swear word in the world – and it made me laugh.
• 15 Things Worth Knowing About Coffee
• I need to hit my mother up for her hush puppies recipe…
• Teen Titans GO!

• Two words: Office monkeys.
• 1977 Star Wars Computer Graphics

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 November 2009
The new work week begins. Yay.

Yesterday, despite the pager incident, was a good day. I went to Chris’ and played HeroClix. Yesterday’s match-up saw the Chris’ Justice League of America taking on my Justice Society of America (pictures here). He won the game, but I was able to put away a few of his pieces before he left me fielding only one figure.

After the game, I headed home to take care of some straightening up before company came over for…

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
16 – 0
Ravens 1.0 traveled to Cleveland to take on Ravens -1.0, in a game that was not only an AFC North battle, but also a rivalry match. Too bad that there wasn’t really a “game,” to speak of.  The first half was very lackluster – neither team scored: Not a field goal (K Steve Hauschka shanked yet another kick wide left) Not a safety. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Browns’ QB Brady Quinn, who got benched earlier this season after a poor performance against the Ravens, got the start… and suffered from the same lack of ability to get anything going last night. Granted, the teams’ defenses got a good workout, but neither offense could get their game in gear. Coach Harbaugh must have gone George Patton on the team at halftime, because both the offense and the defense actually looked like they came to play: Joe Flacco and WR Derrick Mason hooked up for a long pass that set up a TD by RB Ray Rice Seventeen seconds later, SS Dawan Landry pulled down an interception and ran it back 48 yards for a TD Hauschka got it together and put up a field goal. The Ravens went to 5-4 and are still potentially in the hunt for a wild card berth.

Coach Mangini, your team just took another one on the chin.

How do you feel about that?

I can emapthize with that. Sorry, .

Stray Toasters

• Tonight: Play!
• Tomorrow: New HeroClix set – Hammer of Thor – comes out!
• pointed me in the direction of this little gem.
• Senators draw maps of their home states
• By way of CNN: 5 tips for fixing your Facebook page
• China’s Newest Export: Punk Rock
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Cannibals reportedly sold body parts to kebab vendor
• Chipsounds
• “We’ve Got Some Work to Do Now” t-shirt
• Lou Jing, half-Black Chinese girl, sparks race debate in China

Namaste

Friday – 13 November 2009
That’s right… it’s Friday the 13th.

9/80 Friday off.  Amen. I’ve been deliciously lazy today. And, to be perfectly honest: I’m good with that. It seems like a good way to kick off a four-day weekend. Today should continue to be (mostly) lax. There’s Clitorati tonight, which is always something to look forward to. Tomorrow, SaraRules and a few of the usual suspects are going to see 2012; we’re not expecting a “great” movie, we’re just going for the mass destruction!

Stray Toasters

• Vanished Persian Army Said Found in Desert
• sent me a link to the following item from It Made My Day, which made me laugh:
  

  I wore my glasses to work for the first time recently. My coworkers were making lame jokes about how I looked like clark kent. 5 minutes later I started laughing really hard when I remembered I was wearing superman boxers. IMMD

• Elecom Lego Brick Earbuds
  Hm, I have plenty of LEGO bricks. And a Dremel… just saying.
• Microsoft Responds to “Like OS X” Comment
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: ‘Thatcher dead’ text sparks fears
• Some of the best advice… EVER:

  
  “Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them.”

• Flash Vulnerability Found, Adobe Says No Fix Forthcoming
• I have found that I am really enjoying Mega Builders on The Science Channel.
• NASA to Bomb Monkeys with Gamma Radiation
  Um… HELLO?!  Don’t they know what could happen if they do that?!
• From CBR’s “Wonder of Wonders” column: War and Peace: Paraphernalia
• NASA sees “significant quantities” of water on the moon
• New ‘Clix in five days!

Off to get into some trouble…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 11 November 2009
Happy Veterans Day.

“Thank you” to military personnel, past and present, for your duty and sacrifice in maintaining the peace and freedoms that we enjoy.

Last night, SaraRules had Book Club… so I hung out with , , and Eugene (a friend of ‘s). We met at The Bayou. I’d already eaten dinner with SaraRules, so I only had an appetizer – Paprika Shrimp.  It was delicious; I highly recommend it. And, hanging out with friends was definitely a nice way to spend the evening.

After “dinner”/book club, SaraRules and I met back at home and watched last night’s NCIS and The Late Show.

Workout
I made it to the gym for a lunchtime workout yesterday:

• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/12 reps, with additional 25lb weight
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps
  • 1 set @ 215 lbs
  • 1 set @ 205 lbs
  • 1 set @ 195 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Reverse Punches: 3 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs

Pre-workout weight (morning): 183.0 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• Comics and Sushi Wednesday…. Check!
• Be a Grown-Up on Facebook
• Clash of the Titans (First Trailer)

• Space Mountain queue gets short-play video games
• Garden gnomes are so passe.
  Get a Garden Jawa, instead!
• The deep-sea crab that eats trees
• sent me a link to this, which I found cute:

  

• Kalashnikov ‘wanted to be poet’

Namaste.

Monday – 09 November 2009
Welcome to a new week.

Yesterday saw a nice balance of laziness and productivity. After watching the early game – and watching the stats of the Ravens game – I started working in the office. It needs to be brought out of chaos and into order.  In a big way. Next came some errand-running. Then we headed to dinner at SaraRules’ parents’ house.

Waking up this morning was a tedious process. Of course, not going to bed until nearly 0230 could have had something to do with that. Maybe.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday was a day of across-the-board upsets, good and bad:

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
7 – 17
The Ravens (4-3) headed to Cincinnati to take on the 5 – 2Bengals… and maybe get a little closer to the top of the division.Quoth the Ravens: “Never score. I don’t know what happened, but I’m willing to wager that it was one of two things: Someone suited up Owings Mills’ JV team in Ravens’ uniforms The Bengals were seriously out for blood Whatever it was, the Ravens apparently didn’t perform like the team that ended Denver’s perfect season last week.  And, according to , they couldn’t buy a decent call, either. *sigh* It makes me glad that the game wasn’t broadcast here. Congratulations to and on both the win and sole possession of the lead in the AFC North.  (And, yes, I’ll be a Broncos fan tonight, when Pitt takes on Denver.)

Coach Harbaugh, you just got chumped by the Bengals. Big time.  How does that make you feel?

Yeah, I understand.  I wouldn’t want to talk about it, either.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
17 – 27
The Dolphins, continuing their road series, headed to New England for a rematch against the Patriots! Everyone in Foxboro apparently got the  “One if by land, two if by sea” memo, because they went to town on the Dolphins. Where’s Greenpeace when you need them…?

.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
20 – 30
I didn’t get to see this one, but I was a little torn on it. On one hand, it’s Carolina, my NFC team. On the other hand, it’s the 7-0 Saints, led by former Boilermaker Drew Brees. Loyalties… torn…. In the end, the Saints went marching in with a win and an 8-0 record.  And I was just fine with that.

Bye Week: Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: Jewish Arts Festival: Esther, the superheroine
• Berlin Marks 20th Anniversary of Wall’s Fall
  • In a related note: Controversy over U2’s Berlin Wall
• High Court Weighs Life Terms for Minors
• 
• Mixed Race Americans Picture a ‘Blended Nation’
• By way of : The Hoover Dam Bypass Will Make You Ooooh and Aaaah

Quote of the Day
A while back, I asked to write a recommendation for me on LinkedIn. He sent me the first draft last week:

Rob was a great hire. He has the skills to fit into which ever technical role we happened to throw at him at the time. However his true talent came forward whenever we needed to put a little pressure on an employee or make someone disappear. We still don’t know what happened to some of the bodies.

I thought that it was fine, as-is. He wound up changing it a little, to make it a bit more… palatable to the masses.

Namaste.

Sunday – 08 November 2009
This has been a good weekend.

Friday was SaraRules’ birthday. After work, we went out for dinner. SaraRules’ first choice was Red Iguana… unfortunately, there was an hour-plus-long wait to get in. No go, Flight. Her second choice was Sawadee, a Thai restaurant near downtown. I didn’t know that it was even there; in my defense, I don’t get to that part of the city very often. The food was very good (and very spicy!). After dinner, we met up with some of the usual suspects at Clitorati, including a special guest appearance from and .

Yesterday was a good day. It had a good mix of laziness and productivity. SaraRules went to her quilt club in the morning; I hung out with Chris and Perry. After we got home, we headed back out to run a few errands. Back home again. SaraRules took a nap, I assembled a bookcase. Later, we headed to Abravanel Hall to watch Utah Symphony perform a pair of works by Brahms:

• Concerto No. 1 for Piano in D Minor, op 15
  
• Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, op. 98

Pinchas Zuckerman conducted and Jonathan Biss was the guest pianist. The performance was good. I was particularly impressed/pleasantly surprised by Mr. Zuckerman’s attire – he wore a slightly oversized black silk (I think) shirt with a pair of black slacks, rather than the traditional tuxedo that most conductors wear. Our seats were in the first tier, about five rows from the stage. This afforded an excellent view of the orchestra and of the conductor… as well as being close enough to hear Mr. Biss breathe. Seriously. When playing particularly intense passages, he breathed heavily. Very heavily. So heavily, in fact, that SaraRules said that it was like watching and listening to Darth Vader play.

This morning has been quiet. Breakfast.  Football. (If only the Ravens could act like they remember how to play the game. *sigh* I’ve been spoiled by being able to watch them play for the past three weeks, but I think I’m glad that I can’t watch this one.)  This evening, we’re heading over to the in-laws’ for SaraRules’ birthday dinner (with the family) and football.

Stray Toasters

• Complaint Box: Public Grooming
  Another of my personal pet peeves is people who clip their nails at their desks at work.
• sent a link to: Comic books are good for children’s learning
• I watched part of The Hunt for Red October yesterday. I like that movie.
• Visually impaired gamer sues Sony Online
• 
• As I mentioned on Facebook:
  

  Thanks for the items and requests… but my Mafia Wars account is wearing cement shoes and sleeping with the fishes.

• Wonder of Wonders: Identity, No Crisis
• Troy Polamalu has already had an injury this season.
  Larry Fitzgerald is still getting it done… and is having a decent season.
  So, what does this mean as far as “The Madden Curse” goes?
• Tiny jack-o-lanterns carved in seed pods
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Swarm of Giant Jellyfish Capsize 10-Ton Trawler

Namaste.

Tuesday – 03 November 2009
I can see clearly now
The rain is gone…
Not that it’s rained here recently, but the haze that usually hovers over the valley is gone… or at least it has thinned a bit.

Happy Birthday to !

Last night, we headed over to the in-laws for dinner and football. Both were very good – we had lamb and fresh vegetables…. and an eggplant dish whose name I can never remember.

Instant Replay: Football

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
27 – 35
The 6-0 Saints hosted the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons. I wasn’t expecting too much from this, but it was a very good game. Both teams scored on their opening drives.  Not only that, both teams played well – all game long, on both sides of the ball. Boilermaker Watch: Saints QB Drew Brees had yet another game with big passing yards. He threw for 308 yards, with two TDs and one interception.

Stray Toasters

• Fastball Special
• pointed out Put This On: A Web Series about Dressing Like a Grownup
• We have found a home for Couch 1.0, now we need to arrange to get it there and then acquire Couch 2.0…
• Americans for the Arts has a new ad campaign: “Feed Your Kids the Arts!”

• Gambit != Gamut
  • gambit
  • gamut
• First, RB Jamal Lewis says he’s retiring after this season.
  Next, GM George Kokinis gets the boot.
  , it looks like your team is just falling apart. What’s next?!
• I’m missing the ability to play X-Men: Legends… Stupid “No, we’re not making the 360 completely backwards compatible” Microsoft!
• Digital Bread Crumbs: Following Your Cell Phone Trail
• No matter how bad your day is, at least you’re not this guy…

• I want a new black or grey hat, preferrably a fedora.
• Josie and the Pussycats has been replaced by The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan on Boomerang.

Namaste.

Monday – 02 November 2009
Another lovely workin’ day in the valley. It’s clear and sunny… and supposed to get into the low-to-mid 60s today. That’s not a bad thing at all.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Chinatown, a movie that I got from Netflix weeks ago. It started off slowly, but told an interesting story of deception, murder and greed in 1930s Los Angeles. I wasn’t aware that it was a Roman Polanski film, until the pre-movie credits began. We both thought that it was a very good movie and I would  recommend it.

After Chinatown, we both set about our respective hobbies: SaraRules did some quilting, I glued and assembled some of the WWG pieces I had cut out earlier in the day. SaraRules put on X-Men Origins: Wolverine while we worked. I tried not to pick out “too many” continuity gaffs. “Tried” being the operative word. All things considered, it’s still a decent movie.

Stray Toasters

• In honor of the Ravens’ win yesterday – and because my in-laws got me a snazzy purple and white shirt for my birthday – I’m in black and purple today:

  

  I’m even wearing my purple LEGO cuff links.

• PassiveAgressiveNotes.com
• pointed out this xkcd comic:

  
  (click for full-sized version)

• Fall Auctions – Traditional Offerings at Bargain Prices
• Despite being fun – and addictive – at the outset, I find that Mafia Wars no longer holds my interest or attention.
• “Apple Sense… tingling!”
• Congress prepares to curb bank overdraft fees
• Mechanical computer uses matchboxes and beans to learn Tic-Tac-Toe

Namaste.

01 November 2009
Welcome to November.

Is it a “bad” thing that I wish that more people and places remembered that the next American holiday after Hallowe’en is not Christmas? *sigh*

Alas, poor Yorick Thanksgiving! I knew it, Horatio.

At least we are keeping the holiday spirit alive here at home: SaraRules changed the fabric in the picture frames in the bathroom to the Thanksgiving-themed fabrics we found last week:

Last night, SaraRules and I opted to stay in and hand out candy to kids here in our complex. We were partially successful – we had two sets of Trick or Treaters. We even got into costume for it. Oh, well. We also wound up Hallowe’en with a couple of horrible… I mean “horror”… movies. (Actually, they were both pretty bad.) We watched a pair of Uwe Boll movies:

House of the Dead

and

Bloodrayne

SaraRules actually owns House (on VHS, no less!) and she found Bloodrayne on Netflix’ Instant Queue.  I’m not sure that there’s ever been a movie based on a videogame that’s been “good,” but I do know that neither of these movies qualifies. We MST3K-ed both movies… and had fun doing it.

This morning, SaraRules fixed a coffee cake, which we ate while watching football. Also during the game, I set my digital cutter to work on some WWG pieces – I got a lot cut out, I just need to glue and assemble now. After the early game, we went to the store to pick up some things for dinner tonight – we’re having jambalaya. Tonight will be another low-key night around the homestead.

Instant Replay: Football Update
Today has been a good football day. A good day, indeed.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
7 – 30
The Ravens (3-3), after a three game losing streak and a bye week, we looking to make up some lost ground in the AFC North.Coming into today’s game, the Broncos hadn’t only allowed more than 10 points in the second halves of their games; with their 6-0 record, they headed to Baltimore to notch another win. Quoth the Ravens: “Nevermore.” This was a helluva game, especially if you are a Ravens fan. On the first play of the opening drive, Raven’s LB Jarret Johnson introduced Broncos QB Kyle Orton to the turf, on an for a sack with an 8-yard loss. And the hits just kept coming. Orton was hurried, rushed and sacked twice. And it wasn’t just the Ravens’ defense doing some work today, the offense and special teams helped out, including a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown, by CB Ladarius Webb. The Ravens looked – and played – like a team on a mission. And it was good. Amen.

Ray, how does a big win against a previously undefeated football team make you feel?

Yeah, I’d be feeling like that, too.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
30 – 25
The Dolphins took a trip to New York to take on the Jets in Giants Stadium… …and were able to hold on for a win. Go, fish!

.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
16 – 24
The Chargers hosted the Raiders and were able to keep them at bay long enough to eke out a win. Sorry, SaraRules.

.

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals
34 – 21
The Cats traveled across the country to take on the Arizona Cardinals… …and came away looking like the cat that ate the canary.

.

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears
6 – 30
Um… sorry, .

…and the Game of the Day:

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
38 – 26
Brett Favre took the Vikings to Green Bay to take on his former team. How would it be to go back to Lambeau Field after playing there for sixteen years… and being gone for two? Let’s just say that Favre had a solid game: 244 passing yards. Four touchdowns. No interceptions. No sacks. It was every bit as good a game as I was expecting. Congratulations, .

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules and I picked up our wedding bands from the jewelers yesterday. We had to have them resized, because they were both (at least) a half-size too small.  For those of you who haven’t seen them before, here’s a look:

  
  (click picture for larger image)

  The bands were custom-designed for us by . She asked us what we wanted on them… and we both drew a blank. After some discussion, asked us what our interests were and that she would adapt something from that. That made it easier for both of us: SaraRules is a quilter and I’m a collector/gamer. We wanted something that represented both of us, and that’s what we went with:

  • SaraRules chose a log cabin quilting pattern
  • I chose a Green Lantern symbol. (Duh.)

  The pattern, quilt square/lantern, is repeated around the ring.

• I realized something this morning. After sleeping in my wedding band, I had a negative imprint of the ring’s pattern on my skin. It took me a moment or two to realize why it looked so familiar.  It looked like this (the symbol on Kyle’s uniform). I had always wondered how/where they came up with the symbol; now I have a better idea.
• If you get a chance, vote for SaraRules and me!
• Computer Activities for Those with Speech and Language Difficulties?
• I don’t mind the extra hour of “fall back” when we go from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time… but I do miss the late-in-the-day sunlight.
• No word yet on when S.F. Bay Bridge will reopen
• SaraRules and I made a pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden yesterday. We bought stuff, too.
• Zombies as American Zeitgeist Proxies
  Oh, yeah… we watched the original Night of the Living Dead last night, too.

  

• This makes me chuckle:

  

• The iPhone Now Officially Runs Doom
• I believe I’m craving a Slurpee… but I don’t think I’ll be getting one tonight.