Random Access

Sunday – 09 August 09
We’re back.

We got in last night around 2230. We cut the trip short a day, because it rained most of the day on Friday, which played hob with fishing and made sitting around camp kind of… dull and boring. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a good time, though. The breakdown goes a little something like this:

Thursday (Pictures from Day 1)
We got up at 0510 to head to SaraRules’ parents’. For some reason, I didn’t get to bed until after 0200, so waking up was definitely hard to do. After a shower, I felt a little closer to human. We got to the house and waited for Logan, whose building had a power outage and screwed up his alarm.  We hit the road at 0730, bound for Idaho.

Given that I was “a little” tired from the previous night’s lack of sleep, I was out of it for most of the way to Pocatello. I woke up as we were turning off the highway to get breakfast. We ate and got back on the road. We made a quick stop in Blackfoot and then headed up to EBR-1. Again. Although, this time, it was open for touring. we spent about 45 minutes or so walking around (and taking pictures). On to Challis – we had to load up on spud-nuts (doughnuts, made with potato flour). And from there, on to Stanley and Redfish Lake.

Part of our job as the first car to leave was to find and secure a campsite. We did that. SaraRules and Logan were of the opinion that it was the same site they had two years ago. The main difference from last year’s site was that the toilets were much more basic than the ones in Glacierview: Pit toilets vs. flush toilets and sinks. *shrug* We set up the tents and generally got the campsite ready for the weekend. A little after Car 2 (with the Meliko and the ‘rents) showed up, it started raining. Steve set up “Alaska rigs” (tarps suspended in by ropes, draped over the tents and picnic bench); lo and behold, we stayed dry. For the most part. There was a small pool of water that collected at the corner of SaraRules and my tent. Meliko, Logan and I dug a small trench to divert the water – it worked fairly well.

Friday (Pictures from Day 2)
We woke up to intermittent rain. As that bode ill for fishing, we went to the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge again. It, too, was open for a tour. Looking at it last year, just from the exterior, it seemed rather amazing that the whole thing was run by just three (3) men. Seeing it from the inside made it seem all the more amazing. And, of course, I took a plethora of pictures. After that, we headed up to Custer and then SaraRules, Logan and Steve tried their hands at fishing… to no avail. We headed back to camp.

A while later, Logan and Steve decided to try again; SaraRules wanted to go to the hot springs. So we packed into the cars and off we went. Meliko went hiking around the area where Steve and Logan were fishing; Bonne came to the hot springs with SaraRules and me. I wasn’t entirely sure about this whole “sitting in a hot spring while it’s not terribly warm out” thing, as I’ve long looked askance at people who sit in hot tubs in the middle of winter. It just seemed… odd… to me. But, I did it. Trying to find the right mix of hot spring water and cold river water was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to do it. And it was fun.

Saturday (Pictures from Day 3)
Intermittent rain beset us again. We decided to break camp and head home. SaraRules, Logan and Steve decided to hit a couple of fishing spots before making the trek back to Utah. First stop, Indian Riffles. And, just before we got there, the sun came out. Go figure. The trio changed into fishin’ gear and hit the river. No dice. From there, we went back to the Yankee Fork. Once more into the fray… and this time, the fish came out to play – everyone caught something. Their fishing appetites sated, we started back to Salt Lake.

Instead of heading back through Arco and Pocatello, we came back via Sun Valley. This included a trip to the summit of Galena Summit. (Fortunately, Idaho believes in guard rails, unlike many areas of Utah…) We descended into Ketchum. We had lunch/dinner at Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta. The food was good and so was dessert – I had their Chocolate Ganache Cake and ice cream. A quick stop at Starbucks and we were on the road again.

We traveled through a couple of small – REALLY SMALL – towns and along some back-country two-lane roads before winding up in Paul, ID (a few miles from I-84, southeast of Twin Falls). Then, it was highway cruising. We were making good time until we got to Ogden, where there is construction. Lots of lane-constricting construction.

On the whole, I’d have to rate this year’s camping trip:

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation.

Today kicked off with sleeping in. Later, we headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for brunch. After eating, we watched Black Sheep. It’s basically an Australian zombie sheep movie. And, yes, I know exactly how that sounded. This movie is definitely on the CW/LKG Scale.

(at least)

Tonight, I think we’ll have a quick trip down to the Garden of Sweden and then back home to watch some football. That’s right: Football. It’s the Hall of Fame Week game that kicks off four weeks of glorious preseason football.  Selah.

Stray Toasters

• Ray Charles covers Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire

• Gap founder’s amazing art collection may leave San Francisco
• I watched The Big Hit earlier. I haven’t seen this in a long time… but it’s fun. It’s on the CW/LKG Scale, but I’d rate it on the higher end of it.

  

• In a related note and comic trivia: Actress Lainie Kazan (who was in The Big Hit) was the visual inspiration for Big Barda.
• Eugene Roddenberry and the legacy of ‘Star Trek’
• 

• The Happiest Cartoonists of All Time
• Filmmaker John Hughes has died.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 04 August 2009
Another work-a-day morning in Paradise. And this is after a 12-hour day yesterday. On the plus side, this means that after logging today’s and tomorrow’s hours, I can trim a bit off the number of hours I need to take for leave on Thursday. I’m not sure that’s a full “Win-Win,” but it’s not bad. Of course, I’m in an all-day meeting, so that should keep me (more or less) out of trouble.

Last night was a low-key evening. That not-so-loosely translates to: “I sat in front of the television and vegged.” And it was good. I also got a little further in cataloguing ‘Clix.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules pointed me in the direction of: One Super Wedding
• Inverse Spatial Logic Game
• sent me a link to this picture; I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.
• Indian police accused of abuses
• Wow…. Kenneth just used the phrase “money shot” in our meeting. With our CEO and other top brass in it. I think he just scored “Human of the Day” for that.
• US Health Care Debate (infographic)
• 
• 5 Robots that make C3PO look like the Terminator
• 10 Badass Female G.I. Joe Characters
• Also by way of Nyx: Obama’s Birthday Cards from Birthers
• Living in a massive high-rise with no neighbors

Namaste.

Monday – 03 August 2009
Another work week begins. But this week is a short one – even shorter than usual, in fact – because we’re heading to Idaho on Thursday to go camping. With that in mind, I think that I can make it three days in the office. (Just found out that we might be going in the “early car,” which means that we’ll be on the road about 0600 on Thursday… but that facilitates my ability to tour EBR-1 (1, 2), so there is a bit of “Win” to be found.

88 Minutes turned out to be a decent movie. It wasn’t awesome and was a little predictable in parts, but it was “just right” for something to have on in the background.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I started watching Neverwhere, thanks to Netflix “Instant Queue.” About halfway through the first episode, Door asked Richard to seek out the Marquis de Carabas. The name rattled around my head for a few minutes before I was able to make a vague association: A few years ago, either said that I reminded her of the Marquis or that I should dress as him for Hallowe’en. Unfortunately, I don’t remember which it was.
• fotographylife
• I’ve started cataloging my HeroClix figures on HCRealms. I’ve finished with the small trays and started in on the large trays last night. That doesn’t include the bin full of “extra” figures that I have.  That will be fun, I’m sure…
• Botched building demolition creates real world Katamari Damacy horror
• What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
  I think that I’d have to go with Mocha Almond Fudge (or a variant thereof, depending on brand) and/or a really good Rocky Road.
• Google CEO Schmidt Leaves Apple Board
• 
• As of 01 August 09, NFL Network was supposed to be part of Comcast’s Digitial Classic service package, of which I am a customer. Why is it that when I checked this morning, I received the “For Ordering Information…” announcement? *sigh*
• Car used to design font
• I’m trying to decide whether I want to reinstall Growl.
• Scammer Plants a Fake ATM at Defcon 17

Namaste.

Saturday – 01 August 2009
Last night’s sleep was… a little broken. I woke up a few times, for as-yet undetermined reasons. After getting into bed after 0230, I was up around 0730… and thought I might stay up for a bit. I thought better of it and crawled back into bed. I finally woke up and decided to start the day around 0915, which was a much more reasonable hour.

I got dressed and went to have coffee with Perry. It was a very brief get together, as he was on the clock. I came back home and found that SaraRules was already back from quilting. We hit the road again… this time with a two-fold mission:

1. To pick up our invitations from the printer
2. To pick up a new HDD for my MacBook

We were successful in both.

Human of the Day
While at the Best Buy, getting the hard drive, I saw what I’m sure is going to be the most awesome thing I see all day: A guy playing football on what I believe was the PS3 display. That, in and of itself, isn’t so noteworthy. What made it great was that he had pulled up a chair from their office section (a nice brown suede-looking finish), set it up in front of the display, taken off his hat (and put it on the display) and was just… going to town playing video games. It rocked. SaraRules and I decided that only a couple things could have made the scene better:

• If he had a Big Gulp^® and some chips on a little tray next to him and/or
• If he had friends with him, throwing down some game time trash talk.

I completely spaced off getting a phone picture of it, though.

Workout
We also hit the gym for a weekend workout:

• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Calf Raises (standing): 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Bent-over Row (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Reverse Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Tricep Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Side Bends (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with the pentatonic scale
• After Scare, Tempers Flare at La Guardia
• The Le (pronounced “Tee Lee”) sums up what was wrong with Marvel Comics’ last couple of events, World War Hulk and Civil War:
  

  Since the reader has become so attached to Hulk’s cause, this makes the reader a fool too… and that’s really the problem here. The Hulk’s a chump, and we’re also chumps for taking his side.
  
  That’s just bad storytelling. The author, Grek Pak, was clearly trying to pull a fast one on us, and he succeeded. Like the terrible last moments of Civil War before it, we’re left with a great story that is utterly ruined by a pitiful ending.

• America makes nothing except weapons
• 
• From the “Yeah, I want some Cheesy Poofs!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?” files: Cheezy poofs marketed as “organic carrot stix”
• Also from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?” file: Michael Jackson wanted to make ‘Spider-Man’ movie, Stan Lee says

Tomorrow: Off to Park City for the Arts Festival.

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 July 2009
Another NBN Thursday kicks off in the Valley of the Lake of Salinity. Seems like I was just “here.” Of course, doing a late night post and then turning right around and doing another in the morning will do that to you.

I chatted with Dana, from Galaxy of Comics, for a bit last night. In the course of our conversation, she pointed out a something about the latest issue of Batman that I hadn’t considered: It made sense for Two-Face to deduce who was under the cowl. After all, he has been the closest thing that Dick Grayson has had to a recurring (arch)villain… ever since Dick’s days as Robin. Brilliant. And, as a side note: If you’re in the Los Angeles area, check out Galaxy of Comics, it’s a nice little shop.

Stray Toasters

• Plastinkuzz DJ Scratch Card
• Men at Work face plagiarism case
• By way of comes Polyamory: The Next Sexual Revolution?
• Kerry Tribe’s H.M.
• From Weta Collectibles: Cortana
• Funds Dwindle to Dismantle Old Nuclear Plants
  (Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to take the tour at EBR-1 this year…)
• 
• One notable problem that I’ve noticed with Safari: For some reason, it doesn’t always play nicely with my Live+Press plugin. Most specifically, it fails to retain the “Insert Linkback” and “Disable Comments” settings – the settings that force comments to be made on Random Access rather than in LiveJournal. Thus, I have to remember to set them manually with each post. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something I’ve noticed.
• Speaking of which: I’m still somewhat amused (and bemused) by comments I get about the fact that I’ve stopped allowing comments on my LiveJournal and that they have to be posted on my WP blog – mainly, the fact that commenter has to be registered on my site to post a comment. I think that the most common complaint I’ve heard/read is “It’s another password I have to remember.” True… to a point, since a browser can be set to remember the password. The other, related comment is that it’s yet another site to be accessed in order to comment. That one’s valid. But, as I only mirror content on LJ, it’s not one that I’m inclined to change… especially since the decision to migrate my blog to my site a few years back. *shrug* C’est la vie.
• China concerned about abortions
• MI5 Website Breached by Hackers

Friction of the day and whatnot…

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda
The day turned out better than Tuesday, after all. Selah.

After work, SaraRules and I headed to Kate and Perry’s – I had a few Blackest Night-related comics to hand off. On the way there, we were passed by a couple of scooter riders whose helmets looked… vaguely familiar; I confirmed later that it was and A 400 Lb Gorilla. We hung out with Perry and the Kids for a while. Next, we headed to the nearest Best Buy, where I (finally) found a copy of Green Lantern: First Flight… with the figurine. (More on this later.) I, however, completely forgot to look for a copy of The Middleman. Ah, well, another time.

Back home, SaraRules started in on dinner and I started in on today’s four-color crack. For tonight’s fare, SaraRules made maple chicken, cheesy potatoes, green beans and glasses of Novella Synergy Blanc. Dinner was, as always, quite delicious. During dinner we watched GL:FF. After that, SaraRules went back to work on our wedding quilt and I finished up my four-color shwag.

Reeling by on Celluloid
Green Lantern: First Flight, the latest release from DC Universe Animated Original Movies, is an adaptation of the origin story of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. The feature hits the ground running and, before the opening credits even roll, you’ve been introduced to Hal and two major supporting characters. Things don’t exactly slow down after the opening credits, either, as Hal meets Sinestro and three other Lanterns and is escorted to Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corps. The story doesn’t retell Hal’s first days as a GL entirely as recounted in comics, but that’s okay – the story that they do tell is a good one. The story makes the characters accessible to viewers who neither watched Justice League/Unlimited nor read the comic book and it even lends itself for more GL features down the road. As an added bonus, one of the special features on the disc is a preview of the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Win-Win.

Four-Color Coverage

Stray Toasters

• Officiant: Check!
• There, I Fixed It
• I read this and thought of :

  

• What do you get when you mix Wu-Tang Clan and LEGO? Something like this.
• Robert Downey, Jr. on Iron Man 2
• PhysicsCentral: Learn How Your World Works

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 July 2009
Another day kicks off… with me taking my car to the dealership. The “Check Engine” light came on last night, so I figured that getting it looked at would be a good thing.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I headed to Utah County to get our engagement photos taken. I finally had the opportunity to meet Twila, our photographer; SaraRules had told me nothing but good things about her – from their first meeting and from her bridal photos. She was right. Twila was fun to work with and I’m looking forward to seeing how our shoot turned out.

Stray Toasters

• Green Lantern: First Flight hits shelves today.
• Question for the movie fans out there: When you know that [BIG NEW MOVIE] is coming out, how much would you like to know about it beforehand? Do you prefer to know as little as possible, aside from a few sketchy details, or would you prefer to have a decent overview/synopsis – up to, but not necessarily including spoilers – before going in?
• For: SaraRules and
  From: NPR Music - Riverboat Gamblers ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ for 25 Years of ‘Purple Rain’
• Wonder Woman Is Not Lame
• By way of : William Shatner Makes Palin’s Speech into Poetry

• Transitional Care Cuts Hospital Re-Entry Rates, Costs
• Bill Maher Calls America a ‘Stupid Country’
• Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America
• 
• Crows Recognize Human Faces

Namaste.

Sunday – 26 July 2009
SaraRules and I did a little shopping yesterday. I picked up some new gym gear and a few pairs of shorts. Later in the evening, we hung out with shockpuppet, and others for Rib Fest last night. It was a lot of fun.

This morning was a lazy sleep-in day. I woke up and picked up American Psycho again. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten where I stopped reading, so I had to go back and cover about 10 pages again. Then, it was time for breakfast and the first three eps of Wolverine and the X-Men. And then…

Workout
…SaraRules and I went to the gym for a workout:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Upright Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps
• Curls (dumbell, with shoulder press): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Tricep Press (T-bar): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs
• Lunges: 3 sets/10 reps
• Core (plank, side): 3 sets/30 seconds

Weight: 184.5 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Rebecca, Joe or Jim (can’t remember who pondered this with me): It does not seem as though glow sticks have made it onto the “Stuff White People Like” website or book. Yet.
  • In a related note, Stuff Mormons Like is my favorite parody site of the SWPL site.
• I haven’t been G4‘s biggest fan since they became “G4” – I miss the… intelligence and variety, I guess… of TechTV. However, I have to give them props for their coverage of Comic-Con 2009.
• 
• Baptist Leaders Face Challenge on Women’s Roles
• From the “SkyNet is now online…” file: Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man
• Taqwacore: Muslim Punk Underground
• This shit is bananas…
  (I still think that MarknTyme should teach this to his band as a stand song.)
• Three reasons Palin’s move might be about money
• After a few days with Safari, I’ve found the transition hasn’t been too bad. There are still a couple of relatively minor things that I miss from Firefox, but nothing yet to make me go kicking and screaming back to it. Yet.
• First, Geoff Johns did a Legion episode of Smallville… and now he’s writing a JSA episode? Hmm…

Namaste.

Friday – 24 July 2009
It’s my 9/80 Friday.
It’s not even 8:30.
So, why am I wide awake? (written when it was still “morning” in Utah.)

Oh, well.

Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner with OnlyAly, , Stephanie and Jason at MacCool’s, an Irish(-style) pub, in Foothill Village. I had been there once before, but not for dinner. I ordered the Finn’s Fries (think “nachos,” then take a left – it’s made with potatoes, rather than tortillas) for an appetizer. Holy cow… They were incredible. I had the Pub Steak for my entree. I was a bit more disappointed here: I asked for it “medium-well,” it came out “medium-rare,” or as might say: “They threatened it with the flame.” They took it back and recooked it; while it did cook through, it made the outer layers a tad tougher. All-in-all, it was a good experience and I’d definitely go back again.

The evening was spent lazily lounging around. Nothing wrong with that.

Today is also Pioneer Day in Utah. (And Missouri and California, according to one joke I’ve heard.)

Stray Toasters
Stray Toasters are preceding Four-Color Coverage today. Why? Because I think that FCC may get to be “a bit” lengthy and I’m going to try using the never-seen-in-this-blog “MORE” tag. Or, for a shorter answer: “Because I can.” So, without further ado:

• Marvin the Martian… made of LEGO bricks.
• I received my Mac pony pegasus from Stephanie last night. It looks great. I’ll take (and post) some pictures of it later.
• iGoogle now has a “Comics” themes category; a tip of the hat to for point this out to me. My home page is now decked out with a snazzy Green Lantern theme.
• Race and book covers: Why is there a white girl on the cover of this book about a black girl?
• I stumbled across this yesterday afternoon: This wedding party entrance had the potential to be disastrous. Instead, I think it was rather cool and looked like everyone had a fun time with it:

• Blackest Night figures (Series 3)  from DC Direct
• Catwoman 1:6 Scale Deluxe Collector Figure
• Expectations != Results, as dx/dy (Laziness) = 0
• Federal agents apprehend fugitive after 15 years
• Homemade AT-AT loft bed
• Hello Kitty + Star Wars = ???
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!” file: Artist takes $190,000 out of bank because they won’t give him a mortgage
• Slap on the wrist for officer who assaulted paramedic

Namaste.

Four-Color Coverage
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these; hopefully, I remember how it goes. Since it’s been so long, I’m also going to cover some of the highlights from the past weeks, as well. With that in mind, I’m going to use the “MORE” tag to cut the bulk of the text. Hopefully, it will work as expected…

Read More �

Thursday – 23 July 2009
Welcome to NBN Thursday/Technical Friday.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched High Noon. Both of us enjoy Westerns, but neither of us had seen it. (My father was even surprised when I mentioned that I hadn’t seen it.) After dinner, we settled in to watch it. The story revolved around Will Kane, Marshall of a small town named Hadleyville. On his last day as Marshall – and the day of his wedding – he learns that Frank Miller, the man who ruined The Spirit he sent to prison five years earlier, has been freed… and is coming back to town for vengeance. Marshall Kane has to decide between leaving town with his bride or staying to take on Miller and his cronies. Both SaraRules and I agree that it was an excellent film.

I also picked up yesterday’s four-color shwag. I’m planning on writing up a comprehensive Four-Color Coverage tomorrow – it will cover the last four or five weeks – but let me just synopsize as follows:

• Green Lantern #44 – Wow.
• Legion of 3 Worlds #5 (of 5) – Also “wow.” I’m looking forward to the restart of Adventure Comics next month.
• Power Girl #3 – Fun.

Stray Toasters

• I don’t think that I mentioned that my JLU: Legion figures showed up a couple of days ago. This, of course, means that I need to rearrange shelves in the display cases.
• Obama: Police who arrested professor ‘acted stupidly’
• ‘Do the Right Thing’ still has something to say
• I’ll be getting my Mac pony from Stephanie tonight.
• Speaking of Stephanie, she has mentioned that she thinks that making ponies for other Corps sounds interesting. I told her that if she were to make them, I’d find them a good home.
• By way of MarknTyme: Another Brick in the Wall-E? Pixar meets Pink Floyd
• posted a link to this. So true, so true…

  

• Think about the reasons you’re here now
  Think about the choices you can’t explain
  Think about the reasons you’re here now
  Think about the reasons you like the rain…
• Blunt force trauma. It works.
• Maxwell Takes Soul Back to Basics
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Brit photographer who shot demolition of flyover arrested for terrorism
• Name that TV show: “I want to build a spaceship, go to the moon, salvage all the junk that’s up there, bring it back, sell it.”
• Mariachis covering unlikely songs

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.

Friday – 17 July 2009
It’s kind of odd to be at work on a Friday. Well, not entirely odd, as I do it every other Friday, but this is the first Friday that I’ve worked in a month, thanks to harmonic convergence the way that my 9/80 Fridays and the Fourth of July worked out. Fortunately, it’s most coworkers’ 9/80 day off, so it should be rather quiet around here.

Reeling by on Celluloid
I chatted with MarknTyme this morning about the Cool World/Long Kiss Goodnight Scale. I was looking for an icon to represent that scale in the same way that I use the red LEGO brick for thigns that I like. Both he and had suggested using Mega Blox, since they are a LEGO knock0ff. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a picture of a single Mega Blox (Blok?), so that became a moot point. MarknTyme then suggested a Lawn Dart. That seemed to fit better – “Aiming for the target… but just missing the mark.” So, I give you the official icon for the CW/LKG Scale: The Lawn Dart.

We also hammered out a few other points about the scale:

• The standard, as put by MarknTyme, is: “…the worst movie I paid full price to see.”
• It’s a “mirror” of the normal scale, with Cool World as the -10 and Long Kiss Goodnight at -1
• The worse a movie is, the more darts it gets.
• Regardless of whether some other movie rates a -10, Cool World will retain it’s spot as the “name” at the bottom end of the scale.  It’s tradition, after all.
• Allowances can/will be made to add rented movies to the scale. (I’m looking at you, The Spirit…)

And, with that out of the way…

Last night, Logan came over for dinner. While eating, we watched Krull, a movie that I’d never seen before, but that SaraRules and Logan watched – fairly often, I took it – while growing up. It was a bit dated, in terms of special effects and it didn’t have the greatest acting or dialogue, but it was still amusing and entertaining. Even more of a shock to me – no, lj user=”applevenus” , not a shocker – was to discover that the lead actor, Kenneth Marshall, later went on to portray  Lt. Cmdr. Michael Eddington, an antagonist of Capt. Benjamin Sisko, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Also in the movie were a younger Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane. While this was a “fun” movie, it wasn’t a “great” movie.  Thus, it gets the dubious honor of being the first movie to get darts from the CW/LKG Scale:

After Krull, we watched The Day the Earth Stood Still. No, not the Keanu “Whoa… I know alien invasions” Reeves version; we watched the 1951 classic version. It was definitely a movie of its era: Full of Cold War suspicion and platitudes about the power – and danger – of using atomic energy. It was also amusing to note the way the military “protected” the general public from the enigmatic visitor, as well: Klaatu’s spaceship landed in President’s Park, in Washington, D.C. The public, after the Army established a cordon around the ship, stood right behind the firing line. Let’s look at why this is funny to me:

• Spaceship in the park. (Okay, this one isn’t funny by itself, but bear with me.)
• Army forms a circle around the spaceship. (Now we’re getting somewhere…)
  • All weapons (small arms and heavy artillery) are pointed towards the center of the circle
• The general public was standing – between 25 and 50 feet – around the perimeter of the circle.

Apparently, no one was worried about ricochets or “collateral damage.” *shrug*

All-in-all, I can see why this movie is considered a staple of “classic science fiction.” It was a good movie and kept me both entertained and engaged.

Stray Toasters

• Yep. I’m a Legion fan. And, a freely-acknowledged overgrown kid. Need proof? I just ordered this.
• 40 Years after Apollo 11: What’s our next step?
  • By way of : My part in Apollo 11
• DC Comics’ summer event, Blackest Night, kicked off on Wednesday. If it maintains the pace set by its first issue, this is going to be very good.
• In a related note, a couple of months ago, asked me why I’m such a big Green Lantern fan and how I came to be one. It took me a few moments to formulate a fully-realized answer, but I came up with one:
  

  I had read comics with Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) in them as a kid and I also remembered watching him in various incarnations of Super Friends on Saturday mornings. His power: He had a ring that could create anything that he could imagine. He had the ultimate answer in “wish fulfillment,” almost literally in the palm of his hand. Years later, I bought issues of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, because I liked the character and the space-faring adventures.

  Fast forward to 2001… Cartoon Network brought the Justice League back to the screen in animated form. The show focused on DC’s seven “big guns”: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. This time, however, they didn’t use Hal Jordan; they went with another Earth-based Lantern, John Stewart. As Bruce Timm put it:

  He’s the most controversial character so far from what we’ve been gathering on the Internet. When the show’s lineup was first announced, there were a lot of people saying, “Why aren’t they using Hal Jordan? No, it’s got to be Guy Gardner. No, it’s got to be Kyle Rayner.” Obviously, we picked the wrong one, but the reason we did choose John Stewart are various—I think they’re all valid. Right off the bat, I’ll just say it: you know we did need ethnic diversity in the Justice League. We felt that the show is going to be seen worldwide and I think having a member of the Justice League who is not just “Mr. White Bread” is a good thing.Another reason why we chose him: literally, out of all the Green Lanterns we could have chosen, we all kind of liked the John Stewart character from the comics, especially the Denny O’Neil / Neal Adams version. When they first introduced him he was like the angry young black guy…you know, in 1969 and 1970. Even though that’s not really relevant today—like the whole Black Power movement and everything—we still wanted to keep that kind of edge and attitude with him.

  And so, just in banging around ideas of what to do with him, going back to the original idea of the Green Lantern Corps—where they’re basically Lensmen [the pulp characters created by E.E. “Doc” Smith]—they’re space cops, they’re space marines. We’re like, “Okay, he’s a military guy.” And then somebody said, “Louis Gossett Jr.—An Officer and a Gentlemen.” I said, “Yeah,” and I went, “Wait a minute—Samuel L. Jackson,” and everyone went, “Yeah!” So that’s kind of who he is. He’s a real rugged, no-nonsense, barking orders kind of Green Lantern—and we love him to pieces. We love him so much [that] he’s like in almost every episode. I predict that you guys are going to love him too.

  And he was right. I did… and still do. It was great to not only have a Green Lantern on the team, but to have one who was Black brought something else to the table: A role model, of sorts, for kids (and at least one or two adults I know). It was good to see someone of color portrayed on-screen with a positive influence and not just “guy on the street” or “thug of the week.” That – and the way that the character was developed in both the animated series and in comics – only helps to cement John Stewart as a favorite character of mine.

• Fighting Racism Is a Family Tradition
  • Obama to NAACP: We Need a New Mindset
• sent me a link to Web Site Story:

• The Harmony Sweepstakes: A Cappella Singers Go Mouth-O A Mouth-O
• Neil Gaiman, Taking a Look Back at Batman
• Will it go round in circles?
  Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: NYPD is spending $1 million in typewriters
• US Videogame Sales Have Biggest Drop in 9 Years

Namaste.

Thursday – 16 July 2009
Another NBN Thursday gets under way. So far, it hasn’t been too bad; hopefully, that trend will continue.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood-esque remake of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (Likewise, it is not to be confused with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.) I enjoyed the costumes and the locations… and even the song and dance numbers. And, although it was “the same role,” I liked the portrayal of the mother in this movie far more than the one in Pride and Prejudice. It has been a long time since I watched a Bollywood movie with ; this was a nice change of pace from the movies that we’ve seen recently. All-in-all, this movie was just… fun.

Workout
Wes and I hit the gym at lunch, for a basic recap of Tuesday’s workout:

• Decline Sit-ups: 3 sets/15 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Bench Flys (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/15 reps, 145 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 90 lbs
• Dips: 2 sets/10 reps

This morning’s weight: 184 lbs

Stray Toasters

• MarknTyme sent me a link to this, which made me smile:

  

• By way of Nyx: Endangered Snow Leopard Cub Makes Debut Today at Hogle Zoo
• Autism as an academic advantage
• Packaging Design at Its Worst
• The Art of Robert Ullman

  

• What if the Apollo Program Had Continued?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Lawyer Offers $1M for Proof His Client Could Have Done It; Oops
• Stephanie just let me know that my Mac pony is almost done.
• And finally: Bruce Willis’ cover of Respect Yourself

Namaste.

Wednesday – 15 July 2009
I went out to dinner at Redrock Brewing Company with SaraRules, her parents and her grandparents. I had the French Onion Steak Sandwich (which, although very messy, was delicious) and washed it down with a tasty Cream Stout.

After dinner, I went to play ‘Clix with Chris. We decided to play a non-themed game, which allowed us to play with some figures that we hadn’t used before. I threw a decent team together…

• Black Widow (Ultimates)
• Captain Marvel, Jr.
• Dark Beast
• Iceman and
• Spider-Girl

…but didn’t adhere to the strategy that I’d started with and put the wrong pieces in the wrong places at the wrong time. Thus, Black Widow – a lynch-pin in my game plan – wound up getting beaten down. Game plan go *poof*. Dark Beast fell next. Spider-Girl went next and was followed, very shortly, by Iceman. Despite all of this, CMJ did well… relatively speaking. He took a fair bit of punishment, but was still dancing toe-to-toe with Chris’ Hulkbuster Iron Man. In the end, he got taken out, but he went down swinging; I was impressed with the figure – I’ll definitely be putting him in the field again.  (Hopefully, with better dice rolls…)

This morning has been… not too bad, but there were a couple of items that were on the fast-track when I got into the office. One was fairly easy to deal with, the other was… out of my area of expertise. (I’m willing to bet that John Hodgman could have handled it, though.) Fortunately, a workaround was found and life continued apace.

Stray Toasters

• It’s Comics and Sushi Day.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Rifle-mounted cup holder
• 100 Geeky Places to Take Your Kids This Summer
• After seeing this a week or two ago, I’ve had the song intermittently stuck in my head.
• 
• “No one expects the…”
• From the “Jane’s Addiction” file: TSA officer caught stealing laptops at JFK
• New items for the Covet List.  Too bad I’m not going to SDCC…
• From the “Headline That Didn’t Make Sense out of Context” file: Holy water ban to halt swine flu

Namaste.

SaraRules met Marci, Wes and me for a midday workout. Today was Wes’ lead:

• Decline Sit-ups: 3 sets/15 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Bench Flys (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/15 reps – 125 lbs, 140 lbs, 100 lbs (different machine)
• Tricep Press: 3 sets/15 reps, 90 lbs
• Dips: 2 sets/10 reps

This morning’s weight: 181.0 lbs

It’s been another relatively quiet day around the office, with no big fires to put out.

Stray Toasters

• 3 Reasons Why U.S. Cybersecurity Sucks
• I have rediscovered Lil Formers
• Meeting cost ticker
• It seems as though Caribou Barbie… Bible Spice… Sarah Palin, the soon-to-be ex-Governor of Alaska, has a spread in Runner’s World magazine.
• Nukeometer – How many missiles are in range of your town?

Tonight, Dinner with the in-laws-to-be and then off to play ‘Clix with Chris.

Namaste.

Monday – 13 July 2009
Waking up and getting up
Has never been easy

…especially when you start to fall asleep on the sofa…
…and then have a hard time falling asleep when you get into bed…
…and the first alarm doesn’t trigger your “I should get out of bed” senses.

But, other than that, it’s been a decent morning.

Last night’s Tower of Power concert was fun. SaraRules and I took her father as his belated Father’s Day present; he had a ball. We also ran into Paul (my boss) there; he grew up in Sacramento and has been a ToP fan for many, many moons. He enjoyed the concert, too.

Stray Toasters

• I think that my mother just signed up for Twitter…
• How Cats Manipulate Us
• Girl Falls into Manhole While Texting, Parents Sue
• 
• …speaking of which: Top 10 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives
• Perry sent me a link to a plethora of texture files. I might just have to see about making some custom tiles for HeroClix City.
• Russian Roma face image problem
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Wells Fargo Sues Itself
• Space Station Is Near Completion, Maybe the End
• Meet the new boss
  Same as the old boss…

Namaste.