Random Access

Thursday – 03 April 2008
I tacked one more bar onto Nefer-Tem’s experience. Six more to Level 50.

I woke up around 7:00 this morning, but decided that consciousness wasn’t for me. I think that the head cold I’m developing may have had something to do with the “No, I don’t want to get up yet” factor, too. Either way, 8:30 felt much better.

We had an hour-and-a-half long meeting to introduce one of our new robot overlords. (Did I say “overlords?” I meant “protectors.) Then, a group of us went to Taste of Punjab for lunch. I’ll be spending the rest of the day trying to get PHP and MySQL to play nicely together on Defiant so I can make some progress on this database. Wahoo.

Stray Toasters

• I bought Twix and Butterfingers at the store last night… but neglected to bring any with me to work this morning.
• Daily Caffeine Protects Your Brain
• : I couldn’t find a video for No!, but this will hopefully suffice…
• From the “Go, Boilermakers” file: Transparent Computer Monitors? Engineers Make First ‘Active Matrix’ Display Using Nanowires
• The other night, Markin’ Time and I were talking about different possible scenarios for Marvel’s “Secret Invasion.” One of the theories he threw into the ring was that they would basically pull a “Brand New Day” scenario, using the Batch SW6 method for replacing the heroes. He posed this because he saw it as the perfect way to piss off whatever remaining fans Marvel had following Civil War and/or One More Day/Brand New Day. Damned if he wasn’t right.
• 
• How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
  (Good information, indeed, but I think I’ll also rely on the wits/skills of SaraRules, and Tyranist to see me through.)
• I am really liking WordPress 2.5
  (“Save” is still one of my favorite functions.)
• Five Myths about Drinking Water

Back to it.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 02 April 2008
Last night was Scion night at and ‘s. It was fun. ‘s character wound up drugging almost everyone at a social event… in order to facilitate our… um… liberating a piece of artwork. In the name of the people! The God’s honest truth.

After game, I went home and played City for a while. I wound up on a farming team. I also wound up acting as a bridge. We ran the instance twice; the second time, I wound up being told to basically “just stand there,” while one of the Level 50 characters ran through the mission and wiped out the lower-level bad guys. That, friends and neighbors, is BORING. I left the team – and the game – after we finished that instance. On the “plus” side: I am three bubbles into 49; seven more to go ’til Nefer-Tem hits 50. And then, it will be time to figure out who next.

Today was a good day. And, it’s ‘s birthday.

(No, really… you do! See!?)

Nothing out of the ordinary. And, oddly enough, “Sushi Wednesday” was on… a Wednesday. Who knew?!? I also picked up this week’s four-color haul. It was a light week: I picked up another Astro City TPB and only had four other books. Four?! That’s a manageable number… manageable enough for…

Four-Color Coverage

• Action Comics # 863 – This issue wrapped up the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes vs. the 31st Century Justice League storyline. I thought the way that the story arc read was great. I am very pleased to see that DC has finally pulled a rectal craniotomy and reintegrated Clark and the Legion into each other’s history. The issue also had a teaser for this summer’s Final Crisis that whet my whistle:
  

  

• Countdown to Final Crisis: 04 – Sorry, but this issue was a bit weak. *sigh* After the last issue, I just expected… more. It was another “Mary Marvel gets manipulated” issue. Can you say “broken record,” boys and girls?
• Secret Invasion (1 of 8) – It has begun. Who’s a Skrull? Who’s human? Despite everything else that, in my opinion, Joe Quesada has done to give the Marvel Universe a good rogering… this was good. Markin’Time and I have been talking about this for a bit. We – and I’m sure a good number of readers – have a lot of questions. Damn you, Quesada! *shakes fist*
• Supergirl #28 – Supergirl has promised a little boy that she will save him from dying… from cancer. Wonder Woman and a seldom-seen DCU hero feature fairly prominently, presenting their opinions on Kara’s rather lofty goal.

Now to finish watching Law & Order… and maybe get Nefer-Tem a little closer to Security Level 50.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 01 April 2008
For the most part, it’s been a good day. Even if it is April Fool’s Day.

I’ve already had to deal with one fool idiot monkey. There wasn’t a prank involved; I just don’t deal well with this individual – it’s pretty much a case of:

• He asks a question.
• I answer it.
• He continues going on, often about something only tangentially related.
• I form a short, as-polite-as-I-can-be response.
• He keeps prattling on.
• I want to punch him in the face. Repeatedly. Hard.

Fortunately, I don’t have to interact with him a lot.

…

And, on the flip side of the coin, I just had a coworker – who also shares the four-color habit – come over and chat. Turns out that he has a fairly famous illustrator, Ric Estrada (1, 2, 3) in his church congregation… and he didn’t even know it until about a year ago. (And, it turns out that he drew a couple issues of Superboy and the LSH and eleven issues of the Karate Kid (from the Legion, not the Daniel-san movies) series.

This conversation made up for the craptacular one with Chimpy earlier.

Balance has been restored.

I had to check the calendar a couple of times to make sure that this really is Monday:

• I got to spend a few extra hours with SaraRules
• I was able to chat with Don (hereafter referred to as “Markin’Time”) about comics, cartoons, movies, politics and just… stuff.
• And I just finished watching “Far From Home,” an episode of Justice League Unlimited.

The last item is of particular note, at least to me, because it was a Legion of Super-Heroes episode. More than that, it is one of the Season 3 (or “Season Five,” if you count Justice League) episodes that I haven not seen. As much as I enjoy the current (but soon-to-be-ending) Legion series, there are a number of things that I feel are missing. Tonight’s episode of Justice League Unlimited had them. The LSH toon is targeted for a younger audience; JL/JLU was written for more mature viewers.

As Tyranist and I once discussed, the Legion is my “warm, happy place” in comics… and in cartoons. (Possibly even more so than the X-Men.) They appeared in the DCAU once before this, on Superman: The Animated Series, in an episode called “New Kids in Town.” That episode dealt with a young, pre-Superman Clark Kent – still coming to terms with some of his powers – meeting three super-powered teens… from the future. The Legion! Animated! It was something that I’d waited over 15 years to see.

And I think I was just about as… well, as SaraRules put it: giddy… tonight as I was then. “Far From Home” dealt with similar “outsider” issues as “New Kids,” but this time, the pivotal character was Supergirl. It played off the fact that while Clark grew up on Earth, Kara grew up on a planet with technology far more advanced than Earth’s. Enter Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy, seeking help from members of the Justice League against the Fatal Five. And from that point forward, it was “game on.”

This was an excellent way to cap off the day, especially as a long-time LSH fan.

Long Live the Legion!

EDIT: Nefer-Tem hit Security Level 49, in the middle of a Rikti invasion.

Thursday – 27 March 2008
Another NBN Thursday begins…

…with snow.

Apparently, Mother Nature didn’t get the “It’s Spring” memo.

posted a haiku about the snow. After reading it, I thought of this:

Mother Nature looked
Upon the land and she smiled
Silently, snow fell.

I figured that it was better than getting all bent out of shape about the fact that it was snowing. Again. Even though it’s Spring.

Embracing the technology of the day, I sent my father a text message rather than call him with the news. His response: “….only light rain here! ENJOY… and do not send ANY snow this way!” I love my dad. He cracks me up.

Stray Toasters

• I read this article and had the following pop into my head:
  

  There was a cop from Naugatuck
  Using Workers’ Comp to “earn” a buck
  Video’ed by the news
  Running in high-heeled shoes
  He was busted for fraud – what bad luck.

• Building your Perfect Business Wardrobe
• Ducks sleep with one eye open.
• 
• Mogo
• Every Little Thing He Does Needs Reboot
• I just mentioned to SaraRules the haiku above. When I copy/pasted it to her, she commented: “You have talents I was completely unaware of.” I asked if she remembered the USAToday shirt I have; she did. I told her that I won that for a haiku. She asked if I still had the haiku; I didn’t… but I had the power of the Interwebs at my fingertips. It turns out that USAToday has archived some of the entries from their “Daily Haiku” contests. I found my entry:
  

  Haiku for Jan. 23: “Winner”
  What urges us on?
  Fame, pride, glory and honor.
  The drive to succeed.

• For Tyranist: Bathtub with built-in bookcase
• I’ve been playing poker on PokerStars recently.
• 
• Welcome to Earth-2
• Countdown to Final Crisis: 5 surprised me, in many ways.
• All-Star Superman did not. (I mean this in a good way – it was another good story from Morrison.)

Namaste.

Wednesday – 26 March 2008
Whew. It’s been a day. I’ve been fighting PHP and MySQL… and discovering the differences of installing MySQL on a Windows machine versus installing it on Defiant. I also got to wrestle with changes that my host made to their “create a new email” feature. Some would argue that it’s “easier” and/or “more simple.” To some degree, it is. But it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Sushi Wednesday is moving to Thursdays, it seems. Today, we went to Olive Garden. Almost all of us had the soup and salad with breaksticks special. I must say: It was a decent change of pace, both in the sense of not having sushi for lunch and in having something different than my usual fare at Olive Garden.

Last night, The Hand of Nefer-Tem hit Security Level 48.

Politics
I read this op-ed piece, Donna Brazile offers Hillary Clinton a reminder about Rev. Wright, yesterday. It was an interesting read. And, yes, it would be easy to jump on the bandwagon about Sen. Clinton’s… “creatively remembered” (or would that be “revisionist” or “retconned”) versions of events, but I’m not going to do that. This time.

Instead, I was more taken by one of the comments that I read. When I originally saw the article, there were only three (3) comments on it. When I returned to it a few hours later, there were three dozen or more. The particular comment that struck me was this one:

Obama is our Savior. Barak and Reverend Wright are Right, God D*** america. Now is the time to rally around Barak and Michelle and make them proud! And news flash america, Barak is right, your typical white american is a racist! Obama will apologize to our Muslim brothers for arrogant american policies of hate and slavery. Only Obama can forgive an evil nation founded slavery. REPARATIONS NOW!

 

Posted by: Obamamania

By the time I hit the third sentence, the following lines from Styx’ Mr. Roboto came to mind:

I’m not a hero, I’m not a saviour
Forget what you know.

…and that was almost immediately followed by these lines from Queen’s Flash’s Theme:

Just a man
With a man’s courage
You know he’s
Nothing but a man
And he can never fail
No one but the pure at heart
May find the Golden Grail

While becoming the President of the United States is a rather lofty goal, I’m not sure that I’d necessarily call it “the Golden Grail.” And, I won’t say that Senator Obama is without his failings. He’s human.

There have been those who have touted him as a hero. Or a possibly “a great Black leader.” Of course, there have also been those who have said that he’s “not Black enough,” or “just Black enough to not be ‘too scary’ to White voters.”

Another respondent to the piece pointed out something that I hadn’t considered: Obamamania’s comment was most likely a supporter of Senator McCain who was flaming the op-ed piece. After some thought, that seemed rather plausible.

How about this: At no time during this campaign have I heard Senator Obama claim to be anything other than a man who wants to make a difference and hopefully bring about some change. He has addressed issues of race with candor, but – in my opinion – has not attempted to use it as a soapbox or a crutch.

And I can – and do – respect that.

Stray Toasters

• I stopped in to visit Kate and Perry after work last night. They were watching American Idol. “When in Rome…” Apparently, this week’s challenge (or whatever they call it on Idol) was for the contestants to sing a song from the year they were born. There were some rather decent renditions of songs performed. Then, David Cook came onstage and performed a version of Billie Jean (yes, Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean), that I believe he arranged. It was pretty impressive.

After his performance, Perry suggested that I check out Cook’s arrangement of Lionel Richie’s Hello. I did. And I thought that it was rather good, as well…as was his Eleanor Rigby. He has good stage presence and seems to react/interact with his crowd well. He easily could become someone to watch – or listen – for on the radio in the not-too-distant future. (Listen to the judges’ comments on his performance, too.)
• Cartoonist sets out to take taboo out of swastika
• Endor Express offers up a look at upcoming Disney/Lucasfilm toys.
• I have no idea what I want for dinner.
• Dyscalculia
• Marvel has released the trailer for Next Avengers – their next direct-to-video animated feature
  …and…
  Entertainment Weekly has a 10-page preview of Marvel’s upcoming Secret Invasion limited series.
• Keith Giffen’s “Unfortunate Confluence of Words.”

  
  (click image to read the article)

• What if Clark Kent worked for Barry White instead of Perry White?
• Pilot’s gun fired during flight
• Correction: I now know what I’m having for dinner.

Namaste.

Monday – 24 March 2008
Monday, Monday (dah-dah… dah-dah-dah-dah…)

All-in-all, not a bad start to the week.

• Breakfast with SaraRules, before she headed back to the southlands.
• Blue skies.
• Warm weather.

<< Rewind <<
Yesterday, we went to Easter Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. I believe that this year’s service was even more crowded than last year’s, but it was still a very nice service. It was SRO… and there wasn’t very much room for standing, at that. I was intermittently amused by a lady standing near me who gave just about everyone the fashion police once-over as they walked past; she wrinkled her nose at more than “a few” people.

After Mass, we ate a late breakfast at The Other Place. I hadn’t been there in many rains. Decent food at a good price. I’ll have to remember to keep it in mind when looking for places to eat downtown.

Back home for a quick change and then we were off to “…a land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size.” I’ve been wanting to do… something… different with the office for some time. There’s a lot of dead/wasted space in there. One of the biggest things that would help would be to replace my monstrous desk. So, it’s on the short list of things to be vaporized. In its place, I’m looking at a Vika Amon table top with a Galant frame and legs. And, with a couple of relatively minor adjustments, the room will be opened up nicely.

After stopping in to say “Hi” to Perry, Kate and their kids, we headed to SaraRules’ family’s house for dinner. Dinner which included Black-and-Tans to wash it down. We followed up dinner with Enchanted. After the movie, it was time to head home to unwind (and do some laundry) before calling it a night.

> Play >
After work, I did a little errand-running.  When I was done, I stopped into the local Best Buy.  I picked up copies of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Memento.  Not too bad.  I picked up a bite to eat and headed home.  I checked out the new Fox series New Amsterdam.  Kind of like Highlander… if Connor McLeod had been a police officer.  Connor, not Duncan.  ‘Nuff said.  But, I digress.  The show wasn’t too bad.

I followed it up with an episode of JLU that I hadn’t seen before: “Chaos at Earth’s Core,” featuring Travis Morgan – The Warlord.     I used to read The Warlord back in the 80s and this episode was a very nice nod to the Morgan and the lost world of Skartaris.

In the savage world of Skartaris,
life is a constant struggle for survival.
Here, beneath an unblinking orb of eternal
sunlight, one simple law prevails:
If you let down your guard for an instant you will soon be very dead.

They covered a lot of ground in twenty-two minutes… and it was good.  It made me smile.

Stray Toasters

• I have new pics of Bit, eyes open and all.  I may (re)post a few later.
• LEGO Futurama fan set, LEGO Noir and Mmm, zombies
• I heard Counting Crows’ Mr. Jones on the radio this evening.  When I hear it, it often reminds me of Heidi, an old coworker of mine.  Around the time that this song came out, Us3‘s Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) was also on the air.  Heidi and I would argue (friendly banter, really) about which group would stay in the charts/be more popular longer  – I chose Counting Crows, Heidi chose US3.  Looks like I was right… at least on this side of the Pond.
• Top 10 Software Easter Eggs
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?” file: Transgendered Man Is Pregnant
• Astro City.

  

  I’ve started collecting the trade paperbacks.  If you haven’t read it, give it a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that SaraRules liked it.

• Slash-Proof Armored Tee Is Lightweight, Machine-Washable

That’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Saturday – 22 March 2008
Today has been good, so far.

The morning started with a new episode of Legion of Super Heroes. It did feature Dream Girl prominently, but didn’t even touch on her relationship with Star Boy. For that matter, the show has shied away from most of the relationships on the team, with the notable exception of Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy. Yes, we’ve seen a couple of… nods, maybe… to the Phantom Girl/Ultra Boy and Saturn Girl/Lightning Lad relationships, but other than that? Bupkis.

After The Spectacular Spider-Man and some not-so-spectacular channel hopping, we watched Kapow! Superhero Science on The Discovery Channel: Science

Celebrate the science behind the superpowers and gadgetry of comic book super heroes and heroines. Investigate real-life cases of super-strength, x-ray vision and speed, and discover the scientific feasibility of high-tech superpowers.

We rode over to Wheeler Farm for a stroll through the park and to look at the animals. (Pictures) From there, Jitterbug for a spot of lunch. (There was a young lady there who also had a BlacBook. Nice!) I stopped at Black Cat Comics to see if they had any of the HALO 3 figures. NO ONE seems to have any of them. Anywhere. *grblsnrkx* We drove up to The Tutoring Toy and then went up Emigration Canyon and back down Parley’s Canyon. (Pictures here.) If you look a couple inches above the peak in the last two images, you will see a small white crescent… it’s not the moon – it is a paraglider.

Stray Toasters

• I have been meaning to post this picture for for a couple of weeks.
• How much can Colossus press? About this much.
  What happens when Wolverine finds out? Something like this.
• Brikthulhu
• I am Ivory Soap sure that I wanted to add at last two other things… but I can’t recall what they were.

Namaste.

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

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

Stray Toasters

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pre-workout weight: 174.8 lbs.

Stray Toasters

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

  

• By way of

  

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

Namaste.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pre-workout weight: 174.4 lbs.

Stray Toasters

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

  

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

Namaste.

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

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

Objective: Spaghetti and sauce.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s pre-workout weight: 174.6 lbs.

Stray Toasters

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

Namaste.

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

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

I slept poorly last night.  *shrug*

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

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

Next up: Dinner with SaraRules’ family.

Back home for comics and TV.

Stray Toasters

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

Next on the docket: Breakfast with the usual suspects.

Zoom.

Friday – 07 March 2008
The re-piping project in my apartment started bright and early (8:00 AM) yesterday. When I got home, the first phase was pretty much complete… leaving a number of holes throughout the walls and ceiling of the apartment. This included a hole in the wall between the bedroom and the maintenance closet (outside). This meant that I had a rather drafty hole that allowed a good deal of cold air into the bedroom… almost directly over the bed. So, I jerry-rigged a light cover to try and keep some of the air out. It was nominally effective. Pictures here.

SaraRules came into town last night. We headed to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Cheese Fries. Prime Rib. Very tasty. We had a great server, as well. Her name was Jennifer. She was attentive, helpful, very pleasant and just all-around “good.”

Workout
Yesterday’s workout – the first in nine or ten days – was good… but painful.  “Good pain,” despite how oxymoronic that sounds:

• Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 55 lbs.
• Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs.
• Push-ups (elevated): 3 sets/15 reps
• Bench Dips 3 sets/15 reps
• Rows (upright, barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Tricep Press (cable): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs

Yesterday’s post-workout weight: 172.4 lbs.
Stray Toasters

• Yesterday, I got the Wizard Universe Store weekly email for new toys and comic-related merchandise. In it was an item for an advance order for the ‘Coming of Galactus’ Limited Edition HeroClix figure. This is basically a re-issue of the older Galactus figure… with a new paint job:
  • Old and busted:
  • New hotness

  And, yes, it is firmly entrenched on the Covet List.

• New Jack Kirby coffee table art book
• The Council for Better Driving: Utah gives a “thumbs-down” to UDoT for its lack of attention and care given to Salt Lake City metropolitan area streets. They are atrocious! Anyone who has driven on either 33rd/35th South and/or 90th South, for example, will know exactly why.
• This Is Your Brain on Jazz: Researchers Use MRI to Study Spontaneity and Creativity
• 
• By way of GQ: Clean Start
• I was just thinking about something:
  • In Justice League/Unlimited, there are a few episodes that feature Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet.
  • In Justice League: The New Frontier, another version of the plane was “shown,” but the way that it was “seen,” by the viewer, was by way of blood in the cockpit.
  • In both the comics and in animated versions – and even in the 1974 Cathy Lee Crosby made-for-TV movie, it has been noted that neither the jet – nor people inside the jet – cannot be seen by bystanders.

  So… how in the Nine Hells does she know where to get in or where the controls – or anything else – are?!

• Geoff Johns: Secret Origins and Blackest Night
• “What’s a Nubian…?”
• xkcd: Ultimate Game

Namaste.

Thursday – 06 March 2008
I woke up a little later than planned this morning. I made up for it by doing my best impression of The Flash and was ready to roll shortly thereafter. Of course, to make up for such a metabolic surge, I stopped at the local B&B for a frozen mocha. Double shot. Shaken, not stirred.

The crew from SageWater showed up this morning a couple of minutes before eight. One of the guys – I’m assuming the lead on the project, if not just for my apartment – noticed my Ravens pennant on the wall. He asked if I was familiar with Baltimore; I told him that I grew up there. He then mentioned that their company was based out of North Carolina (which I already knew), so I asked which part (which I didn’t know). Raleigh. I then mentioned that I had a sister who went to school in Durham and grew up outside of Greensboro. He went on to tell me how broadly he travels with the company. (A LOT!) His next job is in Seattle. I neglected to ask how long they are typically on the road.

Stray Toasters

• If I needed any (ANY) proof that and I shouldn’t be left unsupervised with the unlimited power of the Interweb at our fingertips, this proves it:
  • http://youtube.com/watch?v=PsesC2iS06o
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZA2A2zoz-A&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMD9_QYfzb8
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyyW-n8aook
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NozOppLXh18&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoNI4N3xYmE&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqjBpHsW5x4&NR=1
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeJbaxqG-3k
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfEG15CLTqo
• By way of Yahoo! News and 60 Minutes: Gustavo Dudamel
• Kilowog == Covet.
  (That would complete my set of GLs.)
• The (New) Laws of Casual Style and This Is Not Steve McQueen
• Yes, I am watching/trying to watch some of the work they are doing in my apartment. I can’t because they have a tarp over the entrance to the master bathroom… which is a “good” thing, as it means a minimum of debris/detritus that will spread over the rest of the office and apartment.
• From Rotten Tomatoes: Total Recall: Steal These 11 Heist Movies
• HALO3 Series 1 Action Figures in Stores Now
• LEGO HALO
  • …and the explanation
• Pink, it’s like red, but not quite…
• I think that I’m going to get a new display case after the SageWater work is done. And that means… a trip to the Garden of Sweden! *genuflect* Amen.

Namaste.