Random Access

Thursday – 27 December 2007
Another lovely day in the valley. It’s a tropical 24°F outside, but there are partly cloudy skies, which means that the sun is putting in an appearance.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Mirrormask. She liked it, overall, but thought that the story was a bit weak. She did like the visualizations, though.

Today, we’re still deciding what to do, but heading up to Ogden and making a pilgrimage to Mecca (known to the locals as “The Bookshelf”) may be on the docket. And there will also be a trip to Dr. Volt’s, as today is new comics day; the shipment is off by a day because of the holiday.

And tonight: I Am Legend.

Stray Toasters

• Benazir Bhutto killed in attack
• 
• Online games battle for top spot
• From the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot file: Jackson has ‘surgery’ after [being] hit by son
  

  Michael Jackson reportedly underwent emergency surgery after his young son accidentally punched him in the face. The Thriller hitmaker – who has undergone multiple cosmetic surgeries on his face in the past – was recently photographed in a Los Angeles bookstore wearing numerous bandages around his mouth. But sources tell Finditt.com the singer’s son, Prince Michael II, caused the injury: “He was whacked in the face accidentally by his younger son Prince Michael II while playing around and part of Jackson’s upper lip collapsed. “That mishap led a hysterical Jacko to make a beeline for the plastic surgeon for a bit of quickie repair work.”

• …and keeping it in the family, somewhat:

  

  (For those who don’t remember: Michael and Lisa Marie Presley were married for almost two years in the 90s)

And that’s a wrap for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 26 December 2007
Happy Boxing Day.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to see Aliens versus Predator – Requiem. I had not seen the first movie, so I was a little concerned about coming into this one at a bit of a loss. I had also heard that AvP was… a… less-than-stellar bit of cinema. Despite these items, I had a great time watching this movie. It was definitely a “check your brain at the door” kind of movie, but Ms. SaraRules said that it was “leaps and bounds better than the first one. By far.” The movie, while definitely sci-fi fare, had a bit of a horror movie bent. And it was fun. Additionally, it continued a nominal tradition that I had with and Don: Seeing a movie on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Day(s).

This morning started lazily. Which, to be quite honest, is a great way to start the day after Christmas.

After observing the hygiene rituals and getting dressed, SaraRules and I headed down to The Bayou to have lunch with , onlyaly and others in celebration of ‘s birthday. I had a rather tasty jamabalya (the only thing I would have added was shrimp). I also had the Rogue Imperial Stout. (Don, if you’re reading this, you need to see if you can find a bottle somewhere in the Triad.) Holy Crap! It was good; filling, but good. I wish I hadn’t loaded up on soup, salad and jambalaya before drinking this. As it was, I was so full that I had to split the stout with . Then he, SaraRules and I shot a few games of pool.

Next was some shopping and an errand or two… and then back home.

City of Heroes: The Hand of Nefer-Tem
I tooled around Paragon City for a couple of hours as part of a pick-up team. We were in our mid-to-upper 30s. We fought The Council, a few members of the Carnival of Shadows and The Freakshow. The XP was good… even though I managed to die a couple of times.

Stray Toasters

• I am sitting here with a bowl of candy next to me because I’m craving something sweet… but not any particular type of candy. So, I’m going with “whatever strikes my fancy.”
• From Broken Frontier: Legend, Legion Reunited
• SaraRules + + = comedy
• offered up a couple of ‘Toaster-ready items
  • Damn Interesting: Raiders of the Lost Lake
  • Goth-o-Matic Poetry Generator
• 
• For : Lee Bermejo’s Joker Sketchbook

Namaste.

Tuesday – 25 December 2007
So the big man in the red suit with the magickal reindeer apparently showed up and dropped off goodies and whatnot. This year’s haul included:

• The Art of the Japanese Garden
• LEGO Key Rack
• Gift certificate to IKEA
• Gift certificate to Dr. Volt’s
• Metallic dice
• One World, Many Cultures CD
• Ocean graphic novel
• “Grow a Pirate” toy
• Little Flip Book of Crosswords
• Subscriptions to Esquire and GQ
• Green Lantern paperweight (…and it’s even John Stewart!)
• AoA Cyclops HeroClix
• The Superhero Handbook

There are still other goodies to open (they’re back at my place and there are couple of things that are in transit)… but this has already been great.

What did Sanity Clause bring you?

Sunday – 23 December 2007
It’s Christmas Eve Eve.
I have two, maybe three, things left to pick up and then it’s all done.

Last night’s breakfast gathering was good. Pat and Brent were both there – I haven’t seen Pat in weeks and I haven’t seen Brent in months, so that was an added bonus. There’s been a bit of turnover at Cheers, too. New managers, new servers… even new menus. I gave out/mailed my Christmas cards this week; I gave

So far today, I have spent time running around the Rogue Isles with Perry. I joined his supergroup and then we spent time gathering beacons for the lair’s teleporter room. Three of them were fairly easy to locate. The last two were… arduous; the last one, in particular, cost me some XP debt. But, we got them. (By the way: , when I joined the supergroup, I changed the colors of Dhoruba’s outfit – black jacket, boots and pants, red t-shirt. He still has the mohawk, though. At least… for now.)

Four-Color Coverage
I haven’t done one of these in a few weeks… it’s time to get back on the horse:

• Green Lantern #25 and Green Lantern Corps #19 – These issues wrapped up the Sinestro Corps War and shed a little – very little – more light on the “Blackest Night” prophecy. It also introduced four other Corps – as we already have seen Green (GLs), Yellow (Sinestro Corps) and Violet (Star Sapphires) – who will apparently be integral to the advent of the prophecy.
• Justice League of America #15 and #16 – Issue #15 saw the climactic battle between the JLA and the Injustice League, starting with Firestorm taking on the IL… alone.
  

  Firestorm: I have to admit, this looks pretty bad. I just got out of the hospital, I’m outnumbered, you guys are the frickin’ Legion of Doom… but I do have an ace up my sleeve.
  Killer Frost: Shut up and die.
  Firestorm: In a minute. I’m talking here. I was trying to tell you about my ace. When I first snuck in here, I slipped Batman a ballpoint pen. I was about to turn it into a lockpick, when I noticed Luthor about to cut Superman’s throat.
  Batman: Don’t bother — with a ballpoint pen, I can pick the locks at Fort Knox.
  *begin smackdown*

  Another couple of gems can be found in the fight between Black Canary and Giganta:

  Giganta: Hey, Canary? Nice moves on Shadow Thief. Want to go a few rounds with me?
  Black Canary: You’re a little out of my weight class, Giganta. Although, if you went a little easier on the pastry, you could drop a few pounds. *uses her “Canary Cry,” focused on Giganta’s ears*
  *Giganta falls, unconscious*
  Black Canary: One other thing. If you have to wear a dress in battle? Get some underpants. Or at least learn to sit like a lady.

  …and in Batman’s ‘decision’ that Firestorm join the JLA…

  Black Lightning: Nice work today. If you ever need the League’s help on anything, just ask.
  Batman: I was thinking more along the lines of him joining the team.
  Firestorm: Oh. Uh, I’m honored, of course, but I really don’t have time right now to– *cut off by Batman*
  Batman: That wasn’t an offer, son. It’s the way it’s going to be. You’re too powerful to be out there unsupervised. *walks away*
  Black Lightning: And the Bat-God has spoken.

  Throw in an appearance by Amanda Waller and Task Force X/Suicide Squad and you have a solid issue, chock full of goodies.

  Issue #16 brings a couple of characters from the Tangent Universe into the mainstream DCU. Again. Black Canary, Green Lantern and Red Arrow meet the TU’s Atom. And, as usually happens when heroes meet… there’s a fight.

• Justice Society of America #11 – The Kingdom Come Superman gets checked out by the JLA and JSA. The Flashes of both teams confirm that the multiverse has returned. And the JSA takes on a new member.
• The Mighty Avengers #6 – The end of the latest Ultron battle. Ares takes the fight to Ultron… in a rather unexpected manner… just as the Sentry comes unglued (again), and tries to take on Ultron himself. I’d love to tell you one of the great bits of dialogue between Reed Richards and an Avenger, but it would give away part of the battle’s climax. You lose.
• Superman #671 – This issue begins “The Insect Queen” storyline, featuring Lana Lang. I’m not sure if it’s leading up to what I think it is… but long-time Legion fans will recognize the name. There’s a reference to North Carolina in the book, but it’s a little “off.” (Kudos for the effort, though.) And what happens when your six-year-old Kryptonian foster son gets heartburn? Lois is about to find out.
• Superman/Batman #44 – During the filming of a Batman-Superman movie, Livewire shows up to hold one of the actors for ransom. Too bad the real World’s Finest team were nearby watching the production. Through an odd series of events, Superman (the real one) winds up getting tagged with a lot of Kryptonite shards, including a bit to the eye. Batman brings his favorite field medic, Alfred, to the Fortress of Solitude to patch Superman up:
  

  Alfred: You try scraping meteoric shrapnel from alien skin an a meat freezer.
  Batman: Rest easy, Clark. I brought you the steadiest hands I know. He’s pulled worse pieces of worse things out of me many times.
  Alfred: You might want to consider raising the heat from time to time, Master Clark. Possibly stock the pantry with some nibbles. Just because you want for no human comforts doesn’t mean your guests won’t. Oh, and you’ll live, by the by. *packs up his medical kit*
  Superman: Is he… angry with me?
  Batman: It’s just his way. Alfred–
  Alfred: I know you tend to heal faster and with more finality than my usual patient, Master Clark. But, do make an effort not to fire any lasers from that eye for a few days. The cornea took a thrashing.

  And, with that, the two decide to rid Earth of Kryptonite. All of it. Too bad there’s a LOT more of it than they thought.

• Tales of the Green Lantern Corps – Ion #1 – The passing of the proverbial – and literal – torch. This story sees Kyle Rayner, the GL formerly known as Ion, having a chat with Sodom Yat, the new host to the Ion entity. This issue provided a good look at Sodom Yat’s background as well as giving Kyle a chance to pass on a little bit of “I’ve been where you’re going” knowledge to Sodom. And, we find out what Kyle’s new role in the Corps will be.
• Wonder Woman #14 and #15 – These are the first issues of Gail Simone’s run on the title. And they are good. Very good. “I wish she’d been writing the book since the reboot” good. In fact, here’s Ms. Simone’s take on “who” and “what” Wonder Woman is:
  

  The book is about the best goddamned warrior planet Earth has ever known, and she happens to carry a mystical arsenal around just for the hell of it.If a writer can’t make that interesting and fun, they really shouldn’t be writing superheroes.

  There are layers upon layers of the character, and we’ll get to them all. But let’s just make it very clear that Diana is the premiere asskicker in the DCU, period. Batman and Superman have other things that make them special. Diana is the one who occasionally carries an axe if someone gives her lip.

  This is actually in my first issue, but the quote is, “When a giant robot attacks Metropolis, send Superman. An alien attack? Get Green Lantern. When a car is hijacked by an escaped loony, turn on the bat signal, by all means. But if an ARMY shows up on your doorstep, that’s when you call in Wonder Woman.

  Simple.

  Yep. That pretty much sums it up. And she’s right. AND… she’s writing it well. I look forward to reading more issues of this book.

Time to get “…right on to the friction of the day.”

Namaste.

Saturday – 22 December 2007
Last night’s Clitorati gathering was but good. And there was news: Land is moving. To Ohio. A couple of opportunities came up and he decided to dive in and take a chance. Best of luck to him. And, in a pleasant surprise: got my attention and pointed to another patron in the store. I turned, looked… took a moment to process…. and realized that we knew the person: Ghela, who used to work in the bookstore. She came over and chatted with us for a while; there’s a chance that she may join us occasionally.

Today started – as good Saturdays should – with breakfast, coffee and cartoons. Today’s episode of Legion of Super Heroes was the second part of “The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow,” which I hadn’t seen before. “New” episodes kick grass. The Batman was also a rerun, “The Joining, Part One,” which I had not seen all the way through. Win-Win.

After toonage was done, SaraRules and I did a little more shopping. Which included a trip to the Garden of Sweden. Selah. We also stopped to visit Kate, Perry and the kids. And I got to be the kids’ jungle gym for a bit. It was fun.

On to SaraRules’ parents’ place for dinner and to meet her sister, Melissa, who’s in town for Christmas. Dinner was lasagna (vegetarian) and salad. Post-dinner, we had homemade cookies and watched Corner Gas (1, 2) with a couple of friends of the family.

Stray Toasters

• I got a call from both of the ‘rents today:
  • Mom called to say that my gift was on its way
  • Dad called to say that they had received their gifts.
• Darkwood Armory
• 
• Universities with the Best Free Online Courses
• pointed out the Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencils. Nice.
• How To: Prevent Lost Luggage
• …speaking of which: Sky Shirts

Quote of the Day
From onlyaly, at last night’s Clitorati:

“From wet beaver to hot nuts…”

Namaste.

Thursday – 20 December 2007
Last night, SaraRules and I traipsed about town polishing off some more of my (last-minute) Christmas shopping. We were mostly-successful. There are a couple of places I need to check for four things, but I think I’ll be fine. After shopping, we headed to Olive Garden for dinner, which was good. They have removed one of my favorite dishes (Chicken Vino Bianco), so I had to try something a little different. I went with the Tuscan Garlic Chicken… which, aside from the pasta, was very similar to the Chicken Vino Bianco. Win-win. Back home for a few more episodes of Coupling (British version). One word: “Inferno.”

This morning started off overcast, but the sun has put in an appearance… along with some traces of blue sky. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. Add to that the fact that I have been able to work out of the SLC office and today is shaping up to be a good NBN Thursday. *nod*

Human of the Day
Co-Humans: and for pointing out the OS X update that fixed the problem of the locking-up keyboard for the BlacBook.

Stray Toasters

• I picked up the Christmas cards today. They turned out well. Local cards are going to be distributed by hand; cards bound for the coast should go out tonight or tomorning and (God willing and the creek don’t rise) should get to their destinations by Monday.
• In a related note: I have to hand it to FedEx/Kinkos for doing a nice job with the cards. I’m still not overly enthused by the fact that their site requires the use of Internet Exploder, though.
• I managed to leave home without my phone this morning.
  I went home at lunch to drop some things off and – in theory – to get my phone.
  I managed to leave home without my phone this afternoon, too.
  (Oddly, I’m not really missing it…)
• New Justice League: The New Frontier trailer
• I ran into ‘s mother while running errands at lunch. That was a pleasant surprise.
• Stan Lee interview
• 
• During yesterday’s lunchtime run to Dr. Volt’s, I fed my plastic crack addiction. I picked up a couple of boxes of the Origin boosters. In one of the boxes I got Supergirl (veteran), bringing my plastic Legion one figure closer to completion…
• …and, speaking of ‘Clix, check out the new “Buy It by the Brick” promotional figure.
• The Giggle Loop
• The Salt Lake Valley is about to get hit with a pretty big storm. Here are a few office window pics, including a west-facing one to show the grey doom – full of Mother Nature’s frozen mocking laughter – heading our way. (The red glow in the pictures is not nuclear doom. Nor is it a nucular toonami. It is the reflection of the flash on the glass.)
• Science Tattoos (a Flickr set)

Quote of the Day
This morning, I got a message from Coworker Brett (on the right in this picture), who is in the Washington, D.C. area:

Brett: I thought about you the other day… as I was walking around a mall in Prince George. I thought, “This must be what Rob feels like in Utah Valley Mall.”
Me: And that’s why I don’t go to malls in Utah Valley.

It was a good – and amusing – way to kick off the work day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 19 December 2007
Mid-week and all is well. The clouds over the valley are breaking up… a little. It’s Sushi Wednesday. And it’s new comic book day.

Last night, I had dinner with SaraRules and her family. Before I jetted off to and ‘s for game night, SaraRules handed me a gift. *blink blink* I looked at her and said,”But… it’s not Christmas, yet.” She smiled and told me that it wasn’t a Christmas gift… so open it! And I did. It was a copy of the DVD for Stardust, the first movie we saw together. It doubly surprised me, as I wasn’t aware that the DVD had been released.

On to game night! The game was a little slow – mostly because we, as a group, weren’t exactly sure how to proceed with a couple of things. But, half of us did manage to get our collective recta beat down and handed to us at one point. Not pretty. And, I was reminded that my character was not built to be a fighter. Not by any stretch of the imagination. My spec is more “the face,” the fast-talking social chameleon. So, getting into combat isn’t exactly in my best interests. But, we survived. And lived to adventure another day.

This morning, letting go of the bed was hard to do. So I put it off as long as possible. So far, it’s been a good day. Can’t complain about that.

Stray Toasters

• I got a message from the action man: “I’m happy, hope you’re happy, too…” my father a little while ago: The present for my stepmom arrived this morning. Now to get Dad and Rana’s presents in the system…
• Coworker Jan told me today’s Sven and Ole joke; he’s my go-to guy for my daily dose of Sven and Ole (and/or Ole and Lena) jokes. I mentioned that I had talked with Adam a few days ago and that he was loving (/sarcasm) his current post… a post that Jan was up for when he was deciding whether or not to join/stay in the Air Force.
• NASA has a Stargate
• I love it when you’re on a tech support call and you’re (in theory) being transferred to another department… and they drop the call. >.<
• When did Trekkies jump the shark?
• Why not Minot?
  Reason: It’s Freezin’.
• Ten Habits of Highly Successful Brains
• 

  (You can watch the new trailer here.)

• Recap of 2007’s “12 Gizmos of Christmas”
• From the “Big Brother is watching you” file: Chicago police ask you to report people using maps or taking notes in public
• There’s a rumour that Marlon Wayans is either up for or interested in the role of Heavy Duty in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie. That scares me. My pick would be Michael Clarke Duncan. Hands down. No, wait… I was thinking of Roadblock. Yeah… MCD for Roadblock, not Heavy Duty. Okay, I’m better now.
• The ten most entertaining tech videos of 2007
• “Server… Server… No… Server…”

Namaste.

Saturday – 15 December 2007
Last night, rather than the usual Clitorati gathering, a few of us headed to and onlyaly’s for “Nightmare before Christmas” movie night. But we didn’t watch The Nightmare Before Christmas – they were just co-opting the name to have a pre-Christmas horror movie night. Instead, we watched Alien and 28 Days Later. (And, watching onlyaly jump at the scary bits was almost as entertaining as watching the movies.)

Another lazy (so far) day in the valley. It’s not going to stay lazy though, I have errands to run and shopping to do, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Oh, well… no rest for the wicked. The morning has been nice, though. Despite an early morning tug from the Leash (yep, it’s once again my week to be on-call), the morning has been rather quiet. There were cartoons and coffee and SaraRules made sauteed pasta for breakfast. Today’s episode of LSH was a rerun, but The Batman was new.

Time to get a wiggle on… lots to do and whatnot.

Veni, Scribi, Vroom!
“I came, I wrote, I’m a vapor trail!”

Namaste.

Friday – 14 December 2007
Yep. It’s a Friday. And I am having… difficulty… staying/getting/maintaining focus(ed) on work.

SaraRules got in last night. On her way to SLC, she met me at the AF office and hung out with Tyranist, Derek, Dwim, Eric and me for a few. Then we braved the elements – and the road monkeys – and headed home. As it was cold and we we didn’t feel like foraging, it was a pizza night. God bless online ordering. We watched TV, ate pizza and chilled.

This morning, I ignored the alarm and slept in a bit. Jason called to find out which office I would be working in today (SLC) and ask if I wanted a bagel for breakfast. I told him I’d meet him at the local Einstein Brothers. They make a mean ham-and-cheese bagel omelette. I also stopped next door at the Beans & Brews for a cup of espresso-laden frozen mocha goodness. Then, on to the cotton fields…

Chew on This: Food for Thought
I was chatting with earlier and he asked me a question for which I didn’t have an immediate answer. I told him that I’d have to chat with the S.O. and get back to him:

me: Hmm. I may. I’ll talk it over with the S.O.
everydave: nog
me: X.O. Not sure if she quite qualifies as C.O.
<ponder>
everydave: ? commanding officer?
me: Yeah.
XO == executive officer (First Officer)
And I can’t recall what the abbreviation for Second Officer is.
…but I’m looking it up.
everydave: gotcha
SO is then significant officer?
me: Yes.
everydave: you’ve got some weird military fetish going on…and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, being a pacifist and all
me: Well, “Other,” but both apply/fit.

So, that raises the following questions:

• In relating to one’s significant other in military terms, would they be C.O or X.O.?
• And should a person take into account that “X” or “ex-” is not necessarily an attribute that should be applied to one’s current sig-other? And/or because of that, should the S.O. just be brevetted to “C.O.” in order to avoid any possible issues/complications.

Just wondering…
Stray Toasters

• I think that Derek’s training is coming along nicely – He not only made a pilgrimage to the Garden of Sweden… he made a video of it:
  
• Handbrake
• Have you voted for – or added a suggestion for – your favorite Chocolate Jesus Crunchies slogan?
• From Gizmodo: Rockstar Wii Mod Starts Manhunt for Classy Consoles
• just got new silver hotness… and had it delivered to the office. Many of us have drooled over it.
• Speaking of which: Check out the new Apple Mac ad: Santa Claus
• Inside the Baxter Building
• From BoingBoing: US official threatens employees with magic
• Village Hat Shop, home of the Hat Blog

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda
shockpuppet and I came up with a new cereal idea over lunch this afternoon, Chocolate Jesus Crunchies: Chocolate crosses, chocolate-coated fiber crowns o’ thorns and marshmallow apostles. Part of a nutritious – and righteous – breakfast! And, Ms. shockpuppet even came up with few slogans:

• “enough sugar to raise YOU from the dead!”
• “only your dentist will grant you salvation!”
• “forget the loaves and fishes, we’ve got chocolate and marshmallows!”
• “turns the milk wine red!”
• “each box is only 6 pieces of silver!”
• “have whatever you want for your last supper, but have Chocolate Jesus Crunchies for your final breakfast!”
• “you’ll rend your own cloak, they taste so good!”
• “if you don’t buy Chocolate Jesus Crunchies, you’ll be forsaken by God!”

We’re deciding which one we like best (and coming up with others). We’re also taking votes/suggestions.

The post-work day has gone somewhat as planned and somewhat not as planned. But, it’s been good. I haven’t gotten nearly as much cleaning done as I had hoped, nor have I played City… but I’ve had a quiet and relaxing evening:

• I read this week’s four-color goodness, which I picked up at lunch this afternoon.
• I watched a couple of episodes of Law & Order: SVU
• I watched DS9. (How long has it been since I’ve seen an episode of the Sisko Show?!)
• I watched Seven Days.

Lazy? You bet. Fun? Quite so.

Quotes of the Day
Quote Number One comes from last night’s gaming session:

: God of Sodomy!? I want to dip my balls in it!

Quote Number Two comes from some of the post-lunch brainstorming that shockpuppet and I did:

shockpuppet: so i’m thinking it should be based off this
http://static.flickr.com/68/191828260_6a7f80e8f7_o.jpg
pretty much, imagine that the rabbit is jesus
http://www.cerealbits.com/jim/count_mystery_front.jpg
this guy looks like a one-night-stand
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1022/1465967803_dedfc55f05.jpg
me: Porn Star Count Chocula
shockpuppet: totally. he’s sick
me: Kind of like when Aunt Jemima got a makeover a few years back. Not quite from Mammy to MILF, but closer.
shockpuppet: haha awesome

Amen.

Wednesday – 12 December 2007
Another cold day in the valley.

Last night’s Scion game was fun. And, just for the record: It’s much easier to play a game – or at least to know what your character is capable of doing – when you have your character sheet with you. Last night, I even had a backup: I had the .pdf version and the paper character sheet.

After the game, I went home and fought with technology: ‘Nine has an ATI 9600 All-in-Wonder video card in it. With such a card, I should be able to run a coax line from the cable jack into the card and… watch TV. The operative word in the previous sentence is: “should.” Instead, ‘Nine keeps giving me the finger driver errors. Between uninstalling drivers, downloading drivers, rebooting and testing, I think that I spent a couple of hours trying to find a workable configuration. The operative word in that sentence is: “trying.” But, I have nothing but time and opportunity… and the nigh-limitless knowledge of the Interweb… available to me. I shall prevail.

This morning, I partook of an ancient ritual known as “sleeping in.” It was good. After observing the hygiene rituals and deciding on today’s attire, I was on my way. The way that led to the door of the Giver of Frozen Mocha Goodness. And then, on to work! The day has been good: I put in a suggestion for some test hardware and am putting together a small, two-system network for a Windows Server 2003 test environment.

Tonight, I need to do some cleaning and then I think that I will save the world… or at least Paragon City.

Stray Toasters

• Today == Wednesday
  • A == New Comic Book Day
  • B == Sushi Wednesday
    • I had Ika, California and Seattle rolls today.
  • A + B = C
  • C == Happy Rob
• Chocolate Jesus Crunchies – the official cereal of Pope Groovalicious
• James Bond Films for the George W. Bush Era
• In going between OS X (Defiant) and WinXP (DS9), I keep having to remember on which side of application windows to look for the maxmize, minimize and close buttons.
• Terry Pratchett has rare, early-onset Alzheimer’s
• Catch a falling star and
  Put it in your pocket
  Save it for a rainy day
• US soul pioneer Ike Turner dies
• 
• The 5 Users You’d Meet in Hell
• Stupid Technology Tricks of 2007

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Sunday – 09 December 2007
This morning started, as Sundays often do, with coffee and comics. As an added bonus, SaraRules and I woke up with post-flip cup headaches. Fortunately, we had remembered to drink water before bed (although, apparently not quite as much as we should have), so they weren’t as hellacious as they could have been. Speaking of which, pictures of some of the antics can be seen here.

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out and watching football. In the early evening, SaraRules and I – along with Steve and Josh – headed to a holiday party at the home of the Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts. I didn’t know a lot (read: “most”) of the people there, but there were a few familiar faces. We had talked about going to a performance of The Messiah, but when we got in from the party, we found that going back out just wasn’t really in the cards. Instead, we are watching the Ravens take a world-class beatdown from the Colts.

Tomorrow, back to the work-a-day grind.

Namaste.

Saturday – 08 December 2007
Ahhh… another lazy Saturday morning.

The drive down was wet and rainy… until I got down near Beaver. It was snowing heading into and out of Beaver, but not in Beaver. Go figure. And, the other drivers actually drove with a modicum of care and common sense. The Council for Better Driving would definitely have approved of their behavior.

Last night, we went to see Steph perform in Student Dance Concert: Breaking Bounds. There were thirteen pieces; Steph danced in six of them. Most of the pieces were good, although there were a few… um… “not so great” ones. After the Concert, SaraRules and I came back and watched Smokin’ Aces. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I enjoyed it.

This morning started with breakfast, coffee and (of course) cartoons. Today’s episode of Legion of Super-Heroes was a rebroadcast of “The Karate Kid.” The Batman, however, was new: “Ring Toss,” featuring Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). The episode also had Sinestro, and they did a good take on him. The addition of The Penguin was, in my opinion, something of a throw-away, but what are you gonna do? Kim and Steph came in and watched ‘toons with us and then we switched over to What Not to Wear: Mail Call. THAT was amusing.

Nothing really on-tap for the afternoon, but we are heading to see A Christmas Carol: On the Air this evening. After that, I believe that we are having a flip cup competition. Should make for a fun and… interesting… night.

Stray Toasters

• I think that I have a potentially viable workaround for Christmas travel. Now to see if the other people involved will comply…
• Well, it’s been rumoured for a while, but it seems as though it’s moved out of the “rumour” category and moved into the “it’s really going to happen” category: End of the Line for CompUSA.
• 
• Steampunk gift guide and Steampunk Anthology
• sent me links to Dog Armor and Squirrel Armor… and the first think that came to mind was: “Man, I bet SCA geeks would love something like this! Now their pets can share in the fun with them!”
• From Something Awful’s Photoshop Phriday: Pop-Up Books
• Dark Horse Comics will present Serenity: Better Days, a 3-issue comic series, in 2008. The story will be written by Joss Whedon.

Quote of the Day
From Stacy London to a participant on this morning’s What Not to Wear:

You look like you’re trying to compete with 18-year-olds… but 18-year-olds always win, because they’re 18!

This met with a lot of laughter from everyone in the room.

Namaste.

Friday – 07 December 2007
This morning started early. 6:00 early. After getting to bed around 3:30. But, that’s when I had to get up to make the 7:00 service appointment for the car. And it was rainy in the valley… which is better than in the canyons, where it was snow. And it’s supposed to rain and/or snow tonight and tomorrow. Good thing I’m heading south this afternoon.

Last night, I stopped at Dr. Volt’s to feed my four-color and plastic crack addictions. There were some good things in the four-color haul, which I’ll get around to talking about sometime later this weekend. The plastic crack haul was quite good, too. I picked up one box, each, of the Justice League and the Mutations and Monsters sets. Inside were some choice items:

• Justice League
  • Black Canary
  • Firestorm (the third one I’ve gotten)
  • Green Lantern (super-rare in this set)
  • Mr. Mxyzptlk
  • Zatanna

• Mutations and Monsters
  • Chamber
  • Dazzler
  • Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy (rare and there’s a story behind me getting it, below)
  • Iceman (First Class)
  • Mimic

Dave, proprietor of Dr. Volt’s, saw me looking at boxes of ‘Clix and came over to offer suggestions… or so I thought. He took my box and, one at a time, picked up the other eight boxes on the wall, weighing each one against the box that I had selected. Um… okay. He hesitated over the last couple of boxes, but wound up handing me the one that I had originally selected, then he walked back to the register. As he rang up my purchase, he picked up the box of ‘Clix again and attempted to balance it on his index finger, seesaw-style. It dipped heavily to one side. He looked at me and said,”There’s a Devil Dinosaur in that one.” I smiled and nodded and thought how amusing it would be if he was right.

When I got home, I opened the box.

Inside was a Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy figure.

I also played a couple of hours of City last night. This time, I used the Hand of Nefer-Tem. I was checking out a few things when I got a random message asking if I wanted to join a pick-up team. Since I enjoy playing in a group more than running around alone (and dying), I said “yes.” We had a good mix of characters. We ran a few missions before people started leaving the team.

Today’s been good. Aside from the rain, that is. The soundtrack to this morning’s commute was interesting: All of the songs had one-word titles:

• Slam – Onyx
• Changes – Tupac
• Misled – Kool and the Gang (What ever happened to them, anyway?)
• Jaded – Aerosmith
• A – Barenaked Ladies
• Spiderwebs – No Doubt

It wasn’t intentional: Onyx came up first. When that song was done, I skipped songs until I hit something that appealed to me. It wasn’t until I got to Misled that I noticed the one-word “theme.” As I skipped through the mp3 list, the songs that appealed to me happened to be ones with one-word titles. And it didn’t stop there. After I had been in the office for a while, Jason started listening to Hollaback Girl. I decided that I wanted to hear something with a good beat after that. So, rummaged through the videos on my machine and settled on Will Smith’s Switch. Win-Win situation.

Today’s workout was basically a repeat of Wednesday’s workout, with a couple of changes in the weights used.

• Bench Press: 3 sets / 10 reps, 185 lbs (slow, controlled descent)
• Lateral Pull-downs: 3 set / 15 reps (broken into 5-5-5), 110 lbs
  • Wide-grip, behind-the-head (5 reps)
  • Wide-grip, overhand/standard (5 reps)
  • Close-grip, overhand/standard (5 reps)
  • **Close-grip, underhand/reverse-grip (done as an additional 5 reps on the third set)
• Shoulder Press (Dumbbell): 3 sets / 12 reps, 40 lbs
• Seated Curls (Dumbbell): 3 sets / 10 reps, 25 lbs
• Standing Wrist Curls (Barbell):
  • Forward: 3 sets / 15 reps, 35 lbs
  • Reverse: 3 sets / 15 reps, 35 lbs
• Leg Raises: 3 sets / 20 reps

Again, it was short and sweet… but a good workout.

Stray Toasters

• I had a craving for sushi last night. When I left Dr. Volt’s, I went a few doors down, to Go Sushi, and sated my appetite.
• 
• Everything You Need To Know About: Black Tie
• I added Twix and Butterfinger candy bars to my office stash in AF.
• By way of Tyranist: The 8 Most Cringe-Worthy Comic Book Movie Moments
• Sweeping the Clouds Away

  

• February, 2007 (Edited Symptoms): Nine Things Which Appeared on The Muppet Show, But Wouldn’t Make It Onto Family Television These Days
• By way of : 56 Geeks Poster
• Today’s random song that popped into my head for no reason: Men Without Hats’ Pop Goes the World
• From GQ: The Style Guy

Namaste.

Thursday – 06 December 2007
Three down, one in the chamber, one to go.

Last night was “Rob’s Errand-Running Night,” apparently. Laundry, groceries… and avoiding making any major electronics or furniture purchases. I was proud of myself on all counts. I rewarded myself by going home and playing City of Heroes.

I’ve noticed something over the past few mornings: I have some… unusual… songs that go through (or get stuck in) my head, first thing in the morning. I don’t recall what some of the past week’s songs have been, but this morning’s song was Oklahoma. Yeah. Weird.

Having decommissioned Intrepid last week, I’ve been wondering what to do with it. The answer came to me yesterday: posted a wish list of things he wants/needs. Among them was “a new computer or parts to build one.” Intrepid will get a new home and I don’t have to worry about it being taken care of. I think that this comes down as a “win-win” situation.

And, realizing how much I’ve come to like love adore my new MacBook BlacBook, I think that its new theme song should be Joan Jett’s I Hate Myself for Loving You. Even though, I don’t really hate myself. Or the MacBook.

City of Heroes: Indigo Bolt
That’s right, I said “Indigo Bolt.”

When I logged in, a couple of members of my supergroup were on. They were telling me that since NCSoft has upped the max size of supergroups, we are moving our 50s back to the original group (from the “senior team” that we had created when they hit 50). I moved Indi back to the old homestead. After this, we teamed up to run a few Ouroboros missions that are new in Issue 11: A Stitch in Time, which went live last week. As these are time travel missions, they will “reset” your powers – and hit points – to keep them in accordance with how far back in the timestream you move.

For example: My first mission was an alternate time line version of “Outbreak,” the very first mission you run. For this mission, my powers and hit points were scaled back to the same as when I first started the game. One caveat: I have a couple of extra “temporary” powers that exist “outside” my normal power sets – they weren’t affected (and were thus usable) by the time jump.

I had forgotten how much fun I had playing with Indi when I first started the game. And, in having not played him in over six months, I forgot how to play him. So, there was a bit of a re-learning curve, but it was a ton of fun. Kudos to NCSoft for adding to the replay value of the game.

Stray Toasters

• It’s been getting a little chilly here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. As such, there have been a couple of days when I have broken out my polypropylene shirt and pants, lovingly referred to as my “super suit.” Being cold-weather gear, they keep me warm. Now… being the comic book geek that I am, this somehow started me on the thought-path of: If Clark Kent wears his Superman outfit under his clothes all the time, how does he keep from getting too hot? I was about to apply a few brain cells and synapses to the task when I thought about one (tiny, almost insignificant) thing: We’re talking about the guy who dives into volcanoes – and flies in the cold/vacuum of space – just because he can. The few degrees that his costume adds to his ambient body temperature aren’t going to really be that noticeable.
• Neil Peart speaks about lyrics
• 
• With all of the negative press that video games have gotten in the past few years, it’s nice to see that someone has actually learned something useful from gaming: Swedish boy outthinks angry moose with Warcraft skillz
• For those of you who have/use Wacom graphics tablets: Do you ever use the mouse that came with it? I almost never use mine.
• Cockroaches that turned into zombies can be revived with brain injection
• st00pid servers (computers, not restaurant wait staff)
• Top Ten Super Anti-Heroes
• 

And that’s a wrap.
For now.

Namaste.